• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.63-76
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• 2014

Objectives : This study investigated the improvement effects of Pakistani (DF-a) and Chinese Ephedra herba-containing Gangjihwan (DF-b) on obesity in a high fat diet-fed obese mouse model. Methods : Eight-week-old C57BL/6N mice were divided into four groups: a normal lean group given a standard diet, an obese control group given a high fat diet, and DF-a and DF-b groups given a high fat diet with DF-a (80 mg/kg), and DF-b (80 mg/kg), respectively. After 8 weeks of treatment, body weight gain, feeding efficiency ratio, blood lipid markers, fat weight and histology were examined. Results : 1. Body weight gain and fat mass were significantly decreased in DF-a and DF-b groups compared with control. The extent of decreases was eminent in DF-a group. 2. Feeding efficiency ratio and circulating leptin concentration were significantly decreased in DF-a and DF-b groups compared with control, whereas circulating adiponectin concentration was increased in DF-a and DF-b groups compared with control. 3. Consistent with their effects on body weight gain and fat mass, circulating concentrations of triglyceride, glucose and insulin were decreased in DF-a and DF-b groups compared with control. 4. The size of adipocytes were decreased by DF-a and DF-b compared with control, whereas the adipocyte number per unit area was increased by them, suggesting that DF-a and DF-b decreased the number of large adipocytes. 5. Consistent with their effects on body weight gain, liver fibrosis was reduced in DF-a and DF-b groups compared with control. Conclusions : In conclusion, these results suggest that DF-a and DF-b not only decrease feeding efficiency ratio, plasma leptin concentration, and blood anti-obesity biomarkers, but also reduce fat mass, contributing to the improvement of obesity. DF-a and DF-b also inhibit liver fibrosis. In addition, these effects were similar between Pakistani Ephedra herba and Chinese Ephedra herba-containing Gangjihwan.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.105-120
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was investigated the improvement effects of Gangjihwan (DF) and combination of Gangjihwan and Gamisochehwan (GSH) on obesity in a high fat diet-fed obese mouse model. Methods : Eight-week-old C57BL/6N mice were divided into four groups: a normal lean group given a standard diet, an obese control group given a high fat diet, and DF and DF+GSH groups given a high fat diet with DF (40 mg/kg), and DF+GSH (80 mg/kg), respectively. After 8 weeks of treatment, body weight gain, feeding efficiency ratio, blood lipid markers, fat weight and histology were examined. Results : 1. Body weight gain and fat mass were significantly decreased in DF and DF+GSH groups compared with control. The extent of decreases was eminent in DF+GSH group. 2. Feeding efficiency ratio and circulating concentration of leptin were decreased in DF and DF+GSH groups compared with control. These decreases were significant in DF+GSH group. 3. Consistent with their effects on body weight gain and fat mass, circulating concentrations of triglyceride, glucose and insulin were decreased in DF and DF+GSH groups compared with control. 4. The size of adipocytes was decreased by DF and DF+GSH compared with control, whereas the adipocyte number per unit area was increased by them, suggesting that DF and DF+GSH decreased the number of large adipocytes. 5. Consistent with their effects on body weight gain, liver fibrosis was also improved in DF and DF+GSH groups compared with control. Conclusions : In conclusion, these results suggest that DF and DF+GSH groups decrease feeding efficiency ratio, plasma leptin concentration, blood anti-obesity biomarkers and fat mass, improves body weight gain contributing to the inhibition of liver fibrosis. In addition, these effects were more effective in DF+GSH combination group than in DF-only group.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.1020-1030
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• 2017

Epidemiology studies have reported a reduced incidence of colon cancer among populations that consume a large quantity of ${\omega}3-polyunsaturated$ fatty acids (${\omega}3-PUFAs$) of marine origin. Herein, we demonstrated a mechanism of anticancer action of ${\omega}3-PUFAs$, showing that they suppressed invasion and tumorigenicity in colon cancer cells. Docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) inhibited the cell growth of HT29 cells. This action likely involved apoptosis, given that the DHA treatment increased the cleaved form of PARP and sub G1 cells. Moreover, the invasiveness of HT29 cells was inhibited following DHA treatment, whereas arachidonic acid (AA) had no effect. The levels of Matrix-metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and MMP-2 mRNA decreased after DHA pretreatment. DHA treatment inhibited MMP-9 and MMP-2 promoter activities and reduced VEGF promoter activity. DHA pretreatment also inhibited the activities of prostaglandin-2 (PGE2)-induced MMPs and the VEGF promoter. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) overexpression increased the activity of MMPs and that of the Vascular endotherial growth factor (VEGF) promoter in HT29 cells, and DHA inhibited NF-kB and COX-2 promoter reporter activities. As shown by in vivo experiments, when mouse colon cancer cells (MCA38) were implanted into Fat-1 and wild-type mice, both the tumoral size and volume were dramatically inhibited in Fat-1 transgenic mice. Furthermore, TUNEL-positive cells increased in tumors from Fat-1 mice compared with wild mice. In immunohistochemistry, the intensity of CD31 in Fat-1 tumors was weaker. These findings suggest that ${\omega}3-PUFAs$ may inhibit tumorigenicity and angiogenesis as well as cancer cell invasion by suppression of COX-2, MMPs and VEGF via the reduction of NF-kB in colon cancer.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2006

Puroose: We examined whether intratumoral (i.t.) administration of dendritic cells (DCs) into a treated tumor could induce local and systemic antitumor effects in a mouse tumor model. Methods and Materials: C57BL/6 mice were inoculated s.c. in the right and left thighs with MCA-102 fibrosarcoma cells on day 0 and on day 7, respectively. On day 7, the tumors (usually 6 mm in diameter) on the right thigh were heated by immersing the tumor-bearing leg in a circulating water bath at $43^{\circ}C$ for 30 min; thereafter, the immature DCs were i.t administered to the right thigh tumors. This immunization procedure was repeated on days 7, 14 and 21. The tumors in both the right and left thighs were measured every 7 days and the average sizes were determined by applying the following formula, tumor $size=0.5{\times}(length+width)$. Cytotoxicity assay was done to determine tumor-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity. Results: Hyperthermia induced apoptosis and heat shock proteins (HSPs) in tumor occurred maximally after 6 hr. For the local treated tumor, hyperthermia (HT) alone inhibited tumor growth compared with the untreated tumors (p<0.05), and furthermore, the i.t. administered DCs combined with hyperthermia (HT + DCs) additively inhibited tumor growth compared with HT alone (p<0.05). On the distant untreated tumor, HT alone significantly inhibited tumor growth (p<0.05), and also HT + DCs potently inhibited tumor growth (p<0.001); however, compared with HT alone, the difference was not statistically significant. In addition, HT + DCs induced strong cytotoxicity of the splenocytes against tumor cells compared to DCs or HT alone. Conclusion: HT + DCs induced apoptosis and increased the expression of HSPs, and so this induced a potent local and systemic antitumor response in tumor-bearing mice. This regimen may be beneficial for the treatment of human cancers.