• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.12-21
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• 2019

Objectives Coptidis Rhizoma and Glycyrrhiza Uralensis are herbs that treat obesity and dampness-phlegm. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of Coptidis Rhizoma and Glycyrrhiza Uralensis on lipid deposition with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods Male 6-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were divided into three groups: control group (Ctrl), high fat diet group (HFF), and high fat diet with Coptidis Rhizoma and Glycyrrhiza Uralensis extract administration group (CGT). Each 10 mice were allocated to each group (total of 30 mice). All mice were allowed to eat fat rich diet freely throughout the experiment. To examine the effect of Coptidis Rhizoma and Glycyrrhiza Uralensis, we observed weight changes, total cholesterol and glucose levels, lipid blot distributions, PGC-1, p-$I{\kappa}B$, and p-JNK. Results Body weights for all mice were measured and analyzed the difference between the groups. Weight gain was significantly lower in CGT group than the HFF group. Total cholesterol and glucose levels were significantly lower in CGT group. The distribution of lipid blots and positive reaction of PGC-1 were significantly lower in CGT group. The positive reaction of p-$I{\kappa}B$ in hepatic tissues was significantly lower in CGT group. The positive reaction of p-JNK in hepatic tissues was significantly lower in CGT group. Conclusions Coptidis Rhizoma and Glycyrrhiza Uralensis have the effect of improving non - alcoholic fatty liver induced insulin resistance through regulation of lipid metabolism.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.542-551
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess the effectiveness of Chunggan plus extract (CGX) in improving liver function in a Korean medical clinic. Methods: We collected the data of inpatients who received CGX to improve abnormal liver function test (LFT) results from March 2016 to February 2020. We analyzed the changes in LFT and adverse events based on subjective symptom changes and creatinine results. Results: The data of eight patients, three male and five female, were selected by inclusion criteria (patients who did LFT before and after the prescription of CGX and who prescribed CGX more than 6 days) and exclusion criteria (patients who administered other herbal medicine for improving liver function except CGX and who are diagnosed with terminal stage of hepatobiliary cancer). As a cause of abnormal LFT, one case was diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease, two cases with non-alcoholic fatty hepatitis, and one case with cholecystitis. Three of the other four were suspected to have drug-induced hepatitis, and one case was determined to have an unknown cause. Most patients showed a decrease in LFT results (Aspartate transaminase 87.5%, Alanine transaminase 87.5%, and Alkaline Phosphatase 100%) without any critical adverse events. Conclusions: CGX may be an efficient and convenient herbal medicine for improving liver function regardless of the chief impression. Further study should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of CGX.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.478-484
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• 2011

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is known to be frequently associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. We examined the effects of EtOH extracts from Triticum aestivum on lipid accumulation during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to screening the candidate materials in preventing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The lipid level in adipocytes was determined by Oil Red O staining. The treatment of 50% ethanol, but not water and 100% ethanol extracts, from Triticum aestivum at concentration of 0.5 $mg/ml$ inhibited lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells, revealing no cell toxicity. Thus, the fractions of $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc and BuOH were separated from 50% EtOH extract to characterize anti-adipogenic effect. The $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction at concentration of $50{\mu}g/ml$ effectively inhibited the lipid accumulation in the adipocytes compared to those of EtOAc and BuOH at concentration of $50{\mu}g/ml$. The intracellular triglyceride accumulation also was significantly reduced by treatment of $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction in concentration-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that the $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction attenuated the intracelluar level of fatty acid synthase(FAS) accompanied by attenuated expression of Peroxidase proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ ($PPAR{\gamma}$) adipogenic transcription factor. These results suggest that $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction from 50% EtOH extract of Triticum aestivum may has the potent anti-adipogenic effects by inhibiting the transactivation of $PPAR{\gamma}$.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.174-182
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• 2003

Purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been recognized as an important childhood liver disease, especially where the prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing. The purpose of this study is to clarify the usefulness of elevated serum aminotransferase activities and their ratio for predicting the presence of fatty liver and its severity in obese children. Methods: Forty-four children (M/F 29/15, age 4 to 16 years) with obesity (weight excess>20%) were analyzed retrospectively with medical records based on degree of obesity, bioelectrical impedence, serum aminotransferase activities, lipid profiles and ultrasonography. Results: 1) Ultrasonography was carried out in 34 cases. Elevated serum ALT was found in 89.7% (26/29) of the patients diagnosed as fatty liver by ultrasonography and decreased AST/ALT ratio (<1) was found in 96.6% (28/29). There was a strong correlation between elevated serum ALT (>45 IU/L) or decreased AST/ALT ratio (<1) and the fatty liver in obese children (p<0.05). 2) There was no significant correlation between the serum ALT or AST/ALT ratio and the degree of fatty liver (p>0.05). 3) There was a significant correlation between total cholesterol, triglyceride and fatty liver (p<0.05). Conclusion: Serum ALT activity and AST/ALT ratio were useful to predict the presence of fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasonography in obese children, whereas they were not useful to predict the degree of fatty liver. Therefore, to prevent fatty liver progressing to advanced liver disease, it is necessary to manage and monitor the obese children continuously, especially those who have predicting factors of fatty liver.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.198-205
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• 2022

Hepatic diseases are divided into two types: alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Non-alcoholic liver injury finally induces fatty liver and damages liver function. Many studies have demonstrated that Ecklonia stolonifera has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. We conducted a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to examine the efficacy of E. stolonifera extracts (ESE) on biochemical markers of hepatic function. Sixty-five subjects with mild or moderate liver injuries were randomly allocated to receive either 420 mg/d of ESE or a placebo for 12 weeks. Fifty-five participants completed the trial. No significant adverse events were observed among the subjects during the study. The primary end points were changes in plasma levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT). The secondary end points were changes in lipid profile levels, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). Compared with the baseline, AST and ALT levels decreased significantly in the ESE group compared to those in the placebo group (P<0.001). In addition, γ-GT levels in the ESE group were significantly lower than those in the placebo group (P=0.016). There were no differences in the TC, TG, HDL, and LDL levels between groups. In conclusion, ESE consumption for 12 weeks improved liver parameters in subjects with liver injury. Regular consumption of ESE could maintain liver health in individuals at risk of hepatic damage.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effects of aged black garlic (ABG) in rodent models of liver injury. ABG inhibited carbon tetrachloride-induced elevation of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), which are markers of hepatocellular damage, in SD rats. D-galactosamine-induced hepatocellular damage was also suppressed by ABG treatment. However, ABG does not affect the elevation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a marker of hepatobilliary damage, in rats treated with carbon tetrachloride or D-galactosamine. We also examined the effect of ABG on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced fatty liver and subsequent liver damage. ABG had no significant effect on body weight increase and plasma lipid profile in HFD-fed mice. However, HFD-induced increase in AST and ALT, but not ALP, was significantly suppressed by ABG treatment. These results demonstrate that ABG has hepatoprotective effects and suggest that ABG supplementation might be a good adjuvant therapy for the management of liver injury.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.442-452
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the anti-lipogenic effect and the mechanism of Jungmanbunso-hwan extract (JMBSH) on a cellular model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) caused by palmitate in HepG2 cells.Methods: The JMBSH was prepared, andHepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of JMBSH in order to perform an MTT assay. The HepG2 cells were cultivated in palmitate-containing media with or without extract of JMBSH. The intracellular lipid content in the HepG2 cells was examined. The effects of JMBSH on sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1c (SREBP-1c), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation in HepG2 cells were measured.Results: JMBSH did not reduce HepG2 cell viability under 1,000 μg/mL. JMBSH considerably decreased intracellular lipid accumulation caused by palmitate in HepG2 cells. JMBSH repressed expression of SREBP-1c, which mediates the induction of lipogenic genes (ACC, FAS, and SCD-1). JMBSH also activated AMPK, which plays animportant role in the regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism.Conclusions: This study suggested that JMBSH relieves hepatic steatosis by repressing SREBP-1c, which mediates the induction of lipogenic genes. The anti-lipogenic effect of JMBSH may also be related to the activation of AMPK. Therefore, JMBSH could potentially be applied to NAFLD treatment after further clinical studies.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.38-57
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• 2019

Objective: This study reviewed recent clinical research trends regarding the effects of herbal medicine treatment containing diuretic herbs on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in China. Methods: We reviewed clinical studies on NAFLD from the China Academic Journal of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure from January 1, 2016, to September 10, 2018. Results: Thirty-nine papers from 86 studies were reviewed. The most commonly used herbal prescriptions included Alismatis Rhizoma(澤瀉), Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix (丹蔘), Crataegii Fructus (山査), Polia Sclerotium (茯?), Bupleuri Radix (柴胡), and Cassiae Semen (決明子). The treatment effective rate, liver function test, serum lipid test, radiological examination, and symptom comparisons were used to analyze the treatments. In 32 of the papers, the effective treatment rate was 76.9%-100%, and the effectiveness in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). The risk ratio for the treatment effective rate was 1.26. The mean difference of ALT was -13.44 U/L (95% confidential interval, -24.45 U/L, -2.44 U/L, p=0.0166). Conclusion: Herbal medicine containing diuretic herbs has been demonstrated to be an effective and useful treatment for NAFLD. Clinical studies that are more scientific and systematic should be actively conducted in the future, and the results of the current study could be used as basic data in future clinical studies on herbal medicine treatment for NAFLD.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.10
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• pp.1576-1584
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• 2013

This study is carried out to assess the relative effects of different doses of dietary glucose or fructose on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hepatic metaflammation in a rodent model of type 2 diabetes. KK/HlJ male mice were fed experimental diets as follows: 1) control (CON), 2) moderate glucose (MG, 30% of total calories as glucose), 3) high glucose (HG, 60% of total calories as glucose), 4) moderate fructose (MF, 30% of total calories as fructose), and 5) high fructose (HF, 60% of total calories as fructose) for three weeks. Food intake was not affected by treatments. Compared with HF, HG not only increased serum fasting glucose and area under the curve during oral glucose tolerance test, but also decreased the levels of serum insulin and adiponectin. It indicated that glucose control was complicated via high glucose intake. High fructose treatment led to increased triglyceride in the serum and liver. In comparison to HG, high fructose diet activated NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome consisting of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), NLRP3 and caspase 1, which increases interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ maturation and secretion. The activation of NLRP3 inflammasome was accompanied by increased levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) and IL-6. However, the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components and pro-inflammatory cytokines did not differ between CON and HG. These data suggested that dietary fructose triggers hepatic metaflammation accompanied by NLRP3 inflammasome activation and has deleterious effects on NAFLD.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.17-26
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• 2022

Objective : The aim of the present study is to examine hepatic lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects of silymarin combined with Jakyakgamcho-tang on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a high fat diet-induced obese mice model. Methods : C57BL/6 mice were divided into four dietary groups: (1) Normal, (2) Control (60% high-fat diet), (3) Control + silymarin 50 mg/kg/day (Silymarin), (4) Control + Silymarin 50 mg/kg/day + Jakyakgamcho-tang 100 mg/kg/day (SPG). After 12 weeks administration, mice were sacrificed and lipids and inflammation-related biomarkers were analyzed liver and plasma. Results : Silymarin and SPG treatments significantly lowered body and liver weights compared to the Control. Serumlipids (triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1𝛽, and IL-6) concentrations were significantly lowered in the Silymarin and SPG groups than the Control group. Silymarin and SPG treatments suppressed hepatic TG level and hepatic lipid droplets compared to the Control. Theses two treatments significantly increased hepatic kinase B1 and AMP-activated protein kinase protein levels, and significantly decreased hepatic key lipogenic enzymes (acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase and stearyl coenzyme A desaturase 1) protein levels than the Control. SPG also significantly increased hepatic fatty acid oxidation-related protein (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and uncoupling protein 2) levels than the Control. Conclusions: Silymarin and SPG suppressed hepatic lipid accumulation by regulating hepatic protein expression, and lowered blood pro-inflammatory cytokines concentrations though the synergic effect of silymarin and Jakyakgamchotang was not clear.