• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.958-962
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• 1999

Hydroxy methylglutaryl CoA(HMG CoA) reductase and acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase(ACAT) are two important enzymes that are associated with regulation of cholesterol metabolism. The inhibitors of HMG CoA reductase and ACAT are very effective in lowering serum cholesterol in most animal species. In present study, various plant extracts with hot water were used to examine the inhibitory activities against HMG CoA reductase and ACAT that are involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and cholesterol esterification in tissues, respectively. The extracts of Fagophyrum rotundatum, Rosa multiflora, Rosa rugosa and Alisma orientalis exhibited significant inhibitory activities against the ACAT, 29%, 24%, 19%, and 18%, respectively. However the extracts of Typha augustifolia, Polygonum cuspidatum, Crataegus pinnatifida, Polygonum multiflorum inhibited the HMG CoA reductase activity by 53%, 42%, 37%, and 33% respectively. Results suggest that these plant extracts might play important roles in the regulation of the cholesterol metabolism in vivo.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.212-218
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• 1995

A human hepatoma cell line, hep G2, was used to investigate the mechanism of serum cholesterol reduction by ginseng total saponin, ginsenoside-$Rb_1$, - $Rb_2$, and non-saponin fraction (ether extraction). Hep G2 cells were incubated in 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml of cholesterol containing serum free-RPMl1640 medium with various concentration of ginseng components. The amounts of cholesterol in Hep G2 cells were decreased to maximum 51% in total saponin or two ginsenoside-treated groups while there was 137% increase in cholesterol level of control group as compared with that of normal group. Nonsaponin groups did not show the same effect. In order to elucidate the observed changes in the amount of cholesterol, the activity of amyl CoA : cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) in groups showing remarkable reduction in cholesterol amount, i.e., total saponin 10-6%, ginsenoside-$Rb_1$ $10^{-4}$%, ginsenoside-$Rb_2$, $10^{-4}$%, and non-saponin fraction $10^{-4}$%, was assayed using [1-$^{-14}C$%]oleic acid as enzyme substrate. The activity of ACAT was increased in all groups tested as compared with that of control group except for non-saponin group cultured in water soluble cholesterol containing medium. The serum cholesterol lowering effects of ginseng components can partially be attributed to the increased hepatocellular ACAT activity.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.716-718
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• 2003

In the course of our search for Acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitors from natural sources, a new type of ACAT inhibitor was isolated from a methanol extract of Diospyros kaki. On the basis of spectral and structural evidence, the compound was identified as pheophorbide A-methyl ester. Pheophorbide A-methyl ester inhibited ACAT activity in a dose dependent manner with an $IC_{50}$ value of 1.85 $\mu$ g/mL.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.384-396
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• 1999

Acyl-CoA: Cholesterol Acyltransferase (ACAT) is a key enzyme responsible for cholesteryl ester formation in atherogenesis and in cholesterol absorption from the intestines. In addition under pathological conditions, formation and accumulation of cholesteryl ester as lipid droplets by ACAT within macrophages constitute a characteristic feature of early lesions of atherosclerotic plaques. ACAT inhibitors are expected to be effective for treatment of atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia. ACAT inhibitors of natural origin have been rarely reported. In our screening program for ACAT inhibitors, 303 plants were extracted with methanol or ethanol, and screened for the inhibitory activity against ACAT from the rat liver microsome. Extracts of 13 plants including Quercus aliena, Diospyros kaki, Platycarya strobilacea and Hibiscus syriacus inhibited more than 90% of ACAT activity and 43 samples in alcohol extracts such as Magnolia obovata and Panax ginseng also inhibited more than 70% of ACAT activity at a concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1297-1304
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• 2009

A novel series of imidazo[1,2-$\alpha$]pyridines was designed, synthesized, and tested for their ability to inhibit acyl- CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase. Preliminary lead optimization efforts resulted in the identification of ACAT inhibitors represented by analogues 5b, 5c, 6a, 6c, 7b, and 7c. The ACAT inhibitory activity of these compounds was further established by potent inhibition of cholesteryl ester formation in HepG2 cells by a representative analogue 7b.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.223-227
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• 2009

The fruits of Cornus kousa Burg. were extracted with 80% aqueous methanol (MeOH) and the concentrated extract was partitioned with ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and $H_2O$. From the EtOAc traction, 5 triterpenoids were isolated through repeated silica gel ($SiO_2$), octadecyl silica gel (ODS), and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography (c.c.). These compounds were determined to be ursolic acid (1), corosolic acid (2), taraxasterol (3), betulinic acid (4), and betulinic aldehyde (5) on the basis of their spectroscopic data including electronic ionization mass spectrometry, ultraviolet spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance. This is the first reported isolation of these compounds from this plant. Also, compounds 1, 3, 4, and 5 show a relatively high inhibitory activity against human acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase-1 (hACAT-1) with inhibition values of $52.8{\pm}0.7$, $91.1{\pm}0.4$, $93.0{\pm}0.7$, and $96.2{\pm}0.2%$ at a concentration of $100{\mu}M$, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1995.04a
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• pp.67-67
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• 1995

Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT, EC 2.3.1.26) plays an important role in the control of intracellular free cholesterol content via its cholesterol esterifying activity. ACAT inhibitors are expected to be effective for treatment of atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia. In the course of a screening program for ACAT inhibitors from microbial sources, GERI-BP001 M, A, and B were isolated from the fermentation broth of a fungal strain. GERI-BP001 compounds were isolated from a culture broth of Aspergillus fumigatus F37 by acetone extraction, EtOAc extraction, SiO$_2$ column chromatography, and reverse phase HPLC. The structure of GERI-BP001 coumpounds were determined by $^1$H-NMR, $\^$l3/C-NMR, 2D-NMR, NOESY, and long range C-H COSY experiments. GERI-BP001 M, A, and B inhibit ACAT activity in an enzyme assay system using rat liver microsomes by 50% at concentrations of 75, 147, and 71 ${\mu}$M, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1663-1665
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• 2008

Acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) catalyzes cholesterol esterification and plays an important role in the intestinal absorption of cholesterol, hepatic production of lipoproteins, and accumulation of cholesteryl ester within cells. During the course of screening to find ACAT inhibitors from microbial sources, the present authors isolated pyripyropene A from Penicillium griseofulvum F1959. Pyripyropene A, an ACAT2-specific inhibitor, has already been produced from Aspergillus fumigatus. Yet, Aspergillus fumigatus is a pathogen and only produces a limited amount of pyripyropene A, making the isolation of pyripyropene A troublesome. In contrast, Penicillium griseofulvum F1959 was found to produce approximately 28 times more pyripyropene A than Aspergillus fumigatus, plus this report also describes the ideal conditions for the production of pyripyropene A by Penicillium griseofulvum F1959 and its subsequent purification.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1275-1284
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• 2017

Acyltransferase (AT) catalyzes the transfer of an acyl moiety from acyl-coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) to an acceptor. ATs play important roles in the maintenance of homeostasis in the human body and have been linked to various diseases; therefore, several ATs have been proposed as potential targets for the treatment or prevention of such diseases. The AT family includes acyl-CoA:cholesterol AT (ACAT), diacylglycerol AT, and monoacylglycerol AT for the metabolism of lipids. Furthermore, recent molecular biological studies revealed the existence of their isozymes with distinct functions in the body. ACAT plays a critical role in the formation of cholesteryl esters from cholesterol and fatty acids, and is a potential target for treating hypercholesterolemia. During an experiment designed to discover biologically active compounds from herbal medicines, we isolated two known guaianolide sesquiterpene lactones from Chrysanthemum boreale Makino (Compositae). The lactones were characterized from their spectroscopic data (NMR, IR, MASS). These compounds were subjected to ACAT inhibition assay. Here, we report the isolation and structural elucidation of the compounds 8-o-acetyl-2-methoxy-10-hydroxy-3,11(13)-guaiadiene-12,6-olide and 8-acetyl-3,10-hydroxy-4(15),11(13)-guaiadiene-12,6-olide. In the ACAT inhibition assay, compound 1 showed strong inhibitory activity, with an $IC_{50}$ value $45{\mu}g/mL$, whereas compound 2 did not exhibit significant inhibitory activity with an over $100{\mu}g/mL$.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.106-112
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• 2002

Ethanol extract of Cinnamomi cortex inhibited potently cholesterol esterase activity in vitro. Chloroform fraction of ethanol extract showed the stronger inhibitory effect than other solvent fractions - ethylacetate fraction, butanol fraction, and aqueous fraction. The chloroform fraction of Cinnamomi cortex was studied as a candidator of plasma cholesterol-lowering material using high cholesterol-fed rats. In high cholesterol-fed rats, the diet with chloroform fraction of 150 mg/kg lowered not only plasma neutral lipids contents 25.1% but also plasma total cholesterol level 49.6% than only high cholesterol diet. Plasma HDL-cholesterol level in Cinnamomi cortex chloroform fraction-fed rats was recovered as those level of normal rats. LD$_{50}$ of Cinnamomi chloroform extract was calculated as 1,300 mg/kg.