• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.354-361
• /
• 2019

The red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important vegetables in traditional Korean food, containing vitamins A, C, and E, polyphenol, and flavonoids. In addition, red peppers have high anti-oxidant ability and are known to be effective in preventing obesity, diabetes, hypertension, digestive disorders, stress, and aging. In this study, we investigated the effects against obesity and diabetes of both fermented and non-fermented red pepper. C57BL/6N mice with induced obesity from an eight-week 45% high fat diet (HFD) were then fed either an HFD or diets containing 2.5% non-fermented red pepper marc (NRM), 1.25% fermented red pepper marc (FRM), or 2.5% FRM for a further eight weeks. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed seven weeks after dietary intake, and body weight, liver, epididymal fat weight, serum insulin level, and HOMA-IR were measured and a lipid content test performed at eight weeks. The results show that the 2.5% FRM diet reduced body and tissue weight, lipid content, serum insulin levels, and HOMA-IR compared to the 2.5% NRM and HFD diets. These results suggest that fermented red pepper is effective against obesity and diabetes. We will use this information as the basic data for the development of health food materials using red pepper.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.9
• /
• pp.999-1006
• /
• 2018

Obesity is epidemic worldwide and has reportedly been linked to the progression of several metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The natural products are decreasing the side effects of medicines used for obesity and also have health benefits dut to their numerous bioactive compounds. In this context, Artemisia scoparia is a widespread plant that has been suggested as possessing various types of bioactivity. In this study, the crude extract from A. scoparia (ASE) was tested for its ability to suppress adipogenesis in mouse 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. The molecular pathway by which ASE affects differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells was also investigated. The introduction of ASE to differentiating 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes resulted in suppressed adipogenesis, as confirmed by decreased intracellular lipid accumulation. The differentiating cells treated with 10 and $100{\mu}g/ml$ of ASE showed 21.9 and 29.0% less lipid accumulation, respectively, than untreated adipocytes. In addition, the results indicated that ASE treatment lowered the expression of the adipogenesis-related factors $PPAR{\gamma}$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$, and SREBP-1c. Furthermore, treating with ASE notably decreased levels of phosphorylated p38, ERK, and JNK in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These results indicate that ASE exhibits significant anti-adipogenesis activity by downregulating the MAPK and $PPAR{\gamma}$ pathways during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. Therefore, A. scoparia may be a potential source of natural products against obesity.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.7
• /
• pp.765-771
• /
• 2018

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($PPAR{\gamma}$) is a key transcription factor that regulates adipogenesis, and epigenetic control of $PPAR{\gamma}$ is of great interest in obesity-inhibition research. Our previous study showed that CACUL1 (CDK2-associated cullin domain 1) acts as a corepressor that inhibits $PPAR{\gamma}$ transcriptional activity and adipocyte differentiation. Here, we investigated the roles of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), a novel binding partner of CACUL1, in regulating $PPAR{\gamma}$. The interaction between PRMT5 and CACUL1 was shown by immunoprecipitation assay in vivo and GST pulldown assay in vitro. As shown by luciferase reporter assay, PRMT5 and CACUL1 cooperated to inhibit the transcriptional activity of $PPAR{\gamma}$. The suppressive role of PRMT5 in adipogenesis was examined by Oil Red O staining using 3T3-L1 cells, which stably overexpress or deplete PRMT5. Overexpression of PRMT5 suppresses $PPAR{\gamma}$-mediated adipogenesis, whereas PRMT5 knockdown increases lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells. Consistently, PRMT5 attenuates the expression of Lpl and aP2, the target genes of $PPAR{\gamma}$, as demonstrated by RT-qPCR analysis. Overall, these results suggest that PRMT5 interacts with CACUL1 to impair the transcriptional activity of $PPAR{\gamma}$, leading to the inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. Therefore, the regulation of PRMT5 enzymatic activity may provide a clue to develop an anti-obesity drug.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.192-202
• /
• 2017

In this study, factors involved in lipid and energy metabolism following treatment with ethanolic extract of the Polygonatum sibiricum rhizome (ID1216) were evaluated in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. ID1216-treated mice showed a significant reduction in weight gain compared to non-treated mice. ID1216 treatment increased the protein levels of AMP-dependent protein kinase, sirtuin1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ coactivator 1-${\alpha}$ ($PGC1{\alpha}$), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\alpha}$ ($PPAR{\alpha}$) and uncoupling proteins in the adipose tissue, liver and muscle compared to vehicle treatment. Analysis of downstream signals of the sirtuin1 $PGC1{\alpha}$-$PPAR{\alpha}$ pathway showed that ID1216 regulates the expression of ${\beta}$-oxidation related genes such as acyl-CoA oxidase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase1, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and adipocyte protein 2. In addition, ID1216 increased the expression of adipose triglyceride lipase. These results suggest that ID1216 has anti-obesity effects by regulating the genes involved thermogenesis, ${\beta}$-oxidation and lipolysis in a diet-induced obesity model.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.5 no.6
• /
• pp.511-519
• /
• 2011

Dietary intake of whole grains reduces the incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In an earlier study, we showed that Panicum miliaceum L. extract (PME) exhibited the highest anti-lipogenic activity in 3T3-L1 cells among extracts of nine different cereal grains tested. In this study, we hypothesized that PME in the diet would lead to weight loss and augmentation of hyperlipidemia by regulating fatty acid metabolism. PME was fed to ob/ob mice at 0%, 0.5%, or 1% (w/w) for 4 weeks. After the experimental period, body weight changes, blood serum and lipid profiles, hepatic fatty acid metabolism-related gene expression, and white adipose tissue (WAT) fatty acid composition were determined. We found that the 1% PME diet, but not the 0.5%, effectively decreased body weight, liver weight, and blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels (P < 0.05) compared to obese ob/ob mice on a normal diet. Hepatic lipogenic-related gene ($PPAR{\alpha}$, L-FABP, FAS, and SCD1) expression decreased, whereas lipolysis-related gene (CPT1) expression increased in animals fed the 1% PME diet (P < 0.05). Long chain fatty acid content and the ratio of C18:1/C18:0 fatty acids decreased significantly in adipose tissue of animals fed the 1% PME diet (P < 0.05). Serum inflammatory mediators also decreased significantly in animals fed the 1% PME diet compared to those of the ob/ob control group (P < 0.05). These results suggest that PME is useful in the chemoprevention or treatment of obesity and obesity-related disorders.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.50 no.6
• /
• pp.543-551
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The objective of the present study was to determine whether fermentation can increase the protective effects of blueberry liquid in a high-fat diet-induced obese mice model. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet (HD, 60% fat, w/w,), HD supplemented with 10 ml/kg BW/day of blueberry liquid (BHD, blueberry high-fat diet), or HD supplemented with 10 ml/kg BW/day of fermented blueberry liquid (FBHD, fermented blueberry high-fat diet) for 10 weeks. Results: There were significant decreases in the body, epididymal adipose tissue, and liver weights of blueberry-fed groups compared to HD, whereas there were no significant differences in food intake among the groups. Furthermore, blueberry liquid groups, especially fermented blueberry liquid, significantly attenuated the contents of hepatic triglycerides and total cholesterol induced by HD. Serum LDL-cholesterol was significantly lower in the BHD and FBHD-fed groups, whereas FBHD significantly increased the serum HDL-cholesterol level compared to the control. Concentrations of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and leptins in serum were also reduced by blueberry liquid supplementation. The mRNA expression of hepatic acetyl CoA carboxylase was significantly reduced in both the BHD and FBHD groups compared to HD. Furthermore, FBHD altered the mRNA expression level of hepatic lipolysis genes. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results suggest that blueberry, especially fermented blueberry liquid, may improve obesity-related abnormalities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.41 no.8
• /
• pp.1106-1111
• /
• 2012

It is shown that the risk of chronic disease is increased not only by the concentration of fat in the diet but also by the composition of dietary fatty acids. We investigated the anti-oxidant effects of vitamin E on dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid-fed mice. Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 9 groups: a normal diet group (C), 4 dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid diet groups (OA, LA, LNA, DHA), and 4 dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid diet with 0.05% vitamin E groups (OAE, LAE, LNAE, DHAE). The food efficiency in the dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid diet groups was higher than in the normal diet groups. The concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly increased by LA and DHA fatty acids. Vitamin E significantly decreased LA and LHA-induced lipid peroxidation. The activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase was increased in the dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid diet groups compared to the control group, while these were decreased by supplements with vitamin E, except in the OAE group. Also, the protein expression of CYP2E1 was significantly increased in only the LNA group, while these were decreased by supplements with vitamin E. These results taken together indicate that vitamin E may have positive effects on a dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid diet-induced oxidative stress in brain tissue.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.159-166
• /
• 2015

We investigated the anti-obesity effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus C isolated from kimchi and red ginseng and black raspberry mixture fermented by this strain. Experimental samples were prepared with 10% skim milk, 1% red ginseng extract and 1% immature black raspberry powder and without red ginseng extract and black raspberry fermented by this strain at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 hour. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (a normal diet group (N), a high-fat diet group (HF), a high fat diet with L. acidophilus C (C), and a high fat diet with fermented mixture (CEx)) and were orally administered daily for 6 weeks at concentration of 2,000 mg/kg body weight. The results showed that weight gain, weight of periepididymal fat and perirenal fat, adipocyte size, lipid accumulation in liver, serum glucose concentration, serum GOT and GPT concentration and serum leptin were decreased and concentration of HDL-cholesterol and serum adiponectin were increased compared to HF group. These results suggest that fermented mixture (CEx) might be helpful in improvement of high-fat diet-induced obesity than only L. acidophilus C intake.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.595-602
• /
• 2021

Human intestinal microbiota play an important role in the regulation of the host's metabolism. There is a close pathological and physiological interaction between dysbiosis of the intestinal microflora and obesity and metabolic syndrome. Akkermansia muciniphila, which was recently isolated from human feces, accounts for about 1-4% of the intestinal microbiota population. The use of A. muciniphila- derived external membrane protein Amuc_1100 and extracellular vesicles (EVs) could be a new strategy for the treatment of obesity. A. muciniphila is considered a next-generation probiotic (NGP) for the treatment of metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii accounts for about 5% of the intestinal microbiota population in healthy adults and is an indicator of gut health. F. prausnitzii is a butyrate-producing bacterium, with anti-inflammatory effects, and is considered an NGP for the treatment of immune diseases and diabetes. Postbiotics are complex mixtures of metabolites contained in the cell supernatant secreted by probiotics. Parabiotics are microbial cells in which probiotics are inactivated. Paraprobiotics and postbiotics have many advantages over probiotics, such as clear chemical structures, safe dose parameters, and a long shelf life. Thus, they have the potential to replace probiotics. The most natural strategy to restore the imbalance of the intestinal ecosystem normally is to use NGPs among commensal bacteria in the gut. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new foods or drugs such as parabiotics and postbiotics using NGPs.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2023

It was investigated whether a combination of PPARα activator fenofibrate and swimming exercise (H/F/S) would have a beneficial synergistic effect on improving inflammation of white adipose tissue compared to the single prescription of fenofibrate (H/F) and swimming exercise (H/S) in male mice that fed high fat diet. The body weight, weight of white adipose tissue and total cholesterol levels in the serum increased in mice-fed high fat diets (H) compared to mice-fed low fat diets (L). Compared to H, both H/F and H/S decreased these. These levels reduced by fenofibrate were more effectively reduced by the combination of fenofibrate and swimming exercise (H/F/S). As a result of examining the expression of inflammatory cytokines genes and fatty acid oxidation genes in white adipose tissue, H increased compared to L, both H/F and H/S decreased compared to H, and H/F/S decreased further compared to H/F. Thus, this study revealed that the combination of fenofibrate and swimming exercise in male mice fed high-fat diet suppresses inflammation of white adipose tissue caused by obesity through promoted fatty acid oxidation more effectively than the fenofibrate alone, and suggested a practical way to improve inflammation of adipose tissue caused by obesity.