• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.469-482
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• 2023

Purpose: Obesity has emerged as a critical global public health concern as it is associated with and increases susceptibility to various diseases. This condition is characterized by the excessive enlargement of adipose tissue, primarily stemming from an inequity between energy intake and expenditure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of sweet pumpkin powder in mitigating obesity and metabolic disorders in leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) mice and to compare the effects of raw sweet pumpkin powder (HNSP01) and heat-treated sweet pumpkin powder (HNSP02). Methods: Leptin-deficient obese mice were fed a diet containing 10% HNSP01 and another containing 10% HNSP02 for 6 weeks. Results: The supplementation of ob/ob mice with HNSP01 and HNSP02 resulted in decreased body weight gain, reduced adipose tissue weight, and a smaller size of lipid droplets in the adipose tissue and liver. Furthermore, the ob/ob-HNSP01 and ob/ob-HNSP02 supplemented groups exhibited lower levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and insulin, as well as a reduced atherogenic index in comparison with the control group. Molecular analysis also demonstrated that the intake of HNSP01 and HNSP02 resulted in a diminished activation of factors associated with fatty acid synthesis, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase, while concurrently enhancing factors associated with lipolysis, including adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone-sensitive lipase, in the adipose tissue. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings collectively demonstrate the potential of sweet pumpkin powder as a functional food ingredient with therapeutic properties against obesity and its associated metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.163-172
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• 2009

Some organotin compounds such as butyltins and phenyltins are known to induce impo-sex in various marine animals and are considered to be endocrine disruptors. In this study, the effect of organotins on follicular steroidogenesis in amphibians was examined using ovarian follicles of Rana dybowskii and Rana catesbeiana. Isolated follicles were cultured for 6 or 18 h in the presence and absence of frog pituitary homogenate (FPH) or various steroid precursors, and the levels of product steroids in the culture media oassay. Among the butyltin compounds, tributyltin (TBT) strongly and dose-dependently inhibited the FPH-induced synthesis of pregnenolone ($P_5$) and progesterone ($P_4$) by the follicles. TBT also strongly suppressed the conversion of cholesterol to $P_5$ and partially suppressed the conversion of $P_5$ to $P_4$. A high concentration of dibutyltin (DBT) also inhibited steroidogenesis by the follicles while monobutyltin and tetrabutyltin had negligible effects. The toxic effect of TBT or DBT was irreversible and a short time of exposure (30 min) was enough to suppress steroidogenesis. All the phenyltin compounds significantly inhibited FPH-induced $P_5$ synthesis by the follicles. The effective dose of 50% inhibition by diphenyltin was $0.04\;{\mu}M$ and those of monophenyltin and triphenyltin were $0.24\;{\mu}M$ and $0.3\;{\mu}M$, respectively. However, none of the phenyltin compounds significantly suppressed the conversion of $P_4$ to $17{\alpha}$-hydroxyprogesterone ($17{\alpha}$-OHP) (by $17{\alpha}$-hydroxylase), $17{\alpha}$-OHP to androstenedione (AD) (by $C_{17-20}$ lyase), or AD to testosterone by the follicles. Taken together, the data show that among the steroidogenic enzymes, P450scc in the follicles is the most sensitive to organotin compounds and that an amphibian follicle culture system can be a useful screening model for endocrine disruptors.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2022

Objectives : Although the anti-obesity effect of Schizandrae Fructus water extract has been demonstrated, its underlying mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the anti-obesity effect of Schizandrae Fructus water extract through the p-AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), sirtuin1 (Sirt1), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) signaling in 60% high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model. Methods : Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups. The Normal group was fed a normal diet and the obese groups were fed 60% HFD. Except for the Control group, the GG group was supplemented with 0.5% Garcinia gummigutta and the SCW group was supplemented with 0.5% Schizandrae Fructus water extract. After 6 weeks, obesity-related biomarkers in serum were measured and the expressions of protein for lipid-related factors in liver tissue were analyzed by western blot. Results : Treatment with SCW significantly down-regulated body weight compared to the Control group. SCW down-regulated levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol in serum and significantly increased p-AMPK, Sirt1, and PGC-1α in liver tissue. In addition, the expressions of fatty acid oxidation-related proteins such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT-1A), uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) were significantly up-regulated. However, fatty acid synthesis-related proteins including sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), phospho-Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase (p-ACC), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) were significantly down-regulated. Conclusions : Taken together, SCW treatment showed anti-obesity effect by regulating both fatty acid oxidation-related and fatty acid synthesis-related proteins through AMPK/Sirt1/PGC-1α signaling in 60% HFD-induced obese mice.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.92-102
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• 2004

(6-Cholesteryloxycarbonylpentoxypropyl)celluloses (CHPCs) with degree of esterification (DE) ranging from 2.25 to 2.91 were synthesized by reacting hydroxypropyl cellulose with 6-cholesteryloxycarbonylpentanoyl chloride. The acrylic esters of CHPCs (CHPCEs) and their photocrosslinked films with liquidcrystalline order were also synthesized. The thermotropic properties of mesophase for both uncrosslinked and crosslinked samples and the swelling behavior of the crosslinked samples in acetone were investigated. The hydroxypropyl cellulose exhibited an enantiotropic cholesteric phas, while all the uncrosslinked cholesterylbearing samples exhibited a monotropic cholesteric phases; the 6-cholesteryloxycarbonylpentanoyl chloride also showed a monotropic smectic phase. The hydroxypropyl cellulose formed a right-handed helix whose optical pitch (λ$\sub$m/) increases with temperature, whereas all the uncrosslinked derivatives farmed left-handed helices whose λ$\sub$m/'s decreased with temperature. The thermal stability of the mesophase and the magnitude of λ$\sub$m/ at the same temperature for both CHPCs and CHPCEs decreased with increasing DE. All the crosslinked samples, in constrast with CHPCEs, did not display reflection colors but exhibited an anisotropic swelling characteristic of crosslinked gel retaining liquid-crystalline order.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.618-625
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• 2009

The objective of this work was to study the direct effects of daidzein on steroidogenesis in cultured mouse Leydig cells. Adult mouse Leydig cells were purified by Percoll gradient centrifugation, and the cell purity was determined using a $3{\beta}$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase ($3{\beta}$-HSD) staining method. The purified Leydig cells were exposed to different concentrations ($10^{-7}$ M to $10^{-4}$ M) of daidzein for 24 h under basal and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-stimulated conditions. The cell viability and testosterone production were determined, and the related mechanisms of daidzein action were also evaluated using the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780 and measuring the mRNA levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), and $3{\beta}$-HSD-1 involved in testosterone biosynthesis. The results revealed that daidzein did not influence cell viability. Daidzein increased both basal and hCG-stimulated testosterone production in a dose-dependent manner, and this effect was statistically significant at concentrations of $10^{-5}$ M and $10^{-4}$ M daidzein (p<0.05). ICI 182,780 had no influence on daidzein action. RTPCR results revealed that $10^{-5}$ M and $10^{-4}$ M daidzein did not exert any obvious influence on the mRNA level of P450scc in Leydig cells. However, in the presence of hCG, these concentrations of daidzein significantly increased the StAR and $3{\beta}$-HSD-1 mRNA levels (p<0.05), but in the absence of hCG, only $10^{-5}$ M and $10^{-4}$ M daidzein up-regulated the StAR and $3{\beta}$-HSD-1 mRNA expression (p<0.05), respectively. These results suggest that daidzein has direct effect on Leydig cells. Daidzein-induced increase of testosterone production is probably not mediated by the estrogen receptor but correlates with the increased mRNA levels of StAR and $3{\beta}$-HSD-1.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2010

The Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat, a model of spontaneous type 2 diabetes (T2D), develops hyperglycemic obesity with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance after the age of 25 weeks, similar to patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DM). In the present study, we determined whether there are differences in the pattern of gene expression related to glucose and lipid metabolism between OLETF rats and their control counterparts, Long-Evans Tokushima (LETO) rats. The experiment was done using 35-week-old OLETF and LETO rats. At week 35 male OLETF rats showed overt T2D and increases in blood glucose, plasma insulin, plasma triglycerides (TG) and plasma total cholesterol (TC). Livers of diabetic OLETF and LETO rats also showed differences in expression of mRNA for glucose and lipid metabolism related genes. Among glucose metabolism related genes, GAPDH mRNA was significantly higher and FBPase and G6Pase mRNA were significantly lower in OLETF rats. For lipid metabolism related genes, HMGCR, SCD1 and HL mRNA were substantially higher in OLETF rats. These results indicate that gluconeogenesis in OLETF rats is lower and glycolysis is higher, which means that glucose metabolism might be compensated for by a lowering of the blood glucose level. However, lipid synthesis is increased in OLETF rats so diabetes may be aggravated. These differences between OLETF and LETO rats suggest mechanisms that could be targeted during the development of therapeutic agents for diabetes.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.265-270
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• 2010

Simvastatins are widely used to reduce endogenous cholesterol synthesis and improve hypercholesterolemia. Also, simvastatin have been shown to induce both angiogenic and angiostatic responses. In this study, It was attempted to resolve this controversy by studying the effects of simvastatin on the cell migration and invasion with the proteinases secretion and expression pattern. U-373-MG cells treated with low dose of simvastatin ($0.001{\sim}0.5\;{\mu}M$) showed the induction of migration and invasion compared with the addition of a control buffer. On the contrary, high dose of simvastatin ($1{\sim}20\;{\mu}M$) showed the reduction of migration and invasion compared with the addition of a control buffer. It was also showed that simvastatin-regulated migrative and invasive phenotypes were consistent with the secretion and expression pattern of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9 and plasmin.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.967-978
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• 1994

This study was done to investigate the effect of age and dietary linolenic acid content and the linolenic acid/linoleic acid(LNA/LA) ratio on the lipid metabolism and formation of PGI2 and TXA2. The male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed 6 different with 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 of LNA/LA ratio within either 8% LNA(high LNA) or 4% LNA(low LNA) of fatty acid content for different feeding period(1, 4, 12 month). The dietary fat used were sesame oil, perilla oil, soybean oil and beef tallow. The concentration of serum total lipid, total cholesterol and HDL-C were increased with aging. Triglyceride concentration was decreased in 0.2 ratio of LNA/LA. The lipid content of liver showed similar tendency to that of serum. The ratio of PGI2/TXA2 was increased in 1 month rats and antithrombotic effect was reduced significantly with increasing age. The PGI2/TXA2 ratio was tended to be higher in diet of 0.2 and 0.4 LNA/LA ratio at high LNA level and in diet of 0.6 LNA/LA ratio at low LNA level. Especially PGI2/TXA2 ratio was increased linearly with rising LNA/LA ratio at low LNA level. It seemed that the LNA content and LNA/LA ratio had interaction to increase the antithrombotic effect bychanging TXA2 synthesis. And the dietary fatty acid related effect lowering the serum and liver lipid content, excepting triglyceride, was increased when dietary n3/n6 ratio was high(0.6) at both high and low n3 level. Therefore, it could not be recommended to consume large amount of n3 fatty acid or high ratio of n3/n6 to prevent cardiovascular diseases. These results suggested that the dietary fatty acid ratio of n3/n6 could be determined based on the n-3 content of dietary fat to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.398-403
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin disease, is accompanied by disruption of the epidermal lipid barrier, of which ceramide (Cer) is the major component. Recently it was reported that vitamin C is essential for de novo synthesis of Cer in the epidermis and that the level of vitamin C in plasma is decreased in AD. The objective of this study was to determine the associations among clinical severity, vitamin C in either plasma or epidermis, and Cer in the epidermis of patients with AD. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 17 patients (11 male and 6 female) aged 20-42 years were enrolled. The clinical severity of AD was assessed according to the SCORAD (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis) system. Levels of vitamin C were determined in plasma and biopsies of lesional epidermis. Levels of epidermal lipids, including Cer, were determined from tape-stripped lesional epidermis. RESULTS: The clinical severity of patients ranged between 0.1 and 45 (mild to severe AD) based on the SCORAD system. As the SCORAD score increased, the level of vitamin C in the plasma, but not in the epidermis, decreased, and levels of total Cer and Cer2, the major Cer species in the epidermis, also decreased. There was also a positive association between level of vitamin C in the plasma and level of total Cer in the epidermis. However, levels of epidermal total lipids including triglyceride, cholesterol, and free fatty acid (FFA) were not associated with either SCORAD score or level of vitamin C in the plasma of all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: As the clinical severity of AD increased, level of vitamin C in the plasma and level of epidermal Cer decreased, and there was a positive association between these two parameters, implying associations among plasma vitamin C, epidermal Cer, and the clinical severity of AD.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 1997

Di(10-hemisuccinyloxy)decyl muconate(DDM) and di(6-hemisuccinyloxy)hexyl muconate(DHM) were synthesized, and showed a phase transition in an aqueous solution at 97 and $79^{\circ}C$, respectively. They did not form liposomes by themselves or even in the presence of cholesterol or dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine(DOPE), but did form liposomes when they were mixed with phosphatidylcholine(PC). DHM molecules in liposome membranes were readily polymerized via 1,2-polymerization process on exposure to 254nm. Liposomes composed of DOPE/dioleoylphosphatidylcholine(DOPC)/DHM(3/3/1) were stable at neutral pH, but leaky at weakly acidic pH. The leakage of entrapped calcein from liposomes in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, $37^{\circ}C$) of pH 4.8 and 5.8 was complete within 30 and 50 min, respectively. The release of toke entrapped calcein was increased with decreasing pH such that 50% and 100% of the calcein were released at pH near 5.5 and 5.0, respectively.