• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.178-183
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• 2002

A high molecular ar weight water-soluble chitosan (WSC) with an average molecular weight of 300 kD and a deacethylation level of over 90% was produced using a simple multi-step-membrane separation process. It is known that WSC prevents obesity induced by a high-fat diet. Consequently, this study investigated whether or not WSC improved the ovarian dysfunction caused by obesity in mice. The mice were fed a high density protein and lipid diet for weeks, followed by the administration of WSC at 480 mg/kg body weight per day for 4 days. Thereafter, the changes in body weight, ovulation rate, in vivo and in vitro fertilization and emboryonic development were measured . WSC markedly reduced the body weight of obese mice fed with a high-fat diet, but not in mice fed with a normal diet. WSC had siginificant effects on the ovulation rate, both the in vivo and in vitro fertilization rates and embryonic development. These results indicate an improvement in the ovarian and oviduct dysfunction caused by obesity, and suggest an adjustment in the internal secretions and metabolic functions.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.641-654
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• 2023

Purpose: Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) contains abounding phytochemicals, such as polyphenols and anthocyanins, and has antioxidative effects. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a crucial regulator in enhancing the lipid metabolism. This study hypothesized that the intake of sour cherry affects AMPK signaling. Therefore, this study examined whether sour cherry regulates AMPK to balance the hepatic lipid metabolism and exert ameliorating effects. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice had obesity induced with a 45% fat diet. The mice were divided into four groups: control (CON), high-fat diet (HFD), low percentage sour cherry powder (LSC), and high percentage sour cherry powder (HSC). The mice in the sour cherry groups were fed 1% sour cherry or 5% sour cherry in their respective diets for 12 weeks. Results: The body weight, visceral fat weight, and lipid droplet size significantly decreased in the treatment groups. The serum and hepatic triglyceride and total cholesterol levels improved significantly in the HSC group. The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were also reduced significantly, whereas the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were increased significantly in both treatment groups. The sterol regulator binding protein-1c and fatty acid synthase expression levels as fatty acid synthesis-related enzymes were significantly lower in the treatment groups than in the high-fat diet group. Furthermore, the adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone-sensitive lipase expression levels as lipolytic enzyme activity and AMPK/acetyl-CoA carboxylase/carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 as fatty acid β-oxidation-related pathway were upregulated significantly in both sour cherry groups. Conclusions: These results show that sour cherry intake improves hepatic lipid synthesis and chronic diseases by activating AMPK signaling. Therefore, this study suggests that phytochemical-rich sour cherry can be developed as a healthy functional food.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.427-435
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• 2017

To investigate whether genistein regulates menopause-induced obesity, it was studied the effects of genistein on anti-obesity effects in female ovariectomized (OVX) mice, an animal model of postmenopausal women. 7-week-old female mice (C57BL/6J) were randomly divided into three groups. All the animals received a high fat diet or a high fat diet supplemented with genistein for 8 weeks and variables and determinants of obesity were measured. The OVX mice had significantly higher body weight and adipose tissue mass than sham mice. However, genistein supplementation reduced body weight, adipose tissue mass, and adipocyte size of OVX mice. The OVX mice treated with genistein had significantly lower levels of serum triglycerides and total cholesterol than the vehicle-treated OVX mice. Lipid accumulation in liver was also markedly decreased by genistein in OVX mice. The results suggest that genistein can effectively prevent adiposity, adipocyte phertrophy, and llipid disorders caused by ovariectomy. Moreover, this study may contribute to the alleviation of metabolic syndrome, including obesity and hyerlipidemia in postmenopausal women.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.329-336
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• 2017

Adipogenesis in murine preadipocyte 3T3L-1 has been used as a model system to study anti-obese bioactive molecules. During adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, we found that capsanthin inhibited adipogenesis ($IC_{50}$; $2.5{\mu}M$) and also showed lipolytic activity in differentiated adipocytes from the preadipocytes ($ED_{50}$; 872 nM). We identified that the pharmacological activity of capsanthin on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 was mainly due to its adrenoceptor-${\beta}_2$-agonistic activity. In high-fat diet animal model study, capsanthin significantly enhanced spontaneous locomotive activities together with progressive weight-loss. The capsanthin-induced activation of kinetic behavior in mice was associated with the excessive production of ATP initiated by both the enhanced lipolytic activity together with accelerated oxidation of fatty acids due to the adrenoceptor ${\beta}_2$-agonistic activity of capsanthin. Capsanthin also dose-dependently increased adiponectin and p-AMPK activity in high fat diet animals, suggesting that capsanthin has both anti-obesity and insulin sensitizing activities.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.459-466
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• 2019

Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors, or gliptins, are a class of oral hypoglycemic drugs that have been widely used as a second-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. Gliptins, which were introduced for clinical use a decade ago, have been shown to be beneficial against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in animals and humans. Cenicriviroc (CVC), a dual antagonist of C-C chemokine receptor type 2 and 5, is currently under investigation against NASH and fibrosis. It was previously discovered that evogliptin (EVO) reduces hepatic steatosis in diet-induced obese animals but the effectiveness of EVO on NASH remains unexplored. Here, we compared the effectiveness of EVO and CVC against NASH and fibrosis in mice fed a high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFHF). Biochemical and histological analyses showed that mice fed a HFHF for 20 weeks developed severe hepatic steatosis and inflammation with mild fibrosis. Administration of EVO (0.2% wt/wt) for the last 8 weeks of HFHF feeding significantly reduced hepatic triglyceride accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis as well as restored insulin sensitivity, as evidenced by lowered plasma insulin levels and the improvement in insulin tolerance test curves. Treatment of mice with CVC (0.1% wt/wt) inhibited hepatic inflammation and fibrogenesis with similar efficacy to that of EVO, without affecting hepatic steatosis. CVC treatment also reduced plasma insulin concentrations, despite no improvement in insulin tolerance. In conclusion, EVO administration efficiently ameliorated the development of NASH and fibrosis in HFHF-fed mice, corroborating its therapeutic potential.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.194-199
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity effects of Lentinus edodes water extract powder (LEP) in mice fed a high fat diet (HF, 45% kcal fat). Mice were administrated a HF diet supplemented with 1%, 3%, or 5% LEP for 12 weeks. Consumption of HF diet caused increases in body weight, serum lipid profiles, and adipose tissue weights. Serum TC and TG levels in the LEP-supplemented groups were lower than those in the NC group. Supplementation with 5% LEP significantly suppressed body weight gain and reduced the weight of subcutaneous adipose tissue compared to the HF group. HF diet ingestion resulted in higher lipid content and increased lipid peroxidation in the liver. However, LEP supplementation inhibited accumulation of hepatic lipids induced by HF diet, considerably decreased MDA levels, and elevated total antioxidant activity in the livers of mice in the 5% LEP group. Histopathological analysis indicated that the livers of mice fed HF diet developed hepatic steatosis, whereas LEP-treated groups showed small fat droplets. These results suggest that long-term supplementation with LEP may also have an ameliorating effect on HF-induced obesity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.435-447
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• 2021

Purpose: Body adiposity is negatively correlated with hepatic iron status, and Korean pine nut oil (PNO) has been reported to reduce adiposity. Therefore, we aimed to study the effects of PNO on adiposity, hepatic mineral status, and the expression of genes and proteins involved in iron absorption. Methods: Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed a control diet containing 10% kcal from PNO (PC) or soybean oil (SBO; SC), or a high-fat diet (HFD) containing 35% kcal from lard and 10% kcal from PNO (PHFD) or SBO (SHFD). Hepatic iron, copper, and zinc content; and expression of genes and proteins related to iron absorption were measured. Results: HFD-fed mice had a higher white fat mass (2-fold; p < 0.001), lower hepatic iron content (25% lower; p < 0.001), and lower hepatic Hamp (p = 0.028) and duodenal Dcytb mRNA levels (p = 0.037) compared to the control diet-fed mice. Hepatic iron status was negatively correlated with body weight (r = -0.607, p < 0.001) and white fat mass (r = -0.745, p < 0.001). Although the PHFD group gained less body weight (18% less; p < 0.05) and white fat mass (18% less; p < 0.05) than the SHFD group, the hepatic iron status impaired by the HFD feeding did not improve. The expression of hepatic and duodenal ferroportin protein was not affected by the fat amount or the oil type. PNO-fed mice had significantly lower Slc11a2 (p = 0.022) and Slc40a1 expression (p = 0.027) compared to SBO-fed mice. However, the PC group had a higher Heph expression than the SC group (p < 0.05). The hepatic copper and zinc content did not differ between the four diet groups, but hepatic copper content adjusted by body weight was significantly lower in the HFD-fed mice compared to the control diet-fed mice. Conclusion: HFD-induced obesity decreased hepatic iron storage by affecting the regulation of genes related to iron absorption; however, the 18% less white fat mass in the PHFD group was not enough to improve the iron status compared to the SHFD group. The hepatic copper and zinc status was not altered by the fat amount or the oil type.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.739-748
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• 2019

Cheonggukjang and chaga mushrooms have numerous health benefits, and have been used in alternative medicine. Therefore, a powder mixture of 98: Cheonggukjang and 2: Chaga extracts was fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus KCTC3925 (FCC) and its anti-obesity effects in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice were determined. Five-week-old male ICR mice were fed a normal diet or HFD in the presence or absence of 3% and 5% FCC by weight (n = 10 per group). After 12 weeks, the mice were sacrificed, and the serum and tissue samples were collected for analysis. Body weight and epididymal fat pad weight were significantly lowered in the 3% and 5% FCC groups compared with those in the HFD control group (p < 0.01). FCC supplementation suppressed serum triglyceride and increased serum HDL-C levels (p < 0.01). Serum GOT, GPT, and leptin levels, hepatic COX-2 mRNA expression, and splenic COX-2 and IL-4 mRNA expression were significantly higher in the HFD groups than in the control group (p > 0.05); however, except for splenic IL-4 levels, the increases were significantly attenuated by FCC supplementation. Expression of ICAM-1, an aortic inflammatory marker, was significantly increased in the HFD group; this effect was suppressed in the 3% FCC group (p < 0.01) but not in the 5% FCC group. FCC suppressed the body weight and epididymal fat pad weight gain, as well as inflammatory responses in the liver and spleen of HFD-fed mice. Thus, FCC supplementation will be beneficial for the treatment of obesity-related effects.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.1210-1223
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• 2018

Background/Aims: The co-occurrence of obesity aggravates asthma symptoms. Diet-induced obesity increases helper T cell (TH) 17 cell differentiation in adipose tissue and the spleen. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor pravastatin can potentially be used to treat asthma in obese patients by inhibiting interleukin 17 (IL-17) expression. This study investigated the combined effects of pravastatin and anti-IL-17 antibody treatment on allergic inflammation in a mouse model of obesity-related asthma. Methods: High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity was induced in C57BL/6 mice with or without ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge. Mice were administered the anti-IL-17 antibody, pravastatin, or both, and pathophysiological and immunological responses were analyzed. Results: HFD exacerbated allergic airway inflammation in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of HFD-OVA mice as compared to OVA mice. Blockading of the IL-17 in the HFD-OVA mice decreased airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and airway inflammation compared to the HFD-OVA mice. Moreover, the administration of the anti-IL-17 antibody decreased the leptin/adiponectin ratio in the HFD-OVA but not the OVA mice. Co-administration of pravastatin and anti-IL-17 inhibited airway inflammation and AHR, decreased goblet cell numbers, and increased adipokine levels in obese asthmatic mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that the IL-17-leptin/adiponectin axis plays a key role in airway inflammation in obesity-related asthma. Our findings suggest a potential new treatment for IL-17 as a target that may benefit obesity-related asthma patients who respond poorly to typical asthma medications.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.13-28
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• 2016

Objectives To investigate anti-obesity effects of Galgeun-tang, an herbal formula, in high fat diet induced obese mice model. Methods 24 Male C57Bl/6J mice were randomly assigned to normal group fed with normal research diet (NOR, n=6), high fat diet control group treated with water (HFD, n=6), high fat diet group treated with Orlistat (ORL, n=6, Orlistat 10 mg/kg), and high fat diet group treated with Galgeun-tang (GGT, n=6, Galgeun-tang 700 mg/kg). 12 weeks later, body weight, fat weight, liver weight, blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, ALT, AST, obesity related neuropeptides and adipokines, ratio of gut microbiota, and histopathology of liver were evaluated. Results In the GGT group, 1. body weight gain, liver weight gain, and total fat weight gain were significantly less than those in the HFD group. 2. blood glucose level was significantly lower and insulin level was significantly higher than in the HFD group. 3. total cholesterol level and triglyceride (TG) level were significantly lower and high density lipoprotein (HDL) level was significantly higher than in the HFD group. 4. appetite-promoting ARC neuropeptides such as Agrp and Npy were significantly less and appetite-inhibiting ARC neuropeptide, Cart was significantly more than in the HFD group in qRT-PCR analysis. 5. adiponectin level and visfatin level were significantly higher, and resistin level and leptin level was significantly lower than in the HFD group. 6. the relative level of Bacteroidetes was significantly higher, and the relative level of Firmicutes was significantly lower than in the HFD group. 7. the increase of adipose tissue was significantly more inhibited than in the HFD group. Conclusions The present study showed that Glageun-tang exerts anti-obesity effects in that it. 1. inhibited the increase in body weight, liver weight, and total fat weight. 2. decreased the level of TG, and increased the level of HDL. 3. influenced neuropeptides and adipokines that are important in regulating food intake and changes of body weight. 4. modified the beneficial quantitative changes in gut microbiota suppressing the tendency toward obesity.