• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.1164-1171
• /
• 2019

Dietary supplements derived from natural sources are an essential factor in optimizing athletic performance. It has been proposed that the extract of Momordica charantia (M. charantia) that is known as a bitter melon can be potentially used as a novel supplement for health promotion. This pilot study aimed to examine the effects of the M. charantia extract when administered in the form of a sports drink, and we evaluated changes in body composition and metabolic factors in tennis players after 4-week consumption of the extract. Eight male college tennis players were instructed to consume an M. charantia extract 6 times per day (3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, and the total daily intake was 600 ml). Collected data were analyzed using paired t-tests to examine the changes over time after consumption of the M. charantia extract. The results revealed a significant increase in the trunk muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, and daily calorie intake (p < 0.05). Levels of protein, minerals, and total body water showed an increased tendency (not statistically significant), whereas intracellular water and extracellular water showed a decreased trend. Furthermore, fat-free mass, skeletal muscle mass, and muscle mass showed an increased tendency. In conclusion, consumption of the M. charantia extract caused an increase in parameters related to protein, muscle mass, and metabolism. It seems that follow-up studies related to fatigue, inflammation, and stress hormones related to the M. charantia extract consumption would be needed.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.469-474
• /
• 2014

DWP208 is a sodium succinate form of ZYM-201 which is a triterpenoid glycoside isolated from Sanguisorba officinalis, a medicinal plant prescribed for various diseases, such as duodenal ulcers and bleeding in East Asian counties. We demonstrated that this compound is able to normalize the altered lipid metabolism induced by hyperglycemia and a high fat diet. In this study, we determined whether hyperlipidemic conditions induced with chronically treated alcohol can also be restored by DWP208. Similar to our previous results, orally administered DWP208 (1 to 10 mg/kg) also ameliorated the hyperlipidemia that was induced by alcohol. This compound reversed the alcohol-induced hyperlipidemia including (i) up-regulated hyperlipidemic parameters such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), atherosclerotic index (AI), triglyceride, and total cholesterol, and (ii) down-regulated hyperlipidemic parameters such as absolute body weight, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in serum and liver. According to our data, the ameliorative activity of DWP208 is due to its indirect anti-oxidative activity as a result of which lipid peroxide and hydroxyl radical levels were reduced and the activity of SOD was enhanced. Therefore, our data strongly suggest that DWP208 can be used as a remedy against alcohol-induced hyperlipidemia.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.415-424
• /
• 1997

Serum lipid levels and fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids(PL) were investigated in 24 healthy male subjects who consumed either corn oil(CO) rich In linoleic acid(LA), perilla oil(PO) rich in $\alpha$-linolenic acid($\alpha$-LNA), or canola oil acid(OA) as a major fat source fir 5 weeks. The PO and the CNO groups showed significant(P <0.05) increases in serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C) levels and in ratios of HDL- C/total cholesterol(TC) compared with initial values measured at the beginning of the study. Significantly(p <0.05) increased concentrations of serum triglycerides(TG) ware observed after 5 weeks of the CO based diet compared with both its intial value and the concentration observed after 5 weeks with the PO-based diet. fatty acid composition of serum PL reflected changes in dietary fatty acid composition and metabolism. Compared with the initial levels, significandy increased contents of eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) were observed in serum PL of the PO group and significantly increased contents of $\alpha$-LNA and EPA were observed in the CNO group. Arachidonic acid(AA) content of serum PL did not change in the CO group during the study period, although, the increase in LA was significant(P <0.05). Compared with the CO-based diet, both the PO and the CNO-based diets seem to have beneficial effects on atherosclerosis by influencing the serum lipid profile and fatty acid composition of serum PL.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.432-436
• /
• 2002

A proteomic map of Hanwoo loin was obtained using 2-D SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometric analysis: 27 bovine proteins plus 2 proteins having similarities to other mammal proteins out of 52 proteins analyzed. The identified proteins consisted of 50 % basic house keeping proteins involved in metabolism, 30% muscle proteins, and other miscellaneous proteins. Many proteins on the 2-D gel with different molecular weights and isoelectric points were identified as same proteins due to posttranslational modification. As many of the identified house keeping proteins showed the high sequence similarities to other mammal equivalent proteins, searching the mammal databases could confirm the annotation. The preliminary identification of the proteome in bovine loin tissue could reveal the functions of proteins at over 50 % of chance with high fidelities. Using the established loin proteome map, proteomic difference between 1 yr and 2 yr Hanwoo loin tissues were compared on 2D gel. Regardless of the difficulty normalizing protein concentrations and sample-to-sample variations, three unidentified proteins and myoglobin were selected as up-regulated proteins during the fat deposition period. This study contributes to a move thorough and holistic understanding of beef meat, helping to build the basis for future identification of new markers for good quality meat.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.49 no.8
• /
• pp.401-402
• /
• 2016

S6K1 is a key regulator of cell growth, cell size, and metabolism. Although the role of cytosolic S6K1 in cellular processes is well established, the function of S6K1 in the nucleus remains poorly understood. Our recent study has revealed that S6K1 is translocated into the nucleus upon adipogenic stimulus where it directly binds to and phosphorylates H2B at serine 36. Such phosphorylation promotes EZH2 recruitment and subsequent histone H3K27 trimethylation on the promoter of its target genes including Wnt6, Wnt10a, and Wnt10b, leading to repression of their expression. S6K1-mediated suppression of Wnt genes facilitates adipogenic differentiation through the expression of adipogenic transcription factors PPARγ and Cebpa. White adipose tissues from S6K1-deficient mice consistently exhibit marked reduction in H2BS36 phosphorylation (H2BS36p) and H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), leading to enhanced expression of Wnt genes. In addition, expression levels of H2BS36p and H3K27me3 are highly elevated in white adipose tissues from mice fed on high-fat diet or from obese humans. These findings describe a novel role of S6K1 as a transcriptional regulator controlling an epigenetic network initiated by phosphorylation of H2B and trimethylation of H3, thus shutting off Wnt gene expression in early adipogenesis.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.565-573
• /
• 2009

The pig could be a useful model to characterize molecular aspects determining several delicate phenotypes because they have been bred for those characteristics. The Korean native pig (KNP) is a regional breed in Korea that was characterized by relatively high intramuscular fat content and reddish meat color compared to other western breeds such as Yorkshire (YS). YS grew faster and contained more lean muscle than KNP. We compared the KNP to Yorksire to find molecular clues determining muscle characteristics. The comparison of skeletal gene expression profiles between these two breeds showed molecular differences in muscle. We found 82 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) defined by fold change (more than 1.5 fold difference) and statistical significance (within 5% of false discovery rate). Functional analyses of these DEGs indicated up-regulation of most genes involved in cell cycle arrest, down-regulation of most genes involved in cellular differentiation and its inhibition, down-regulation of most genes encoding component of muscular-structural system, and up-regulation of most genes involved in diverse metabolism in KNP. Especially, DEGs in above-mentioned categories included a large number of genes encoding proteins directly or indirectly involved in p53 pathway. Our results indicated a possible role of p53 to determine muscle characteristics between these two breeds.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.530-536
• /
• 2011

It is well established that uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) is expressed largely in skeletal muscle, white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue and has been suggested to play important roles in regulating energy expenditure, body weight, thermoregulation as well as fatty acid metabolism and obesity. Therefore, the UCP3 gene was selected as a candidate gene for carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. The objective of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the UCP3 gene and to evaluate the association of UCP3 SNP markers with carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. The five exons in the UCP3 gene were sequenced, and ten SNPs were identified. The PCR-SSCP method was then developed to genotype the individuals examined. The g.3076A>G genotype was significantly associated with marbling score (MS) of Korean cattle. Animals with the AA genotype had a higher MS than those with the AG and GG genotypes. No significant associations of the SNP g.3076A>G were observed for any traits. In conclusion, although SNP g.3076A>G, which showed an association with MS, does not cause amino acid changes, this SNP may be used as a DNA marker to select animals that have higher intramuscular fat content.

• Development and Reproduction
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.151-156
• /
• 2017

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is widely used as sweetener, and its overconsumption is become a major health problem. In the present study, we used adult female rats and applied a 28 days HFCS feeding model to monitor the estrous cycle and changes in tissue weights and histology. Adult female rats were divided into three groups. Animals were fed with ad libitum normal chow and (1) 24 hours tap water (Control group), (2) 12 hours HFCS access during dark period and 12 hours tap water (12H group), and (3) 24 hours HFCS only access (24H group). Total exposure period was 28 days. There is no significant change in body weight between control and HFCS-fed animals. Both absolute and relative weights of ovary in 24H animals were significantly heavier than those in control or 12H animals. The absolute and relative weights of the kidney and liver in 24H groups were significantly heavier than those in control or 12H animals. The estrous cycles of the 24H animals were significantly longer. Histological analyses revealed that 24H ovaries were relatively bigger and possessed more corpus lutea than control ovaries. Uterine sections of 12H and 24H animals showed a well-developed stratum vasculare between inner and outer myometrial layers. The number of endometrial glands were decreased in 12H uteri, and recovered in 24H uteri compared to control. Numbers of convoluted tubule in distal region increased in 12H and 24H kidney samples. Liver specimens of 12H and 24H showed the increased number of fat containing vacuoles. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that HFCS treatment for 28 days could induce (1) changes in length of estrous cycle with extended estrous and diestrous stages, (2) altered ovarian and uterine histology, and (3) liver and renal lipid accumulation. These findings reveal the adverse effects of HFCS drinking on the reproductive function and lipid metabolism of female rats.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.648-654
• /
• 2004

This study was carried out to assess whether feeding of alcohol-fermented feeds (AFF) affects the nutritional metabolism and growth characteristics of Korean native steers. Ten steers were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. The dietary treatments were AFF (50% commercial beef cattle feed+30% alcohol-fermented soybean curd dregs+20% rice straw) and control (80% commercial beef cattle feed+20% rice straw). The change of serum metabolites and growth characteristics were measured every two months during the whole twelve months experimental period and the relationships between serum metabolites and growth characteristics were simultaneously analyzed. Four hours after feeding AFF, serum alcohol concentration reached its peak with a significantly higher value than that after control feeding (11.9 and 4.9 mg/dl, respectively). Serum glucose and inorganic phosphorus (IP) concentrations (63.1 and 8.4 mg/dl, respectively) of steers fed AFF were higher than those (56.6 and 7.0 mg/dl) fed the control diet. In both treatments, the serum glucose concentration rapidly increased when body weight (BW) of the steer reached about 600kg, while IP concentrations were rapidly diminished at that BW. Lower concentrations of both blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and cholesterol were observed in steers fed AFF up to 450 kg of BW. The IP concentration was correlated with concentrations of BUN, cholesterol and glucose in AFF fed cattle but not in the cattle fed control diets. Average daily gain was higher in steers fed AFF than steers fed control, particularly during the growing stage of cattle. These findings indicated a capability of AFF to improve BW gain of Korean native steers by decreased protein degradation as well as increased fat synthesis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.10
• /
• pp.4161-4168
• /
• 2015

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a worldwide health problem, being the third most commonly detected cancer in males and the second in females. Rising CRC incidence trends are mainly regarded as a part of the rapid 'Westernization' of life-style and are associated with calorically excessive high-fat/low-fibre diet, consumption of refined products, lack of physical activity, and obesity. Most recent epidemiological and clinical investigations have consistently evidenced a significant relationship between obesity-driven inflammation in particular steps of colorectal cancer development, including initiation, promotion, progression, and metastasis. Inflammation in obesity occurs by several mechanisms. Roles of imbalanced metabolism (MetS), distinct immune cells, cytokines, and other immune mediators have been suggested in the inflammatory processes. Critical mechanisms are accounted to proinflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-1, IL-6, IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$). These molecules are secreted by macrophages and are considered as major agents in the transition between acute and chronic inflammation and inflammation-related CRC. The second factor promoting the CRC development in obese individuals is altered adipokine concentrations (leptin and adiponectin). The role of leptin and adiponectin in cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis is attributable to the activation of several signal transduction pathways (JAK/STAT, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), mTOR, and 5'AMPK signaling pathways) and multiple dysregulation (COX-2 downregulation, mRNA expression).