• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.192-198
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• 2021

Red yeast rice has been extensively used as food and traditional medicine for thousands of years in East Asian countries. It is produced by the fermentation of a particular yeast (in general, Monascus purpureus) as rice and various cereals (barley, soybean, etc.). Monascus sp. produces many secondary metabolites during its growth, including pigments, monacolins, and γ-aminobutyric acid. Some metabolites―specifically, monacolin K, γ-aminobutyric acid, dimerumic acid, and monascus pigments―have been reported to lower cholesterol and blood pressure while showing anti-obesity effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of ethanol extract from red yeast barley (RYB) fermented with Monascus sp. BHN-MK 2 on 3T3-L1 cells. The anti-obesity effects of RYB extract were examined: its lipid accumulation inhibitory effect was tested by Oil Red O staining, and obesity-related mRNA expression levels were tested by real-time RT-PCR in MDI stimulated 3T3-L1 cells. The intracellular lipid content of MDI-stimulated 3T3-L1 cells decreased significantly to 5.04%, 12.24%, and 23.52% in response to 200, 400, and 800 ㎍/ml RYB, respectively. Moreovers, we evaluated that RYB extract significantly downregulated the expression of C/EBPα, SREBP-1, and PPAR-γ gene in a dose-dependent manner. As a result, red yeast barley ethanol extracts exerted the strongest anti-obesity effects. Also, the results indicate that red yeast barley could be used as a functional anti-obesity food material.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.49-57
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• 2022

Objective : This study was conducted to investigate antidiabetic effects of chunggugjang with medicinal herbal complex (CJ) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced animal models. Method : STZ (65 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. Then rats were divided into 5 groups ; NG (normal diet + 0.9% saline), COS (STZ +saline 5 mL/kg), COB (STZ + fermented soybean(100 mg/kg), CJ 100/200 (STZ+CJ(100 and 200 mg/kg), CJ 300/600 (STZ+CJ(300 and 600 mg/kg). 4 weeks later, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed. After sacrificing rats, serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) were measured and histological changes were observed. Result : Body weight change and food efficiency ratio (FER) were decreased in the CJ 300/600 group than in the COS group. But, there was no change in water intake. Serum levels of glucose, AST, ALT and BUN were lower in the CJ 300/600 group than in the COS group. Also, TG, TC, and creatinine were decreased in the CJ 300/600 group than in the COS group. According to OGTT, 120 minutes postprandial glucose levels were lower in the CJ 300/600 group than in the COS group. In addition, administration of CJ extracts restored histopathological damage. Conclusion : The results suggest that CJ can be used as a functional material for diabetes treatment as it has the effect to improve pathological symptoms in STZ-induced diabetic rats.