• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.739-744
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• 2009

This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic action of administration of Nigella sativa (NS) and Peganum harmala (PH) oils in diabetes and hepatic toxicity. Results show that treatment of diabetic rats with NS oil or PH oil ameliorate hyperglycaemia induced stress oxidative and hepatic dysfunction in diabetic rats. Administration of NS or PH oil to diabetic rats caused an anti-diabetic and antioxidant activities by the decrease in plasmatic glucose level and increase in hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities, reduced glutathione (GSH) and glycogen contents compared to untreated diabetic rats. Besides, NS and PH oils protect the hepatic function observed by decrease of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TCh), and increase of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-Ch) levels in serum and hepatic tissues. Moreover, a diminution in the bilirubin, transaminase glutanic pyruvic (TGP), and transaminase pyruvic oxaloacetic (TPO) contents in serum and the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances levels (TBARs) in hepatic tissues are also detected.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.14-32
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) has a central role in regulating muscle differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism. PGC-1α stimulates muscle growth and muscle fiber remodeling, concomitantly regulating lactate and lipid metabolism and promoting oxidative metabolism. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thumb.) has been widely employed as a traditional herbal medicine and possesses antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, hypolipemic, hypoglycemic, and anticancer properties. We investigated whether G. pentaphyllum extract (GPE) and its active compound, gypenoside L (GL), affect muscle differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism via activation of the PGC-1α pathway in murine C2C12 myoblast cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: C2C12 cells were treated with GPE and GL, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot were used to analyze the mRNA and protein expression levels. Myh1 was determined using immunocytochemistry. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation was measured using the 2'7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay. RESULTS: GPE and GL promoted the differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes and elevated mRNA and protein expression levels of Myh1 (type IIx). GPE and GL also significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of the PGC-1α gene (Ppargc1a), lactate metabolism-regulatory genes (Esrra and Mct1), adipocyte-browning gene fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 gene (Fndc5), glycogen synthase gene (Gys), and lipid metabolism gene carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b gene (Cpt1b). Moreover, GPE and GL induced the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase, p38, sirtuin1, and deacetylated PGC-1α. We also observed that treatment with GPE and GL significantly stimulated the expression of genes associated with the anti-oxidative stress response, such as Ucp2, Ucp3, Nrf2, and Sod2. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that GPE and GL enhance exercise performance by promoting myotube differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism through the upregulation of PGC-1α in C2C12 skeletal muscle.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.213-217
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• 2001

Purpose: Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD Ia) is an autosomal recessive disorder of glycogen metabolism caused by glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) deficiency. The clinical manifestations of G6Pase deficiency include growth retardation, hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, lactic acidemia, hyperlipidemia and hyperuricemia. Many mutations of this gene have been found worldwide in various ethnic groups, establishing the molecular basis of GSD Ia. To elucidate a spectrum of the G6Pase gene mutations in Korean, we analyzed mutations in Korean patients with GSD Ia. Methods: Both alleles of 9 unrelated GSD 1a patients were studied by PCR and direct DNA sequencing methods. In all patients, GSD 1a was diagnosed by the enzyme assay for the liver biopsy specimen. Results: In Korean, the most prevalent mutation was g727t substitution in exon 5, which has been reported to cause abnormal mRNA splicing: Sixteen out of 18 alleles were found to have this mutation. In addition, we identified one novel mutation, a c611g, converting a proline to an alanine at codon 178. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a screening for the g727t mutation by noninvasive molecular method can detect most cases of GSD Ia in Korean patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.23-33
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• 1966

Hexachlorophene was reported previously to have a powerful parasiticidal effects on Clonorchis sinensis in vitro and in vivo, but the mechanism of its effect was not known. In the present report it was observed that there was an influence of hexachlorophene on the oxygen consumption, the glycolysis, the glycogenesis and the protein synthesis of C. sinensis. A hundred mg. of C. sinensis collected from the biliary tracts of the infested rabbits was incubated in 2 ml of K.R.P. medium with vavious concentration of hexachlorophene, $glucose-1-C^{14}$ and $glycine-1-C^{14}$ in a 25 ml incubation flask with central well. The oxygen consumption was observed by Warburg manometer, the glycogenolysis by measurement of radioactivities of extracted glycogen and protein from C. sinensis incubated with $C^{14}-glucose$ or$C^{14}-glycine$. 1) The oxygen consumption by C. sinensis was markedly inhibited during all stages of incubation in concentration of $10^{-4}$ and $10^{-5}g/ml$ of hexachlorophene, but in $10^{-6}$, slightly increased initially and gradually decreased after 3 hours of incubation. 2) Hexachlorophene inhibited the glycolysis by C. sincnsis markedly in the concentration of $10^{-4}$, $10^{-5}$, $10^{-6}$ and $10^{-7}g/ml$. 3) The protein synthesis by C. sinensis from glycine was inhibited in the concentration of $10^{-5}$, $10^{-6}$ and $10^{-7}g/ml$ of hexachlorophene. 4. The glycogen synthesis by C. sinensis in each concentration of $10^{-4}$, $10^{-5}$ and $10^{-6}g/ml$ of hexachlorophene was inhibited markedly. The speed of inhibition was more rapid in high concentration than in low, and in low concentration even the glycogen itself which had synthesized in their stage in their body was consumed in later stage. 5) The effects of oxygen consumption, glycolysis and glycogen synthesis were not influenced in the concentration of $10^{-5}g/ml$ of chloroquine phosphate, whereas hexachlorophene and dithiazanine inhibited markedly in same concentration, and the former was more potent than the latter.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.672-679
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• 2020

Distal myopathy is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of degenerative diseases of the distal muscle. Glycogen storage disease type IXD (GSD9D) is a metabolic distal myopathy characterized by muscle deficiency of phosphorylase kinase, a key regulatory enzyme in glycogen metabolism. Affected individuals may develop muscle weakness, degeneration, and cramps, as well as abnormal muscle pain and stiffness after exercise. It has been reported that mutations in the PHKA1 gene which encodes the alpha subunit of muscle phosphorylase kinase cause GSD9D. In this study, we examined a Korean GSD9D family with a c.3314T>C (p.I1105T) mutation in the PHKA1 gene. This mutation has not been previously reported in any mutation database nor was it found in 500 healthy controls. The mutation region is well conserved in various other species, and in silico analysis predicts that it is likely to be pathogenic. To date, only seven mutations in the PHKA1 gene have been documented, and this is the first report of Korean GSD9D patients. This study also describes and compares the clinical symptoms and pathological conditions of previously reported cases and these Korean patients. We believe that our findings will be useful for the molecular diagnosis of GSD9D.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.706-711
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• 2022

Broiler chickens are exposed to various stresses throughout their lives, and those stresses affect their well-being and meat quality. Therefore, the farm breeding system is critical for reducing stress in broilers and improving animal welfare. This study was conducted to evaluate the difference between general farms and animal welfare farms and to evaluate feather corticosterone as an index for measuring stress. Samples of 28-day-old broilers (blood, feathers, and muscle) were collected from slaughter-houses, and corticosterone, along with HSP70, glycogen, and L-lactate, were extracted from feathers and serum as indicators of broiler stress levels and energy metabolism. The analysis results confirmed a significantly (p<0.01) higher feather cortisone level in the general farm group than in the welfare farm group, but no significance was detected for serum corticosterone. HSP70 levels did not differ in muscles and feathers. Glycogen levels were significantly higher in the general farm group than in the welfare farm group (p<0.01), but L-lactate levels showed no difference. Our results suggest that feather corticosterone can be used as an indicator to evaluate stress differences between general farms and animal welfare farms and that long-term stress can be assessed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.720-732
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• 2001

Skeletal muscle is of major economic importance since it is finally converted to meat for consumers. The increase in meat production with low costs of production may be achieved by optimizing muscle growth, whereas a high meat quality requires, among other factors, the optimization of intramuscular glycogen and fat stores. Thus, research in energy metabolism aims at controling muscle metabolism, but also liver and adipose tissue metabolism in order to optimize energy partitioning in favour of muscles. Liver is characterized by high anabolic and catabolic rates. Metabolic enzymes are regulated by nutrients through short-term regulation of their activities and long-term regulation of expression of their genes. Consequences of liver metabolic regulation on energy supply to muscles may affect protein deposition (and hence growth) as well as intramuscular energy stores. Adipose tissues are important body reserves of triglycerides, which result from the balance between lipogenesis and lipolysis. Both processes depend on the feeding level and on the nature of nutrients, which indirectly affect energy delivery to muscles. In muscles, the regulation of rate-limiting nutrient transporters, of metabolic enzyme activities and of ATP production, as well as the interactions between nutrients affect free energy availability for muscle growth and modify muscle metabolic characteristics which determine meat quality. The growth of tissues and organs, the number and the characteristics of muscle fibers depend, for a great part, on early events during the fetal life. They include variations in quantitative and qualitative nutrient supply to the fetus, and hence in maternal nutrition. During the postnatal life, muscle growth and characteristics are affected by the age and the genetic type of the animals, the feeding level and the diet composition. The latter determines the nature of available nutrients and the rate of nutrient delivery to tissues, thereby regulating metabolism. Physical activity at pasture also favours the orientation of muscle metabolism, towards the oxidative type. Consequently, breeding systems may be of a great importance during the postnatal life. Research is now directed towards the determination of individual tissue and organ energy requirements, a better knowledge of nutrient partitioning between and within organs and tissues. The discovery of new molecules (e. g. leptin), of new molecular mechanisms and of more powerful techniques (DNA chips) will help to achieve these objectives. The integration of the different levels of knowledge will finally allow scientists to formulate new types of diets adapted to sustain a production of high quality meat with lower costs of production.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.2 s.20
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• pp.21-32
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• 1976

The influence of Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax on the metabolism of hens are studied experimentally. The hens are fed with three dose levels of ethanol extract of Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax for 24 months and for comparing, there are control hens and young control hens. The results are as follows. 1. Hemoglobin, hematocrit and erythrocyte sedimentation rate values of hens fed with Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax are not significantly. different from control group. There is tendency of decreasing of erythrocyte sedimentation rate with aging. 2. The serum total lipid values of hens fed with Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax have tendency of increment compared with control group, especially in large dose treated hens of Panax ginseng and it is statistically significant. The serum cholesterol levels of all treated hens seem to be increased without significance statistically. Serum triglyceride level is higher in young hens compared with aged, and Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax treated hens reveal much higher values than control hens. So the increment of triglyceride levels in the Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax treated hens may be mainly contribute to increment of total lipid content. 3. Long-term administration of Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax seem to increase total serum protein content. Such increment seem to be due to the increment of globulin, especially gamma globulin, which is statistically significant in the large dose group of Acanthopanax. There are no differences of serum albumin levels of all the groups. 4. The blood glucose level and the glycogen content of liver and muscle have no difference among all the experimental groups. To summarize the results, the effects of Panax ginseng and Acanthopanax on the metabolism of hens have similarity in the majority of data of this experiment, and seem to be mainly influence to lipid and protein metabolisms by increasing serum triglyceride and globulin, especially gamma globulin.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.141-143
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• 2017

Caballeronia sordidicola strain PAMC 26577 was isolated from Cladonia sp., a lichen collected from Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Draft genomic sequences of PAMC 26577 were determined using Illumina and 182 contigs were submitted to GenBank and N50 value was 159,226. The genome of PAMC 26577 was comprised of 8,334,211 base pairs and %G+C content was 59.4. The genome included 8 ribosomal RNA genes and 51 tRNA genes as non-coding sequences. Protein-coding genes were 8,065 in number and they included central metabolism genes as well as butanol/butyrate biosynthesis, polyhydroxybutyrate metabolism, serine cycle methylotrophy genes, and glycogen metabolism. Membrane transporters were more than two-hundreds in number, but sugar phosphotransferase system and TRAP transporters were lacking. PAMC 26577 lacked CRISPR-associated sequences and proteins. No transposable elements were observed and there were only limited number of phage remnant regions with 11 phage-related genes.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.518-527
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• 2021

Purpose: The incidence of hepatic steatosis among children has been increasing; however, data distinguishing simple steatosis from a more complex disorder are lacking. Methods: This study identified the etiologies resulting in hepatic steatosis through a retrospective review of pediatric liver biopsies performed in the last 10 years. A total of 158 patients with hepatic steatosis proven by histopathological evaluation were enrolled in the study, and baseline demographic features, anthropometric measurements, physical examination findings, laboratory data, ultrasonographic findings, and liver histopathologies were noted. Results: The two most common diagnoses were inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) (52.5%) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH) (29.7%). The three most common diseases in the IEM group were glycogen storage disorders, Wilson's disease, and mitochondrial disease. The rates of consanguineous marriage (75.6%; odds ratio [OR], 26.040) and positive family history (26.5%; OR, 8.115) were significantly higher (p=0.002, p<0.001, respectively) in the IEM group than those in the NAFLD/NASH group. Younger age (p=0.001), normal anthropometric measurements (p=0.03), increased aspartate aminotransferase levels (p<0.001), triglyceride levels (p=0.001), and cholestatic biochemical parameters with disrupted liver function tests, as well as severe liver destruction of hepatic architecture, cholestasis, fibrosis, and nodule formation, were also common in the IEM group. Conclusion: Parents with consanguinity and positive family history, together with clinical and biochemical findings, may provide a high index of suspicion for IEM to distinguish primary steatosis from the consequence of a more complex disorder.