• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.39-51
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• 2024

Objectives : Diabetes is a chronic disease that is rapidly increasing worldwide, and recent studies suggest that gut microbiome dysbiosis may be one of the main reasons for diabetes. Therefore, we have reviewed the relationship between diabetes and microbiome changes and their regulation by treatment of traditional herbal medicine. Methods : This review was prepared by querying in PubMed with the key words such as diabetes, microbiome and traditional herbal medicine. The search was conducted for research articles including both in vivo preclinical reports and clinical studies, up to July 22, 2024 within the past five years. Results : Gut microbiota dysbiosis is implicated in diabetes through major mechanisms, including increased endotoxin (LPS), decreased short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, reduced gut microbiota diversity, and impaired bile acid metabolism in mouse models and human cohorts. Traditional herbal medicines including berberine and bicalein and formulations such as Gegen Qinlian Decoction, Banxia Xiexin Decoction, and Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decoction improved diabetes by increasing the gut microbiota diversity and SCFA generation. Conclusion : Gut microbiota imbalance plays an important role in the onset and progression of diabetes especially type 2 diabetes which is improved by traditional herbal medicines promoting the growth of beneficial microbiome and suppressing pathogenic abundance. It may provide a promising prospect for more effective diabetes management and treatment strategies.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2018

The gut microbiome has been studied extensively over the past decade with most scientific reports focused on the adverse role of the gut microbiome on gastrointestinal diseases. For example, the altered gut microbiome exacerbates the development of immune system-mediated damage in many diseases. The most studied pathologies include irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, and colitis-associated cancer. On the other hand, intestinal microflora is also beneficial and contributes to the intestinal physiology by the synthesis of vitamins, production of short chain fatty acids and bile acid metabolism, thereby maintaining gut homeostasis. Therefore, the balance between commensal and pathogenic bacteria populations influences mainly the maintenance of intestinal health. Changes in the intestinal microflora have been suspected to be the underlying causes of multiple diseases. Despite the immense amount of published data, the optimal gut microbiome composition is still controversial. This review briefly outlines the connection between the gut microbiome and critical gastrointestinal diseases focusing on three prominent intestinal disorders: irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, and colitis-associated cancer disorders. Finally, intervention strategies using natural products for the alleviation of these diseases and the maintenance of a health gut microbiome are suggested.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.81-85
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• 2015

Since the banning of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), the death of livestock has been increased, thus there is a strong demand for AGP-alternatives. Modulation of gut microbiota has been reported to affect host physiological functions and suggested to be a novel approach for developing AGP-alternatives. However, little has been understood about livestock gut microbiota compared to that of humans. We conducted preliminary study provide fundamental information regarding to regional differences in swine gut microbiota. Swine fecal samples were obtained from farms in Jeju (n=40), Gwangju (n=28), and Haenam (n=30). MiSeq was used to sequence 16S rRNA V4 region, and Mothur pipeline (Schloss et al., 2009) was used for data processing. A total of 5,642,125 reads were obtained and 3,868,143 reads were remained after removing erroneous reads. Analysis of taxonomic composition at the phylum level indicated greater abundance of Firmicutes among Jeju swine, and cluster analysis of distribution of operational taxonomic units also showed regional differences among swine gut microbiota. In addition, correlation analysis between non-metric multidimensional scaling and abundance of phyla suggested that the phyla Actinobacter, Verrucomicrobia, Firmicutes, and Fibrobacteres were driving factors for the regional differences. Livestock gut microbiota may be affected by diet and practices in farms. Our results indicated significant regional differences in swine gut microbiota, suggesting that future livestock gut microbiota studies should be designed with the regional differences in mind.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1021-1032
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• 2020

Numbers of companion animals and people rearing them are increasing in developed countries. As a result, businesses related to companion animals are becoming more advanced and specialized. Dogs have been cohabiting with humans as companions (pets) for thousands of years and, as a result, eat carbohydrate-rich foods similar to humans and maintain lives similar to their owners. Tight bonds between dogs and their owners are formed by sharing similar lifestyles, including a dwelling and food. Owners are responsible for their pets and treat them with emotional stability. Pets depend on their owners, although the food situation can cause stress. Since pet dogs are carnivorous in nature, providing pet dogs with a nutritionally balanced diet and functional materials is important for a healthy gut microbiome. Recently, the gut microbiota has become a research focus because it is associated with protection from harmful pathogens and immune regulation while maintaining physiological homeostasis. An abnormal gut microbiota is related to pathogenic processes and various gut, metabolic, mental, and neurological diseases. Additionally, pet dogs at risk of disease affect the health of their owners. Therefore, this review discusses the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota of dogs and the relationships between the gut microbiota and diseases.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.125-137
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• 2015

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate clinical factors of SQD syndrome by tracking plasma gut hormone (active ghrelin, active Glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1), pancreatic polypeptide(PP), total peptide YY(PYY)) profiling of pre-post prandial standard meal between SQD group and normal group. Methods A total of 24 adult participants were consecutively recruited on April 2014. They were diagnosed as either by SQD syndrome or normal by Spleen Qi Deficiency Questionnaire (SQDQ). On the experimental day, blood samplings of 2 ml were repeatedly collected at 6 points from 2 groups for measuring plasma levels of gut hormones. At every point, subjective appetite sensations were self-registered. Results & Conclusions 1. There were significantly lower subjective 'Appetite' (p=0.012) and higher 'Satiety' (p=0.012) in SQD group. At each time point, subjective 'Appetite' was significantly lower at 60 min after breakfast (p=0.034) and 'Satiety' were significantly higher at 15 min (p=0.020) and 120 min (p=0.044) after breakfast in SQD group. 2. There were no significant differences in plasma levels of gut hormones (active ghrelin, active GLP-1, PP, total PYY) between SQD and normal group. Also at each time point, there were no significant differences of plasma levels of gut hormones between SQD and normal group. 3. Changes in plasma levels of gut hormones compared to baseline were not significantly different at each time point between SQD and normal group. Plasma PYY levels compared to baseline increased in SQD group following 15 min and 30 min after breakfast but decreased in normal group. 4. Further investigation is needed to construct gut hormone profiling and in this perspective, we can approach evaluation tool on variable appetite in Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) syndrome in the future.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.36
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• pp.365-414
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• 2018

This paper studied the type and character of the Divinity in Korean shamanism. The study of the Divinity means the hierarchy of shamanism, the relationship between shamanism and divinity, and the comparison between shamanism and divinity. The study of the shamanistic divinity based on Kim Tae - Gon's collection of anthology by Shaman(1971). The Jaesugut was composed of the contents of the gods blessing human beings. The JaesuGut of Seoul vary from 10 to 18 depending on the author. The JaesuGut of Goseong consists of 8 Gut. The essence of the ritual gut is to pray for the peace of the individual by using the world which is not explained by reason and science. It is a reincarnation that reflects the world of experience that is stored in the memory of human being that both reason and science can not explain. And the desire to escape from fear was reflected in Jaesu Gut. Every Jaesu Gut in Seoul and Goseong has a main divinity. This main divinity is attached to the divinity in another Gut and becomes a subordination divinity. It also becomes a subordinate-subordination divinity to the another Gut. The gods of reincarnation are basically taken in the order of national security ${\rightarrow}$ local security ${\rightarrow}$ home security.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.405-418
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• 2022

Simotang oral liquid (SMT) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) consisting of four natural plants and is used to alleviate gastrointestinal side effects after chemotherapy and functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the mechanism by which SMT helps cure these gastrointestinal diseases is still unknown. Here, we discovered that SMT could alleviate gastrointestinal side effects after chemotherapy by altering gut microbiota. C57BL/6J mice were treated with cisplatin (DDP) and SMT, and biological samples were collected. Pathological changes in the small intestine were observed, and the intestinal injury score was assessed. The expression levels of the inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-6 and the adhesive factors Occludin and ZO-1 in mouse blood or small intestine tissue were also detected. Moreover, the gut microbiota was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons. SMT was found to effectively reduce gastrointestinal mucositis after DDP injection, which lowered inflammation and tightened the intestinal epithelial cells. Gut microbiota analysis showed that the abundance of the anti-inflammatory microbiota was downregulated and that the inflammatory microbiota was upregulated in DDP-treated mice. SMT upregulated anti-inflammatory and anticancer microbiota abundance, while the inflammatory microbiota was downregulated. An antibiotic cocktail (ABX) was also used to delete mice gut microbiota to test the importance of gut microbiota, and we found that SMT could not alleviate gastrointestinal mucositis after DDP injection, showing that gut microbiota might be an important mediator of SMT treatment. Our study provides evidence that SMT might moderate gastrointestinal mucositis after chemotherapy by altering gut microbiota.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2018

Although there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of food allergies worldwide in recent decades, no effective therapeutic strategies have been developed. Modulation of the gut microbiota composition and/or function through probiotics has been highlighted as a promising target for protection against food allergies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the allergy-reducing effects of a probiotic mixture (P5: Lactococcus lactis KF140, Pediococcus pentosaceus KF159, Lactobacillus pentosus KF340, Lactobacillus paracasei 698, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 26N) in mice with ovalbumin (OVA)-induced food allergy. Administration of P5 significantly suppressed the oral OVA challenge-induced anaphylactic response and rectal temperature decline, and reduced diarrhea symptoms. Moreover, P5 also significantly inhibited the secretion of IgE, Th2 cytokines (interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13), and Th17 cytokines (IL-17), which were increased in mice with OVA-induced food allergy, and induced generation of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. These results revealed that P5 may have applications as a preventive agent against food allergy.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.447-453
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• 2015

We determined the optimal culture conditions for obtaining the maximum number of intestinal bacteria from the olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, and studied bacterial diversity using both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Using six culture conditions, mean bacterial numbers were greater than $10^6$ per gram of gut mucus, regardless of the medium. However, the bacterial diversity, based on colony morphology, appeared much higher on Marine agar (MA) and Zobell 2216 agar than on other media. We found eight and 17 cultured bacterial phylotypes with 99% minimum similarity in gut mucus grown on MA and tryptic soy agar, respectively. Furthermore, we used genomic DNA extracted from gut mucus to generate 78 random clones, which were grouped into 25 phylotypes. Of these, six were affiliated with Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia, and were not found using our culture-dependent methods. Consequently, we believe that Marine agar and Zobell 2216 agar are optimal media for culturing diverse intestinal microbes; we also discovered several novel sequences not previously recognized as part of the gut microbiota of olive flounder.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.931-936
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• 2006

This study sought to investigate any additive or interactive effects that soy isoflavones may have on the ecosystem of the gut, which is influenced by fructooligosaccharide (FOS) in colon-cancer model rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine were given experimental diets containing 0, 3, 6, or 9% FOS with or without 0.1% soy isoflavone for 12 weeks. In addition to the effects of FOS dosage on the gut ecosystem, dietary supplementation with soy isoflavone reduced the number of colonic aberrant crypts (ACs). The fecal weight, fecal pH, and gut transit time significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner in rats fed FOS and the fecal concentration of bifidobacteria was higher in rats fed FOS than in control rats. The fecal output of total short-chain fatty acids, acetate, and propionate was significantly increased by the presence of FOS and was negatively correlated with the number of ACs, whereas the fecal output of butyrate showed no significant correlation with FOS dosage. The addition of soy isoflavone to the diet did not result in any significant differences in gut ecosystem parameters. Therefore, we conclude that the suppressive effect of soy isoflavone on ACs was not associated with the intestinal ecosystem, which was significantly altered by the dosage of FOS.