• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.94-101
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to assess the responses of mixed function oxygenase (MFO) and antioxidative systems of feral Javelin goby, Acanthogobius hasta, caught in two sites of different pollution level in Shihwa lake, which has been a highly polluted lake by organic pollutants from nearby industrial complexes and sites. Enzymes analyzed in phase I of MFO system are cytochrome P450 (CYP), NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (P450R), NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase (b5R), and ethoxyresorufin deethylase (EROD). Phase II enzyme of glutathione S-transferase (GST) in MFO system was also investigated. Moreover, oxidative-enzyme system including catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and total-glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities and glutathione concentration in both of oxidized (GSSG) and reduced form (GSH) were determined. P450R, b5R, and GST activities of fish are relatively high in the polluted area, whereas hepatic EROD activity levels of fish in polluted area were lower than those of unpolluted area. CYP concentrations are not different between areas. These results indicated that feral Acanthogobius hasta were adaptive to highly polluted environment and exposed to oxidative stress in Shihwa lake.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3219-3226
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• 2014

Chemotherapy continues to be a mainstay of cancer treatment, although drug resistance is a major obstacle. Lipid metabolism plays a critical role in cancer pathology, with elevated ether lipid levels. Recently, alkylglyceronephosphate synthase (AGPS), an enzyme that catalyzes the critical step in ether lipid synthesis, was shown to be up-regulated in multiple types of cancer cells and primary tumors. Here, we demonstrated that silencing of AGPS in chemotherapy resistance glioma U87MG/DDP and hepatic carcinoma HepG2/ADM cell lines resulted in reduced cell proliferation, increased drug sensitivity, cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis through reducing the intracellular concentration of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), lysophosphatidic acid-ether (LPAe) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), resulting in reduction of LPA receptor and EP receptors mediated PI3K/AKT signaling pathways and the expression of several multi-drug resistance genes, like MDR1, MRP1 and ABCG2. ${\beta}$-catenin, caspase-3/8, Bcl-2 and survivin were also found to be involved. In summary, our studies indicate that AGPS plays a role in cancer chemotherapy resistance by mediating signaling lipid metabolism in cancer cells.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1113-1127
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Excessive alcohol consumption has harmful health effects, including alcohol hangovers and alcohol-related liver disease. Therefore, methods to accelerate the alcohol metabolism are needed. Laurus nobilis is a spice, flavoring agent, and traditional herbal medicine against various diseases. This study examined whether the standardized aqueous extract of L. nobilis leaves (LN) accelerates the alcohol metabolism and protects against liver damage in single-ethanol binge Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: LN was administered orally to SD rats 1 h before ethanol administration (3 g/kg body weight [BW]) at 100 and 300 mg/kg BW. Blood samples were collected 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h after ethanol administration. The livers were excised 1 h after ethanol administration to determine the hepatic enzyme activity. The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities in the liver tissue were measured. RESULTS: LN decreased the serum ethanol and acetaldehyde levels in ethanol-administered rats. LN increased the hepatic ADH and ALDH activities but decreased the alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase activities in the ethanol-administered rats. In addition, LN inhibited lipid peroxidation and increased the activities of SOD and GPx. CONCLUSIONS: LN modulates the mediators of various etiological effects of excessive alcohol consumption and enhances the alcohol metabolism and antioxidant activity, making it a potential candidate for hangover treatments.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.338-346
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• 2005

Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hepatic glutathione, glutathione S-transferase(GST), cytochrome P450 and cytochrome P450 reductase activity were measured to investigate the effects of hepatic detoxication system and metabolic activities of carbendazim in Sprague Dawley(S.D.) male rat at dose levels of 375, 750 or 1,500 mg/kg body weight. Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) activities were slightly increased in all test groups after 120 minutes of administration. Glutathione was increased about 20% at high and medium dose level within 120 minutes after administration, while activity of glutathione S-transferase was decreased $36{\sim}50%$. However, the enzyme activity was recovered from all test groups after 240 minutes of administration. Cytochrome P450 and activity of cytochrome P450 reductase were decreased $25{\sim}50%$ until 120 minutes after administration, but recovered after 240 minutes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8793-8796
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• 2014

Objective: To explore the influence of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level on therapeutic outcome and diagnosis/prognostic value in patients with cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer by biopsy were selected and treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted before treatment to assess VEGF levels, and its relationships with clinicopathological features and short-term therapeutic effects were analyzed. Results: The median VEGF level in 37 patients before treatment was 647.15 (393.35~1125.16) pg/mL. Serum VEGF levels in patients aged <50 years, in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIa~IVa, with lymph node metastasis and tumor size >4 cm were significantly increased (P<0.05). The complete remission (CR) rate was 48.7% (18/37), partial remission (PR) rate was 35.1% (13/37), stable disease (SD) rate was 13.5% (5/37) and progressive disease (PD) rate was 2.70% (1/37), so the objective remission rate (ORR) after treatment was 83.8% (31/37). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor size and serum VEGF level before treatment were independent risk factors affecting the therapeutic outcome, and the higher the level of serum VEGF, the worse the prognosis when tumor size>4 cm. Some 56.8% of patients manifested with myelosuppression, 37.8% with leucopenia, 24.3% with thrombocytopenia, 5.41% with diarrhea, 46.0% with nausea and vomiting, 21.6% with hair loss and 8.11% with hepatic and renal injury during the treatment. Conclusions: Serum VEGF level may reflect the degree of malignancy of cervical cancer and predict therapeutic effect, which is of great importance to cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.218-226
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• 2008

The present study evaluated the effects of various dosages of soybean isoflavone extract on lipid profiles, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The one normal control group was fed an AIN-76-based experimental diet and four diabetic groups were fed the same diet, supplemented with four different levels of soybean isoflavone extract for seven weeks. The daily dosages of pure isoflavone for four diabetic groups were set to be 0 mg (diabetic control), 0.5 mg (ISO-I), 3.0 mg (ISO-II) and 30.0 mg (ISO-III) per kilogram of body weight, respectively. The plasma total cholesterol levels and the TBA-reactive substances contents in the liver and kidney were significantly lowered in ISO-II and ISO-III groups compared to those in the diabetic control group. The levels of plasma HDL-cholesterol, plasma vitamin A and hepatic superoxide dismutase were significantly increased in those two groups compared with the diabetic control group. The present study demonstrated the possibility that the diets supplemented with 3.0 mg and 30.0 mg of soybean isoflavone extract may have beneficial effects on the plasma lipids, tissue lipid peroxidation and partly on antioxidant system in diabetic animals and there were no significant differences between the ISO-II and ISO-III groups. The results suggest that the effective daily dosage level of isoflavone for improving lipid metabolism in diabetic rats may be above 3.0 mg per kilogram body weight.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.473-479
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities of luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside were compared in galactosamine (GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatitic ICR mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male ICR mice (6 weeks old) were divided into 4 groups: normal control, GalN/LPS, luteolin, and luteolin-7-O-glucoside groups. The latter two groups were administered luteolin or luteolin-7-O-glucoside (50 mg/kg BW) daily by gavage for 3 weeks after which hepatitis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of GalN and LPS (1 g/kg BW and $10{\mu}g/kg\;BW$, respectively). RESULTS: GalN/LPS produced acute hepatic injury by a sharp increase in serum AST, ALT, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ levels, increases that were ameliorated in the experimental groups. In addition, markedly increased expressions of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and its transcription factors, nuclear factor $(NF)-{\kappa}B$ and activator protein (AP)-1, were also significantly attenuated in the experimental groups. Compared to luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin more potently ameliorated the levels of inflammatory mediators. Phase II enzymes levels and NF-E2 p45-related factor (Nrf)-2 activation that were decreased by GalN/LPS were increased by luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside administration. In addition, compared to luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside acted as a more potent inducer of changes in phase II enzymes. Liver histopathology results were consistent with the mediator and enzyme results. CONCLUSION: Luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside protect against GalN/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity through the regulation of inflammatory mediators and phase II enzymes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.574-580
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• 1994

The effect of dietary zinc(Zn) levels on cadmium (Cd)-induced hepatotoxicity was studied in serum and liver of rats. Adult male Spraque-Dawley rats were fed on diets containing one of three levels of zinc carbonate(0, 56, $560\mu\textrm{g}/kg$ diet) and Cd-treated groups were administrated oral intubation with cadmium chloride 95.0 mg/kg of body weight) at the sametime once a week. Net weight gain (NWG), feed intake (FI) and feed effciiency ratio (FER) in Zn deficiency groups significantly decreased as compared to that of control and excessive groups. Cd oral intubation caused a decrease in NWG and FI but an increase in Zn deficiency group in FER. GSH-Px, GST and catalase activity showed significant decrease in Zn deficiency and Zn excessive group. LPO content in liver significantly increased in Zn deficiency group. Cd oral intubation increased the content of LPO in Zn deficiency group as compared to control. GSH content and GST activity of hepatic tissue significantly decreased in Zn deficiency and excessive group. The activity of AST and ALT in serum were markedly increased in Zn deficiency, Zn excessive and Cd-treated groups. LDH and ALP activities significantly increased in Cd-treated group while ALP activity decreased by Zn deficiency. It was observed that the livers of rats exposed to Cd and Zn excessive group showed a marked increase of hepatic enzyme as compare to only Cd-treated in rats.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.275-283
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• 2011

This study was conducted to evaluate the antihyperglycemic effects of three phytoestrogens, genistein, coumestrol, and enterolactone, in type 2 diabetic animals. Forty male C57BL/KsOlaHsd-db/db mice were used as a diabetic animal model. The animals were divided into four groups and fed a phytoestrogen-free AIN-76 diet (control), or one of three phytoestrogen-supplemented (3.75 mg/100 g diet) AIN-76 diets for six weeks. During the experimental period, fasting blood glucose levels were measured on week 0, 2, 5, and 6 of the experiment, and oral glucose tolerance tests were performed on the 5th week. After the experimental period, blood concentrations of HbA1c, insulin, and glucagon were measured, and hepatic glycogen content and glucose regulating enzyme activities were analyzed. Fasting blood glucose, HbA1c level, and the area under the blood glucose curve in the oral glucose tolerance test were significantly lower in all of the phytoestrogen-supplemented groups compared to the control group. Plasma glucagon levels were also significantly lower in all of the phytoestrogen-supplemented groups compared to the control group. Hepatic glycogen level was significantly higher in the coumestrol-supplemented group compared to the other groups. However, there were no significant differences in the activities of glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase between the groups. These results suggest that all of the three major phytoestrogens tested in the present study were effective in lowering blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic animals. However, further studies need to be conducted to elucidate the exact mechanism for the hypoglycemic effects of phytoestrogens.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.898-907
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• 2003

Antioxidative function of uncooked powdered food (Sangsik) was evaluated in rats consuming nutritionally unbalanced diet including 1％ cholesterol, high proportion of animal lipids (lard : soybean oil : 8 . 2) , sub-optimal levels of vitamin and mineral mixture along with 0.5% ethanol in drinking water. The uncooked powdered food tested in the present study was a mixture composed of 42 kinds of plant foods (cereals, legumes, seaweeds, vegetables, and fruits) supplemented with vitamins and minerals, and dietary fiber. Control rats were fed the semi-purified diet based on the AIN-93G composition, and nutritionally unbalanced rats were divided into 3 groups, and fed one of the following diets with 0.5% ethanol in drinking water for 5 weeks : unbalanced control diet (UC) ,20% Sangsik powder supplemented diet (S20), and 40% Sangsik powder supplemented diet (S40) . Food efficiency ratio was significantly higher in rats fed S40 compared to the value for rats fed UC (p < 0.05). Hepatic level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was significantly lower in rats fed UC compared to that for control rats (p < 0.05) , and was not influenced by dietary supplementation of the Sangsik powder. Hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly higher in rats fed UC compared to that for control rats (p < 0.05) , and significantly reduced in rats fed S20 or S40 compared to the value for unbalanced control rats. Feeding unbalanced control diet significantly reduced the ratio of hepatic GSH-Px ＋ catalase/SOD activities compared to the value for control rats, and this decrease in the ratio of antioxidant enzyme activities was reversed by adding the Sangsik powder to the diet at 20% (p <0.05) . Based on the results of antioxidant enzyme activities, feeding uncooked powdered diet appears to provide a favorable environment for body's antioxidative defense mechanism. Serum levels of Fe and Cu were significantly lower in rats fed the Sangsik powder supplemented diets compared to the value for unbalanced control rats (p < 0.05) , and levels of Se, Mn, and Zn were also tended to be decreased by dietary supplementation of the Sangsik powder. These results postulate the possibility that ingredients used in the uncooked powdered food may decrease the bioavailability of trace elements in rats.