• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.123-139
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• 2023

Purpose: This study was conducted to establish whether an ethanol extract of Lycium barbarum leaves (LLE) and an ethanol extract of Lycium barbarum leaves from which chlorophyll has been removed, denoted as LLE(Ch^-), have a protective effect against hepatic fat accumulation. Methods: The inhibitory effects of LLE and LLE(Ch^-) on liver fat accumulation were examined in C57BL/6 mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by an methionine and choline deficient diet and in HepG2 cells with palmitic acid-induced fat accumulation. Results: The plasma triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels were lower in the LLE(Ch^-) group, whereas the plasma ALT activity decreased significantly in the LLE group. In both the LLE and the LLE(Ch^-) groups, the triglyceride and cholesterol contents in the hepatic tissue were significantly reduced. A greater inhibitory effect on tissue fat accumulation was observed in the LLE(Ch^-) group than in the LLE group. In HepG2 cells, LLE and LLE(Ch^-) were non-toxic up to a concentration of 1,000 ㎍/mL. Compared to the control group, intracellular fat accumulation in the LLE and LLE(Ch^-) groups were significantly reduced at concentrations of 200 ㎍/mL and 500 ㎍/mL, respectively. The expression of phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase in both LLE groups increased at the concentrations of 100 ㎍/mL and 500 ㎍/mL. The fatty acid synthase expression was suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner at 10 ㎍/mL. Conclusion: The examined two ethanol extracts of LLE inhibit hepatic fat accumulation in NAFLD. This effect was more pronounced in the LLE(Ch^-) group. Therefore, these 2 extracts have an anti-steatosis effect and can be used for NAFLD treatment.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 2022

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver, is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. The current standard for the detection of hepatic steatosis is liver biopsy; however, it is limited by invasiveness and sampling errors. Accordingly, MR spectroscopy and proton density fat fraction obtained with MRI have been accepted as non-invasive modalities for quantifying hepatic steatosis. Recently, various quantitative ultrasonography techniques have been developed and validated for the quantification of hepatic steatosis. These techniques measure various acoustic parameters, including attenuation coefficient, backscatter coefficient and speckle statistics, speed of sound, and shear wave elastography metrics. In this article, we introduce several representative quantitative ultrasonography techniques and their diagnostic value for the detection of hepatic steatosis.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.278-284
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• 2016

Anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids, are natural water-soluble pigments, mainly found in vegetables and fruits. Anthocyanins have attractive pharmacological activities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of the anthocyanin-rich fraction (ANF) from purple sweet potato on high fat diet-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. C57BL/6J mice were assigned to the following groups (n=8 per group): normal fat diet (NF); high fat diet (HF); high fat diet with ANF 50mg/kg (ANF50). Normal fat or high fat diets were fed for a total of 17 weeks, and ANF was orally administrated for 8 weeks (from 10 to 17 weeks, five times/week). In our results, there were no significant differences in body weight, food intake, and tissue weight upon ANF supplementation. The levels of serum triacylglycerol, total-cholesterol, and glucose were also not affected by ANF supplementation. However, ANF supplementation significantly decreased serum insulin and HOMA-IR levels as well as prevented hepatic fat accumulation in high fat-fed mice. These results show that ANF may be beneficial for improving high fat-induced insulin resistance and protecting against development of hepatic steatosis.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2018

Ethanol-induced fat accumulation, the earliest and most common response of the liver to ethanol exposure, may be involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), an important constituent of Glycyrrhizae Radix, is a chalcone derivative that exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and phytoestrogenic activities. However, the effect of ISL treatment on lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and alcoholic hepatitis remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the effect and underlying mechanism of ISL on ethanol-induced hepatic steatosis by treating AML-12 cells with 200 mM ethanol and/or ISL ($0{\sim}50{\mu}M$) for 72 hr. Lipid accumulation was assayed by oil red O staining, and the expression of sirtuin1 (SIRT1), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha ($PPAR{\alpha}$) was studied by western blotting. Our results indicated that ISL treatment upregulated SIRT1 expression and downregulated SREBP-1c expression in ethanol-treated cells. Similarly, oil red O staining revealed a decrease in ethanol-induced fat accumulation upon co-treatment of ethanol-treated cells with 10, 20, and $50{\mu}M$ of ISL. These findings suggest that ISL can reduce ethanol induced-hepatic lipogenesis by activating the SIRT1-AMPK pathway and thus improve lipid metabolism in alcoholic fatty livers.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 2013

We investigated the effects of gambigyeongsinhwan(GGH)(4) on body weight and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) examined whether blood total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, free fatty acid and triglyceride levels and hepatic lipid accumulation are inhibited by it in high fat diet-fed obese male mice. 8 weeks old, high fat diet-fed obese male mice were divided into 5 groups: C57BL/6N normal, control, GGH(4)-1, GGH(4)-2 and GGH(4)-3. After mice were treated with GGH(4) for 8 weeks, we measured body weight gain, food intake, feeding efficiency ratio, fat weight, plasma ALT, leptin and lipid levels. We also did histological analysis for liver and fat on the mice. Compared with controls, GGH(4)-treated mice had lower body weight gain and adipose tissue weight, the magnitudes of which were prominent in GGH(4)-2. Compared with controls, GGH(4)-treated mice had lower feeding efficiency ratio and blood leptin level, the magnitudes of which was prominent in GGH(4)-2. Compared with controls, GGH(4)-treated mice had lower blood plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, free fatty acid and triglyceride levels. Compared with controls, GGH(4)-2 treated mice had lower blood plasma ALT concentration. Consistent with their effects on body weight gain, the size of adipocytes were significantly decreased by GGH(4), whereas the adipocyte number per unit area was significantly increased, suggesting that GGH(4) decreased the number of large adipocytes. Hepatic lipid accumulation was decreased by GGH(4). In conclusion, these results suggest that GGH(4) exhibits anti-obesity effects through the modulation of feeding efficiency ratio and plasma obesity parameters. Moreover, it seems that GGH(4) also contributes to improve NAFLD through the regulation of plasma ALT and hepatic triglyceride accumulation.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2022

High-fat diet (HFD)-fed ovariectomized (OVX) female mice were used as an animal model of obese postmenopausal women. We investigated the effects of ascorbic acid on the histological changes induced in the liver. Plasma alanine aminotransferase levels and liver weights were higher in mice fed an HFD for 18 weeks than in mice fed a low-fat diet, effects that were inhibited by ascorbic acid. Similarly, mice fed an ascorbic acid-supplemented HFD had less hepatic lipid accumulation than did mice fed an HFD alone. Moreover, administration of ascorbic acid reduced inflammatory cells, including mast cells and CD68-positive cells, and inflammatory foci in the liver and inhibited hepatocyte ballooning. Hepatic collagen levels were lower in ascorbic acid-treated versus non-treated mice. These results suggest that ascorbic acid inhibits hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis in obese OVX mice. Thus, ascorbic acid intake may be useful for postmenopausal women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.222-229
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• 1995

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the Platycodi radix powder (PRP) and Platycodi radix saponin(PRS) on the reduction of lipid status In rats fed on high fat diet for 6 weeks after which lipid contents were measured in liver. And also by carrying out the histological examination throughout light microscope to observe the effects of fat accumulation reduction. The results obtained from this study are as fellows. In the levels of total lipid in liver, PRS Group significantly decreased compared with Contred Group, but PRP Group was not significantly changed. The content of triglyceride was tended to be slightly decreased in the PRP and PRS groups compared to the control group, which was not significant. It was observed from photomicrographs of hepatic tissue in rats that the PRP and PRS groups inhibits the lipid accumulation induced by high fat diets.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.105-115
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• 2015

Background: Alcoholic steatosis is the earliest and most common liver disease, and may precede the onset of more severe forms of liver injury. Methods: The effect of Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) was tested in two murine models of ethanol (EtOH)-feeding and EtOH-treated hepatocytes. Results: Blood biochemistry analysis demonstrated that RGE treatment improved liver function. Histopathology and measurement of hepatic triglyceride content verified the ability of RGE to inhibit fat accumulation. Consistent with this, RGE administration downregulated hepatic lipogenic gene induction and restored hepatic lipolytic gene repression by EtOH. The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver diseases is well established. Treatment with RGE attenuated EtOH-induced cytochrome P450 2E1, 4-hydroxynonenal, and nitrotyrosine levels. Alcohol consumption also decreased phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which was restored by RGE. Moreover, RGE markedly inhibited fat accumulation in EtOH-treated hepatocytes, which correlated with a decrease in sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and a commensurate increase in sirtuin 1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-a expression. Interestingly, the ginsenosides Rb2 and Rd, but not Rb1, significantly inhibited fat accumulation in hepatocytes. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that RGE and its ginsenoside components inhibit alcoholic steatosis and liver injury by adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/sirtuin 1 activation both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that RGE may have a potential to treat alcoholic liver disease.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.403-410
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• 2019

Curcumin, a hydrophobic polyphenol isolated from the Curcuma longa L. plant, has many pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemo-preventive activities. Curcumin has been shown to have potential in preventing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the low bioavailability of curcumin has proven to be a major limiting factor in its clinical adoption. Theracurmin, a highly bioavailable curcumin that utilizes micronized technology showed improved biological absorbability in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of theracurmin in modulating hepatic lipid metabolism in vivo. A fatty liver mouse model was produced by feeding mice a high fat diet (HFD; 60% fat) for 12 weeks. We found that treatment for 12 weeks with theracurmin significantly lowered plasma triacylglycerol (TG) levels and reduced HFD-induced liver fat accumulation. Theracurmin treatment lowered hepatic TG and total cholesterol (T-CHO) levels in HFD-fed mice compared to controls. In addition, theracurmin administration significantly reduced lipid peroxidation and cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species in HFD-fed mice. Overall, these results suggest that theracurmin has the ability to control lipid metabolism and can potentially serve as an effective therapeutic remedy for the prevention of fatty liver.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.248-258
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• 2006

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation of an antiobese functional formula (FC-GT) on body weight and lipid metabolism in rats fed a high-fat diet. Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed different diets for 6 weeks: normal control (NC), high-fat (HF), and high-fat supplemented with powdered antiobese functional formula (FC-GT) (5% wt/wt) groups. Although body weight was not significantly different among the groups, relative weights of epididymal and perirenal white adipose tissues were significantly lower in the FC-GT group than in the HF group. FC-GT supplementation significantly lowered the plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, whereas it elevated the ratio of HDL-C/total-C and improved the atherogenic index. Hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were significantly lowered in the FC-GT group compared to the HF group. The accumulation of hepatic lipid droplets and the epididymal white adipocyte size of the FC-GT group were diminished compared to the HF group. Hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was significantly lower in the FC-GT group than in the HF group. Plasma GPT activity was significantly lowered in the FC-GT group compared to the HF group. Additionally, fecal weight was significantly increased in the FC-GT group than in the HF group. In addition, contents of fecal triglyceride and cholesterol were significantly higher in the FC-GT group compared to the other groups. The antioxidant activities of hepatic SOD, CAT, and GR were significantly increased in the FC-GT group compared to the HF group. Hepatic mARS and plasma mARS levels were significantly lowered in the FC-GT group compared to the NC group. Accordingly, we conclude that supplementation of FC-GT improves plasma and hepatic lipid levels in high-fat fed rats.