• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2014

The study was conducted to investigate the role of vitamin E in the high altitude hypoxia-induced damage to the intestinal barrier in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (Control), high altitude hypoxia (HH), and high altitude hypoxia + vitamin E (250 mg/kg $BW^*d$) (HV) groups. After the third day, the HH and HV groups were placed in a hypobaric chamber at a stimulated elevation of 7000 m for 5 days. The rats in the HV group were given vitamin E by gavage daily for 8 days. The other rats were given equal volume saline. The results showed that high altitude hypoxia caused the enlargement of heart, liver, lung and kidney, and intestinal villi damage. Supplementation with vitamin E significantly alleviated hypoxia-caused damage to the main organs including intestine, increased the serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p< 0.05), diamino oxidase (DAO) (p< 0.01) levels, and decreased the serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) (p< 0.01), interleukin-4 (IL-4) (p<0.001), interferon-gamma ($IFN-{\gamma}$) (p<0.01) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (p<0.001), and decreased the serum erythropoietin (EPO) activity (p<0.05). Administration of vitamin E significantly increased the S-IgA (p<0.001) in ileum and significantly improved the expression levels of occludin and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$, and decreased the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha and 2 alpha ($HIF-1{\alpha}$ and $HIF-2{\alpha}$), Toll-like receptors (TLR4), P-$I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ p65(NF-${\kappa}B$ P65) in ileum compared to the HH group. This study suggested that vitamin E protectis from intestinal injury caused by high altitude hypoxia environment. These effects may be related to the HIF and TLR4/NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2005

A vitamin B-6 (B-6) intake higher than the current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) has been found to provide an improvement in immune system. Seven premenopausal women consumed their usual diet with the exception of foods relatively high in vitamin B-6 for a total of 27 d. After 7 d, all subjects received a multivitamin supplement containing 2mg B-6 and 4 subjects were given an additional 50mg of B-6 supplement for 20 d. Lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was measured before and after the supplementation. To determine the effect of different forms of B-6 on lymphocyte proliferation, cell culture media supplemented with pyridoxal (PL) and PLP, as well as B-6 free media, were tested. A 50mg B-6 supplement significantly increased vitamin B-6 status. There was no further enhancement on lymphocyte proliferation when subjects were taking an additional 50mg of vitamin B-6 supplement. In general, lymphocyte proliferation in media with either PLP or PL did not show any prominent difference. These [m-dings suggest that there may be no further benefits of a B-6 dose beyond twice that of the current RDA on lymphocyte proliferation. Further studies are necessary to examine the effect of the B-6 intake level on activities of enzymes involved in cellular B-6 metabolism in lymphocytes to provide substantial insight into the mechanisms underlying the role of B-6 in the lymphocyte proliferation.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2018

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation has been suggested to negatively correlate with obesity in humans and other animals. Previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that a high-fat diet (HFD) induces obesity and related diseases such as hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we investigated the effects of vitamin C on visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in C57BL/6J mice. Mice received a low-fat diet (LFD, 10% kcal fat), HFD (45% kcal fat), or the same HFD supplemented with vitamin C (HFD-VC, 1% w/w) for 15 weeks. Visceral adiposity and glucose intolerance were examined using metabolic measurements, histology, and gene expression analyses. Mice in the HFD-VC supplementation group had reduced body weight, mesenteric fat mass, and mesenteric adipocyte size compared with HFD-fed mice. Vitamin C intake in obese mice also decreased the mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (i.e., stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c) in mesenteric adipose tissues, inhibited hyperglycemia, and improved glucose tolerance. In addition, vitamin C attenuated the HFD-induced increase in the size of pancreatic islets. These results suggest that vitamin C suppresses HFD-induced visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in part by decreasing the visceral adipose expression of genes involved in lipogenesis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 1974

Biochemical studies such as growth rate, blood cholesterol and ascorbic acid contents in various organs of albino male rats were studied in the Garlic, Vitamin E, high and low protein diet fed groups. The results of this study were summarized as follows : 1) Either single 10% or 30% protein diet fed rats were not shown growth rate properly. In supplementation of Vitamin E or Garlic on 30% protein growth rate was a more increased than that of the 10% protein diet group. 2) The rate of food consumption of rats fed a 10% or 30% protein diet supplemented with Vitamin E and Garlic was more increased than that of the control Group receving 10% or 30% protein diet alone. 3) No essential difference was observed between the cholesterol level in blood of rats fed 10% protein diet supplemented with Vitamin E and Garlic and that of rats Receiving 10% protein diet alone. But the cholesterol level in blood of rats fed 30% protein diet supplemented with Vitamin E and Garlic was lower than that of control receiving 30% protein diet alone. 4) The Vitamin C contents in various organs of rats fed the diet supplemented with Vitamin E and Garlic seems to be a little higher than that of the control group fed the protein diet alone.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.815-826
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• 2021

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of stocking density (SD) and dietary supplementation of vitamin C on growth performance, meat quality, intestinal permeability, and stress indicators in broiler chickens. The study was conducted using a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of 2 different SD and 2 supplemental levels of dietary vitamin C. A total of 1,368 Ross 308 broiler chickens of 21 days of age with similar body weights (BW) were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 treatments with 6 replicates each. Different numbers of birds per identical floor pen (2.0 m × 2.4 m) were used to create 2 different SD levels of low SD (9 birds/m²) and high SD (18 birds/m²). The basal diet was formulated with no supplemental vitamin C to meet or exceed nutrient recommendations of the Ross 308 manual. The other diet was prepared by supplementing 200 mg/kg vitamin C in the basal diet. The study lasted for 14 days. At the end of the study, 3 male birds per replicate were selected to analyze meat quality, intestinal permeability, and stress indicators such as blood heterophil:lymphocyte (H:L) and feather corticosterone (CORT) concentrations. Results indicated that there were no interactions between different SD and dietary supplementation of vitamin C for all measurements. For the main effects of SD, birds raised at high SD had less (p < 0.01) BW, BW gain, and feed intake with increasing stress responses including greater blood H:L and feather CORT concentrations (p < 0.01) than those raised at low SD. Transepithelial electrical resistance in the jejunal mucosa was decreased (p < 0.05) at high SD, indicating an increase in intestinal permeability. However, the main effects of dietary supplementation of 200 mg/kg vitamin C were insignificant for all measurements. In conclusion, high SD of broiler chickens impairs growth performance and intestinal barrier function with increasing stress responses. However, dietary supplementation of vitamin C may have little beneficial effects on broiler chickens raised at the high SD condition used in the present study.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Poultry Science Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.69-79
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• 2004

A feeding trial was conducted to determine whether dietary vitamin C (200 mg/kg) and vitamin E (250 mg/kg) prevent any drops in egg shell quality under heat stress in broiler breeder hens. One hundred and sixty molted Ross broiler breeders were housed randomly in an individual cage at 83 weeks of age. Four dietary treatments with forty hens and four replications per treatment were control (no additional vitamins). vitamin C-. or vitamin E-supplemented. and combined supplementation of the two vitamins. After a ten-day-adaptation period at 25 $^{\circ}C$. the ambient temperature was kept at 32 $^{\circ}C$ for a three-week-testing period. Egg production dropped dramatically over week but it did not show a significant change among treatments (P<0.05). However. egg weight. SG. shell thickness. SWUSA. puncture force and shell breaking strength of the birds fed the diet with the combined vitamins C and E were significantly improved than those fed the basal diet during the heat stress period (P<0.05). The hens fed the vitamin C supplemented diet showed a tibia breaking strength of 37.16 kg statistically higher than those of the basal and the vitamin E supplemented groups (P<0.05). The hens fed the basal diet showed higher serum corticosterone levels. a mean of 5.97 ng/ml. than those of the rest of treatments (P<0.05). The heat stress elevated heterophils but decreased lymphocytes in serum. and it changed H/L ratios of all the treatments. The increases in H/L ratios were alleviated in the bird by feeding vitamin C and/or vitamin E supplemented diets. but they did not differ significantly (P<0.05). In conclusion. vitamins C (200 mg/kg) and/or E (250 mg/kg) supplementation to diets could prevent drops in egg shell quality and tibia bone strength by alleviating stressful effects from high temperature in broiler breeder hens.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.481-487
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• 2013

High-fat diet up-regulates either insulin resistance or triglycerides, which is assumed to be related to the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-${\alpha}$ and PPAR-${\gamma}$. The beneficial effects of vitamin E on insulin resistance are well known; however, it is not clear if vitamin E with a high-fat diet alters the expression of PPAR-${\alpha}$ and PPAR-${\gamma}$. We investigated the effects of d-${\alpha}$-tocopherol supplementation on insulin sensitivity, blood lipid profiles, lipid peroxidation, and the expression of PPAR-${\alpha}$ and PPAR-${\gamma}$ in a high-fat (HF) diet-fed male C57BL/6J model of insulin resistance. The animals were given a regular diet (CON; 10% fat), a HF diet containing 45% fat, or a HF diet plus d-${\alpha}$-tocopherol (HF-E) for a period of 20 weeks. The results showed that the HF diet induced insulin resistance and altered the lipid profile, specifically the triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels (P < 0.05). In this animal model, supplementation with d-${\alpha}$-tocopherol improved insulin resistance as well as the serum levels of TG and very-low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the treatment decreased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum and liver while increasing hepatic PPAR-${\alpha}$ expression and decreasing PPAR-${\gamma}$ expression. In conclusion, the oral administration of d-${\alpha}$-tocopherol with a high-fat diet had positive effects on insulin resistance, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress through the expression of PPAR-${\alpha}$ and PPAR-${\gamma}$ in a high-fat diet-fed male mice.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.303-314
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• 2004

We studied daily micronutrient intake from vitamin-mineral supplements, health-related life style, clinical case of diseases and food frequency of the Korean middle-aged (40-59 yr, n = 404) to compare the characteristics of non-user (n = 270) and user (n = 134) of vitamin-mineral supplements. Rate of supplement use of the middle-aged was 33.2% and there was significant difference in education level (p = 0.0084) and family income (p = 0.0476) of user and nonuser. Smoking habit (p = 0.0844) and drinking frequency (p = 0.0606) tended to be lower in a supplement user than a non-user. The medical history of a case was significantly higher in users (67.9%) than in non-users (44.4%) (p = 0.001), which suggests that medical history is one of the important motivations of supplement use. Supplement users had the medical history of digestive disease (34.1%), anemia (11.0%) and hypertension (9.9%) in order. Vitamin C was the most frequently supplemented nutrient (81.3%) among vitamin-mineral supplement, and the next orders were vitamins E (73.1%), B$_2$(68.7%) and B$_{6}$ (60.4%). Mean intakes of vitamin B$_1$, iron, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C from supplement was 4,260%, 4,030%, 1,660% and 1,330% of RDA, respectively. The supplement users tended to consume most food items including milk ＆ milk products (p ＜ 0.01), rice (p ＜ 0.01), grains (p ＜ 0.05) and cookies (p ＜ 0.01) less frequently than non-users. Conclusively, nutrient intake of vitamin B$_1$, iron, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C from supplement was excessively high compared to RDA. We suggest that the toxic effect of excessive supplementation should he informed to supplement user and nutritional education should be focused on the optimal supplement dose.e.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.2619-2627
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• 2015

There are several studies that relate oxidative damage as possible mechanism for many cancers. Many studies have also shown that anti-oxidants like selenium and vitamin E decrease the risk for prostate cancer. The main objective of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) study was to look for the benefits of selenium and vitamin E supplementation on prostate cancer. The study had a large sample size, stringent experimental conditions, very long duration, standardized laboratories for biochemical analyses and other factors that contribute to high external validity. The SELECT study failed to show any significant risk reduction for prostate cancers ascribable to selenium and vitamin E supplementations. Because of these conflicting results, many researchers argue about the methods used, supplementations administered (selenium and vitamin E) and indicators used for assessing levels of supplementations. We reviewed many epidemiological studies, clinical trials, and pre-clinical studies. With corroborative evidences we justify that SELECT study has a sound methodology and rationale. In lieu of the contrary results of the select study, researchers should focus on the probable mechanisms for these contrary findings and continue their search for newer and effective agents for prevention of prostate cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.183-194
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• 1995

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin E on the synthesis of the metallothionein in the liver of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Sprague-Dawley male rats($220{\pm}10mg$) were randomly assigned to one control and three STZ-diabetic groups. Diabetic groups were classified to STZ-0E(vitamine E free diet), STZ-40E(40mg vitamin E/kg of diet) and STZ-400E(400mg vitamin E/kg of diet) according to the level of vitamin E supplementation. Blood glucose levels of STZ-diabetic rats were three times higher than that of control. The contents of vitamin E in liver were lower signifciantly STZ-0E, STZ-40E groups by 50%, 36% compared with that of control. Lipid peroxide values(LPO) in liver were higher 5.6 and 2.5 times in STZ-0E and STZ-40E groups than that of control. Plasma cortisol levels were higher STZ-0E and STZ-40E groups compared with those of control, but cortisol levels were lower significantly in STZ-400E group compared with those of the STZ-0E and the STZ-40E groups. The plasma insulin levels were lower in all three STZ-diabetic group compared with that of control, but were not affected by the level of dietary vitamin E. The metallothionein (MT) contents in liver, kidney and small intestine were five times higher in STZ-0E, STZ-40E and STZ-400E compared with that of control, but STZ-400E group was lower in the MT contents in tissues compared with that of STZ-40E group. Zn-MT peak in STZ-diabetic rats liver increased than that of control by Sephadex G-75, and Zn-MT peak divided into MTI and MTII peaks by DEAE Sephadex A-25 column chromatography. The present results indicate that STZ-induced diabetic rats are more sensitive to oxidative stress, leading to the acceleration of lipid peroxidation process, which can be more promoted low level of dietary vitamin E. And the result may that increase synthesis of MT induced in the liver of diabetic rats increased so it can be sure that the diabetes is one of the MT induce factor by free radical generation. And high vitamin E supplementation reduced total MT contents of liver, kidney and small intestine and the peak of purified Zn-MT. Through the results of these experiments, we can conclude that MT might be the free radical scavenger.