• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6035-6039
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• 2014

Background: Substantial evidence from epidemiological studies has suggested that increased levels of calcium may play a protective role against colorectal cancer (CRC). Given the vital role of calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the maintenance of calcium homeostasis, we explored whether the rs1801725 (A986S) variant located in exon 7 of the CaSR gene and the rs6256 variant located in exon 3 of PTH gene might be associated with CRC risk. Materials and Methods: In this study 860 subjects including 350 cases with CRC and 510 controls were enrolled and genotyped using PCR-RFLP methods. Results: We observed no significant difference in genotype or allele frequencies between the cases with CRC and controls for both CaSR and PTH genes either before or after adjustment for confounding factors including age, BMI, sex, smoking status, and family history of CRC. Furthermore, no evidence for effect modification of any association of rs1801725 and rs6256 variants and CRC by BMI, sex, or tumor site was observed. In addition, there was no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between the normal weight (BMI < $25kg/m^2$) cases and overweight/obese (BMI ${\geq}25kg/m^2$) cases for the two SNPs. Conclusions: These data indicated that the CaSR gene A986S variant is not a genetic contributor to CRC risk in the Iranian population. Furthermore, our results suggest for the first time that PTH gene variant does not affect CRC risk. Nonetheless, further studies with larger sample size are needed to validate these findings.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.335-341
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• 1999

Antidiabetic activity and mechanism of Supungsungihyan(SPSGH) were examined in db/db mice, which is a spontaneously hyperglycemic, hyperinsulinemic and obese animal model. SPSGH and acarbose were administered orally for 4 weeks. Fasting and non-fasting serum glucose, glycated hemoglobin and trig-lyceride of SPSGH treated group were all reduced when compared with those of db/db control group. At 12th week after birth, SPSGH increased an insulin secretion although statistic significance was not seen. Total activities of sucrose, maltase and lactase in SPSGH treated group were not significantly different from those in db/db control. On the other hand, sucrase and maltase activities in acarbose treated groups were increased. Effect of SPSGH on mRNA expression of glucose transporter(GLUT-4) was also examined by RT-PCR and in vitro transcription with co-amplification of rat $\beta$-actin gene as an internal standard. Muscular GLUT-4 mRNA expression in SPSGH treated group was increased significantly. These results may suggest that SPSGH lowered blood glucose ascribing to upregulation of muscular GLUT-4 mRNA expression.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.295-302
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• 2007

Leptin, the product of the obese(ob) gene, is an adipocyte-derived hormone for the regulation of whole- body energy storage and energy usage. It has been reported that the homozygous mutations in the gene for leptin(LEP) induce obesity and reduce energy expenditure. In cattle, LEP has significant roles directly or indirectly related with phenotypes such as body weight and fat deposits, therefore SNPs of LEP have been considered important genetic marker to estimate carcass fat content in cattle. In this study, SNPs were screened in LEP(2,222 bp) between intron 1 to 3'-UTR from 24 independent Hanwoo(Korean cattle) by PCR and DNA sequencing. Total 25 SNPs were found and two nonsynonymous SNPs including T1163A(V19E) and G3256A(G132D) were newly detected only from Hanwoo. Among 20 SNPs previously reported in cattle, 16 SNPs were found in Hanwoo; however, the frequencies of some SNPs were significantly different between Hanwoo and western cattle breeds. The other 4 SNPs were not detected from Hanwoo. These Hanwoo specific SNP patterns in LEP will be used in development of molecular marker and application to genetic improvement of Hanwoo.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.428-438
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• 2014

Objectives: Obesity is an important cause of insulin resistance that leads to obese type 2 diabetes. Recently it has been found that obesity is associated with adipose tissue accumulation which causes systemic inflammation. In this study, we investigated effects of Inula helenium on the inflammation in high fat diet-induced insulin resistance mouse. Methods: Insulin resistance was induced in C57BL/6 male mice (19~21 g) on a 60% fat diet. Mice were divided into 3 groups (n=6) of normal, control and Inula helenium. After 12 weeks, body weight, FBS, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), serum level of insulin, epididymal fat pad, liver weight and the gene expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-6, interleukin (IL)-10 and cluster of differentiation (CD) 68 were measured. Also, adipose tissue macrophage was analyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorting. Results: Inula helenium significantly reduces oral glucose tolerance levels, insulin serum level and adipose tissue macrophage. Also Inula helenium increased IL-10 gene expression and decreased CD68 gene expression. Conclusions: These results show that Inula helenium has anti-insulin resistance and anti-inflammatory effects on a high fat diet-induced insulin resistance mouse model.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.124-131
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• 2008

The growing problem of obesity is associated with numerous medical conditions. Several studies have reported that activation of thyroid hormone receptor beta $(THR{\beta})$ is involved in lipid metabolism and thermogenesis. To identify the relationship between the $THR{\beta}$ gene and obesity, we genotyped eighty two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene using the Affymetrix array chip in 209 overweight/obese and 155 normal subjects in Korean population. Of the eighty two polymorphisms, the seven SNPs exhibited a significant association with overweight/obesity in three alternative models (codominant, dominant, and recessive models; P<0.05 after adjusting for age and sex) were rs826221 (+267878 T>C), rs4858604 (+186399 A>G), rs1158265 (+200152 T>C), rs1868575 (+206031 G>A), rs1700939 (+238467 T>A), rs1505301 (+241933 T>C), and rs1924768 (+126491 T>C). During haplotype analysis using HapAnalyzer software, 2 haplotypes (block 13: TTAT; block 15: CTGC) containing significant polymorphisms (rs1700939 +238467 T>A and rs4858604 +186399 A>G) were detected to be significantly different. The results suggest that the $THR{\beta}$ gene may be associated with overweight/obesity in Korean population.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.850-855
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• 2007

Leptin is the adipocyte-specific product of the obese gene and plays a major role in food intake and energy metabolism. Leptin research was mainly focused on mammalian species, but understanding of leptin and its function in poultry is very poor. In this study, the duck leptin gene was amplified using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from duck liver RNA. The cDNA fragment was inserted into the pET-28a expression vector, and the resulting plasmid was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Experimental mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg leptin dissolved in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), while the control mice were injected with PBS. The effect of leptin on food intake, body weight and fatty deposition in mice was detected. Sequence analysis revealed that duck leptin had a length of 438 nucleotides which encoded a peptide with 146 amino acid residues. The sequence shares highly homology to other animals. The coding sequence of duck leptin was 84 and 86% identical to human and pig leptin nucleotides sequence. Highest identity was with the rat coding sequence (95%). The identity of the amino acid sequence was 84, 82 and 96% respectively compared to that of the human, pig and rat. Results of SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that a fusion protein was specifically expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The purified product was found to be biologically active during tests. Continuous administration of recombinant duck leptin inhibited food intake. Despite the decrease of food intake, leptin significantly induced body weight and fatty deposition. These changes were accompanied by a significant down-secretion of plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride and insulin levels in mice. The observations provide evidence for an inhibitory effect of leptin in the regulation of food intake and for a potential role of duck leptin in the regulation of lipogenesis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.1060-1065
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• 2003

To determine whether dietary fatty acids affect pancreatic $\beta$-cell function, the INS-1 $\beta$-cells and the pancreatic islets isolated from Zucker obese (fa/fa) rats were cultured with stearic acid and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). As a result, DNA fragmentation laddering was substantially decreased in the INS-1 $\beta$-cells and the isolated pancreatic islets cultured with 2 mM CLA compared to those cultured with stearic acid. To investigate the mechanism by which CLA alleviates cell apoptosis under DNA fragmentation assay, we examined mRNA expressions of apoptosis-related proteins including Bax and Bcl-2 associated with cell death agonist and antagonist, respectively, in both INS-1 cells and islets cultured with 2 mM fatty acids. Bax mRNA expression was not altered by either stearic acid or CLA, whereas Bcl-2 mRNA expression was enhanced by CLA when compared to the stearic acid cultures. However, there were no changes in cell apoptosis and apoptotic-regulating gene products in either INS-1 cells or isolated islets treated with or without 2 mM CLA. It is concluded that CLA maintains $\beta$-cell viability via increased Bcl-2 expression compared to the stearic acid cultures, which may help to alleviate, at least somewhat, the onset of NIDDM in the physiological status. More detailed study is still needed to elucidate the effect of CLA on the prevention of fatty acid-induced $\beta$-cell apoptosis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.235-241
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Doenjang, Korean traditional fermented soybean paste has been reported to have an anti-obesity effect. Because adipose tissue is considered a major source of inflammatory signals, we investigated the protective effects of Doenjang and steamed soybean on oxidative stress and inflammation in adipose tissue of diet-induced obese mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a low fat diet (LF), a high-fat diet (HF), or a high-fat containing Doenjang diet (DJ) or a high-fat containing steamed soybean diet (SS) for 11 weeks. RESULTS: Mice fed a DJ diet showed significantly lower body and adipose tissue weights than those in the HF group. Although no significant differences in adipocyte size and number were observed among the HF diet-fed groups, consumption of Doenjang alleviated the incidence of crown-like structures in adipose tissue. Consistently, we observed significantly reduced mRNA levels of oxidative stress markers (heme oxygenase-1 and $p40^{phox}$), pro-inflammatory adipokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1), macrophage markers (CD68 and CD11c), and a fibrosis marker (transforming growth factor beta 1) by Doenjang consumption. Gene expression of anti-inflammatory adipokine, adiponectin was significantly induced in the DJ group and the SS group compared to the HF group. The anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects observed in mice fed an SS diet were not as effective as those in mice fed a DJ diet, suggesting that the bioactive compounds produced during fermentation and aging may be involved in the observed health-beneficial effects of Doenjang. CONCLUSIONS: Doenjang alleviated oxidative stress and restored the dysregulated expression of adipokine genes caused by excess adiposity. Therefore, Doenjang may ameliorate systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in obesity via inhibition of inflammatory signals of adipose tissue.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.572-583
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• 2014

This study was carried out to determine the action mechanism of sulfur-grain larvae extract (SGE) on anti-obesity and the reduction of blood lipid level in high-fat diet induced obese model animals. Animals were classified into a normal diet group (NC, normal control), HFD (high-fat diet without SGE), HFD 15 (high-fat diet + oral administration of 15 mg of SGE extract per 100 g body weight) and HFD 30 (high-fat diet + oral administration of 30 mg of SGE extract per 100 g body weight). The body weight gain declined in HFD 15 and HFD 30 groups compared with the HFD group, even though the diet intake increased significantly. The weight of liver and adipose tissue increased significantly in HFD group compared with in the HFD 15 and HFD 30 groups. Triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-C and AI decreased in HFD 15 and HFD 30 groups compared with in the HFD group, but the contents of HDL-C increased significantly. Expression of SREPB-$1{\alpha}$, SREPB-2 mRNA in the liver was lower in the high-fat diet group compared with the HFD group, but the expression of LPL mRNA in adipose tissue and $PPAR{\alpha}$ increased significantly. Fat accumulation in the liver tissues and liver damage were greatly reduced in HFD 15 and HFD 30 groups compared with in the HFD group. The size of adipocytes became smaller in the HFD 15 and HFD 30 groups compared with HFD group. In conclusion, this research discovered for the first time that grain maggot has anti-obesity effects, by reducing the abdominal fat of obese model animals and lowering blood lipid level through the down-regulation of PPAR-$1{\alpha}$ and SREPB-2 mRNA and the up-regulation of PPAR-${\alpha}$ mRNA.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1247-1259
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• 2018

Raspberries are polyphenol-rich fruits with the potential to reduce the severity of the clinical signs associated with obesity, a phenomenon that may be related to changes in the gut microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of raspberry supplementation on the fecal microbiota using an in vivo model of obesity. Obese diabetic db/db mice were used in this study and assigned to two experimental groups (with and without raspberry supplementation). Fecal samples were collected at the end of the supplementation period (8 weeks) and used for bacterial 16S rRNA gene profiling using a MiSeq instrument (Illumina). QIIME 1.8 was used to analyze the 16S data. Raspberry supplementation was associated with an increased abundance of Lachnospiraceae (p = 0.009), a very important group for gut health, and decreased abundances of Lactobacillus, Odoribacter, and the fiber degrader S24-7 family as well as unknown groups of Bacteroidales and Enterobacteriaceae (p < 0.05). These changes were enough to clearly differentiate bacterial communities accordingly to treatment, based on the analysis of UniFrac distance metrics. However, a predictive approach of functional profiles showed no difference between the treatment groups. Fecal metabolomic analysis provided critical information regarding the raspberry-supplemented group, whose relatively higher phytosterol concentrations may be relevant for the host health, considering the proven health benefits of these phytochemicals. Further studies are needed to investigate whether the observed differences in microbial communities (e.g., Lachnospiraceae) or metabolites relate to clinically significant differences that can prompt the use of raspberry extracts to help patients with obesity.