• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.1-9
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• 2010

Objectives : This study was undertaken to verify the effects of Gyeongshingangjeehwan18 (GGEx18) on obesity using ob/ob male mice. Methods : Eight-week old mice (wild-type C57BL/6J and ob/ob) were used for all experiments. Wild-type C57BL/6J mice were used as lean control and obese ob/ob mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: obese control, GGEx15, GGEx16, GGEx17, and GGEx18. After mice were treated with several kinds of GGEx for 11 weeks, body weight gain, feeding efficiency ratio, plasma lipid and glucose metabolism. Results : 1. Compared with obese controls, GGEx-treated mice had lower body weight gain and feeding efficiency ratio, the magnitudes of which were prominent in GGEx16 and GGEx18. 2. Consistent with their effects on body weight gain, GGEx16 and GGEx18 not only decreased plasma triglycerides levels, but also increased HDL-cholesterol concentration. 3. CT analysis revealed that visceral fat areas were decreased in all treatment groups compared with obese control mice. The decrease in visceral fat area was prominent in GGEx16 and GGEx18, although they were not statistically significant. 4. The size of adipocytes were significantly decreased by GGEx18, whereas the adipocyte number per unit area was significantly increased, suggesting that GGEx18 decreased the number of large adipocytes. Hepatic lipid accumulation was decreased by GGEx16 and GGEx18, and the inhibitory effect was most effective in GGEx18. 5. Plasma GOT and GPT concentrations were significantly lower following GGEx16 and GGEx18 treatment compared with obese controls. Organ weights were not changed by GGEx treatment, indicating GGEx do not show any toxic effects. Conclusions : These results suggest that GGEx may regulate obesity. Of the 4 compositions, GGEx18 seems to be most effective in improving obesity and lipid disorders.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.519-529
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• 2017

Sodium butyrate (SB) has various metabolic actions. However, its effect on dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) needs to be studied further. We aimed to evaluate the metabolic actions of SB, considering its physiologically relevant concentration. We evaluated the effect of SB on regulation of DPP-4 and its other metabolic actions, both in vitro (HepG2 cells and mouse mesangial cells) and in vivo (high fat diet [HFD]-induced obese mice). Ten-week HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice were subjected to SB treatment by adding SB to HFD which was maintained for an additional 16 weeks. In HepG2 cells, SB suppressed DPP-4 activity and expression at sub-molar concentrations, whereas it increased DPP-4 activity at a concentration of $1,000{\mu}M$. In HFD-induced obese mice, SB decreased blood glucose, serum levels of insulin and $IL-1{\beta}$, and DPP-4 activity, and suppressed the increase in body weight. On the contrary, various tissues including liver, kidney, and peripheral blood cells showed variable responses of DPP-4 to SB. Especially in the kidney, although DPP-4 activity was decreased by SB in HFD-induced obese mice, it caused an increase in mRNA expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and $IL-1{\beta}$. The pro-inflammatory actions of SB in the kidney of HFD-induced obese mice were recapitulated by cultured mesangial cell experiments, in which SB stimulated the secretion of several cytokines from cells. Our results showed that SB has differential actions according to its treatment dose and the type of cells and tissues. Thus, further studies are required to evaluate its therapeutic relevance in metabolic diseases including diabetes and obesity.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.291-298
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated whether the combined administration of berberine (BBR) and silibinin (SBN) was effective in improving hyperlipidemia and anti-obesity efficacy using a high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mouse model. HFD-induced obese mice were supplemented with the BBR and SBN combination (BBR-SBN) along with the HFD administration for 8 weeks. During the experiment, body weight, food intake, and levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were analyzed. Consumption of HFD in the mice caused rapid increases in body weight and the levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides compared to the normal control (NC) group. However, supplementation of BBR-SBN in these obese mice significantly reduced body weight gain and suppressed the levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride with the increment of HDL cholesterol level. In the HFD-fed group, abdominal fat weight was significantly increased and the adipocytes within the epididymal adipose tissue were found to have expanded sizes compared to the NC group. However, in the BBR-SBN group, the sizes of the adipocytes were comparable to those of the NC group and abdominal fat weight was significantly reduced. Moreover, the deposition of giant vesicular fat cells in liver tissues seen in the HFD-fed group was considerably reduced in the BBR-SBN group. These results suggest that the BBR-SBN combination tends to have synergic potential as an anti-obesity agent by significantly reducing body weight gain as well as lowering serum lipid levels and thus improving anti-obesity efficacy in HFD-induced obese mice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.267-272
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• 2017

Piceatannol (PIC) is a natural hydroxylated analog of resveratrol (RSV), which is a polyphenol known to extend lifespan by stimulating sirtuins. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PIC and RSV on the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-nuclear factor kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$) pathway in mouse hepatocytes and an obese/diabetic KK/HlJ mouse model. AML12 mouse hepatocytes in the absence or presence of palmitic acids (PA) were treated with PIC ($50{\mu}M$) or RSV ($50{\mu}M$). Male KK/HlJ mice at 20 weeks of age were divided into three subgroups as follows: 1) obese and diabetic control (KK), 2) KK_PIC, and 3) KK_RSV. PIC and RSV were administered orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg/d for 4 weeks. Four weeks of PIC and RSV treatment did not affect body weight or food intake in KK mice. Serum fasting blood glucose was significantly reduced in KK_PIC, and 2 h oral glucose tolerance test area under the curve was significantly reduced by PIC and RSV treatment in KK mice. PIC tended to improve homeostasis model assessment of the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and HOMA beta-cells in diabetic KK mice. TLR4 and $NF-{\kappa}B$ were down-regulated by PIC and RSV treatments in hepatocytes in the absence or presence of PA. Insulin receptor, AMP-activated protein kinase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3, interleukin-1, and $NF-{\kappa}B$ were altered in PIC-treated livers. Collectively, PIC and RSV inhibited the $TLR4-NF-{\kappa}B$ pathway, and PIC seems to be more effective than RSV in the regulation of analyzed targets, which are involved in insulin signaling and inflammation in vivo.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.419-428
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• 2000

Leptin, the product of obese (ob) gene, is an adipocyte-derived satiety factor that plays a major role in the regulation of food intake, energy homeostasis, body weight, reproductive physiology and neuropeptide secretion. The present study was designed to generate transgenic mice expressing antisense mouse ob (mob) gene. Total RNA was extracted from the adipose tissues of mouse, then reverse transcription was performed. The 303 and 635 bp fragments of anti I and II cDNAs were amplified from mob cDNAs by PCR. The two mob cDNAs were reversely ligated into between adipose tissue specific aP2 promote and SV40 poly(A) site. Transgenic mice carrying two different kinds of antisense mob transgenes were generated by DNA microinjection into pronucleus. Total 14 transgenic mice were born, and the 4 and 5 founder lines of the transgenic mice with anti I and II transgenes were respectively established. Antisense mRNA expression was detected in transgenic F$_1$ mice by RT-PCR analysis. This result suggests that the transgenic mice expressing antisense mob mRNA may be useful as an animal disease model to be obesity caused by decreased amount of leptin secretion.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.818-826
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• 1999

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

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.397-400
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• 2018

Rhodosporidium toruloides, an oleaginous yeast, can be used as a fast and reliable evaluation tool to screen new natural lipid-lowering agents. Herein, we showed that triglyceride (TG) accumulation was inhibited by 42.6% in 0.1% red radish coral sprout extract (RRSE)-treated R. toruloides. We also evaluated the anti-obesity effect of the RRSE in a mouse model. The body weight gain of mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) with 0.1% RRSE (HFD-RRSE) was significantly decreased by 60% compared with that mice fed the HFD alone after the 8-week experimental period. Body fat of the HFD-RRSE-fed group was dramatically reduced by 38.3% compared with that of the HFD-fed group.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.996-1008
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• 2022

Lactic acid bacteria are representative probiotics that have beneficial effects on humans. Nineteen strains among the 167 single strains from kimchi was selected and their physiological features were investigated. The selection of a strain was based on strong enzyme (lipase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase) inhibitory activities and anti-obesity effects in the adipocytes. For the final selection, the strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC3 was tested for its potential as a starter. To assess its functionality, a freeze-dried culture of L. plantarum KC3 was administered to a diet-induced obese mouse model receiving a high-fat diet. The animal group administered with L. plantarum KC3 showed significant body weight loss during the 12-week feeding period compared to the high-fat control group. This study investigated the physiological characteristics of selected strain and evaluated its potential as an anti-obesity probiotic in mice.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.489-497
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• 2018

Purpose: Obesity is often associated with disturbances in the mineral metabolism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high-fat diet-induced obesity on tissue zinc concentrations and zinc transporter expressions in mice. Methods: C57BL/6J male mice were fed either a control diet (10% energy from fat, control group) or a high-fat diet (45% energy from fat, obese group) for 15 weeks. The zinc concentrations in the serum, stool, and various tissues were measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-atomic emission spectrophotometry or ICP-mass spectrophotometry. The levels of zinc transporter mRNAs in the liver, duodenum, and pancreas were measured by real-time RT-PCR. The levels of serum adipokines, such as leptin and IL-6, were determined. Results: The total body weight, adipose tissue weight, and hepatic TG and cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in the obese group, as compared to the control group. The obese group had significantly higher levels of serum leptin and pro-inflammatory IL-6 concentrations, and had significantly lower levels of serum alkaline phosphatase activity. The zinc concentrations of the liver, kidney, duodenum, and pancreas were all significantly lower in the obese group than in the control group. On the other hand, the fecal zinc concentrations were significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group. The serum zinc concentrations were not significantly different between the two groups. The ZnT1 mRNA levels of the liver and the pancreas were significantly higher in the obese group, as compared to the control group. Hepatic Zip10 mRNA was also increased in the obese group. Conclusion: Our study findings suggest that obesity increases fecal zinc excretion and lowers the tissue zinc concentrations, which may be associated with alterations in the zinc transporter expressions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1420-1428
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• 2009

In this study we cloned and characterized a novel lipid-accumulating gene, the oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (OLR1), which is associated with lipogenesis. We analyzed the gene structure and detected the mRNA transcriptional expression levels in pig adipose tissues at different months of age (MA) and in different economic types (lean type and obese type) using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. OLR1 expression profile in different tissues of pig was analyzed. Finally, we studied the correlation between OLR1 and lipid metabolism related genes including peroxisome proliferator-activated $receptor{\gamma}2$ ($PPAR{\gamma}2$), fatty acid synthetase (FAS), triacylglycerol hydrolase (TGH), CAAT/enhancer binding protein $\alpha$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$) and sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c). Results indicated that the OLR1 gene of the pig exhibited the highest homology with the cattle (84%), and the lowest with the mouse (27%). The signal peptide located from amino acid 38 to 60 and the domain from amino acid 144 to 256 were shared by the C-type lectin family. The expression level of OLR1 in pig lung was exceedingly higher than other tested tissues (p<0.01). In pig adipose tissue, the expression level of OLR1 mRNA increased significantly with growth (p<0.01). The expression level of OLR1 mRNA in obese-type pigs was significantly higher than that of lean-type pigs of the same monthly age (p<0.05). In adipose tissue, the expression of OLR1 correlated with $PPAR{\gamma}2$, FAS and SREBP-1c, but not TGH or C/EBP${\alpha}$. In conclusion, OLR1 was highly associated with fat deposition and its transcription, as suggested by high correlations, was possibly regulated by $PPAR{\gamma}2$ and SREBP-1c.