• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1114-1119
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• 2003

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Sedum sarmentosum Bunge (SS) on the collagen content of the connective tissues in ovariectomized rats. From day 2 until day 37 after the ovariectomy, Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: sham-operated rats (Sham), ovariectomized control rats (OVX-control), ovariectomized rats supplemented with SS at 50 mg/kg BW/day (OVX-SS50), 100 mg/kg bw/day (OVX-SS100) and 200 mg/kg bw/day (OVX-SS200), and an ethyl ether fraction of SS at 10 mg/kg bw/day (OVX-EE) and an ethyl acetate fraction of SS at 10 mg/kg bw/day (OVX-EA). The SS ethanol extracts and SS fractions were orally administrated 1 mL per day. The OVX rats were significantly heavier than the sham-operated rats at all time points, but supplementation with the SS extracts tended to gain weight less than OVX-control. Supplementation with the SS extracts prevented a decrease in the collagen level in bone and cartilage tissues. These results are consistent with the conclusions based on the estrogenic activities of SS. Therefore, it may be used to possibly improve the quality of life in menopausal women.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.4 s.84
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• pp.575-580
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of three different mulberry cultivars extracts on inhibition of platelet aggregation and blood flow improvement. Four groups were surgically ovariectomized (OVX). The fifth group was sham operated. Sprague-Dawley strain female rats were randomly assigned to the following groups. sham-operated rats(Sham), ovariectomized control rats(OVX-Control), ovariectomized rats supplemented with 80% ethanol extracts from fruits of Tajikistan mulberry (OVX-TM), Korea mulberry (OVX-KM) and China mulbery (OVX-CM) at 200 mg/kg bw/d. The mulberry extracts were orally administrated at 1 ml per day. The body weights of OVX rats were significantly heavier than the sham-operated rats at all values (p<0.05). The serum triglyceride level was significantly decreased after supplemented with the CM and KM extracts. The serum HDL-cholesterol level in the OVX-KM group was significantly higher than that in the OVX-control group. The passage time of whole blood showed significant correlation with triglyceride but reverse correlation with HDL cholesterol. The ability of platelet aggregation of groups treated with mulberry extracts was less than OVX-control group. Taken these together, mulberry extracts may be used to possibly improve the quality of life in menopausal women.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.6 s.73
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• pp.1022-1027
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of mulberry cultivars extracts on the collagen content of the connective tissues in ovariectomized rats. From day 2 until day 37 after ovariectomy, Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly assigned to the following groups : sham-operated rats (Sham), ovariectomized control rats (OVX-control), and ovariectomized rats supplemented with $80\%$ ethyl alcohol extracts from various kinds of Tajikistan mulberry, Korea mulberry and China mulberry at 200 mg/kg bw/day, respectively. The mulberry extracts were orally administrated at 1 mL per day. The OVX rats were significantly heavier than the sham-operated rats were at all time points, but supplementation with the mulberry extracts tended to gain weight less than OVX-control did. The ovariectomy caused a decreasing in the levels of collagen content in bone and cartilage tissues. However, supplementation with mulberry extracts prevented the decrease in the collagen level in bone and cartilage tissues. Therefore, it may be used to possibly improve the quality of life in menopausal women.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.309-317
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• 2009

As far as we know, there were no studies of the effect of L-arginine on bone metabolism in post-menopausal women or ovariectomized rats. The primary objective of the current study was to determine whether arginine supplementation was associated with alterations in femoral and spinal bone mineral density (BMD) and bone markers in ovariectomized (Ovx) rats. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups, Ovx and sham groups, which were each randomly divided into two subgroups that were fed control and arginine supplemented diet. All rats were fed on experimental diet and deionized water ad libitum for 9 weeks. Bone formation was measured by serum osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentrations. Bone resorption was measured by deoxypyridinoline (DPD) crosslinks immunoassay and corrected for creatinine. Serum osteocalcin, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin were analyzed using radioimmunoassay kits. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured using PIXImus (GE Lunar Co, Wisconsin, USA) in spine and femur. The serum and urine concentrations of Ca and P were determined. The plasma was analyzed for arginine. Diet did not affect weight gain, mean food intake, and plasma arginine concentration. Urinary Ca excretion was decreased by arginine supplementation in Ovx rats, but statistically not significant. The Ovx rats fed arginine-supplemented diet were not significantly different in ALP, osteocalcin, crosslinks value, PTH, calcitonin and IGF-1 compared to those fed control diet. The arginine-supplemented group had significantly higher serum Ca and growth hormone than control group. Spine and femur BMD were significantly increased by arginine supplementation on 5th and 9th weeks after feeding. Our findings indicate that dietary L-arginine supplementation decreased bone mineral density loss in Ovx rats. Therefore, dietary arginine supplementation may represent a potentially useful strategy for the management of osteoporosis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.950-957
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• 1996

This study was designed to investigate the effects of caffeine intake on Ca and P metabolism in ovariectomized rats. For this purpose, the ovariectomized female rats weighing 230.8$\pm$3.5g were divided into four groups, eight rats each ; control, low caffeine(LC), medium caffeine(MC)and high caffeine(HC) groups. They were supplied for six weeks with the caffeine of 0mg, 66.8mg, 167mg and 334mg per kilogram of diet, respectively, and the results are summarized as follows. 1) There were no significant differences in feed intake, feed efficiency ratio and body weight change among all of experimental groups. But liver weight(both total weight and weight/body weight) was significantly decreased by caffeine in MC group. 2) The weight of tibia was decreased by caffeine intake in MC and HC groups. But the length, Ca and P content of tibia and femur was not changed in all of caffeine groups. 3) Ca, PTH and calcitonin levels in serum were not affected by caffeine. While, serum P level in HC group was significantly increased as compared with the control. 4) The fecal excretion of Ca and P tended to be higher in the caffeine groups, and as the result, the absorption rate, retention and retention rate of Ca and P tended to be decreased. It was noteworthy that P retention was significantly lowered in HC group as compared with LC group. The results showed that, when caffeine was taken by ovarietomized rats, the weight of tibia was decreased and the retention rate of Ca and P tended to be lowered. Therefore, too much intake of caffeine for women whose bone mineral density of tibia is decreased after postmenopause seems to accelerate the decrease of bone mineral density due to the negative effect on metabolism of Ca and P.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.156-161
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• 2014

It has been reported that safflower seeds have preventive effects against osteoporosis. Recently, safflower buds (SB) were found to have more useful functional ingredients than safflower seeds. In the current study, we evaluated the anti-osteoporosis effects of SB diet in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The rats were divided into five groups; sham operated group, OVX alone group, OVX plus $17{\beta}$-estradiol ($E^2$ $10{\mu}g/kg$, i.p.) and OVX plus SB diet feeding group (0.3% or 1%). Feeding of SB diet (0.3% or 1%) to OVX rats markedly increased bone mineral density (BMD) of femurs, compared to the OVX group. The OVX rats exhibited a marked increase in trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) and this change was inhibited by the feeding of SB diet, similar to that seen with OVX+E2 group. Moreover, feeding of SB diet to OVX rats decreased the markers of bone turnover, including osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). These results suggest that SB extract has a bone sparing effect in OVX-induced trabecular bone loss and prevents deterioration of bone microarchitecture by suppressing the rate of bone turnover. Therefore, SB may be useful for preserving bone mass and structure in estrogen deficient women with a potential role in reducing postmenopausal osteoporosis.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.370-374
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• 2016

Background: Many menopausal women suffer from health problems including metabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia and osteoporosis. Thus they need natural products and functional foods particularly highly nutritional food products, that can help alleviate these diseases. This study was carried out to determine the effect of Drynariae Rhizoma water extract on the lipid and bone metabolism of ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods and Results: The animals were randomly divided into six dietary groups comprising SHAM-operated rats, OVX rats (normal diet), and OVX-DR rats (Drynariae Rhizoma extract). After 8 weeks, plasma, liver, and fat samples were collected to analyze the lipid metabolism, plasma Ca, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin and C-terminal telopeptide (CTx) concentrations, which are biochemical makers of bone metabolism. The left femurs of rats were also collected for histological analyses. OVX counteracted menopause induced body weight gain, as well as increases in triglycerides, total cholesterol, and free fatty acids. The Drynariae Rhizoma group showed low levels of triglycerides, high HDL-cholesterol, and decreased lipogenesis based on activity of the lipid-regulating enzymes (fatty acid synthase and malic enzyme). Decreased serum levels of ALP and osteocalcin were observed in Drynariae Rhizoma group. Conclusions: The results of this study show that Drynariae Rhizoma extract may effectively regulate hyperlipidemia and improve bone density.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 2011

Opuntia humifusa contains high levels of antioxidants including vitamin C, flavonoids and polyphenols, which may provide beneficial effects such as hypolipidemic activity and the reduction of atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women. This study was conducted to determine if the intake of O. humifusa seeds powder (OHS) regulates lipid concentrations, glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) in the serum of ovariectomized rats. Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly assigned to either a sham-operated group (Sham) or one of the following four ovariectomy (OVX) subgroups: OVX with vehicle (OVX), OVX with 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg/day OHS (OHS100, OHS200, OHS500). Daily oral administration of OHS was initiated one week after ovariectomy and continued for seven weeks. Upon completion of treatments, organs were weighed and GOT, GPT, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were determined enzymatically. No significant differences in feed intake and organ index were observed among the groups. Significant decreases in GPT, TC and LDL-C (p<0.05) were observed in all of the OHS groups (OHS100, 200 and 500), while no significant changes in HDL-C were observed. In addition, the OHS200 and OHS500 treatment groups exhibited a lower level of serum GOT compared to the OVX group. These results indicate that supplementation with O. humifusa seeds could induce favorable changes in serum lipoprotein and lipid profiles, which frequently worsen with inadequate estrogen availability.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2022

Background: Estrogen deficiency affects the structure and function of the salivary glands in women, leading to a decrease in salivary secretion and a change in the composition of saliva. Previous studies on changes in the salivary glands that cause estrogen deficiency have reported only partial results for the parotid and submandibular glands, and there are few comparative morphological studies of histological changes between the parotid and submandibular glands in ovariectomized rats (OVX) leading to estrogen deficiency. This study aimed to analyze the histopathological and histochemical changes in the parotid and submandibular salivary glands causing estrogen deficiency by using OVX, and to discuss the mechanism on these changes. Methods: The parotid and submandibular glands from sacrificed control and OVX groups were fixed with cold 4% paraformaldehyde in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2). The tissues were dehydrated using a series of graded ethyl alcohol and embedded in paraffin. For histopathological analysis, sections cut to a thickness of 6 to 7 ㎛ were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). For histochemical analysis, Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), Alcian blue (AB, pH 2.5), and PAS+AB (pH 2.5 and pH 1) staining was performed. Results: Histopathological analysis of OVX tissue showed that the parotid and submandibular salivary glands were broadly and clearly separated and divided into lobes. In OVX, acinar and ductal cells with condensed polymorphic or pyknotic nucleus, which are presumed to be characteristic of apoptotic cells, and degenerated cells with lipid deposition in cytoplasmic granules and ruptured membranes were increased. Histochemical analysis of OVX, confirmed an increase in the number and acidification of acinar secretory granules. Conclusion: Histopathological and histochemical changes and the effects of estrogen deficiency are more evident in the submandibular salivary gland than in the parotid gland.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.12
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• pp.1930-1939
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• 2013

It has been reported that Chungkukjang, one of Korean traditional fermented soybean products, may improve hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, we sought to investigate the immunoenhancing effects of Chungkukjang in ovariectomized mice. For the first period, female SLC ddy mice were either sham-operated (Sham; n=27) or ovariectomized (OVX; n=27). As a basal diet, ovariectomized mice were fed low-calcium diet for faster induction of osteoporosis for six weeks, and those in the Sham group were fed AIN-76 diet. For the second period, half of the OVX group (n=9) and the Sham group (n=9) were fed a Chungkukjang-based diet (CKJ); whereas the other half (OVX; n=9/ Sham; n=9) were fed a casein-based diet (CSI) for 8 weeks. After a second period, we collected the blood via heart puncture and measured the splenocytes proliferation, T lymphocyte subsets by flowcytometry, and levels of serum cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-${\gamma}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$) by ELISA assay. The OVX+CKJ group showed higher splenocytes proliferation, higher ratio of CD4/CD8, and lower levels of IL-6 and TNF-${\alpha}$ cytokines compared to the OVX+CSI group. The Sham+CKJ group showed cytokine productions, such as higher levels of IL-10 and IFN-${\gamma}$, and lower levels of IL-6 and TNF-${\alpha}$ compared to the Sham+CSI group. The result of this study suggests that Chungkukjang may lower the proinflammatory cytokine levels in both the OVX and Sham groups. In addition, Chungkukjang could make a balance of T cell subset proliferations and enhance the splenocyte proliferations in the OVX group.