• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.142-145
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• 1996

To investigate the cause of increased plasma catecholamine levels in liver disease, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which provides a major route of catabolism for circulating catecholamines, was studied under the cholestasis induced by mechanical biliary obstruction in rats. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and the $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values for both enzymes were also measured. Cytosolic, microsomal, and mitochondrial COMT activities in the cholestatic liver were significantly decreased throughout the experiment. Microsomal, and mitochondrial MAO activity in the cholestatic liver were also significantly decreased. Vmax values of COMT and MAO were lower. Serum COMT and MAO activities were detected after CBD ligation. These results indicate that plasma catecholamine levels are increased in liver disease due to decreased hepatic degradation of catecholamines by decreased activities of COMT and MAO. The decreased activity of these enzymes is caused by decreased biosynthesis and by flowage into the blood from the damaged hepatocyte.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.271-280
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• 2020

Hypertension has been approved to cause disharmony between the heart and kidney such as cardiac hypertrophy and kidney dysfunction. In traditional oriental medicine Paeo-tang (PET) has been shown to have effects on blood circulation improvement. However, the beneficial effect of PET on hypertension remains unknown. In this study, we investigated that PET attenuates blood pressure and improves cardiovascular and renal function in NG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) rat model. Hypertensive rat models were induced by the administration of L-NAME (40 mg/kg/day) and then PET (50 or 100 mg/kg/day) or Olmetec was treated for 2 weeks. PET treatment significantly suppressed the systolic blood pressure and decreased intima-media thickness in the thoracic aorta. PET ameliorated endothelium-dependent and independent vascular relaxation in the L-NAME-induced vascular dysfunction. PET ameliorated the functional decline in the kidney such as albumin and blood urea nitrogen in plasma. These results demonstrated that PET possesses protective effects against L-NAME-induced hypertension.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Postharvest Science and Technology of Agricultural Products Conference
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• 2002.08a
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• pp.64-71
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• 2002

Rice(Oryza stiva L.) is a major cereal food providing nourishment to over half of the world's populations and was considered only as a source of energy. However, The recent many researches have been made to suggest that rice may relate to prevention chronic disease and health-promoting properties such as postprandial glucose response, hypocholesterolemic effect and blood pressure-lowering effect. There has been numerous observation supporting that rice has hypocholesterolemic effect. Rice, rice bran, rice bran oil and unsaponifiable matter of rice bran oil reduced plasma cholesterol in rat, hamster as well as human. Components of rice showing hypocholesterolemic effect include dietary fiber(hemicellulose, phytic acid). protein, ${\gamma}$-oryzanol, $\beta$-sitosterol, and tocotrienols. Crapo et al has been studied that the effect of various of starchy foods on the postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses in healthy and diabetic humans. The results showed that rice had lower blood glucose and insulin responses compared to potato, bread and dextrose. The different physical forms in the same starch also produce the different postprandial glucose and insulin responses. In recent years, several studies have shown that some components of rice have potent antioxidant activity against Fe$^{2+}$ -ascorbate induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomal membranes. Cell culture and animal studies have shown that some components of rice have inhibitory effect on the growth and proliferation of several types of human cancer cell. It was also reported that the methanol extract of brown rice has antimutagenic activity against various mutagens. In addition, the pepsine hydrolysate from rice protein is reported to inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme activity. GABA (${\gamma}$ - aminobutyric acid) and GABA enriched rice germ is also effective for lowering blood pressure and triglyceride levels.s.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 1987

Effects of synthetic atrial natriuretic peptide and furosemide on the cardiovascular and renal functions were examined in the freshwater turtle, Amyda japonica. Both atria and ventricle of turtle contained an immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide. Synthetic rat atrial natriuretic peptide (atriopeptin III) and turtle atrial extract caused a decrease in mean arterial blood pressure and the vasodepressor effect was dose-dependent. In hydrated turtles received either atriopeptin III or turtle atrial extract, no significant change in renal function was observed until 100 min except a slight natriuresis at 60 or 100 min after injection of 30 ug/kg atriopeptin III or atrial extract, respectively. However, furosemide, 2 mg/kg, caused marked diuresis, natriuresis and kaliuresis. In non-hydrated turtles, no significant change in renal function was observed until 6 hrs following injection of 30 ug/kg atriopeptin III. Plasma aldosterone decreased at 2 hr and increased at 24 hr after injection of atriopeptin III although plasma renin concentration did not change. But, furosemide caused persistent diuresis, natriuresis and kaliuresis. Additionally, plasma aldosterone and renin concentrations were significantly increased at 24 hrs after injection of furosemide. In conclusion, we suggest that the freshwater turtle may have an atrial natriuretic peptide in heart and vascular receptors for atrial natriuretic peptide, and that atrial natriuretic peptide is more important in the regulation of blood pressure rather than that of renal function in freshwater turtles. We also suggest that an increased plasma renin concentration caused by furosemide may not be due to the sodium concentration delivered to macula densa, but due to the dehydration caused by persistent diuresis and natriuresis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2009

The aim of this study was to examine the hypoglycemic effect of chlorella in 6 week-old type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK, n=30) rats and 6 week-old normal Wistar (n=30) rats. Animals were randomly assigned to 3 groups respectively, and were fed three different experimental diets containing 0%, 3% or 5% (w/w) chlorella for 8 weeks. In diabetic GK rats, the insulinogenic-indices were not significantly different among the groups. The concentrations of fasting plasma glucagon and hepatic triglyceride, and the insulin/glucagon ratios of the GK-3% chlorella and GK-5% chlorella groups were significantly lower than those of the GK-control group. The HOMA-index and the concentrations of fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin of the GK-3% chlorella and GK-5% chlorella groups were slightly lower than those of the GK-control group. In normal Wistar rats, the insulinogenic-indices were not significantly different among the normal groups, but that of the Wistar-5% chlorella group was slightly higher than the other groups. The concentrations of fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin, and the HOMA-index of the Wistar-5% chlorella group were a little higher, and the fasting plasma glucagon concentration and the insulin/glucagon ratio of the Wistar-5% chlorella group were significantly higher than those of the Wistar-control and Wistar-3% chlorella groups. In conclusion, this study shows that the glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was not affected by the intake of chlorella, which could be beneficial, however, in improving insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic GK and normal Wistar rats.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.821-826
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• 2005

Postprandial hyperglycemia plays an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes and complications associated with the disease such micro-and macro-vascular disease. The present study investigated the effect and action mechanism of a ethanolic extract from the Schizandra chinensis(SC-E) on hypeglycemia in vivo and in vitro. In vitro, SE-E demonstrated a potent inhibitory effects on ${\alpha}-amylase$ activity ($IC_{50}$ : 4 ${\mu}g/ml$). Its inhibition on ${\alpha}-amylase$ was determined to be competitive type. Oral administration of SE-E markedly lowered plasma glucose levels in non-fasted streptozotocin induced diabetic rats (45 mg/kg BW). In addition when it was orally administrated to rats with starch (2g/kg BW), SC-E (50 and 100 mg/kg BW) significantly suppressed the increase of blood glucose levels after starch loading . These results suggest that some edible plants merit further evaluation for clinical usefulness as anti-diabetic drugs.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 2004

We investigated the effects of plant vinegar on platelets and blood coagulation system. Plant vinegar inhibited in vitro platelet aggregation in a concentration dependent manner, when platelets were activated by thrombin and collagen. In addition, plant vinegar showed inhibitory effects on the serotonin secretion induced by thrombin in a concentration dependent manner. However, treatment with plant vinegar to platelets did not induce any cytotoxicity, as determined by the release of lactate dehydrogenase. Plant vinegar did not change the coagulation parameters such as activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT) using rat citrated plasma. In vivo study revealed that, treatment with plant vinegar prolonged the bleeding time from mouse tail. All these results suggest that plant vinegar might improve blood hemostasis mediated via anti platelet activities.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.33 no.1 s.128
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• pp.21-28
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• 2002

Antidiabetic effects of the acid hydrolysate of silk fibroin were investigated by oral administration to animal models for diabetes mellitus, Fibroin protein was extracted from cocoon and digested to peptides of low-molecular weight range (mainly below 3,000) and amino acids by acid hydrolysis, Feeding of the fibroin hydrolysate resulted in a significant recovering effect on reduction of body weight gain and a lowering effect on blood glucose gain in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague Dawley rats (STZ rats) which were used as an insulin-dependent diabetic animal model. But the body weight and blood glucose level in C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice (db/db mice), an non-insulin-dependent diabetic animal model, were not changed significantly by the feeding, On the other hand, plasma leptin levels increased according to increased feeding amount of the hydrolysate in STZ rats and db/db mice in common, It was concluded from the results that the fibroin hydrolysate might stimulate the insulin secretion by recovering or activating pancreatic ${\beta}$ cells and result in the increased plasma leptin level. It was also deduced that the antidiabetic improvements in body weight and blood glucose gain in STZ were thought to be due to the increased insulin secretion, but in db/db mice of which the diabetic symptoms were caused by insulin resistance, the stimulated secretion of insulin was unlikely to be able to change body weight and blood glucose level significantly.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.700-705
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• 2003

Oriental pear was used as treatment of asthma, control of blood pressure tonic medicine vasoactio, diabetes in oriental medicine. In this study, it was investigated that pear pectin effects on cardiovascular system as blood pressure and renin and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in plasma, cardiac hypertrophy. The experiments were performed on Sprague-Dawley rats, 2K1C hypertension model was prepared by constricting the left renal artery with a sliver clip. Animals were then divided into four groups, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg and the control, pear pectin and apple pectin solutions were supplied with them. The blood pressure was more decreased in pear pectin 10 mg/kg than in apple pectin. The plasma ANP was decreased in pear pectin 10 mg/kg, and renin was increased in same concentration of drug. Cardiac hypertrophy had a tendency to decrease in pear pectin 15 mg/kg, but was not statistically significant compared to control group.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.55-68
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• 2009

Objectives : To investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi pharmacopuncture in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory rat model. Methods : Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups; LPS control (n=6), LPS+Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi pharmacopuncture at BL23 (n=6, BL23), LPS+Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi pharmacopuncture at CV12 (n=6, CV12), and LPS+Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi pharmacopuncture at GV4 (n=6, GV4). Pharmacopuncture was given every two days for 4 weeks followed by inflammation induction by intraperitoneal LPS injection (5mg/kg). Blood, liver tissue, and peritoneal lavage fluid were taken and proinflammatory cytokines and other related factors were analysed. Results : For proinflammatory cytokines, CV12 pharmacopuncture group was significantly different compared with the control group in plasma IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$, and IL-10 5 h after LPS injection (P<0.05). For plasma IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6, CV12 pharmacopuncture group also showed significant difference at 2 h compared with the control (P<0.05). GV4 pharmacopuncture group was significantly different compared with the control at 5 h in plasma IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$ and at 2 h in IL-10 (P<0.05). Liver cytokines were analyzed at 5 h after LPS injection; only CV12 pharmacopuncture group showed significant difference in IL-$1{\beta}$ (P<0.05) and others including IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$, and IL-10 had no difference compared with the control group. CD4/CD8 ratio and the phagocytic activities of polymorphonuclear neutrophils were not different from those of control group in all pharmacopuncture groups (P>0.05). Plasma NO3-/NO2- and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 of CV12 pharmacopuncture group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). In the plasma concentration of prostaglandin E2, all 3 pharmacopuncture groups had significantly lower values than that of the control group (P<0.05), but there was no difference among pharmacopucnture groups. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and cytokine-induced neutorphil chemoattractant-1 in peritoneal lavage fluid was significantly decreased in CV12 pharmacopuncture group compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions : These results indicate that Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi pharmacopuncture at CV12 may have a potent anti-inflammatory effect in an LPS-induced inflammatory rat model.