• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.261-267
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• 2005

Alcohol metabolizing and antioxidant activity of Mentha species were investigated in rat liver. Fifty six Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into seven groups such as normal (ethanol excluded), negative control (40% ethanol (10 g/kg of body weight/day) fed), positive control (1 g Silymarin/kg of body weight/day with ethanol fed), two Mentha viridis extracts (0.2 g & 1 g M. viridis methanol ext./kg of body weight/day with ethanol fed) and two M piperita extracts (0.2 g & 1 g M. piperita methanol ext./kg of body weight/day with ethanol fed) groups. After 2 weeks, rats were sacrificed under ether. The activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), catalase (CAT), manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GAH-px) and the content ofthiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in the rat livers and the activity of glutamate pyruvate transferase (GPT) in serum were evaluated. From the analyses, 1 g M. viridis and 0.2 g M. piperita administrated groups showed higher ADH and ALDH activity than the other groups. Groups fed with 0.2 g and 1 g M. viridis ext. and 0.2 g M. piperita ext. showed higher CAT activity than the other groups. All the Mentha extract fed groups exhibited more effective in recovering Mn-SOD, GSH-px and GPT acitivities to a similar degree of normal group. TBARS contents of two M. viridis ext. fed group and 0.2 g M. piperita ext. fed group were higher than those of the other groups. M. viridis extract fed groups showed more effective in CAT and Mn-SOD activities than M. piperita extract groups at p < 0.05. Finally, it is concluded that both Mentha species have alcohol metabolizing and antioxidant activity and M viridis is more effective than M. piperita.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.667-673
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• 2009

The antihyperlipidemic and glycemic control effects of mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract were investigated. In high fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice, the mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract showed significant decrease in epididymal fat tissue weight, blood triglyceride and VLDL level, triglyceride and total cholesterol level in liver, serum insulin and HOMA-IR level and AUC. Oral glucose tolerance test glucose level reduction were 4.9% (M150L; ${\beta}$-glucan 1.303 mg/kg bw), 9.5% (M150; ${\beta}$-glucan 2.606 mg/kg bw) after 180 min of glucose loading compared to H-C group. Besides, the mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract treatment significantly increased glycogen contents in liver and adiponectin level in high fat diet-induced obese mice. In conclusion, the results showed that the mycelia of Inonotus obliquus including protein-bound polysaccharides extract possesses significant antihyperlipidemic and glycemic control effects in C57BL/6J mice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.1533-1543
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• 2016

The anti-stress effects of Punica granatum L. (family Lythraceae, PG) on $H_2O_2$/corticosterone (CORT)-induced stress in cells and sleep-deprived rats were investigated. The PG extract showed neuroprotective effects in SH-SY5Y cells against $H_2O_2$/CORT-induced stress. Sleep deprivation led to behavioral, hormonal, and biochemical alterations in the animal model. The effects of P. granatum on physiological, behavioral, and biochemical parameters aggravated by sleep deprivation were investigated. Sleep deprivation impaired physiological (survival, body weight, and drowsiness scores) and behavioral (rotarod, passive avoidance, hot hyperalgesia, and Y maze) parameters as well as biochemical factors (cortisol, serotonin, dopamine, testosterone, and growth factor I contents in serum). These parameters were significantly recovered by PG extract in a concentration-dependent manner. The PG extract also enhanced catalase, superoxide dismutase, and non-enzymatic antioxidative activities such as glutathione compared to sleep-deprived rats. On the basis of these results, our findings suggest that Punica granatum prevents impairment of body functions induced by sleep deprivation and related oxidative damage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.437-444
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• 2008

Anti-obesity effects of ginseng and herbal plant mixtures were investigated to develop natural materials for anti-obesity. After inducing obesity with high fat diet for 8 weeks in male SD rats, ginseng and herbal plant mixtures DM1 (ginseng, puer tea, opuntia) and DM2 (ginseng, puer tea) were administrated orally to rats for another 8 weeks. During administration, food efficacy ratio and body weight of rat were measured twice weekly. After administration, body weight, body fat contents, and serum lipid level were estimated for anti-obesity effect and hematological analysis blood level of ALP and ASP was checked for safety. Body weight in rats fed high fat diet was significantly increased. Body weight in obese rats induced by high fat diet was significantly decreased by DM1 and DM2 feedings. The amount of body fat (epididymal, perirenal and visceral fat, brown adipose tissue) was significantly reduced by DM1 and DM2 treatments. The amount of TG, the concentration of leptin in blood plasma, and the concentration of insulin in blood plasma were significantly diminished by DM1 and DM2. Lipid accumulation on liver was reduced in DM2. There were no side effects among all groups according to blood analysis, hematological findings, and body weight. The findings of this study suggest that DM1 and DM2 may be effective materials for anti-obesity through reducing plasma triglyceride and body fats, and also decreasing body weight without side effects.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2011

Although iron is an essential mineral, excess iron intake during pregnancy may increase oxidative stress in tissues. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of iron overload during pregnancy on iron status and oxidative stress in maternal rats. Ten week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were mated with male rats. Non-pregnant (control) and pregnant rats were fed diets containing normal Fe (35 mg/kg diet), high Fe (350 mg/kg diet), or excess Fe (1,050 mg/kg diet) during pregnancy. Rats were sacrificed on pregnancy day 19. No significant difference in weight gain, diet intake, or litter size was observed according to iron intake levels. Furthermore, serum iron, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were not different among the rats administered the three levels of Fe both in the control and pregnant groups. However, the iron levels were lower in pregnant rats than those in the control. The liver and spleen iron contents increased significantly in the excess Fe group. An increase in liver ferritin levels with increasing iron intake was observed. Protein carbonyl content, as a marker of oxidative stress, increased significantly in liver with increasing iron intake but not malondialdehyde. Glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver of pregnant rats fed excess iron decreased significantly. Bcl-2 protein expression in the liver declined remarkably with increasing maternal iron intake in pregnant rats. Taken together, iron overload during pregnancy had little effect on hematology. However, the deposits of iron in the liver and the decline in antioxidant enzyme activity implied increased oxidative stress in tissues of the excess Fe group. These results suggest that excess iron intake during pregnancy increases oxidative stress in maternal tissues and may also affect fetal tissues.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the chemical composition and biological function of tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves. The antioxidant activities of tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves were determined by measuring their electron-donating ability based on their DPPH and nitrite-scavenging ability. The electron-donating abilities of tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves (500 and 1,000 ppm) as determined by DPPH assay were 45.6 and 85.1%, respectively. The nitrite scavenging ability of tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves (500 and 1,000 ppm) at pH 6.0 were 32.8 and 51.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the nitrite scavenging activity increased in a dose-dependent manner at all pH values. The effects of tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves on Male Sprague-Dawley rats were also evaluated. To accomplish this, the rats were divided into three groups (A: normal diet group, B: high fat diet group and C: high fat diet supplemented with tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves group). The anti-obesity effects of tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves were then evaluated. The serum total lipid, total cholesterol and triglyceride contents in C group were lower than those of B group; however, these differences were not statistically significant. The HDL-cholesterol content was significantly higher in the C group than in the other groups. Taken together the results of this study suggest that tea made from mountain-cultivated ginseng leaves possesses antioxidant activity and improves lipid metabolism.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.975-988
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• 2010

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether water extracts from Artemisia capillaries (A. capillaries) and Camellia sinensis (C. sinensis) could be used as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in broiler feed. The experiment 1 was verified their chemical composition, extracts yields, total phenolic compounds concentration, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, and chicken splenocytes proliferation through in vitro test. The extract yields of A. capillaries and C. sinensis were 26.5 and 16.8%, respectively. Total phenolic compounds concentrations of them expressed as gallic acid equivalent were 15.28 and 26.74 mg/mL, respectively. Electron donating abilities of them expressed as $SC_{50}$ showing 50% DPPH radical scavenging were 0.30 and 0.06 mg, respectively. Bacterial inhibitory rates of them against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella Typhimurium were ranged from 42.1 to 52.3% and from 21.6 to 33.7%, respectively. And, these extracts increased proliferation of chicken splenocytes. Especially, A. capillaris was more excellent than Echinacea and Concanavalin A known as T-cell stimulator. The experiment 2 was investigated their effects on growth performance, relative organ weight, cecal microflora, blood biochemical parameters, and splenic cytokines mRNA expression in broiler chicks. Four hundred eighty 1-day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were divided in to 4 treatment groups with 4 replicates of 30 birds in each group: NC (control, no antibiotics), PC (avilamycin, 10 ppm; salinomycin, 60 ppm), AC (A. capillaries, 100 ppm), and CS (C. sinensis, 100 ppm); treatments were administered through water supplementation. Final body weight was significantly higher in all treated groups than in NC (p<0.05). Cecal Salmonella numbers were significantly or somewhat decreased in all treated groups than in NC (p<0.05). The relative weights and lengths of the small intestine were more significantly decreased in the PC and AC groups than in the other groups. Cecal Salmonella numbers were significantly or somewhat decreased in all treated groups than in the NC group (p<0.05). The contents of total cholesterol, aspatate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase in blood serum were more significantly decreased in all treated groups than in NC (p<0.05). In conclusion, these results suggested the possibility that these extracts could serve as alternatives for antibiotic growth promoters.