• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.389-398
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• 2018

p-Cresol, found at high concentrations in the serum of chronic kidney failure patients, is known to cause cell senescence and other complications in different parts of the body. p-Cresol is thought to mediate cytotoxic effects through the induction of autophagy response. However, toxic effects of p-cresol on mesenchymal stem cells have not been elucidated. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether p-cresol induces senescence of mesenchymal stem cells, and whether melatonin can ameliorate abnormal autophagy response caused by p-cresol. We found that p-cresol concentration-dependently reduced proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells. Pretreatment with melatonin prevented pro-senescence effects of p-cresol on mesenchymal stem cells. We found that by inducing phosphorylation of Akt and activating the Akt signaling pathway, melatonin enhanced catalase activity and thereby inhibited the accumulation of reactive oxygen species induced by p-cresol in mesenchymal stem cells, ultimately preventing abnormal activation of autophagy. Furthermore, preincubation with melatonin counteracted other pro-senescence changes caused by p-cresol, such as the increase in total 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase expression and decrease in the level of phosphorylated mechanistic target of rapamycin. Ultimately, we discovered that melatonin restored the expression of senescence marker protein 30, which is normally suppressed because of the induction of the autophagy pathway in chronic kidney failure patients by p-cresol. Our findings suggest that stem cell senescence in patients with chronic kidney failure could be potentially rescued by the administration of melatonin, which grants this hormone a novel therapeutic role.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2014

Ginsenoside Rg3 (G-Rg3) is one of protopanaxadiol ginsenosides characteristic of red ginseng, steamed and dried ginseng (Panax ginseng), which has recently attracted much attention for its antitumor properties in vitro and in vivo animal models. Experimental studies have demonstrated that it could promote cancer cell apoptosis, inhibit cancer cell growth, the apoptosis of cancer cells, adhesion, invasion and metastasis, and also prevent an angiogenetic formation in prostate, breast, ovarian, colorectal, gastric, liver and lung cancer etc. It has shown the antitumor activities by modulation of diverse signaling pathways, including regulation of cell proliferation mediators (CDKs and cyclins), growth factors (vascular endothelial growth factor), tumor suppressors (p53 and p21), cell death mediators (caspases, Bcl-2, Bax), inflammatory response molecules ($NF-{\kappa}B$ and COX-2), protein kinases (JNK, Akt, and AMP-activated protein kinase) and Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling. In addition, the combination of Rg3 and chemotherapeutic agents have synergistically enhanced therapeutic efficacy and reduced antagonistically side effects. Furthermore, it can reverse the multidrug resistance of cancer cells, prolong the survival duration and improve life quality of cancer patients. Taken together, accumulating evidences could provide the potential of G-Rg3 in the treatment of cancers and the feasibility of further randomized placebo controlled clinical trials.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.70-78
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• 2014

Objectives : Hoechunyanggyeok-san (HYS) is a traditional herbal medicine, which has been clinically used for treating febrile and inflammatory diseases. HYS has been reported to be a useful treatment for diabetes, atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia in the type 1 diabetic model. However, the mechanism of the effects of HYS against hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the underlying mechanism of ameliorative effect of HYS on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in vivo. Methods : HYS (10, 50 mg/kg/day, p.o.) was administered every day for 2 weeks to db/db mice and its effect was compared with vehicle-treated db/db mice. To confirm serum glucose and triglyceride (TG) changes, serological testing was performed. The levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) activity and Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase ${\alpha}$ ($ACC{\alpha}$) expression were analyzed by western blot analysis. Results : The administration of HYS significantly decreased the elevated serum glucose and TG in db/db mice. HYS administration increased the levels of SIRT1 and AMPK expression compared with the vehicle-treated group. Moreover, HYS treatment significantly inhibited SREBP-1 activity and $ACC{\alpha}$ expression in the liver, while the vehicle-treated group exhibited their increase. Conclusions : In conclusion, HYS is suggested to have an improvement effect on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia by activating the SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway and inhibiting SREBP-1.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1345-1357
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• 2018

Objective: This study examined the influence of dietary supplementation of Nigella sativa seeds, Rosmarinus officinalis leaves and their combination on carcass attributes, fatty acid (FA) composition, gene expression, lipid oxidation and physicochemical properties of longissimus dorsi (LD), semitendinosus (ST), and supraspinatus (SS) muscles in Dorper lambs. Methods: Twenty-four Dorper lambs ($18.68{\pm}0.6kg$, 4 to 5 months old) were randomly assigned to a concentrate mixture containing either, no supplement (control, T1), 1% Rosmarinus officinalis leaves (T2), 1% Nigella sativa seeds (T3), or 1% Rosmarinus officinalis leaves+1% Nigella sativa seeds (T4) on a dry matter basis. The lambs were fed the treatments with urea-treated rice straw for 90 days, slaughtered and the muscles were subjected to a 7 d postmortem chill storage. Results: The T2 lambs had greater (p<0.05) slaughter and cold carcass weights than the control lambs. Dietary supplements did not affect (p>0.05) chill loss, dressing percentage, carcass composition, intramuscular fat and muscle pH in Dorper lambs. Meat from supplemented lambs had lower (p<0.05) cooking and drip losses, shear force, lightness, and lipid oxidation and greater (p<0.05) redness compared with the control meat. The impact of dietary supplements on muscle FA varied with muscle type. Diet had no effect (p>0.05) on the expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase and lipoprotein lipase genes in LD and ST muscles in Dorper lambs. The T2 and T3 diets up regulated the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha 2 gene in LD and ST muscles and up regulated the expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 in ST muscle in Dorper lambs. Conclusion: Dietary supplementation of Nigella sativa seeds and Rosmarinus officinalis leaves had beneficial effects on meat quality in Dorper lambs.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.635-648
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• 1998

The clinical use of fluoride with a well known osteogenic action in osteoporotic patients is rational, because this condition is characterized by impaired bone formation. However, its anabolic effect has not been demonstrated well in vitro. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium fluoride on the physiological role of osteoblastic cell. Osteoblastic cells were isolated from fetal rat calvaria. The results were as follows : 1. Mineralized nodules were shown in osteoblastic cell cultures, which had been maintained in the presence of ascorbic acid and ${\beta}-glycerophosphate$ up to 21 days. When cultures were treated with pulses of 48 hr duration before apparent mineralization was occurring, 2-fold increased in their number was detected. 2. Alkaline phosphatase activity of osteoblastic cells was inhibited by sodium fluoride in dose dependent manner. 3. The effect of sodium fluoride on the osteoblastic cell proliferation was measured by the incorporation of $[^3H]$-thymidine into DNA. As a result, sodium fluoride at $1{\sim}100{\mu}M$ increased the $[^3H]$-thymidine incorporation into DNA in a dose dependent manner. 4. The signaling mechanism activated by sodium fluoride dose-dependently enhanced the tyrosine phosphorylation of the adaptor molecule $Shc^{p66}$ and their association with Grb2, one of earlier events in a MAP kinase activation pathway cascade used by a significant subset of G protein-coupled receptors. 5. The phosphorylation of CREB(cAMP response element binding protein)was inhibited by the sodium fluoride in MC3T3E1 cells. In conclusion, the results of this study suggested that the mitogenic effect of the sodium fluoride in MC3T3E1 cell was stimulated in a dose-dependent manner and suggested "an important role for the interaction between She and Grb2" in controlling the proliferation of osteoblasts.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2023

Objectives : Alcohol-induced liver disease advances as to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular lipid peroxidation increase. We examined the hepatoprotective effects of Zingiber officinale Roscoe rhizome extract (ZR), Pueraria lobata Ohwi flower extracts (PF), and a newly developed herbal juice (HJ), which was a combination of ZR and PF extracts, against ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: The study utilized the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 cells to validate the hepatoprotective effect of HJ (50~200 ㎍/mL) against ethanol (EtOH, 700 mM)-induced liver damage. Results: HJ effectively reduced the protein expression of sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1, adiponectin, and AMP-activated protein kinase in EtOH-induced HepG2 cells. The levels of ROS, total cholesterol, and triglycerides, which are the result of various synthesis and lipogenesis processes induced by EtOH in the liver, were reduced by HJ. Furthermore, the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, enzymes linked to alcohol degradation, were more effectively downregulated by HJ treatment compared to treatment with ZR and PF alone, all without causing cytotoxic effects. Conclusions: HJ protects the liver by inhibiting EtOH-induced lipogenesis, lowering ROS generation, and improving alcohol degradation, which is more effective than ZR and PF alone. Further, in vivo experiments can offer additional evidence regarding the effectiveness, safety, and underlying mechanism of action of HJ.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.479-497
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Activating brown adipose tissue (BAT) and browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) can protect against obesity and obesity-related metabolic conditions. Cryptotanshinone (CT) regulates lipid metabolism and significantly ameliorates insulin resistance. Adenosine-5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a receptor for cellular energy metabolism, is believed to regulate brown fat activity in humans. MATERIALS/METHODS: The in vivo study included high-fat-fed obese mice administered orally 200/400 mg/kg/d CT. They were evaluated through weight measurement, the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test (IPITT), cold stimulation test, serum lipid (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein) measurement, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the in vitro study investigated primary adipose mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with incubation of CT and AMPK agonists (acadesine)/inhibitor (Compound C). Cells were evaluated using Oil Red O staining, Alizarin red staining, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence staining to identify and observe the osteogenic versus adipogenic differentiation. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and the Western blot were used to observe related gene expression. RESULTS: In the diet-induced obesity mouse model mice CT suppressed body weight, food intake, glucose levels in the IPGTT and IPTT, serum lipids, the volume of adipose tissue, and increased thermogenesis, uncoupling protein 1, and the AMPK pathway expression. In the in vitro study, CT prevented the formation of lipid droplets from MSCs while activating brown genes and the AMPK pathway. AMPK activator enhanced CT's effects, while the AMPK inhibitor reversed the effects of CT. CONCLUSION: CT promotes adipose tissue browning to increase body thermogenesis and reduce obesity by activating the AMPK pathway. This study provides an experimental foundation for the use of CT in obesity treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2015

This research is to investigate the four years growth mountain-cultivated ginseng ripened twenty-two weeks into four years fermented persimmon vinegar (tentatively: Sansamcho) ingestion on obese-related factors during dietary control. The Sansamcho was ingested orally, two times a day, after every meal for six weeks to the male rats. Groups were divided into the control (CON), the restricted diet (RD), and the weight cycling (WC). And, each groups has its own sub-groups as the -control (-CON), 2.5 times diluted Sansamcho ingestion (-MPV2.5), and 5.0 times diluted Sansamcho ingestion (-MPV5.0) groups, respectively. The number of rat was consisted of seven in each group. After six weeks rearing periods was done, abdominal fats (retroperitoneal fat, mesentery fat, and epididymal fat) and energy metabolic-related protein (AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; PPAR-${\alpha}$: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\alpha}$; and CPT-1: carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1) were weighed and analyzed. Amount of stored fat was significantly or tended to decrease by Sansamcho ingestion. In addition, sum of fats increasing were suppressed by the material. On the contrary, energy metabolism-related protein expression was significantly increased or tended to increase by Sansamcho ingestion. This results suggested that increased energy metabolism using Sansamcho was restrained effectively visceral fat store by high-fat diet and/or dietary control. In other words, it has a good function to suppress weight cycling which is the most insoluble problem. Therefore, the fusion material, Sansamcho, may expect to utilize as the obese-suppression-food.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.307-313
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• 2024

In this study, the anti-obesity effect of Geranium wilfordii Maxim. extract was studied using 3T3-L1 cells. Geranium wilfordii Maxim. was extracted with water (NG-GT-T1L), 10% ethanol (NG-GT-T2L), 30% ethanol (NG-GT-T3L), 50% ethanol (NG-GT-T4L), 70% ethanol (NG-GT-T5L), and the effects on cell viability, lipid accumulation, triglyceride content, and protein expression in 3T3-L1 cells were confirmed. It was confirmed that NG-GT-T3L extract was superior to other extract conditions in reducing lipid accumulation and triglyceride content in the concentration range that did not show cytotoxicity. In addition, it was confirmed to suppress adipogenesis and lipogenesis by reducing the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α(C/EBPα) proteins that regulate adipogenesis, decreasing the expression of fatty acid synthetase (FAS) and stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) proteins that regulate lipogenesis, and increasing the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) protein. From these research results, Geranium wilfordii Maxim. NG-GT-T3L extract is believed to have anti-obesity reduction effects through suppressing lipid accumulation and triglyceride accumulation and regulating adipogenesis and lipogenesis-related proteins.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.21 no.6 s.101
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• pp.466-473
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• 2006

Impaired insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells in response to glucose is an important feature in the pathology of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). In the course of screening for useful insulin secretagogues, we have isolated and identified YHB-2017 (Genistein) as a insulin secretion potentiator from fermentation broths of our in-house microbial library. The insulinotropic activity of YHB-2017 in isolated rat pancreatic islets was exerted only at high concentration of glucose (8.3-16 mM) but not at low concentration of glucose (3.3-5.5 mM). Also, in perifusion study with isolated rat pancreatic islets, YHB-2017 stimulated insulin secretion in a time-dependent manner when YHB-2017 was added to KRB buffer containing 16 mM glucose. In the presence of $200\;{\mu}M$ diazoxide and 35 mM KCI, which stimulates maximum $Ca^{2+}$ influx independently of KATP channel, YHB-2017 enhanced KATP channel-independent insulin secretion at high concentration glucose (16 mM). To elucidate the mechanisms of the glucose-dependent potentiation effect of YHB-2017, pharmacologic inhibitors for protein kinase A, protein kinase C and calcium/calmodulin kinase II were pre-treated and then the potentiation effect of YHB-2017 on insulin secretion was investigated. Pre-treatment of H89 as a PKA inhibitor had a significant inhibitory effect on YHB-2017-induced potentiation effect. Furthermore, western immunoblotting analyses revealed that YHB-2017 increased phosphorylation of PKA substrates and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) under high concentration of glucose. These results demonstrated that the insulinotropic effect of YHB-2017 is mediated through PKA signal pathway and activated amplifying $K_{ATP}$ channel-independent insulin secretion pathway.