• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.349-354
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• 2007

For decades, the various virtues of ${\alpha}-lipoic$ acid (ALA), a natural material synthesized in most cells, have been intensively studied and proved. Recently it was reported that ALA caused significant bodyweight reduction via appetite suppression. Unfortunately, the efficacy requires an administration over 50 mg/kg. The low bioavailability and the short plasma half life of ALA lead us to explore novel pharmaceutical dosage forms using nanoparticles. In this study, the effect of polymeric stabilizers on the bioavailability improvement of ALA nanoparticles was investigated. The reduction of particle size via nano-comminution technology was successful resulting in volume average particle sizes of 320 - 340 nm. The in vitro release rate of ALA did not reflect the decrease of particle size, possibly because of the self polymerization of ALA during nano-comminution. The type of polymeric stabilizers could not affect the release rate either. However, the in vivo food intake results of ALA showed that nano-suspensions were more effective than microparticles or a salt form. The nano-suspension containing polyvinyl pyrrolidone as the primary stabilizer and polyacrylic acid as the secondary stabilizer showed more improved efficacy for 2 hours.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.144-155
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• 2024

Objectives: This study evaluated dietary intake and food sources of essential fatty acids in Korean adolescents. Methods: This study was comprised of 3,932 adolescents (9-18 years) who participated in the 2016-2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Dietary intake and food sources of essential fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and linoleic acid (LA) were evaluated using data obtained from one-day 24-hour dietary recall. The proportions of adolescents consuming ALA, EPA + DHA, and LA above or below the adequate intake (AI) of the 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans were calculated. All statistical analyses accounted for the complex sampling design effect and appropriate sample weights. Results: The mean intakes of ALA, EPA, DHA, and LA among Korean adolescents were 1.29 g/day, 69.6 mg/day, 166.0 mg/day, and 11.1 g/day, respectively. Boys had higher intakes of all essential fatty acids compared to girls. By age group, adolescents aged 15-18 years showed lower intakes of EPA and DHA compared to adolescents in younger age groups. The 9-11-year-old adolescents had lower intakes of ALA and LA than older adolescents. The proportions of adolescents who consumed more than AI were 35.7% for ALA, 30.4% for EPA + DHA, and 41.5% for LA. Adherence to the AI for ALA did not differ by sex or age group, although boys showed a lower adherence to the AI for EPA + DHA than girls. Major food sources for ALA and LA were plant-based oils, mayonnaise, pork, and eggs. Mackerel was the most significant contributor to EPA and DHA intake (EPA, 22.6%; DHA, 22.2%), followed by laver, squid, and anchovy. Conclusions: The proportion of Korean adolescents who consumed EPA + DHA more than AI was low. Our findings highlight that nutrition education emphasizing an intake of essential fatty acids from healthy food sources is needed among Korean adolescents.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.111-142
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• 1972

An experimental Chung-Kook-Jang was prepared using the strain Bacillus subtilis sp. isolated by the author Samples were taken in 12 hrs interval during the fermentation and the oligopeptides were separated by the method of molecular sieving using the ion exchange resin column of Dowex-50. Only the X-16 fraction of oligopeptides was taken and the components of oligopeptides were developed in two dimensional thin layer chromatograms. The each peptide spot was eluted and each peptide was isolated. The pattern and kinds of amino acids, and N and C-terminal amino acids were studied. Fourteen different oligopeptides could be detected by the two dimensional thin layer chromatography, all of which were consisted of $4{\sim}9$ kinds of amino acids. No dipeptides and no tripeptides could be found. The N and C-terminal amino acids and the residual component amino acids of all these 14 peptides could be summarized as the follows. [P]-I. Pro (Cys Ala Asp Trp Ile Val) Glu [P]-II. Val (His Arg Glu Thr Ala Met) Asp [P]-III. Glu (Cys Lys Asp Thr Met) Ala [P]-IV. Glu(His Ser Ala) Met) [P]-V. Ile (Cys Asp Arg Gly Pro T.p Phe) His [P]-VI. Gly(Asp ser) Lys [P]-VII. Thr(Pro Tyr Phe) Asp [P]-VIII. Phe(Tyr Leu Ile) Val [P]-IX. Trp (Phelle) Thr [P]-X. Ile (Arg Leu) Phe [P]-XI. Asp (Lys His Ser Gly Glu Pro) Ala [P]-XII. Glu (Cys Asp Gly) Ser [P]-XIII. Ala (Arg Tyr) Glu [P]-XIV. Met (Glu Ala) His It appears that the protease of the Bacillus subtilis K-27 syrain has rather wider range of specificity than proteases of Aspergoillus soya, pepsin, chymotrypsin, and trypsin.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2007

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on egg production and egg quality in laying hens. A total of 114 (30-wk age) ISA brown commercial hens were used in current trial for 28 days. Dietary treatments included 1) CON (basal diet), 2) 0.05 (basal diet + ALA 0.05%), 3) 0.1 (basal diet + ALA 0.1%) and 4) 0.2 (basal diet + ALA 0.2%). There were four dietary treatments with four replication per treatment and twelve laying hens per replication. During the overall period, egg production was quadratically affected (P=0.01) by ALA supplementation compared with control treatment. Egg weight increased (linear effect, P=0.01; quadratic effect, P=0.01) as the level of delta-aminolevulinic acid supplementation increased in the diets. Yolk color was increased quadratically (P=0.03). The difference of hemoglobin concentration was increased (quadratic effect, P=0.01) as the level of delta-aminolevulinic acid supplementation increased in the diets. In conclusion, the results of the experiment suggest that dietary delta-aminolevulinic acid could affect egg weight, yolk color and hemoglobin concentration in laying hens.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.685-696
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a heme precursor, on inflammatory and oxidative stress activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 macrophages by estimating nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cytokines, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). We also evaluated the molecular mechanisms through analysis of the expression of their regulatory genes, and further evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant efficacy of ALA against LPS in the zebrafish model. Our results indicated that ALA treatment significantly attenuated the LPS-induced release of pro-inflammatory mediators including NO and PGE2, which was associated with decreased inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression. ALA also inhibited the LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, reducing their extracellular secretion. Additionally, ALA abolished ROS generation, improved the mitochondrial mass, and enhanced the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and the activation of nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. However, zinc protoporphyrin, a specific inhibitor of HO-1, reversed the ALA-mediated inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines production and activation of mitochondrial function in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, ALA significantly abolished the expression of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines, and showed strong protective effects against NO and ROS production in zebrafish larvae. In conclusion, our findings suggest that ALA exerts LPS-induced anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects by upregulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, and that ALA can be a potential functional agent to prevent inflammatory and oxidative damage.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.349-357
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• 2014

The performance of a Synchronous Reluctance Motor (SynRM) in terms of torque and power factor depends on the two-axis inductances $L_d$ and $L_q$ of the machine. The Axially Laminated Anisotropic (ALA) rotor should be proposed in an effort to increase the $L_d/L_q$ ratio and the $L_d-L_q$ difference to secure high torque density and high power factor. So, ALA rotor is suitable for high speed instruments. This paper deals with optimum design of Axially Laminated Anisotropic Synchronous Reluctance Motor (ALA-SynRM) and comparison of characteristics with induction motor. Coupled Finite Element Methodology (FEM) & Response Surface Methodology (RSM) have been used to evaluate optimum design solutions. Comparisons are given with characteristics of a same rated wattage induction motor and those of ALA-SynRM respectively.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.96-100
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• 2017

Amebic liver abscess (ALA) is the most common extraintestinal manifestation of amebiasis. Amebiasis, a parasitic infection caused by Entamoeba histolytica, used to be a prevalent protozoan disease in Korea, however, with an improving sanitary system, it has been among very uncommon etiology of liver abscess. A recent report suggested that ALA is an emerging parasitic infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients even in areas where the disease is not endemic and recommended HIV screening in patients in areas where ALA is not endemic, particularly those without history of travel to a disease-endemic area. We report on two patients who were admitted for treatment of ALA and then diagnosed as HIV infection. We also reviewed the etiology and characteristics of ALA in our hospital during the last 5 years.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1445-1452
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• 2015

In these days, fluorescent materials such as ICG or 5-ALA is used for the brain surgery. The patients who underwent brain tumor surgery has been increased during last 30 years and the survivorship rate increased 22∼33% in 5 years. Recently, the Fluorescence induction surgery is developed for more safety and improved the resection rate for the glioma in the neurosurgery field. In this study, we proposed fluorescence area detection method for ICG and 5-ALA fluorescence induced surgery using acquired images from image processing. Accuracy was 99.21% from ICG images, and 99.51% from 5-ALA images. Matthews correlation coefficient was 88.67% from ICG images, and 90.49% from 5-ALA images.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.429-433
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• 2014

To identify sequences of Entamoeba histolytica associated with the development of amebic liver abscess (ALA) in hamsters, subtractive hybridization of cDNA from E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS under 2 growth conditions was performed: 1) cultured in axenic medium and 2) isolated from experimental ALA in hamsters. For this procedure, 6 sequences were obtained. Of these sequences, the mak16 gene was selected for amplification in 29 cultures of E. histolytica isolated from the feces of 10 patients with intestinal symptoms and 19 asymptomatic patients. Only 5 of the 10 isolates obtained from symptomatic patients developed ALA and amplified the mak16 gene, whereas the 19 isolates from asymptomatic patients did not amplify the mak16 gene nor did they develop ALA. Based on the results of Fisher's exact test (P<0.001), an association was inferred between the presence of the mak16 gene of E. histolytica and the ability to develop ALA in hamsters and with the patient's symptoms (P=0.02). The amplification of the mak16 gene suggests that it is an important gene in E. histolytica because it was present in the isolates from hamsters that developed liver damage.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2017

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a biological membranes compound. As the antioxidant, it decreases the oxidized forms of other antioxidant substances such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione (GSH). To examine the effect of ALA on the in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine oocytes, we investigated intracellular GSH and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and subsequent embryonic development after parthenogenetic activation (PA). Intracellular GSH levels in oocytes treated with 50uM ALA increased significantly (P < 0.05) and exhibited a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in intracellular ROS levels compared with the control group. Oocytes matured with 50 uM of ALA during IVM displayed significantly higher cleavage rates (67.8% vs. 83.4%, respectively), and higher blastocyst formation rates and total cell number of blastocysts after PA (31.6%, 58.49 vs. 46.8%, 68.58, respectively) than the control group. In conclusion, these results suggest that treatment with ALA during IVM improves the cytoplasmic maturation of porcine oocytes by increasing the intracellular GSH levels, thereby decreasing the intracellular ROS levels and subsequent embryonic developmental potential of PA.