• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.27-37
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• 2023

Objectives: Moroccan Arbutus unedo is an essential medicinal plant; however, little is known about the biological properties of its leaves mentioned in Moroccan traditional medicine. Methods: Various standard experiments were performed to evaluate the phytochemical, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and acute and sub-chronic toxicity characteristics of A. unedo leaves. Results: Phytochemical screening led to the identification of several phytochemical classes, including tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and anthraquinones, with high concentrations of polyphenols (31.83 ± 0.29 mg GAEs/g extract) and flavonoids (16.66 ± 1.47 mg REs/g extract). Further, the mineral analysis revealed high levels of calcium and potassium. A. unedo extract demonstrated significant antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities by inhibiting α-amylase (1.350 ± 0.32 g/mL) and α-glucosidase (0.099 ± 1.21 g/mL) compared to the reference drug Acarbose. Also, the methanolic extract of the plant exhibited significantly higher antibacterial activity than the aqueous extract. Precisely, three of the four examined bacterial strains exhibited substantial susceptibility to the methanolic extract . Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values indicated that A. unedo harbor abundant bactericidal compounds. For toxicological studies, mice were administered with A. unedo aqueous extract at single doses of 2,000 and 5,000 mg/kg. They did not exhibit significant abnormal behavior, toxic symptoms, or death during the 14-day acute toxicity test and the 90-day sub-chronic toxicity test periods. The general behavior, body weight, and hematological and biochemical status of the rats were assessed, revealing no toxicological symptoms or clinically significant changes in biological markers observed in the mice models, except hypoglycemia, after 90 days of daily dose administration. Conclusion: The study highlighted several biological advantages of A. unedo leaves without toxic effects in short-term application. Our findings suggest that conducting more comprehensive and extensive in vivo investigations is of utmost importance to identify molecules that can be formulated into pharmaceuticals in the future.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.130-135
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• 2003

Mulberry, Mori folium leaves (ML) and fruits (MF), Lycii fructus (LF), and Panax ginseng have been known to maintain normal blood sugar levels (BSL) in folk medicine. Here we investigated the effects of coated rice with these herb extract to diabetic patients. Alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus (DB) mice (80 mg/kg BW., i.v.) separated into 3 groups. One group received the extract in high dose (6.5 mg/kg B.W.), and another one group received in low dose (1.3 mg/kg B.W.) perorally for 30 days. (+) control received no extracts. (-) control received neither of them. BSL, volume of water consumed (VWC), body weights (BW) of each group were measured and compared. BSL in both of the extracts-received groups got close to normal levels on 4th week after starting the experiments. VWC also showed the same pattern. BSL in (+) control remained high through the experiment periods. BW in (+) control remained high, but those in the extracts-received groups recovered to normal levels. The clinical trials for both of healthy volunteers and DB patients, conducted in a University Hospital, also showed that the rice coated with the extracts could control the BSL. From these results, we suggest that the functional rice with herb extracts could be used as a new alimentotherapy for DB patients.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.259-267
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• 2017

Present study aimed to determine the effect of 'bitter melon', a popularly used fruit in Bangladesh and several other Asian countries, on high-fat-diet-induced type 2 diabetes. To investigate the effect, ethanol extract from bitter melon (BME) as a dietary supplement with mouse chow was used. BME was found to significantly attenuate the high-fat diet (HFD) -induced body weight and total fat mass. BME also effectively reduced the insulin resistance induced by the HFD. Furthermore, dietary supplementation of BME was highly effective in increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing hepatic fat and obesity. These results indicate that BME could be effective in attenuating type 2 diabetes and could therefore be a preventive measure against type 2 diabetes.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.371-377
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• 2017

Muscle atrophy is characterized by a decrease in the mass of the muscle. With an increase in life expectancy and chronic illnesses, the incidence of muscle atrophy is increasing and the quality of life of patients is decreasing. Thus, reducing muscle atrophy is of high clinical and socio-economic importance. Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that has been used as a traditional medicine in many countries to treat various human illnesses. It has been reported that Korean mistletoe extract (KME) has diverse biological functions including anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity properties, and extension of lifespan. Especially, we have recently reported that KME improves exercise endurance in mice, indicating its beneficial roles in enhancing the capacity of skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated whether KME could activate the signaling pathway related to protein synthesis in a mouse model of muscle atrophy. Interestingly, KME efficiently activated the Akt/mTOR pathway, and Akt and mTOR are important signaling hub molecules for the acceleration of protein synthesis in muscle cells. In addition, KME also increased the activity of S6 kinase which is involved in the regulation of muscle cell size. Moreover, the ERK activity, required for transcription of ribosomal RNA for protein synthesis, was also enhanced in KME-treated mouse muscle. These data support the idea that KME increases muscle mass via increased protein synthesis. Our findings also suggest that Korean mistletoe might be a promising candidate for the development of functional foods that are beneficial for preventing muscle atrophy.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1998

The aims of this study are conducted to investigate the effect of Duck's egg oil no new functional characteristics in the diabetics induced by streptozotocin(STZ) and inhibition of antitumor activity toward Sarcoma-180 bearing mice. Serum glucose content by administration of Duck's egg oil in diabetic group induced by STZ were maintained with normal state than that of control. Phospholipid and triglyceride contents were significant decrease in group of administration with Duck's egg oil than that of control group. Total cholesterol, LDL + VLDL cholesterol and atherosclerotic index were decreased in the group of treatment of Duck's egg oil when does level compared with that of control group. On the other hand, the growth inhibition of the Sarcoma-180 showed the highest level of 63.89% when 150㎎/㎏ Duck's egg oil administrated. The life prolongation effect showed 19.7% at dose of 150㎎/㎏.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.166-171
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of lotus leaf on hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in animal model of diabetes. Inhibitory activity of ethanol extract of lotus leaf against yeast ${\alpha}$-glucosidase was measured in vitro. The effect of lotus leaf on the postprandial increase in blood glucose levels was assessed in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. A starch solution (1 g/kg) with and without lotus leaf extract (500 mg/kg) was administered to the rats after an overnight fast, and postprandial plasma glucose levels were monitored. Four-week-old db/db mice were fed a basal diet or a diet containing 1% lotus leaf extract for 7 weeks after 1 week of acclimation to study the chronic effect of lotus leaf. After sacrifice, plasma glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-CHOL, and blood glycated hemoglobin levels were measured. Lotus leaf extract inhibited ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity by 37.9%, which was 1.3 times stronger than inhibition by acarbose at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL in vitro. Oral administration of lotus leaf extract significantly decreased the area under the glucose response curve by 35.1% compared with that in the control group (P < 0.01). Chronic feeding of lotus leaf extract significantly lowered plasma glucose and blood glycated hemoglobin compared with those in the control group. Lotus leaf extract significantly reduced plasma TG and total CHOL and elevated HDL-CHOL levels compared with those in the control group. Therefore, we conclude that lotus leaf is effective for controlling hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in an animal model of diabetes mellitus.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.538-543
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• 2018

Pancreatic beta cell destruction and dysfunction induced by cytokines is a major cause of type 1 diabetes. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1), an arylesterase with antioxidant activity, has been shown to play an important role in preventing the development of diabetes in transgenic mice. However, no studies have examined the anti-diabetic effect of PON1 delivered to beta cells using protein transduction. In this study, we expressed the cell-permeable PON1 fused with PEP-1 protein transduction domain (PEP-1-PON1) to investigate whether transduced PEP-1-PON1 protects beta cells against cytokine-induced cytotoxicity. PEP-1-PON1 was effectively delivered to INS-1 cells and prevented cytokine-induced cell destruction in a dose-dependent manner. Transduced PEP-1-PON1 significantly reduced the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO), DNA fragmentation, and expression of inflammatory mediators, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins, and apoptosis-related proteins in cytokine-treated cells. Moreover, transduced PEP-1-PON1 restored the decrease in basal and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion induced by cytokines. These data indicate that PEP-1-PON1 protects beta cells from cytokine-induced cytotoxicity by alleviating oxidative/nitrosative stress, ER stress, and inflammation. Thus, PEP-1-mediated PON1 transduction might be an effective method to reduce the extent of destruction and dysfunction of pancreatic beta cells in autoimmune diabetes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.469-478
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• 2006

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, a major regulator for angiogenesis, binds and activates two tyrosine kinase receptors, VEGFR1 (Flt-1) and VEGFR2 (KDR/Flk-1). These receptors regulate physiological as well as pathological angiogenesis. VEGFR2 has strong tyrosine kinase activity, and transduces the major signals for angiogenesis. However, unlike other representative tyrosine kinase receptors which use the Ras pathway, VEGFR2 mostly uses the Phospholipase-$C{\gamma}$-Protein kinase-C pathway to activate MAP-kinase and DNA synthesis. VEGFR2 is a direct signal transducer for pathological angiogenesis including cancer and diabetic retinopathy, thus, VEGFR2 itself and the signaling appear to be critical targets for the suppression of these diseases. VEGFR1 plays dual role, a negative role in angiogenesis in the embryo most likely by trapping VEGF-A, and a positive role in adulthood in a tyrosine kinase-dependent manner. VEGFR1 is expressed not only in endothelial cells but also in macrophage-lineage cells, and promotes tumor growth, metastasis, and inflammation. Furthermore, a soluble form of VEGFR1 was found to be present at abnormally high levels in the serum of preeclampsia patients, and induces proteinurea and renal dysfunction. Therefore, VEGFR1 is also an important target in the treatment of human diseases. Recently, the VEGFR2-specific ligand VEGF-E (Orf-VEGF) was extensively characterized. Interestingly, the activation of VEGFR2 via VEGF-E in vivo results in a strong angiogenic response in mice with minor side effects such as inflammation compared with VEGF-A, suggesting VEGF-E to be a novel material for pro-angiogenic therapy.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2008

Purpose: Poly-N-acetyl glucosamine(PGlcNAc) nanofiber-based materials, produced by a marine microalga, have been characterized as effective hemostatic and angiogenic agents. The similarity between PGlcNAc patch and the natural extracellular matrix allows it to support new healthy tissue growth in an injured area and to encourage fluid absorption. In this study, we hypothesized that a poly-N-acetyl glucosamine fiber patch(PGlcNAc patch) may enhance wound healing in the db/db mouse. Methods: PGlcNAc patches were applied on one square centimeter, full-thickness, skin wounds in the db/db mouse model. Wounds(n=15 per group) were dressed with a PGlcNAc nanofiber patch for 1 hour(1 h), 24 hours(24 h) or left untreated(NT). After the application time, patches were removed and wounds were allowed to heal spontaneously. The rate of wound closure was evaluated by digital analysis of unclosed wound area in course of time. At day 10, wounds(n=7 per group) were harvested and quantified with immunohistochemical markers of proliferation(Ki-67) and vascularization (platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule, PECAM-1). Results: Wounds dressed with PGlcNAc patches for 1 hour closed faster than control wounds, reaching 90% closure in 16.6 days, nine days faster than untreated wounds. Granulation tissue showed higher levels of proliferation and vascularization following 1 h treatment than the 24 h and NT groups. In addition to its hemostatic properties, the PGlcNAc material also appears to accelerate wound closure in healing-impaired genetically diabetic mice. Conclusion: This material, with its combination of hemostatic and wound healing properties, has the potential to be effective agent for the treatment of complicated wounds.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 1994

The studies were conducted to investigate the anti-diabetic activities on the hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin in rats, anti-hypertensive activities in SHR, anti-fatigue and decrease of body weight activities in mice by Kyung Ok-Ko water extract and drink, which is a traditional preparation in Korea. 1. The blood glucose levels of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats were dose-dependently decreased by administrations of various doses(300, 600, 1200 mg/kg) of Kyung Ok-Ko water extract. Particularly, administration of 600, 1200 mg/kg were significantly shown to decrease glucose levels comparing with control group. 2. The serum total cholesterol levels of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats were dose-dependently decreased by administrations of various doses(300, 600, 1200 mg/kg) of Kyung Ok-Ko water extract. Particularly, administration of 600, 1200 mg/kg were significantly shown to decrease total cholesterol levels comparing with control group. 3. The serum triglyceride levels of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats were dose-dependently decreased by administrations of various doses(300, 600, 1200 mg/kg) of Kyung Ok-Ko water extract. Particularly, administration of 600, 1200 mg/kg were significantly shown to decrease triglyceride levels comparing with control group. 4. The blood pressure in SHRs were dose-dependently lower descended by administration of Kyung Ok-Ko water extract 300, 600, and 1200 mg/kg, respectively. 5. The swimming time of Kyung Ok-Ko water extract(100, 200, 400 mg/kg) and drink(0.7, 1.4, 2.1 ml/kg) were significantly extended to all experimental group dose-dependantly. 6. The decrease of body weight of Kyung Ok-Ko water extract(100, 200, 400 mg/kg) and drink(0.7, 1.4, 2.1 ml/kg) were significantly evaluated dose-dependently in all experimental group.