• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.122-125
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• 2001

A potential mechanism through which the jujube extract might produce a cholesterol-lowering effect was compared with that of tangerine peel extract in vivo. Two extracts were prepared using ethanol. Male rats were fed a high cholesterol (1%, w/w) lab chow with jujube extract (1.2%) or tangerine peel extract (6.3%, w/w) for 3 weeks. Activities of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase (289.6$\pm$12.9 and 296.7$\pm$11.6 nmole/min/mg vs. 347.9$\pm$17.5 nmole/min/mg) and ACAT (554.8$\pm$18.2 and 451.7$\pm$19.4 nmole/min/mg vs. 602.6$\pm$21.4 nmole/min/mg) were significantly lowered by both supplements compared to the control group. These two supplements also substantially reduced the concentrations of plasma cholesterol (103.3$\pm$15.9 and 101.6$\pm$19.4 mg/dL vs. 141.6$\pm$18.1 mg/dL) and triglyceride (61.3$\pm$5.5 and 55.5$\pm$3.9 mg/dL vs. 96.0$\pm$4.2 mg/dL). The inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase resulting from the supplementation of jujube or tangerine extracts could count for the reduction in plasma cholesterol. Accordingly, lipid-lowering action of both supplements appears to be similar in high-cholesterol fed rats.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.570-578
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• 2012

The present study investigated the effect of diets supplemented with different levels (0, 1, 3, and 5 %) of fig leaf ethanol extract (FLEE) on the nutritional composition of black rockfish Sebastes schlegeli. Fish ($10.05{\pm}0.44g$) were fed to apparent satiation twice daily for 8 weeks. Adding FLEE decreased crude lipid levels and increased crude protein and ash. Among the three organic acids in the whole body of black rockfish, lactic acid was predominant, followed by citric acid and oxalic acid. Five free sugars were found in all groups. Fucose and glucose were the dominant free sugars in the FLEE-added group. The abundant fatty acids in the FLEE-added group were C16:0, C18:1-cis (n9), and C22:6n-3. The major amino acids in the samples were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine, leucine, alanine, lysine, and arginine. The abundant free amino acids in the FLEE-added group were taurine, glutamic acid, alanine, leucine, and arginine.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.189-198
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• 2020

Objectives : This study investigated the liver-protective effects of MJY2018, a Herbal formula, against alcoholic fatty liver disease and anti-oxidative effects. Methods : Its effects were investigated in an alcoholic fatty liver disease model in male C57BL/6 mice, which were fed Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing ethanol. MJY2018 (100 and 200 mg/kg bw/day) or silymarin (50 mg/kg bw/day) were orally administered daily in the alcoholic fatty liver disease mice for 16 days. Results : The results indicate that MJY2018 promotes hepatoprotection by significantly reducing aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels as indicators of liver damage in the serum. Furthermore, MJY2018 reduced accumulation of triglyceride and total cholesterol, increased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in the livers of the alcoholic fatty liver disease mice model. Additionally, it improved the serum alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity. Conclusions : These results indicate that MJY2018 were effective in improving and protecting oxidative stress and alcoholic liver disease.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.157-165
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• 2008

Cancer-preventive effects of ethanol extract of elm tree root (EEE) were investigated. In the in vitro cytotoxicity assay, colon cancer cells were incubated with a chloroform fraction of EEE (CF-EEE). CF-EEE significantly inhibited the proliferation of cells and induced apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner. For the assessment of chemopreventive efficacy in vivo, male F344 rats were fed with EEE (0.5 or 1%) in diet for 8 weeks, and were subcutaneously injected with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) to induce colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF). EEE (0.5 and 1%) significantly decreased both the numbers of AC (1191.1/colon) and ACF (529.3/colon) induced by DMH. In addition, in the Western blot analysis on the colonic mucosa, administration of EEE triggered expression of caspase-3, a key factor of an apoptotic cascade. These results suggest that extract of elm tree root may have potential chemopreventive principles that lead to apoptosis of cancer cells, and thereby suppress colorectal carcinogenesis during the initiation stage.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2007

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In our case study using animal models for disease states such as obesity or hypertension, we found that, Isaria sinclairii remarkably reduced body weight and ameliorated metabolic abnormalities in Zucker and SHR rats. Genetically obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats were one animal model chosen for this study. Four groups of rats received a standard diet and were treated orally with the following test samples daily for 8 weeks: saline (negative control), ethanol extracts of I. sinclairii, hot water extract of I. sinclairii, or $Xenical^{(R)}$ (30 mg/kg, positive control). Mild reductions (6.3%) in body weight gain were observed in the groups treated with the hot water extract of I. sinclairii compared to the control after 8 weeks. Interestingly, organ weight was greatly reduced by this Dongchunghacho (I. sinclairii), in parallel with the mild reductions in body weight gain and reductions in abdominal fat (adipose tissue). Also observed was a 4.1 % decrease in the ratio of heart weight/body weight compared to the control group. As a hypertensive animal model, SHR (spontaneously hypertensive rat) and WKY (Wistar Kyoto) rats were also administered these extracts for one month. Treatment with the hot water extract of I. sinclairii caused greater reductions in body weight gain for the SHR group (10.9%) compared to the WKY group's (5.2%). Based on these results, I. sinclairii extracts contain selective action for anti-obesity activity, naturally occurring candidate for regulation of body weight increase, as demonstrated in the present study.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.122-134
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• 2021

Recently, yogurt has been extensively studied to further enhance its functions using edible plant extracts. This study was conducted to investigate whether safflower petal (SP) as a natural food additive can be used to develop functional yogurt with improved health benefits. SPs were extracted with ethanol (SPE) and hot water (SPW), and then safflower yogurt was prepared by adding 0%-1.0% of those extracts to plain yogurt. With an increase in the fermentation duration, the pH of SPE and SPW yogurt samples was decreased, whereas titratable acidity and microbial counts were increased. The concentration of total polyphenols and total flavonoids, the activity of antioxidants, and the inhibitory effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) were higher in SPW yogurt than SPE yogurt. Furthermore, α-glucosidase and lipase activity inhibitory effects of SPW yogurt were higher than those of SPE yogurt. In particular, free radical-scavenging activities, ROS inhibitory effect, and α-glucosidase activity inhibitory effects were significantly increased in SPW yogurt in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, these results suggest that SP extract possesses antioxidant activities and that it can downregulate α-glucosidase and lipase activities. The SP extract may have potential benefits as a natural food additive for the development of functional yogurt.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.774-782
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• 2006

This study investigated the hepatoprotective effects of an ethanol extract of lotus root (LRE) on alcohol-induced liver damage in rat. Sprague-Dawley rae weighing $100{\sim}150g$, were divided into 6 groups: basal diet group (BD), alcohol (35% 10 mL/kg/day) teated stoup (ET), LRE 200 mg/kg/day teated group (BD-LREL). LRE 400 mg/kg/day treated group (BD-LREH), LRE 200 mg/kg/day and alcohol treated group (ET-LREL), and LRE 400 3mg/kg/day and alcohol teated group (ET-LREH). After the administration, rats were sacrificed to get serum and liver to analyze antioxidant enzyme activity, glutathione and lipid peroxide contents. The body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio were decreased by alcohol administration, however, were gradually increased to a little lower level than the basal diet group by the combined administration of alcohol and LRE. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), asparate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities that were elevated by alcohol were significantly decreased by LRE administration. It was also observed that thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content, xanthine oxidase (XO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in liver that were increased by alcohol, were markedly decreased in the combined alcohol and LRE administered groups as compared with the alcohol administrated group. These effect of LRE within the alcohol groups were in a dose-dependent manner. The glutathione (GSH) content in liver was decreased by alcohol administration, however, increased after administering LRE. Teken together, these result suggest that ethanol extract of lotus root may have a possible protective effect on liver function in hepatotoxicity-induced rat by alcohol administration.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.939-948
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• 2008

The effects of goat's beard (Aruncus dioicus var ramtschaticus Hara) ethanol extracts (AD) on the streptozotocin-induced diabetic symptoms and oxidative stress in rats were assessed. Experimental plots were divided into normal controls (NC), diabetes controls (DM), diet with 0.3% AD after diabetes induction (SA), and diet with 0.6% AD after diabetes induction (SB), then fed for 5 weeks. In the SA and SB groups as compared with the DM group, diabetic symptoms including weight loss, increase in feed and water intake, and enlargement of the liver and kidney were improved. The levels of blood glucose and serum fructosamine were reduced by $17.9{\sim}27.2%$ and $25.6{\sim}32.6%$, respectively. The activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and the levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol in the serum were reduced by $25.6{\sim}30.3$, $42.37{\sim}55.51$, $26.85{\sim}30.44$ and $37.29{\sim}39.11%$, respectively, whereas the level of HDL-cholesterol was increased by $37.29{\sim}39.11%$. Hepatic total (T) and O type (O) activities of xanthine oxidoreductase, O/T ratio(%) and level of lipid peroxide were significantly decreased, while the level of glutathione was increased, and also the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase were increased by $56.84{\sim}94.90%$ and $57.14{\sim}68.92%$, respectively. In the above results, it was noted that AD has an antidiabetic effect which alleviated hyperglycemia and the AD reduced and/or prevented the tissue damage caused by diabetes yia the inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating systems concurrent with an increase in ROS scavenging.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.196-204
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigate the in vivo and in vitro inhibitory effect of a traditional herbal complex (HC) extract prepared from a mixture of four oriental herbs (Dioscorea Rhizoma, Glycine soja Sieb. et Zucc, Bombycis corpus, Fermented Glycine soja) that have been widely used for the treatment and prevention of diabetes mellitus on hyperglycemia. The water extract of HC showed potent inhibitory effect on $\alpha$-glucosidase with $IC_{50}$ value of 1.24 mg/mL. Additionally, the ethanol extract of HC was also found to exhibit significant inhibitory effect against protein tyrosine phosphatase $1{\beta}$ ($PTP1{\beta}$), which is known as a major regulator of both insulin and leptin signaling. In the $PTP1{\beta}$ inhibitory assay, the most active n-hexane fraction obtained from the ethanol extract of HC, was identified as a mixture of fatty acid derivatives by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In high-fat diet-low dose streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat, the water extract of HC improved the oral glucose intolerance as compared with rosiglitazone. HC also caused a marked decrease of body weight and fasting blood glucose and a significant improvement on glucose tolerance in metabolic syndrome mice model. These findings support that this traditional HC may be useful in the control of blood glucose in diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.276-284
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• 2015

This study was designed to investigate the effect of garlic shoot extract administration on serum and liver tissue lipid levels in hyperlipidemic rats. The rats were fed a 45% high-fat diet to induce hyperlipidemia. They were then administered garlic shoot extract (50%) and ethanol extract (75%) at 200 mg/kg B.W./day (GSA-1, GSB-1) and 400 mg/kg B.W./day (GSA-2, GSB-2) for 5 weeks. The total lipid and triglyceride contents in serum were lowest in the GSB-2 group, and the total cholesterol content was significantly lower in the GSA-2 and GSB-2 groups than in the control group. The high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol content of the GSB-2 group was similar to that of the normal group. The low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol contents were significantly lower in the GSB-1 and GSB-2 group than in the control group. atherogenic index (AI) and cardiac risk factor (CRF) were lowest in the GSB-2 group (0.58 and 1.57, respectively). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were significantly higher in the control group than in the normal group, and the levels of AST, ALT, and ALP were significantly lower in the GSA-2 and GSB-2 groups than in the control group. The total lipid content in liver tissue was significantly lower in all the experimental groups compared to that of the control group, but it was not significantly different among the experimental groups. The total cholesterol and triglyceride content in liver tissue was lowest in the GSB-2 group. Antioxidant activity in serum and liver tissue was highest in the GSB-2 group (40.16% and 47.41%, respectively).The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) content in serum and liver tissue was lowest in the GSB-2 group, with the significant difference. Our results suggest that garlic shoot extracts may improve lipid metabolism in serum and liver tissue and potentially reduce hyperlipidemia.