• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.998-1007
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) extract on the inflammation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and blood lipid improvement in hypercholesterolemic mice fed a high cholesterol diet. The lettuce extract (100% ethanol extract) inhibited the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in HUVEC treated with tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$). The lettuce extract suppressed the adhesion of THP-1 to TNF-${\alpha}$-treated HUVEC. The lettuce extract decreased the TNF-${\alpha}$-stimulated production of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein 1. In hypercholesterolemic mice, the lettuce extract reduced serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, while the lettuce extract elevated high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, resulting in the decrease of atherogenic index and cardiac risk factor level. These results suggested that lettuce extract can be an useful resource to show an anti-inflammatory effect and improve lipid metabolism.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.957-962
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• 2012

The principal objective of this study was to determine the effects of an ethanol extract of Polygonum multiflorum Thunberg (PMT) on body lipid metabolism in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet for 5 weeks. The rats were divided into 6 groups: a control group (I), a cholesterol-control group (II), a control group treated with 0.5% PMT (III), a control group treated with 1% PMT (IV), a cholesterol-control treated with 0.5% PMT (V), and a cholesterol-control group treated with 1% PMT (VI). Body weight gains and food efficiency ratios were not significantly different among the groups. The levels of serum blood glucose and triglycerides of the treated animals significantly decreased compared to the control and the cholesterol-control groups (p<0.05). There was a clear tendency of decreased LDL-cholesterol level in PMT-treated animals compared to the cholesterol-control group. However, no significant differences were observed in the serum HDL- and LDL-cholesterol levels. In the ratio of HDL-cholesterol to total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol to LDL-cholesterol concentration, both the 0.5% PMT and 1% PTM extract intake groups had a higher percentage than in the control and cholesterol-control groups (p<0.05). In addition, the atherosclerotic index in serum was significantly lower in the PMT intake group than those in the group control and the cholesterol-control. These results indicated that the PMT extract was effective on the improvement of lipid metabolism in SD rats.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.701-710
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• 2008

The wild simulated ginseng (WSG) has been effectively used in folk medicine as a remedy against hepatic disease, hypertension and arthritic disease. However, there is still lack of scientific proof about its antioxidant capability. The present study has been conducted to evaluate the protective role of the WSG ethanol extract in the CCl4-induced oxidative stress and resultant hepatic disfunction in ICR mice. The electron donating abilities and IC50 of WSG etnanol extract were 76.86 ${\pm}$ 1.06% and 33.3 ${\mu}g$/mL (that of ascobic acid was 16.5 ${\mu}g$/mL), respectively. Total antioxidant status of WSG extract was 2.13 ${\pm}$ 0.06 mmoL/mg, while the values of ascorbic acid and BHT were 3.63 ${\pm}$ 0.06 and 3.12 ${\pm}$ 0.02, respectively. ICR mice (aged 3weeks) were fed for 4 weeks on AIN-93M diet and had free access to food and water. The animals were divided into three groups: normal group (intraperitoneally (i.p) injected with PBS at 100 ${\mu}L$/mouse), group C; CCl4-induced and without any treatment. (i.p injected only PBS, 100 ${\mu}L$ /mice), group G; CCl4-induced and treated with WSG (i.p injected with 5 mg WSG extract per mouse, suspended in 100 ${\mu}L$ phosphate buffer). After the i.p. injection of WSG or PBS (5 times for 7weeks), all mice were administered CCl4 in olive oil at the last day of the experiment, except for normal group. The normal group was administered only olive oil. Determination of plasma triglyceride, total cholersterol, fasting glucose and GPT activity was performed using automatic blood analyzer. To evaluate the protective effect against the oxidative stress, DNA fragmentation and TBARS were determined in blood leucocytes and RBC and hepatocyte, respectively. Body and organs weights and food intake did not show significant differences among the groups. Blood total cholesterol of group G was similar to that of normal group, which was the lowest in group C. The fasting blood glucose level was the highest in normal group (205.20 ${\pm}$ 135.24), which were decreased in group C (134.2 ${\pm}$ 79.31) and group G (126.48 ${\pm}$ 77.05). TBARS values in a red blood cell and hepatic tisuue homogenate were lower in group G comparing to the group C. DNA% in tail, tail length (TL) and tail moment (TM) of blood leucoocytes showed the highest values in group C (20.11 ${\pm}$ 2.47, 17.36 ${\pm}$ 2.58, 94.11 ${\pm}$ 12.29) and they were significantly diminished in group G (9.63 ${\pm}$ 1.19, 7.04 ${\pm}$ 1.50, 38.64 ${\pm}$ 7.60). In conclusion, wild simulated ginseng might be a protective agent against the oxidative stress.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2009

This study was performed using animals to confirm the effect of tourmaline-ionized water (TIW) the properties of which were changed by tourmaline energy and electric discharge. In the ICR mice fed high-fat diet, body weight increasing rate of the TIW-treated group (Exp) was generally decreased and moreover exhibited significance at 11th week (P<0.05) compared with the control (Con) group fed distilled water, although water intake of the Exp group was lower than that of the Con group. In the ICR mice with $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity, AST and ALT activities of the Exp group were not significant but showed some decreasing trend, and histological damage of liver was less compared with thatof the Con group. On the study of ethanol-induced hangovers in Sprague-Dawley rat, blood alcohol concentration was significantly decreased (P<0.01), activity of GST, antioxidant enzyme related to the alcohol metabolism, was increased in liver tissue (P<0.05), and AST and ALT show a tendency to be decreasedin the Exp group. These results suggest that drinking TIWhas not only some obesity preventing effect but also an alcohol detoxification effect and liver protecting effect in vivo. It is supposed due to a structural change of water cluster and a property which maintains the changed structure through tourmaline energy and electric discharge. Therefore, TIW has a potentiality to be developed as functional water with several beneficial effects as well as for daily drinking, but further study on the mechanism related with efficacy will be necessary.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.86-91
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• 2011

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with lutein-containing materials on meat quality and lutein accumulation in broiler tissue. Broilers were subjected to one of the following treatments: C, basal diet (BD); T1, BD + 2.223% lutein from spinach extracted by ethanol fermentation; T2, BD + 2% radish green powder; T3, BD + 0.61% spinach powder; and T4, BD + 1.83% spinach powder. The weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion did not differ among treatments. An evaluation of the color of the chicken breast meat revealed that the CIE $L^*$ value of the control was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that of the other treatments, whereas T4 had a significantly (p<0.05) lower CIE $a^*$ value and a higher (p<0.05) CIE $b^*$ value than the other treatments. The lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid reaction substances, TBARS) value was not significant among treatments. The results of a high performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that the lutein peak was present only in the T4 liver tissue. These results showed that spinach powder (T4) affected meat color (CIE $a^*$ and $b^*$) however, TBARS and lutein accumulation were not affected.