• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2014

Objectives This study was performed to evaluate the effects of fermented lotus extracts on prediabetes and hyperlipidemia in high fructose diet rats. Methods Extracts of lotus leaf and lotus root were fermented using 4 different probiotics separately, including Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium longum. Expressions of adipogenic transcription factors including Adiponectin, GLUT-4, Leptin, PPAR gamma, Resistin and Visfatin were analyzed by Real time PCR and Western blotting analysis. Results Fermented lotus extracts reduced blood glucose. Fermented lotus extracts inhibited adipogenic transcription factors by inhibiting preadipocytes differentiation. The level of gene expression of Adiponectin, GLUT-4, Leptin, PPAR gamma, Resistin and Visfatin in relation to that of GAPDH were increase or decrease significantly with the Fermented lotus formulation group. Conclusions Fermented lotus extracts showed hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects by inhibiting preadipocyte differentiation and controlling insulin sensitivity in high fructose diet rats.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.319-327
• /
• 2006

This study aimed to determine whether troglitazone stimulates genes related to fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation, leading to modulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) metabolism in high fat diet-fed mice. Female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into two groups (n=10/group). After they received either a high fat diet or the same high fat diet supplemented with troglitazone for 4 weeks, the effects of troglitazone on gene expression and physiology of WAT were measured using Northern, histological and serological analyses. Administration of troglitazone induced the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial and peroxisomal fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation in mesenteric WAT. Troglitazone also significantly increased uncoupling protein 2 mRNA levels. The changes in WAT gene expression were accompanied by reductions in circulating levels of free fatty acids and triglycerides as well as glucose and insulin. Histological studies showed that troglitazone treatment decreased the average size of adipocytes in mesenteric WAT. These results suggest that troglitazone-stimulated WAT expression of genes associated with fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation regulates WAT metabolism of high fat diet-fed mice, contributing to improvement of insulin sensitivity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.309-313
• /
• 2008

The insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) has been investigated as a candidate gene for growth promoting effects in beef cattle and a modulator of IGF bioactivity. Previously, we have reported twenty two sequence variants discovered in Korean native cattle (Hanwoo). In this study, we examined the association between gene-specific polymorphisms of IGFBP3 and cold carcass weight (CW) and marbling score (MS) among Korean native cattle. Among twenty two polymorphisms, four common polymorphic sites (-854G>C, -100G>A, +421G>T and +3863C>A) were genotyped in our beef cattle (n = 437). Statistical analysis revealed that one common polymorphism in the promoter region (-854G>C) showed putative associations with MS (p = 0.03). IGFBP3 variation/haplotype information analyzed in this study will provide valuable information into strategies for the production of a commercial line of beef cattle.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.579-590
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of Ephedra sinica pharmacopuncture on the weight and lipid metabolism of obese mice.Methods: Obesity was induced in male C57BL/6 mice by a 60% fat diet. The animals were divided into three groups (n=5) fed a normal diet, high-fat diet, and high-fat diet with Ephedra sinica pharmacopuncture. After 13 wk, fasting blood sugar levels were measured in each group, and oral glucose tolerance tests were conducted. After 15 wk, body weight, epididymal fat pad weight, subcutaneous fat pad weight, and serum lipid and gene expression of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), perilipin, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ were measured in each group.Results: In the Ephedra group, body weight, fasting blood sugar, and oral glucose tolerance were significantly decreased. In addition, in the Ephedra group, the gene expression of HSL was significantly increased, whereas that of perilipin was significantly decreased.Conclusions: These results provide evidence that E. sinicapharmacopuncture affects obesity and obesity-induced metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, by activating lipolysis via the HSL pathway in adipose tissue.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.568-575
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of extract mixture of C. wilfordii and P. umbrosa (IPLUS-CWPU) on bone growth in 4-week old young male SD rats. To confirm the effect of IPLUS-CWPU, we measured the length of bone growth plate, the ratio of proliferative zone to the length of growth plate and the expression level of insulin-like growth factor, IGF-1. The IPLUS-CWPU treatment shows a significant increase of tibial and femoral growth plate and the ratio of proliferative zone in growth plate. Especially, the length increased by 13.9% and 25.3% in the tibia and femur, respectively, in the high-dose group compared to the normal group. Moreover, the expression of IGF-1 gene in liver was upregulated in IPLUS-CWPU treated groups. These results indicated that IPLUS-CWPU administration could increase the proliferative zone of bone growth plate in early developmental stage by upregulation of IGF-1 gene.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.123-132
• /
• 2017

Insulin signaling is coordinated by insulin receptor substrates (IRSs). Many insulin responses, especially for blood glucose metabolism, are mediated primarily through Irs-1 and Irs-2. Irs-1 knockout mice show growth retardation and insulin signaling defects, which can be compensated by other IRSs in vivo; however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. Here, we presented an Irs-1 truncated mutated mouse ($Irs-1^{-/-}$) with growth retardation and subcutaneous adipocyte atrophy. $Irs-1^{-/-}$ mice exhibited mild insulin resistance, as demonstrated by the insulin tolerance test. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity and phosphorylated Protein Kinase B (PKB/AKT) expression were elevated in liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipocytes in Irs-1 deficiency. In addition, the expression of IRS-2 and its phosphorylated version were clearly elevated in liver and skeletal muscle. With miRNA microarray analysis, we found miR-33 was down-regulated in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) of $Irs-1^{-/-}$ mice, while its target gene Irs-2 was up-regulated in vitro studies. In addition, miR-33 was down-regulated in the presence of Irs-1 and which was up-regulated in fasting status. What's more, miR-33 restored its expression in re-feeding status. Meanwhile, miR-33 levels decreased and Irs-2 levels increased in liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipocytes of $Irs-1^{-/-}$ mice. In primary cultured liver cells transfected with an miR-33 inhibitor, the expression of IRS-2, PI3K, and phosphorylated-AKT (p-AKT) increased while the opposite results were observed in the presence of an miR-33 mimic. Therefore, decreased miR-33 levels can up-regulate IRS-2 expression, which appears to compensate for the defects of the insulin signaling pathway in Irs-1 deficient mice.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.481-494
• /
• 2009

Background : Radix Sophora Flavescentis (SF) is used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in Traditional Korean Medicine. However, little is known about the effects of Radix Sophora Flavescentis extract (SFE) on the hypoglycemic mechanism. Objective : We performed a series of experiments to verify the effects of SFE on the proliferation of RIN-m5F, the secretion and synthetic processes of insulin with glucose stimulation and inhibition of $\alpha$-glucosidase. Methods : Various amounts of SFE were added to the RIN-m5F cell culture to identify the effects on the cell proliferation, total amounts of insulin secretion, and related gene expression at the molecular level. Also to identify the inhibitory effect on the $\alpha$-glucosidase activities, ${\rho}NPG$ assay was done with various SFE concentrations followed by comparison with control. Results : SFE did not show considerable effects on RIN-m5F cells proliferation, insulin secretion or insulin mRNA expression, whichever phenomena did not depend on the glucose concentration. However, SFE significantly inhibited $\alpha$-glucosidase activity in a dose dependent manner compared to control. Conclusions : This study showed that SFE has potent $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Thus, SF may by used for the improvement of overall glycemic control. Further mechanism studies on the lipid toxicity and oxidation stress of SF seem to be necessary.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.53-60
• /
• 2017

Objectives: Beakdugu-tang (BDGT) consists of three medicinal herbs, and this prescription has long been used in treatment of various digestant problem in Korea. In this study, we designed to clarify mechanisms by which Korean traditional digestive medicine, BDGT, may exert anti-hepatic steatosis effects via improved insulin resistance cell model in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and monocyte (THP-1). Materials and methods: The preparation of BDGT and constituents were extracted with 70% ethanol. HepG2 and THP-1 were treated with different concentrations of BDGT and constituents in the presence and absence of stimulants such as free fatty acids (FFAs) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), respectively. Results: The BDGT and its constituents inhibited the FFAs-stimulated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. Ethanol extracts of Amomum cardamomum (ACE) improved the ox-LDL induced insulin resistance in THP-1 cells. Also, treatment of monocytic cells with ACE increased anti-hepatic steatosis related gene levels including ABCA, ABCG and SR-B1. Conclusion: The results suggest that the ethanol extract of BDGT and its constituents potently inhibit the FFAs- and ox-LDL induced liver steatosis via improved insulin resistance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.1542-1547
• /
• 2005

The Melanocortin-4 Receptor (MC4R) and Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) are two important candidate genes related to fat deposition and carcass traits. MC4R was found on study on human obesity and then was studied as candidate gene affecting food intake and fat deposition traits in mice and pigs. Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) gene plays an important role on tumor cell proliferation and muscle growth. It also affects fat traits and live weight in pigs. In this paper, MC4R and IGF2 were studied as two candidate genes associated with important economic traits such as fat deposition and carcass traits in five different pig populations. Taq I-PCR-RFLP and Bcn I-PCR-RFLP were respectively used to detect the polymorphism of genotypes of MC4R and IGF2 genes. Different MC4R genotype frequencies were observed in four populations. IGF2 genotype frequencies were also different in two populations. The results of association analysis show both MC4R and IGF2 genes were significantly associated with fat deposition and carcass traits in about 300 pigs. This work will add new evidence of MC4R and IGF2 affecting fat deposition and carcass traits in pigs and show that two genes can be used as important candidate genes for marker assistant selection (MAS) of growth and lean meat percentage in pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.12
• /
• pp.1759-1767
• /
• 2012

This study was performed to determine the effects of dietary fat sources, i.e., beef tallow, soybean oil, olive oil and coconut oil (each 3% in feed), on the growth performance, meat quality and gene expression in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 72 crossbred pigs (Landrace${\times}$Large White${\times}$Duroc) were used at $71{\pm}1$ kg body weight (about 130 d of age) in 24 pens ($320{\times}150$ cm) in a confined pig house (three pigs per pen) with six replicate pens per treatment. The growing diet was given for periods of $14{\pm}3$ d and the finishing diet was given for periods of $28{\pm}3$ d. The fat type had no significant effect either on growth performance or on chemical composition or on meat quality in growing-finishing pigs. Dietary fat type affected fatty acid composition, with higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in the olive oil group. Microarray analysis in the Longissimus dorsi identified 6 genes, related to insulin signaling pathway, that were differentially expressed among the different feed groups. Real time-PCR was conducted on the six genes in the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM). In particular, the genes encoding the protein kinase, cAMP-dependent, regulatory, type II, alpha (PRKAR2A) and the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 1, beta isoform (PPP1CB) showed the highest expression level in the olive oil group (respectively, p<0.05, p<0.001). The results of this study indicate that the type of dietary fat affects fatty acid composition and insulin signaling-related gene expression in the LM of pigs.