• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.14-30
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• 2013

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate whether the effects of extract from Saengkankunbi-tang and its composition that Artimisiae capillaris Herba, Crataegi Fructus, Alismatis Rhizoma, Hoelen and Raphani Semen could protect HepG2 cells from palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity through lysosomal and mitochondrial pathways in an in vitro model. Methods : To examine the effects of the extracts from Saengkankunbi-tang and its composition that Artimisiae capillaris Herba, Crataegi Fructus, Alismatis Rhizoma, Hoelen and Raphani Semen on palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells, we measured the contents of cell viability, cytotoxicity. Then to investigate the effects of the extract from Saengkankunbi-tang, Artimisiae capillaris Herba and Raphani Semen, we measured that triglyceride, reactive oxygen species, ATP levels, glutathione levels, cytochrome c and cathepsin B. Results : The extracts from Saengkankunbi-tang and its composition had a cell-protective function. The extracts from Saengkankunbi-tang, Artimisiae capillaris Herba and Raphani Semen controlled triglyceride over-accumulation in cells and reduced overproduction of reactive oxygen species. The extracts from Saengkankunbi-tang and Raphani Semen increased ATP and glutathione levels which had been decreased by lipotoxicity. The extracts from Saengkankunbi-tang, Artimisiae capillaris Herba and Raphani Semen reduced leakage of cytochrome c and the extracts from Saengkankunbi-tang and Raphani Semen reduced leakage of cathepsin B in lipotoxicity. Conclusions : These results show that the extracts from Saengkankunbi-tang and its composition that Artimisiae capillaris Herba and Raphani Semen have cell protective effects on palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity through lysosomal and mitochondrial pathways.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2008

The results of recent studies indicate that high levels of free fatty acids(FFAs) and adipokines may be the main causes of non-alcoholic liver disease; however, the molecular mechanism that links FFAs to lipotoxicity remains unclear. In the present study, we treated HepG2 cells with FFA(either palmitate or oleate) to investigate the mechanisms involved in lipotoxicity in the liver cells. We also treated cells with palmitate in the presence of a chemical chaperone, 4-phenylbutyric acid(PBA), to confirm the involvement of ER stress in lipotoxicity. Palmitate significantly induced cytotoxicity in dose- and time-dependent manners. Apoptosis was also significantly induced by palmitate as measured by caspase-3 activity and DAPI staining. Palmitate led to increased expressions of the spliced form of X-box-protein(Xbp)-1 mRNA and C/EBP homologous transcription factor(CHOP) protein, suggesting activation of the unfolded-protein response. PBA co-incubation significantly attenuated apoptosis induced by palmitate. The above data demonstrate that high levels of palmitate induce apoptosis via the mediation of ER stress in the liver cells and that chemical chaperones act to modulate ER stress and accompanying apoptosis.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2011

Lipotoxicity involves pathological alterations to cells and tissues in response to elevated fat levels in blood. Furthermore, this process can disturb both cellular homeostasis and viability. In the current study, the authors show that neural progenitor cells (NPCs) are vulnerable to high levels of palmitic acid (PA) a saturated fatty acid. PA was found to cause cell death associated with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and to reduce NPCs proliferation. To evaluate the lipotoxicity of PA in adult NPCs in the hippocampus, male C57BL/6 mice were divided into two groups and maintained on either a normal diet (ND) or PA-rich high fat diet (HFD) for 2 weeks. Interestingly, short-term PA-rich HFD feeding reduced the survival of newly generated cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. These findings suggest PA has a potent lipotoxicity in NPCs and that a PA-rich HFD disrupts hippocampal neurogenesis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.572-582
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• 2023

Background: Free fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity is considered to play an important role in pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. The effect of ginsenosides on palmitic acid-induced pancreatic beta-cells cell death and failure of glucose-stimulated secretion of insulin (GSIS) was evaluated in this study. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit for a rat insulin was used to quantify glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Protein expression was examined by western blotting analysis. Nuclear condensation was measured by staining with Hoechst 33342 stain. Apoptotic cell death was assessed by staining with Annexin V. Oil Red O staining was used to measure lipid accumulation. Results: We screened ginsenosides to prevent palmitic acid-induced cell death and impairment of GSIS in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells and identified protopanaxadiol (PPD) as a potential therapeutic agent. The protection effect of PPD was likely due to a reduction in apoptosis and lipid accumulation. PPD attenuated the palmitic acid-induced increase in the levels of B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X/B-cell lymphoma 2, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and cleaved caspase-3. Moreover, PPD prevented palmitic acid-induced impairment of insulin secretion, which was accompanied by an increase in the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, insulin receptor substrate-2, serine-threonine kinase, and pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the protective effect of PPD on lipotoxicity and lipid accumulation induced by palmitic acid in pancreatic β-cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.221-230
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• 2023

Diabetic kidney disease is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. Although diabetic kidney disease can be effectively controlled through strict blood glucose management and corresponding symptomatic treatment, these therapies cannot reduce its incidence in diabetic patients. The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and the traditional Chinese herb "Gegen" have been widely used in diabetes-related therapy. However, it remains unclear whether the combined use of these two kinds of medicines contributes to an increased curative effect on diabetic kidney disease. In this study, we examined this issue by evaluating the efficacy of the combination of puerarin, an active ingredient of Gegen, and canagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor for a 12-week intervention using a mouse model of diabetes. The results indicated that the combination of puerarin and canagliflozin was superior to canagliflozin alone in improving the metabolic and renal function parameters of diabetic mice. Our findings suggested that the renoprotective effect of combined puerarin and canagliflozin in diabetic mice was achieved by reducing renal lipid accumulation. This study provides a new strategy for the clinical prevention and treatment of diabetic kidney disease. The puerarin and SGLT2 inhibitor combination therapy at the initial stage of diabetes may effectively delay the occurrence of diabetic kidney injury, and significantly alleviate the burden of renal lipotoxicity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1509-1515
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• 2013

The term lipotoxicity has been used to describe how excess lipid accumulation leads to cellular dysfunction and death in non-adipose tissues, including skeletal muscle. While lipotoxicity has been found in cultured skeletal muscle cells with high-fat feeding, the consequences of lipotoxicity in vivo are still unknown, particularly in Type-I muscle, which is metabolically affected by lipotoxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a high-fat diet on changes in the morphology and apoptotic protein expression of Type-I muscle loss in rats. The rats were fed either a high-fat diet or a normal diet for six weeks, and then lipid accumulation, inflammation response, and nucleus infiltration were measured, and PARP protein expression was cleaved by Oil Red O staining, H & E staining, and Western blot, respectively. Lipid accumulation, inflammation response, nucleus infiltration, and cleaved PARP protein expression were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the high-fat diet group than they were in the normal diet group. The weight of Type-I muscle tended to be lower in the high-fat diet group compared to the normal diet group, but the difference was not statistically significant. These results indicate that a high-fat diet triggers cell death in Type-I muscle via lipotoxicity, which suggests that a high-fat diet may be associated with sarcopenia.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.411-416
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• 2013

This study aimed to examine the mechanisms underlying the effects of Garcinia cambogia extract on the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and long-chain saturated fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity of HepG2 cells. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, mouse embryonic fibroblast-adipose like cell line, were treated with MDI solution (0.5 mM IBMX, 1 ${\mu}M$ dexamethasone, 10 ${\mu}g/mL$ insulin) to generate a cellular model of adipocyte differentiation. Using this cellular model, the anti-obesity effect of Garcinia cambogia extract was evaluated. MDI-induced lipid accumulation and expression of adipogenesis-related genes were detected by Oil red O staining, Nile Red staining, and Western blot analysis. Effects Garcinia cambogia extract on palmitate-induced lipotoxicity was also analyzed by MTT assay, LDH release, and DAPI staining in HepG2 cells. Garcinia cambogia extract significantly suppressed the adipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes and intracellular lipid accumulation in the differentiating adipocytes. Garcinia cambogia extract also markedly inhibited the expression of peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor ${\gamma}2$ ($PPAR{\gamma}2$), CCAT/enhancer-binding protein ${\alpha}$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$), and adipocyte protein aP2 (aP2). In addition, Garcinia cambogia extract significantly attenuated palmitate-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells. Palmitateinduced cellular damage and reactive aldehydes were also significantly reduced in the presence of Garcinia cambogia extract. These findings suggest that the Garcinia cambogia extract inhibits the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, probably by regulating the expression of multiple genes associated with adipogenesis such as $PPAR{\gamma}2$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$, aP2, and thereby modulating fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity to reduce cellular injury in hepatocytes.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.257-269
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• 2009

Objective : Obesity is an important cause of diabetes, and lipotoxicity causes insulin resistance. Recently a lot of research is being done on PPAR-${\alpha}$. TNF-${\alpha}$. adiponectin, and leptin, which are important obesity related factors. In this study, we investigated the effects of Supungsunki-hwan on high fat. high carbohydrate diet-induced obese type 2 diabetic mouse models. Methods: Diabetes was induced in ICR male mouse (30${\pm}$5g) with Surwit's high fat, high sucrose diet. Mice were divided into 4 groups(n=10) of Normal. Control. Supungsunkj-hwan group. and acarbose group. The Supungsunki-hwsn group was given 10% Supungsunkj-hwan in their diet. and the acarbose group was given 0.5% acarbose in their diet. After 6 weeks. body weight. food intake, FBS and OGTT. lipid profile and liver enzymes, epididymal fat weight, and gene expression of leptin, adiponectin, TNF-${\alpha}$ and PPAR-${\alpha}$ were measured. Leptin. adiponectin. tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-${\alpha}$ and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-${\alpha}$ were evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results : Supungsunkj-hwan increased the gene expression of PPAR-${\alpha}$, which reduces lipotoxicity and insulin resistance. Supungsunkj-hwan also significantly reduced triglyceride. AST. ALT serum levels. and 1 hour oral glucose tolerance levels. Conclusion : These results show that Supungsunkj-hwan improves insulin resistance in the liver and muscles, by reducing triglyceride levels and lipotoxicity through increased PPAR-${\alpha}$ gene expression. This is supported by the fact that Supungsunkj-hwan significantly reduces 1 hour oral glucose tolerance levels. Therefore we suggest that Supungsunkj-hwan would be an effective treatment for obese type 2 diabetic patients.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2017

The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance is growing rapidly. Multiple organs including the liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue control insulin sensitivity coordinately, but the mechanism of skeletal muscle insulin resistance has not yet been fully elucidated. However, there is a growing body of evidence that lipotoxicity induced by mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle is an important mediator of insulin resistance. However, some recent findings suggest that skeletal mitochondrial dysfunction generated by genetic manipulation is not always correlated with insulin resistance in animal models. A high fat diet can provoke insulin resistance despite a coordinate increase in skeletal muscle mitochondria, which implies that mitochondrial dysfunction is not mandatory in insulin resistance. Furthermore, incomplete fatty acid oxidation by excessive nutrition supply compared to mitochondrial demand can induce insulin resistance without preceding impairment of mitochondrial function. Taken together we suggested that skeletal muscle mitochondrial overloading, not mitochondrial dysfunction, plays a pivotal role in insulin resistance.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.66-75
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• 2020

Saturated fatty acids contribute to β-cell dysfunction in the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cellular responses to lipotoxicity include oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and blockage of autophagy. Palmitate induces ER Ca²⁺ depletion followed by notable store-operated Ca²⁺ entry. Subsequent elevation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ can activate undesirable signaling pathways culminating in cell death. Mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter (MCU) is the major route for Ca²⁺ uptake into the matrix and couples metabolism with insulin secretion. However, it has been unclear whether mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake plays a protective role or contributes to lipotoxicity. Here, we observed palmitate upregulated MCU protein expression in a mouse clonal β-cell, MIN6, under normal glucose, but not high glucose medium. Palmitate elevated baseline cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) and reduced depolarization-triggered Ca²⁺ influx likely due to the inactivation of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels (VGCCs). Targeted reduction of MCU expression using RNA interference abolished mitochondrial superoxide production but exacerbated palmitate-induced [Ca²⁺]_i overload. Consequently, MCU knockdown aggravated blockage of autophagic degradation. In contrast, co-treatment with verapamil, a VGCC inhibitor, prevented palmitate-induced basal [Ca²⁺]_i elevation and defective [Ca²⁺]_i transients. Extracellular Ca²⁺ chelation as well as VGCC inhibitors effectively rescued autophagy defects and cytotoxicity. These observations suggest enhanced mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake via MCU upregulation is a mechanism by which pancreatic β-cells are able to alleviate cytosolic Ca²⁺ overload and its detrimental consequences.