• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.58-61
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• 1998

Eurycoma longifolia Jack was evaluated for aphrodisiac property on sexually naive male mice using the electrical copulation cage. Optimum condition was provided for this study and the male mice were treated with 500 mg/kg of either chloroform, methanol, water or n-butanol fractions from E. longifolia Jack. However, the mice in the yohimbine and control groups received 30 mg/kg and 3 ml/kg of yohimbine and normal saline respectively. The male mice were then conditioned to seek either an estrous female, sexually vigorous male or no mouse, a measurement of right, wrong or no choice respectively. Besides this, hesitation time which was the time spent before the sexually naive male mice crossed the electrical grid (maintained at 0.12 mA) was also determined. Results showed that E. longifolia Jack possesses aphrodisiac property on the sexually naive male mice as shown by the slow and transient reduction in hesitation time and also a similar manner in the increase in the % of sexually naive male mice scoring right choice throughout the investigation period. Hence, this further supports the folkuse of this plant as aphrodisiac.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2007

Obesity is defined as increased mass of adipose tissue, conferring a higher risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and coronary heart disease. To get a better understanding of the role of a male sex hormone testosterone on obesity, we thus measured the effects of testosterone on white adipose tissue (WAT) mass, adipocyte histology and hepatic lipid accumulation in male castrated (CAST) C57BL/6J mice. Compared to male CAST control mice, testosterone-treated mice had the decreased WAT mass and the increased the number of adipocytes. Especially, histological data showed that the adipocyte size was reduced in a dose-dependent manner and was most effective at dose 150 $\mu$g per mouse for testosterone. In addition, the administration of testosterone resulted in the inhibition of hepatic lipid accumulation compared with control mice. Our results suggest that testosterone regulates adipocytes development and hepatic lipid metabolism, resulting in the prevention of obesity in male CAST mice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.451-454
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• 2004

A total of forty male mice (32∼33 g average initial body weight) were used in a 10-d growth study to evaluate the effects of dietary yeast hydrolysate SCP-20 on reproductive function in male mice. Dietary treatments included 1) CON (basal diet) and 2) TRT (CON diet +1.5% yeast hydrolysate SCP-20). Testis weight of male mice fed TRT diets was higher than that of male mice fed CON diet (p<0.05). Also VSL was significantly (p<0.05) increased in male mice fed TRT diet compared to that in male mice fed CON diet. Male mice fed TRT diet showed significant (p<0.05) improvement in VAP (average-path velocity) and LIN (linearity) compared to male mice fed CON diet. Also, velocity of epididymal sperm of male mice fed TRT diets was higher than that of male mice fed CON diet (P<0.05). In conclusion, the results obtained from this trial suggests that the dietary yeast hydrolysate SCP-20 was an effective means of improving sperm velocity in male mice.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2013

Lipid metabolism in mature male mice may be different from immature male mice, but the relationship of lipid metabolism, especially n-6 fatty acid metabolism, and sexual maturation is not clearly established. This study was carried out to elucidate whether sexual maturation may affect the metabolism of functional n-6 fatty acids of lipid components by investigating the composition of fatty acids in the longissimus muscle tissues of mature and immature male mice with GC and analyzing the expression of genes and proteins for synthesis of n-6 fatty acids with real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. Mature male mice showed significantly higher testosterone level in the sera. Similarly, n-6 fatty acids, levels of linoleic acid (LA 18:2n-6) and total n-6 PUFA (Polyunsaturated fatty acids) were increased, but the levels of ${\gamma}$-linolenic acid (GLA; 18:3n-6), dihomo-${\gamma}$-linolenic acid (DGLA; 20:3n-6) and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4 n-6) were decreased in the mature male mice. mRNA levels of ${\Delta}5$-desaturase (FASD1) and elongase (ELOVL5) genes related to n-6 fatty acid metabolism increased. However, the level of FADS1 protein only increased in mature male mice. In conclusion, this study suggested that sexual maturation of male mice affected n-6 fatty acid metabolism by stimulating the expression of enzyme FADS1 of n-6 PUFA metabolism.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2002

Effects of ($\pm$)-camphor on liver cytochrome P450 enzymes were investigated in male ICR mice. Mice were treated intraperitoneally with 0, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of ($\pm$)-camphor in corn oil for 3 consecutive days. Twenty four hr after the final treatment, the animals were subjected to necropsy. The activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase and serum alanine aminotransferase were slightly changed by the treatment with ($\pm$)-camphor at the doses used. Administration of ($\pm$)-camphor to mice significantly induced the hepatic activities of pentoxyresorufin O-depentylase and benzyloxyresorufin O-debenzylase and weakly induced ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase in dose-dependent manners. The present results suggested that ($\pm$)-camphor might act as a relatively specific inducer of hepatic cytochrome P450 2B in male ICR mice.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.358-363
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• 2011

Background: Traditionally, interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$) was regarded as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, however, recent reports suggested role of IFN-${\gamma}$ in immune tolerance. In our previous report, we could induce tolerance to male antigen (HY) just by male islet transplantation in wild type C57BL/6 mice without any immunological intervention. We tried to investigate the influence of IFN-${\gamma}$ deficiency on tolerance induction by male islet transplantation. Methods: To examine the immunogenicity of male tissue in the absence of IFN-${\gamma}$, we transplanted male IFN-${\gamma}$ knock-out (KO) skin to female IFN-${\gamma}$ KO mice. Next, we analyzed male IFN-${\gamma}$ KO islet to streptozotocin-induced diabetic female IFN-${\gamma}$ KO mice. And, we checked the functionality of grafted islet by graft removal and insulin staining. Results: As our previous results in wild type C57BL/6 mice, female IFN-${\gamma}$ KO mice rejected male IFN-${\gamma}$ KO skin within 29 days, and did not reject male IFN-${\gamma}$ KO islet. The maintenance of normal blood glucose level was dependent on the presence of grafted male islet. And the male islet recipient did not reject 2nd challenge of male islet graft also. Conclusion: Deficiency of IFN-${\gamma}$ does not have influence on the result of male skin graft and male islet transplantation. Conclusively, male islet transplantation induced T cell tolerance is not dependent on the presence of IFN-${\gamma}$.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.147-157
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• 2009

This study was conducted to obtain acute information of the oral dose toxicity of lyophilized water extract of Pinelliae Rhizoma, a dried tuber of Pinellia ternata (PR) in male and female mice. In order to calculated 50% lethal dose (LD$_{50}$) and approximate lethal dose (ALD), test material was once orally administered to male and female ICR mice at dose levels of 2000, 1000, 500, 250, 125 and 0 (vehicle control) ml/kg (body weight). The mortality and changes in body weight, clinical signs, gross observation, organ weight and histopathology of principle organs were monitored 14 days after treatment with PR extract. We could not find any mortalities, clinical signs, changes in the body and organ weights, gross and histopathological findings except for dose-dependent increases in the hepatic fatty change frequencies detected in PR extract 2000 and 1000mg/kg treated in both male and female mice. The results obtained in this study suggest that LD$_{50}$ and approximate LD in mice after single oral dose of PR extracts were considered over 2000 mg/kg in both and female male mice, but more than 1000mg/kg of PR extracts treatment could induce slight hepatotoxicity the fatty changes in mice.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2013

Animals show a sexual dimorphism in metabolic responses. We investigated to verify whether the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\alpha}$ ($PPAR{\alpha}$) agonist fenofibrate regulates obesity and skeletal muscle lipid metabolism with sexual dimorphism and to determine the changes in skeletal muscle expression of $PPAR{\alpha}$ target genes. After both sexes of C57BL/6J mice received a high fat diet with or without fenofibrate for 7 weeks, we examined the effects of fenofibrate on not only body weight, adipose tissue mass, and skeletal muscle lipid accumulation, but also the mRNA expression of $PPAR{\alpha}$-related genes in skeletal muscle. Male mice given a fenofibrate-supplemented high fat diet showed decreased body weight gain and adipose tissue mass compared with mice fed a high fat diet alone, whereas fenofibrate did not reduce them in high fat diet-fed female mice. Lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle was inhibited by fenofibrate in male mice, but not in female mice. Gene expression analysis revealed that fenofibrate increased the mRNA levels of $PPAR{\alpha}$ target enzymes only in male mice. Therefore, our results suggest that sex-dependence differences in obesity and intramuscular lipid levels under fenofibrate treatment could be due in part to the differences in skeletal muscle $PPAR{\alpha}$ activation between male and female mice.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.12-22
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• 1997

Intravenous and oral acute toxicity tests in ICR mice and SD rats and percutaneous acute toxicity tests in SD rats and NZW rabbits were conducted to evaluate the toxicity of DA-5018 and DA-5018 cream, respectively Clinical signs observed in mice and rats after the administration of DA-5018 were similar regardless of administration route. The observed clinical signs were jumping, wild running, lacrimation, ataxia, reddening of extremities and ears, ventral or lateral recumbency, respiratory distress, cyanosis, convulsion and death. Pulmonary enlargement and hemorrhage were observed in the animals died immediately after the dosing of DA-5018. At terminal necropsy, pulmonary enlargement and hemorrhage, corneal opacity and focal scabbing and depilation around nose were seen. LD$_{50}$ Values of DA-5018 are 11.5 mg/kg (mice, male), 12.6 mg/kg (mice, female), 88.3 mg/kg (rat, male) and 73.2 mg/kg (rat, female) in oral toxicity tests and 11.0 mg/kg (mice, male), 18.7 mg/kg (mice, female), 0.12 mg/kg (rat, male) and 0.32 mg/kg (rat, female) in i.v. toxicity tests. In the percutaneous acute toxicity tests of DA-5018 cream, no deaths occured in all the tested groups during 14-day observation period. There were also no abnormalities in the general conditions, body weight changes and on necropsy findings in all groups. LD$_{50}$ values of 0.1 ~0.9% DA-5018 creams in male and female rats and rabbits are >2000 mg/kg./kg.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6225-6229
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• 2015

Faecal pH and cholate are two important factors that can affect colon tumorigenesis, and can be modified by diet. In this study, the effects of two Chinese traditional cooking oils (pork oil and canola/rapeseed oil) on the pH and the cholic acid content in feces, in addition to colon tumorigenesis, were studied in mice. Kunming mice were randomized into various groups; negative control group (NCG), azoxymethane control group (ACG), pork oil group (POG), and canola oil Ggroup (COG). Mice in the ACG were fed a basic rodent chow; mice in POG and COG were given 10% cooking oil rodent chow with the respective oil type. All mice were given four weekly AOM (azoxymethane) i.p. injections (10mg/kg). The pH and cholic acid of the feces were examined every two weeks. Colon tumors, aberrant crypt foci and organ weights were examined 32 weeks following the final AOM injection. The results showed that canola oil significantly decreased faecal pH in female mice (P<0.05), but had no influence on feces pH in male mice (P>0.05). Pork oil significantly increased the feces pH in both male and female mice (P<0.05). No significant change was found in feces cholic acid content when mice were fed 10% pork oil or canola oil compared with the ACG. Although Kunming mice were not susceptible to AOM-induced tumorigenesis in terms of colon tumor incidence, pork oil significantly increased the ACF number in male mice. Canola oil showed no influence on ACF in either male or female mice. Our results indicate that cooking oil effects faecal pH, but does not affect the faecal cholic acid content and thus AOM-induced colon neoplastic ACF is modified by dietary fat.