• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.231-243
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• 2020

Purpose: To determine the metabolic influence of the traditional Korean diet (K-diet), which has been regarded as a healthy diet, we investigated the profile of urine organic acids that are intermediates of various types of metabolism including energy metabolism. Methods: Ten women aged 50-60 years were recruited and randomly divided into 2 diet groups, K-diet and control diet, the latter of which is a Westernized Korean diet that is commonly consumed by Koreans nowadays. Before and after the 2-week intervention, 46 urine organic acids were determined using LC/MS/MS, along with clinical parameters. Results: The average concentrations of succinate (4.14 ± 0.84 ㎍/mg creatinine vs. 1.49 ± 0.11, p = 0.0346) and hydroxymethylglutarate (3.67 ± 0.36 ㎍/mg creatinine vs. 2.97 ± 0.29, p = 0.0466), both of which are intermediates of energy metabolism, decreased in the K-diet group after the 2-week intervention, but these were not observed in the control diet group. In particular, the average concentration of succinate in the K-diet group was lower than that in the control group (3.33 ± 0.56 ㎍/mg creatinine vs. 1.49 ± 0.11, p = 0.0284) after 2 weeks. The concentrations of two tryptophan metabolites, 5-hydroxyindolacetate (3.72 ± 0.22 ㎍/mg creatinine vs. 3.14 ± 0.21, p = 0.0183) and indican (76.99 ± 8.35 ㎍/mg creatinine vs. 37.89 ± 10.06, p = 0.0205) also decreased only in the K-diet group. After the 2-week intervention, the concentration of kynurenate, another tryptophan metabolite, was lower in the K-diet group than that in the control diet group (3.96 ± 0.51 ㎍/mg creatinine vs. 2.90 ± 0.22, p = 0.0356). Interestingly, the urine level of kynurenate was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.61424, p = 0.0003) and total cholesterol (r = 0.46979, p = 0.0088), which decreased only in the K-diet group (239.40 ± 15.14 mg/dL vs. 198.20 ± 13.25, p = 0.0163). Conclusion: The K-diet alters the urinary excretion of organic acids involved in energy metabolism and tryptophan metabolism, suggesting the influence of the K-diet on these types of metabolism. Urine organic acids changed by the K-diet may serve as biomarkers in future studies.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.513-518
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• 2006

Insect resources have been widely recognized that seven millions of insects exhibit it own biological activity by whole body or its metabolic intermediates. In order to investigate antioxidant activity and compare the cyclooxygenase-2 promoter activity from insect extract, we tested in vitro antioxidant assays and cyclooxygenase-2 promoter assay in Coccinella septempunctata Linne and Harmonia axyridis extracts have the anti-oxidant and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition activities, we examined the anti-oxidant assays including DPPH, FRAP and linoleic acid, ana inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 expression using a cyclooxygenase-2 promoter-inserted stable cell line. We found that Harmonia axyridis Pallas extract had potentials to anti-oxidant activity and inhibited about 25% of cyclooxygenase-2 transcription activity. These findings indicate that Coccinella septempunctata Linne and Harmonia axyridis Pallas extracts could be an useful insect resource for agrobiotechnological purposes.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.688-693
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• 2007

The hepatoprotective effects of water extracts composed of Adenophora triphylla var japonica Hara (ATJH) on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity were investigated in vivo and in vivo. The effects of ATJH on liver toxicity induced by APAP were assessed by blood biochemical and histopathological analyses. APAP treatment (350 mg/kg) caused severe liver injury in mice as indicated by their significantly elevated plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Pretreatment with ATJH for 3 or 7 days attenuated the increases in ALT and AST when challenged with APAP. The reductions in viability caused by high dose of APAP (450 mg/kg) in vivo were reversed by pretreatment with ATJH. These protective effects of ATJH against APAP-induced toxicity were consistent with the results from the histopathological examinations. We next examined the effects of ATJH on the gene expression of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) that detoxify the metabolic intermediates of APAP in H4IIE cells. The hepatic GST protein levels [$\alpha$ class (GSTA2, GSTA3/5)] were significantly elevated in a dose-dependent manner by ATJH treatment. In summary, ATJH is effective at protecting against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity by GST induction, implying that ATJH should be considered a potential chemopreventive agent.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.429-433
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• 2002

The D-xylulokinase from Candida sp. L-16 was purified through a sequence of ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, Sephadex G-100 and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. The specific activity of the purified Dxylulokinase was increased to 23.2 fold and the yield was 11.2%. The enzyme was showed to be a single protein band by SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 150,000 dalton, this enzyme was identified to be a dimer with two subunits. The optimum conditions of the enzyme were pH 8.0 and 40$\^{C}$, respectively. The enzyme was relatively stable between pH 7.0 to pH 9.0, but it was unstable over 30$\^{C}$. The enzyme showed substrate specificity on D-xylulose, D-arabinose and D-ribose, Km value and Vmax for D-xylulose were 0.042 mM and 117 units/ml, respectively. The activation energy of the enzyme was 4.75 Kcal/mol. The one was inhibited by metabolic intermediates such as 6-phosphogluconic acid, 2-keto-gluconic acid. The enzyme was activated by EDTA and thiol compounds such as cysteine-HCI, DTT and glutathione.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.142-146
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine the possibility of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) as a animal feedstuff. Insect resources have been widely recognized that it exhibits its own biological activity by whole body or its metabolic intermediates. To accomplish this, its general and biological activities were measured. The present study was conducted to compare antioxidant activity of black soldier fly larva, pupa and grasshopper by examining radical scavenging activity using DPPH (2,2 diphenyl 1-picryl hydrazyl). DPPH radical scavenging activity was conducted on the EtOH, MeOH, H2O fractions of black soldier fly larvae. Results showed that black soldier fly pupa on the H2O fraction contained the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity among the samples. FRAP assay are more suitable methods to evaluate antioxidant activity of black soldier fly extracts. Among the samples, the FRAP value showed higher antioxidant activity in the extracts from black soldier fly pupa extract on H2O fraction. These results suggest that black soldier fly larva and pupa extract has antioxidant activity and its fractions can be utilized to develop functional feedstuff.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 2012

Vinca alkaloids produced from Catharanthus roseus are one of the most important natural product drugs in treatments of human cancers. These anticancer drugs are derived from coupling of the two monomeric indole alkaloids, catharanthine and vindoline. In order to investigate vindoline biosynthesis, tabersonine-$CD_3$ 1a is synthesized to use as a deuterium labeled precursor, which is distinguished clearly from the natural counterpart. We show that these deuterium labeled tabersonine 1a are successfully incorporated into the vindoline biosynthetic pathway to yield three deuterated vindoline intermediates. 16-Hydroxytabersonine-$CD_3$ (m/z 356) 2a, 16-Methoxytabersonine-$CD_3$ (m/z 370) 3a, 16-Methoxy-2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxytabersonine-$CD_3$ (m/z 388) 4a are produced from the cell suspension culture measured by UPLC/MS at 5 and 13 days after feeding tabersonine. The conversion rates from 1a to 2a and 2a to 3a are fast, whereas that from 3a to 4a is much slower. This indicates that the rate determining step among the first three vindoline biosynthesis is the last step. As a result of the slow conversion rate from 3a to 4a, the accumulation level of 16-Methoxytabersonine-$CD_3$ 3a is significantly increased up to 13 days. The accumulation ratio among 2a, 3a and 4a is 1, 2 and 0.1 at 5 days. However, the peaks of desacetoxyvindoline-$CD_3$ 5a, deacetylvindoline-$CD_3$ 6a and vindoline-$CD_3$ 7a are not found from the cell extracts even after 13 days of incubation which may indicate no presence of their corresponding enzymes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.554-562
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• 2007

Ceramide rich intercellular lipid lamellae are thought to be particularly important in maintaining the structural integrity of epidermal barrier. Ceramide is synthesized de novo by serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) phospholipid intermediates, serine and palmitic acid persist within the stratum corneum. The ceramide which is synthesized is degraded with fatty acid and sphingosine by degradative enzyme ceramidase. The depletion of ceramide in stratum corneum was reported in the atopic dermatitis. As an effort to search for the dietary source for improving the level of ceramide in epidermis, the dietary effects of various-typed silk protein were compared. Seventy male NC/Nga mice, an animal model of atopic dermatitis, were divided into seven groups: group CA as an atopic control with control diet, group S: 1% crude sericin diet, group F: 1% crude fibroin diet, group PS : peptide pattern of sericin(Mw 5000), group PF: peptide pattern of fibroin (Mw 1500), group AS: manufactured the same as amino acid profile of sericin and group AF: manufactured the same as amino acid profile of fibroin. Ten male BALB/c mice were served as group C (control group) control diet. All mice were fed on diet and water ad libitum for 10 weeks. Dry skin condition was established in group CA as ceramide content was decreased. Despite a marked decrease of mRNA and prorein expression of SPT, enzyme do novo synthesis, ceramide content of group S was dramatically increased by inhibiting the mRNA and protein expression of degradative enzyme ceramidase. However, dietary supplementation of crude silk fibroin protein (group F) and in other groups that were supplemented with either amino acid or peptide type of sericin or fibroin did not increase the level of ceramide. Together, our data demonstrate that dietary supplementation of crude sericin is more effective at improving ceramide level in epidemis of NC/Nga mice.