• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.83-92
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• 2003

Improving dietary patterns, na, in turn, improving nutritional status, is now viewed as a key to improve public health and to prevent chronic diseases. There has been a peat needs to assess diet quality to identify nutritional risk group, however, little research has been done on methods to assess overall diet quality. The purpose of this study was to develope a mini dietary assessment (MDA) index for evaluation of overall dietary quality. A 10-component system was devised based on dietary guidelines and food Tower for Koreans. The system contained 4 food elements of which use is encouraged, such as milk, meat, vegetables, fruits, and 3 food elements of which use is limited, such as fat, salt, or sugar. Also the included were elements on dietary regulation and variety. A subject is to check one of ‘always' 'generally'seldom', which has score of 5, 3, and 1, respectively, so the total possible index score is 50. This index is to use without dietary survey and is to use even by non-nutritionist. A sample of 432 healthy males and females in their 30's and 40's contributed diet intake data based on 24-hour recall for the validation of MDA. The mean MDA score was 31.34 of a possible 50 points. The main nutrients for each MDA component was correlated very well with the results of 24-hour recall. Also, very good correlation was found between healthy eating index (HEI) score and MDA score. However, some of MDA components were needed a modification of term or/and statement. So the Uh was revised and another effort for validation was made with new sample of 169 subjects and even better correlation was found. The revised MDA could be used with minor modification to assess diet quality and to screen nutritional status. (Korean J Nutrition 36(1): 83-92, 2003)

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2016

Background: Adipocyte-macrophage communication plays a critical role regulating white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammatory gene expression. Because WAT inflammation contributes to the development of metabolic diseases, there is significant interest in understanding how exogenous compounds regulate the adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk. An aqueous (AQ) extract of North American (NA) ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) was previously shown to have strong inflammo-regulatory properties in adipocytes. This study examined whether different ginseng extracts influence adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk, as well as WAT inflammatory gene expression. Methods: The effects of AQ and ethanol (EtOH) ginseng extracts ($5{\mu}g/mL$) on adipocyte and macrophage inflammatory gene expression were studied in 3T3-L1 and RAW264.7 cells, respectively, using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Adipose tissue organ culture was also used to examine the effects of ginseng extracts on epididymal WAT (EWAT) and inguinal subcutaneous WAT (SWAT) inflammatory gene expression. Results: The AQ extract caused significant increases in the expression of common inflammatory genes (e.g., Mcp1, Ccl5, Tnf-${\alpha}$, Nos2) in both cell types. Culturing adipocytes in media from macrophages treated with the AQ extract, and vice versa, also induced inflammatory gene expression. Adipocyte Ppar-${\gamma}$ expression was reduced with the AQ extract. The AQ extract strongly induced inflammatory gene expression in EWAT, but not in SWAT. The EtOH extract had no effect on inflammatory gene expression in either both cell types or WAT. Conclusion: These findings provide important new insights into the inflammo-regulatory role of NA ginseng in WAT.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.335-341
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• 2021

Purpose: Muscle mitochondria play a key role in regulating fatty acid and glucose metabolism. Dysfunction of muscle mitochondria is associated with metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Isorhamnetin (ISOR), also known as 3-O-methylquercetin, a quercetin metabolite, is a naturally occurring flavonoid in many plants. This study evaluated the effects of ISOR on the regulation of the mitochondrial function of C2C12 muscle cells. Methods: C2C12 muscle cells were differentiated for 5 days, and then treated in various concentrations of ISOR. Cytotoxicity was determined by assessing cell viability using the water-soluble tetrazolium salt-8 assay principle at different concentrations of ISOR and time points. Levels of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and gene expression were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The citrate synthase (CS) activity was quantified by the enzymatic method. Results: ISOR at a concentration of 10 µM did not show any cytotoxic effects. ISOR increased the mtDNA copy number in a time- or dose-dependent manner. The messenger RNA levels of genes involved in mitochondrial function, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α, and uncoupling protein 3 were significantly stimulated by the ISOR treatment. The CS activity was also significantly increased in a time- or dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: These results suggest that ISOR enhances the regulation of mitochondrial function, which was at least partially mediated via the stimulation of the mtDNA replication, mitochondrial gene expression, and CS activity in C2C12 muscle cells. Therefore, ISOR may be useful as a potential food ingredient to prevent metabolic diseases-associated muscle mitochondrial dysfunction.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.438-452
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Brain senescence causes cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. It has also been demonstrated that curcumin (Cur) and hesperetin (Hes), both antioxidant polyphenolic compounds, mediate anti-aging and neuroprotective effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether Cur, Hes, and/or their combination exert anti-aging effects in D-galactose (Dg)-induced aged neuronal cells and rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: SH-SY5Y cells differentiated in response to retinoic acid were treated with Cur (1 μM), Hes (1 μM), or a combination of both, followed by 300 mM Dg. Neuronal loss was subsequently evaluated by measuring average neurite length and analyzing expression of β-tubulin III, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases, and neurofilament heavy polypeptide. Cellular senescence and related proteins, p16 and p21, were also investigated, including their regulation of antioxidant enzymes. In vivo, brain aging was induced by injecting 250 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) Dg. The effects of supplementing this model with 50 mg/kg b.w. Cur, 50 mg/kg b.w. Hes, or a combination of both for 3 months were subsequently evaluated. Brain aging was examined with a step-through passive avoidance test and apoptosis markers were analyzed in brain cortex tissues. RESULTS: Cur, Hes, and their combination improved neuron length and cellular senescence by decreasing the number of β-gal stained cells, down-regulated expression of p16 and p21, and up-regulated expression of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1, and catalase. Administration of Cur, Hes, or their combination also tended to ameliorate cognitive impairment and suppress apoptosis in the cerebral cortex by down-regulating Bax and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase expression and increasing Bcl-2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Cur and Hes appear to attenuate Dg-induced brain aging via regulation of antioxidant enzymes and apoptosis. These results suggest that Cur and Hes may mediate neuroprotective effects in the aging process, and further study of these antioxidant polyphenolic compounds is warranted.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.207-212
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• 2002

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is the enzyme that controls no devo fatty acid biogynthesis, and this enzyme catalyzes the carboxylation pathway of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene expression was regulated by nutritional and hormonal status. The present study was performed to identify the regulation mechanism of ACC gene promoter I. The fragments of ACC promoter I -1.2-kb region wert recombined to pGL3-Basic vector with luciferase as a reporter gene. The primary hepatocytes from the rat were used to investigate the hormonal regulation of ACC promoter I activity. ACC PI (-1.2)/Luc plasmid was trtransferred into primary hepatocytes using lipofectin. Activity of luciferase was increased two-fold by 10-9M, three-fold by 10-8M, 10-6M, 3.5-fold by 10-6M, and 4.5-fold by 10-7M insulin treatment, respectively. In the presence of dexamethasone (1 $\mu$M), the effects of insulin increased about 1.5-fold, showing the additional effects of dexamethasone. Moreover, the activity of luciferase increased with insulin+dexamethasone, insulin+T3, dexamethasone+T3, and dexamethasone+insulin+T3 treatment approximately 6-, 4-, 6.5-, and 10-fold, respectively. Therefore it can be postulated that 1) these hormones coordinately regulate acetyl-CoA caroxylase gene expression via regulation of promoter activity, 2) the -1.2-kb region of ACC promoter I may have the response element sequences for insulin, dexamethasone, and T3.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2017

Healthy aging has become a major goal of public health. Many studies have provided evidence and theories to explain molecular mechanisms of the aging process. Recent studies suggest that epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for life span and the progression of aging. Epigenetics is a fascinating field of molecular biology, which studies heritable modifications of DNA and histones that regulate gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mark that shows progressive changes during aging. Recent studies have investigated aging-related DNA methylation as a biomarker that predicts cellular age. Interestingly, growing evidence proposes that nutrients play a crucial role in the regulation of epigenetic modifiers. Because various nutrients and their metabolites function as substrates or cofactors for epigenetic modifiers, nutrition can modulate or reverse epigenetic marks in the genome as well as expression patterns. Here, we will review the results on aging-associated epigenetic modifications and the possible mechanisms by which nutrition, including nutrient availability and bioactive compounds, regulate epigenetic changes and affect aging physiology.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.1057-1068
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• 2014

The major goals of the poultry industry are to increase the carcass yield and to reduce carcass fatness, mainly the abdominal fat pad. The increase in poultry meat consumption has guided the selection process toward fast-growing broilers with a reduced feed conversion ratio. Intensive selection has led to great improvements in economic traits such as body weight gain, feed efficiency, and breast yield to meet the demands of consumers, but modern commercial chickens exhibit excessive fat accumulation in the abdomen area. However, dietary composition and feeding strategies may offer practical and efficient solutions for reducing body fat deposition in modern poultry strains. Thus, the regulation of lipid metabolism to reduce the abdominal fat content based on dietary composition and feeding strategy, as well as elucidating their effects on the key enzymes associated with lipid metabolism, could facilitate the production of lean meat and help to understand the fat-lowering effects of diet and different feeding strategies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4199-4204
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• 2016

Cancer is a complex disease caused by a progressive accumulation of multiple genetic mutations. Consumption of fruits is associated with lower risk of several cancers, which is mainly associated to their phytochemical content. The use of functional foods and chemopreventive compounds seems to contribute in this process, acting by mechanisms of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and hormonal. The Psidium Guajava has high potential functional related to pigments who are involved in the process of cancer prevention by having antioxidant activity. The aim of the present review is to expose some chemical compounds from P. Guajava fractions and their association with anti-carcinogenic function. The evidences supports the theory of anticancer properties of P. Guajava, although the mechanisms are still not fully elucidated, but may include scavenging free radicals, regulation of gene expression, modulation of cellular signalling pathways including those involved in DNA damage repair, cell proliferation and apoptosis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2022

The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2013 to 2017 reported that the average protein consumption of the Korean population is above the current recommended nutrient intake of protein proposed by the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans. Some health professionals and the media often advise consuming diets high in protein for promoting metabolic regulation, weight control, and muscle synthesis. However, due to lack of scientific evidence, the validity and safety of high protein consumption are yet to be fully ascertained. The present review assesses recent evidence published in 2014-2020 from human studies, focusing on adequate protein intake and protein sources for the prevention of chronic diseases, particularly metabolic disorders and sarcopenia.