• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2007

Di-(ethyhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), commonly used as a plasticizer for manufacturing flexible vinyl products, has been the topic of extensive research, especially concerning endocrine disrupting properties. Metallothionein (MT) is a low molecular weight (6,000$\sim$7,000 Da), cysteine-rich (22$\sim$23%), metal-binding protein and is known to be induced by extrinsic factors such as chemical agents and stresses. Some of the known function of MT include detoxification of heavy metals and alkylating agents and neutralization of free radicals. Nonetheless, the definitive physiological function of MT are still unknown. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of DEHP on the ultrastructural changes and the expression of MT of the rat liver. The rats were orally intubated with either corn oil (experimental control) or 0.5 mg, 1.5 mg and 4.5 mg DEHP kg$^{-1}$ day$^{-1}$ in 0.5 mL of corn oil for 15 days before sacrificing and sampling. DEHP induced mild ultrastrctural changes of some cell organelles such as rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes and peroxisomes in the rat liver treated with DEHP. In the respect of immunogold labelling and Western blotting, MT expression of the liver tissue was up-regulated by DEHP. In conclusion, DEHP has effects on the ultrastructures and hepatic function for MT expression in rat.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.2 s.75
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• pp.186-191
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• 2006

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Rhynchosia molubilis saponin on carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced hepatotoxicity. Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administered the Rhynchosia molubilis saponin at 100 mg/kg every day for two weeks, then $CCl_4$ (3.3 ml/kg) was injected into rats. 12 hours later, they were anesthesized with ether and dissected. Rhynchosia molubilis saponin-administered group showed 59.92% and 62.28% of inhibitory effects on aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities compared to $CCl_4$-treated group (p<0.05). Malonedialdehyde (MDA) levels of Rhynchosia molubilis Saponin-administered and $CCl_4$-treated (RSC) group in liver homogenate and mitochondria were significantly inhibited to 61.83%, 81.11 %, respectively, compared to $CCl_4$-treated group (p<0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of RSC group in liver homogenate and mitochondria were significantly inhibited to 66.53%, 31.04%, respectively, compared to $CCl_4$-treated group (p<0.05). GPx activities of RSC group in liver homogenate and mitochondria were significantly inhibited to 72.74%, 72.68%, respectively, compared to $CCl_4$-treated group (p<0.05). The histological examinations showed that the liver cell necrosis and centrilobular congestion aggregation induced by $CCl_4$ were dearly eliminated by the administration of Rhynchosia molubilis saponin. These results suggest that Rhynchosia molubilis saponin could have the protective effects against hepatotoxicity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.246-254
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• 1986

Weanling female Sprague Dawley rats were fed d diets containing 22mg pyridoxine. BCI/kg diet (control diet) and l.2mg pyridoxine. BCI/kg diet (deficient diet). One control group and one defi­c dent group were fed their diet throughout growth, g gestation and lactation. After the pups were born and weaned, the deficient group was divided into two groups. One switched to control diet(supple­I mented group) and the other continued the same d deficient diet( deficient group) until 10 week -old. The liver mitochondrial and cytosolic asparate a aminotransferase activity and pyridoxal phosphate content were determined in offspring rats. The aspartate aminotransferase activities in both liver mito$\phi$ondrial and cytosolic fractions of den­d cient group were significantly lower than those of controls, but there were no significant differences between two groups after addition of 1O^{-4}M pyri­d do뼈I phosphate to the medium. By pyridoxine s supplementation after weaning, the reduced aspar­a tate aminotnmsferase activities were only partialy I restored to control levels. The pyridoxal phospha­t te content of deficient group in Iiver mitochondr­ial and cytosoIic fractions were alo significantly different from those of controls, but readily restored by dietary supplementation. These results suggest that there is a quantitative and a qualitative changes of aspartate amino trans­f ferase and pyridoxal phosphate in liver mitochon­d drial and cytosolic fraction by long-term pyrido­x xine deficiency and these reductions can partially recovered by dietary pyridoxine supplementation after weaning.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 1997

This study was undertaken to evaluate as antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation. Silymarin and silybin extracted from Silybum marianum were successively purified wit solvent fractionation by silica gel column chromatography. These isoflavonoid inhibited superoxide anion production in the xanthine oxidase system. In the rat liver microsomes, silymarin or silybin rapidly inhibited lipid peroxidation which was initiated enzymatically by reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH) or non-enzymatically by ascorbic acid or Fenton's reagent (H2O2+Fe2+). Mitochondrial lipid peroxidation was also inhibited by silymarin and silybin. silymarin and silybin inhibited on terminating radical chain reaction during lipid peroxidation in the enzymatic system of microsomes or in the linoleic acid hydroperoxide induced peroxidation system.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1984.09a
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• pp.141-144
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• 1984

With microorganism as a single cell model to investigate the cellular effect of total extract of ginseng powder, it was found that ginseng affects cellular respiration biphasically (Tso and Fung, 1980; Tso, 1981). As ginseng is recognized to be a tonic medicinal herb, this finding suggests a possible role of ginseng in altering cellular energy metabolism. Along this line, the same effect on mitochondrial oxygen consumption was studied. It was found that under a controlled pH condition, a significant stimulation of the mitochondrial respiration was observed. This stimulation was ginseng dose-dependent. However, when ginseng was applied at an above threshold concentration, an inhibitory effect was noted. This confirms the previous observation with single cell organism and suggests a universal regulation of energy metabolism effect that transcends cell origin.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.376-381
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• 2003

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACS4) is an arachidonate-preferring enzyme abundant in steroidogenic tissues. We examined ACS4 in rat liver, which contains a variety of pathways that use acyl-CoAs, in order to determine subcellular locations. We demonstrate that ACS4 protein was present most abundantly in the mitochondria and to a much lesser extent in the peroxisomes and microsomes. To determined the dietary effects on the level of ACS4 mRNA, northern blotting was carried out using total RNA from the livers of adult male rats fed various diets. Fasting, high fat diet, and fat-free high sucrose diet increased the hepatic level of ACS4 mRNA approximately 2-fold. Furthermore, the levels of ACS4 mRNA were induced by DEHP[Di- (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate]. These data suggest that ACS4 expression in the liver is regulated with a variety of pathways, including $\beta$-oxidation, hormone, and insulin.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.59-78
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• 2003

This research was conducted to determine the effects of chitosanoligosaccharide on liver poisoning induced by cadmium (Cd). Three groups of mice were used in this research. The first group was only injected with cadmium (5.0 mg/kg; i.p.) (group Cd) and the second one with cadmium and chitosanoligosaccharide (0.5% solution) at the same time (group Cd+Chi). The third one which had already been injeted with chitosanoligosaccharide (0.5% Solution) aweek before (group Ch7+Cd) was used. In order to investigate the inhibitory action of chitosanoligosaccharide on liver damage, enzyme activity in serum, glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity and glutathione reductase (GR) activity were relatively measured. In addition, histological observations were made to determine the morphologic injury of liver tissues. As the result of enzyme activity in serum, the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in chitosanoligosaccharide-injected groups Cd+Chi and Chi7+Cd was lower than in group Cd. GSH-Px activity was sharply increased in groups Cd+Chi and Chi7+Cd compared to group Cd. GR activity was conspicuously decreased in groups Cd+Chi and Chi7+Cd compared to group Cd. As the result of light microscopic observation, liver cell necrosis caused by cadmium poisoning was obseved in liver cells. The finding of group Cd+Chi and Chi7+Cd was similar total on of normal groups. As the result of electron microscopic observation, mitochondria in group Cd showed a severe swelling phenomenon, RER fragment and ribosome dropout. However, in groups Cd+Chi and Chi7+Cd, mitochondria wiht high electron density were distributed and RER forming a typical lamellae with ribosome was observed. From these results, cadmium toxicity on rat liver tissues could be lessened by chitosanoligosaccharide.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.67-78
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• 2008

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the antioxidant effects among wild ginseng, cultivated wild ginseng, and ginseng extracts. Methods: In vitro antioxidant activities were examined by total antioxidant capacity (TAC), oxygen radical scavenging capacity(ORAC), total phenolic content, 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, inhibition of induced lipid peroxidation using liver mitochondria, reactive oxygen species(ROS) scavenging effect using 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescein(DCF) fluorescence. Results: 1. TAC of 1.5 and 3.75 mg extracts was highest in cultivated wild ginseng, followed by wild ginseng and lowest in ginseng. 2. ORAC of 2, 10, and $20{\mu}g$ extracts was highest in cultivated wild ginseng, followed by wild ginseng and lowest in ginseng. 3. Total phenolic content of 0.375, 0.938, and 1.875 mg extracts was highest in cultivated wild ginseng, followed by wild ginseng and lowest in ginseng. 4. DPPH(1, 1 -Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activity between wild ginseng and cultivated wild ginseng did not differ significantly (p>0.05). 5. Induced lipid peroxidation, measured by TBARS concentration in solution containing rat liver mitochondria incubated in the presence of $FeSO_4$/ascorbic acid was inhibited as amounts of wild ginseng, cultivated wild ginseng, and ginseng extracts increased. TBARS concentration of ginseng extracts were significantly (p<0.05) higher than wild ginseng or cultivated wild ginseng extracts. 6. DCF fluorescence intensity was decreased as concentrations of wild ginseng, cultivated wild ginseng, and ginseng extracts increased, demonstrating that ROS generation was inhibited in a concentrationdependent manner. Conclusions: In summary, the results of this study demonstrate that cultivated wild ginseng extracts had similar antioxidant activities to wild ginseng extracts and greater that of cultivated ginseng extracts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.331-337
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• 2001

The effect of Phellinus linteus methanol extract on the lipid metabolism in the liver of rat was investigated in this study. Rats were randomly divided into 6 groups including the control, $CCl_4$and high fat group plus sub-groups with Phellinus linteus methanol extract administration. Methanol extracts of Phellinus linteus were fed 50mg/kg B.W daily via drinking water. A 1.2mL of $CCl_4/kg$ body weight was administered by oral intubation twice a week for total six times. The administration of $CCl_4$ increased total cholesterol, TG, LDL and LDL-phospholipid. However, the level of liver cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly decreased while HDL-cholesterol was increased by the extract feeding. The activities of GOT, GPT, AP and LDH were greatly enhanced by the extract feeding. Electronmicrograph showed that $CCl_4$ treatment deteriorated the structure of cytoplasmic matrix with its uneven distribution. However, the extract treatment reconstituted the damaged cytoplasm and stimulated mitochondriagenesis. From these results, it was suggested that Phellinus linteus can help to recover the damaged liver function and further may help to prevent senescence diseases such as fatty liver, hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.497-503
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• 1992

To study antioxidative activities of Ganoderma lucidum, its extracts were fractionated by various organic solvents with different polarity the extracts were purified by thin chromatography, silicagel column chromatography and preparative liquid chromatography. In antioxidative activity tests using thiocyanate method, TBA method and weighing method, fraction 5 from the hexane extract and fraction II from the methanol extract showed antioxidative activity. When the antioxidative activities were expressed as TBA value using a homogeneous liver extracte of rats, the relative antioxidative activities of fraction 5 and fraction II were increased by 13.0% and 54.6%, respectively.