• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.389-413
• /
• 2023

Objectives : This study aimed to review the current trends in experimental studies on the use of natural products for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Methods : Experimental studies assessing the efficacy of natural products against GERD were searched on PubMed. Articles were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and then analyzed for experimental methods, interventions, and result analysis techniques. Results : A total 37 studies were included in this review. Predominantly, in vivo experiments were conducted to induce GERD through surgery, involving the ligation of the pylorus and the transitional junction between the corpus and the forestomach using 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. The acute induction model, sacrificing animals after a single administration following GERD induction, was mainly used.The utilization of cell experiments was relatively infrequent, with a focus on assessing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects via the treatment of the RAW 264.7 cell line with lipopolysaccharides treatment. Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Pinelliae Tuber, Ginseng Radix and Zingiberis Rhizoma were used as single ingredients, and herbal formula, STW-5 (iberogast), Rikkunshito (六君子湯), Banhasasim-tang (半夏瀉心湯), and Hewei Jiangni granule (和胃降逆湯) were used. Outcome analysis methods encompassed Macroscopic evaluation, esophageal function assessment, blood biomarker analysis, histological examination, protein analysis, gene expression analysis, and gastric juice analysis. Proton pump inhibitors were predominantly employed as positive controls. Conclusions : This study revealed the current trends in non-clinical research evaluating natural products for GERD. Based on the results of this study, we expect that non-clinical research on clinically effective natural products will be revitalized.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.11-19
• /
• 2024

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the major complications of sepsis. Aurantio-obtusin (AO) is an anthraquinone compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study was developed to concentrate on the role and mechanism of AO in sepsis-induced AKI. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) and BALB/c mice receiving cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery were used to establish in vitro cell model and in vivo mouse model. HK-2 cell viability was measured using MTT assays. Histological alterations of mouse renal tissues were analyzed via hematoxylin and eosin staining. Renal function of mice was assessed by measuring the levels of serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines in HK-2 cells and serum samples of mice were detected using corresponding ELISA kits. Protein levels of factors associated with nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway were measured in HK-2 cells and renal tissues by Western blotting. AO exerted no cytotoxic effect on HK-2 cells and AO dose-dependently rescued LPS-induced decrease in HK-2 cell viability. The concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines were increased in response to LPS or CLP treatment, and the alterations were reversed by AO treatment. For in vivo experiments, AO markedly ameliorated renal injury and reduced high levels of SCr and BUN in mice underwent CLP operation. In addition, AO administration inhibited the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, AO alleviates septic AKI by suppressing inflammatory responses through inhibiting the NF-κB pathway.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.19-28
• /
• 2024

Objectives : Ephedrae Herba has been used in the East Asian traditional medicine, for treatment of asthma, cold and influenza. Silymarin is an effective antioxidant and its anti-fibrogenic, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties have been reported. This study was performed to explore an anti-fibrogenic potential of Ephedrae Herba extract (EHE) + silymarin on immortalized human hepatic stellate cell line, LX-2 cells. Methods : We studied the anti-fibrogenic effects of EHE + silymarin on transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathway in LX-2 cells. Cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. mRNA levels were detected by real-time PCR. TGF-β1 signaling-related proteins expression were detected by Western blot. Results : Silymarin 30 ㎍/mL and EHE 100 ㎍/mL showed cytotoxicity on LX-2 cells. Therefore, the concentrations of silymarin and EHE were studied at 10 ㎍/mL, respectively. Silymarin significantly reduced PAI-1 protein expression, Smad binding element (SBE) luciferase activity, and mRNA (PAI-1, MMP2 and 9) expression compared to TGF-β1. EHE significantly reduced SBE luciferase activity and mRNA (PAI-1, MMP2 and 9) expression compared to TGF-β1. More importantly, EHE + silymarin significantly reduced all parameters compared to TGF-β1, and also significantly reduced compared to EHE alone and silymarin alone. Conclusion : The results indicate that EHE + silymarin has anti-fibrogenic effect in LX-2 cells induced by TGF-β1. Additionally, EHE + silymarin shows more effective anti-fibrogenic effect than EHE alone and silymarin alone.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.22-32
• /
• 2024

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disorder with widespread synovitis. Isoflavones, the main active component of soy, have been reported to have potent anti-inflammatory effects; the previous RA animal models showed the promising effect of soy supplementation. We aimed to evaluate the effect of soy bread on inflammatory markers and lipid profiles in RA patients. The present study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. RA patients were randomly allocated to obtain soy bread (n = 22) or placebo bread (n = 22) for 8 weeks. Fasting serum levels of lipid profile, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and DAS28 were checked. Findings showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in physical activity and dietary intake at the beginning of the study and the end of the study. There were no significant differences between the two groups in measured lipid profile markers, including high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and very low-density lipoprotein, at the end of the trial. In addition, TAC and CRP also were not significant at the end of the trial between the 2 groups (0.66 and 0.12, respectively). However, the serum levels of TNF-α reduced significantly in the soy bread group at the end of the intervention (p < 0.000) and compared with the control group (p < 0.019). Soy bread consumption only decreased circulating TNF-α serum concentration. Other outcome measures were not changed following supplementation. Future long-term, well-designed studies are needed to confirm these findings.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.671-679
• /
• 2016

Extracts from spinach, cabbage, and onion are known to possess various instructive characteristics, including antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities. Spinach, cabbage, and onion are consumed worldwide and represent important sources of dietary phytochemicals with proven antioxidant properties, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Food-derived flavonoids and phenolic compounds are expected to be promising drugs for cancer. In the present study, we investigated the effects of methanol extracts of spinach, cabbage, and onion on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human gastric and breast cancer cells. Proliferation rates of AGS, MDA-MB-231, and SK-BR-3 cells were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The methanol extracts of spinach, cabbage, and onion inhibited proliferation of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. 4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining revealed that chromatin condensation significantly increased compared with the control. In the results of MTT assay and DAPI staining, onion extract was the most effective in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. To assess changes in protein expression level by onion extract, we identified Bax (pro-apoptotic), Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic), and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein by western blot analysis. The expression of Bax and cleaved-PARP increased, whereas expression of Bcl-2 was decreased compared with the control. These results suggest that spinach, cabbage, and onion extracts suppressed growth of human gastric cancer AGS, human breast cancer MDA-MB-231, and SK-BR-3 cells through induction of apoptosis. Among the extracts, onion extract had stronger anti-cancer and apoptosis induction effects than spinach and cabbage extracts. Further, onion extract more effectively induced apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells than human breast cancer cells. Therefore, further studies are needed to determine the anti-cancer effects of onion extracts in vivo. Onion extract can be developed as a chemopreventive or therapeutic agent for gastric cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.276-283
• /
• 2007

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of isoflavone on the atherogenic effect in C57BL/6 mice. C57BL/6 female mice, 5 weeks of age, were fed on chow diets for 2 weeks during adjustment period. Mice weighing approximately $17.9{\pm}0.9\;g$ were divided into 4 groups and were fed on the experimental diets containing isoflavone for 8 weeks. Experimental groups were control (atherogenic diet), IF-10 (atherogenic diet with isoflavone 10 mg/100 g diet), IF-40 (atherogenic diet with isoflavone 40 mg/100 g diet) and IF-100 (atherogenic diet with isoflavone 100 mg/100 g diet). Food efficiency ratio was not different among the experimental groups. Plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations were lower after 4 weeks in isoflavone supplementation groups than in control group, whereas monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels of plasma were significantly (p<0.05) decreased in the isoflavone supplementation groups in a dose dependent manner. Both hepatic TG and cholesterol levels were significantly lowered in IF-100 than control. Hepatic glutathione concentrations were higher in the IF-100 group than in the other groups. Hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities including glutathione-reductase, glutathione-peroxidase, catalase, and Mn-superoxide dismutase were significantly higher in the isoflavone supplemen-tation groups in a dose dependent manner. From the above results, it is concluded that isoflavone may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis via hypolipidemic, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.870-877
• /
• 2016

In this study, we evaluated the nutritional components and functional activities of Wooung (burdock, Arctium lappa L.) and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tea. Roasting burdock' contained 75.87% carbohydrates; in addition, the moisture content, crude fat, crude protein, and crude fiber were 10.43%, 1.77%, 8.50%, and 3.43%, respectively. Roasting Jerusalem artichoke showed 77.477% carbohydrate content, with moisture content, crude fat, crude protein, and crude fiber of 10.67%, 1.23%, 7.83%, and 2.80%, respectively. Roasting burdock's water-soluble dietary fiber content was 4.8 g/100 g and insoluble dietary fiber content was 1.5 g/100 g; whereas, roasting Jerusalem artichoke' water soluble dietary fiber content was 2.4 g/100 g and insoluble dietary fiber content was 1.6 g/100 g. The highest mineral contents in roasting burdock and Jerusalem artichoke were potassium and magnesium, in order. The results of amino acid analyses s indicated a total of 25 types in roasting burdock, with total amino acid content of 1,382.112 mg/100 g, and essential amino acid content of 766.031 mg/100 g. In total, 24 types of amino acids were separated and identified in roasting Jerusalem artichoke, with total amino acid content of 2,678.018 mg/100 g, and total essential amino acid content of 157.294 mg/100 g. Roasting burdock and Jerusalem artichoke' polyphenol contents were 32.56 and 29.56 mg GAE/g each, and their flavonoid contents were 16.54 and 16.71 CE/g each. $IC_{50}$ values of DPPH radical-scavenging activity of roasting burdock and Jerusalem artichoke were 12.99 and 19.74, respectively; and $IC_{50}$ values of hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity were 25.96 and 22.93, respectively.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.24-40
• /
• 2007

Background : Accumulating evidence shows that interleukin(IL)-1 plays a critical role in inflammation and connective tissue destruction observed in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. IL-1 induces gene expression related to cytokines, chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases by activation of many different transcription factors. Materials and Methods : The chondrosarcoma cell line, SW1353, is known to be a valuable in vitro system for investigating catabolic gene regulation by IL-$1{\beta}$ in chondrocytic cells. To explore and analyze the changes in gene expression by IL-1 responsible for arthritis, SW1353 was treated with IL-1 for 1, 6 and 24 h and then total RNAs were purified for each time. The changes in gene expression were analyzed with 17k human cDNA microarrays and validated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results : Greater than a two-fold change was observed in 1,200 genes including metallothioneins, matrix metalloproteinases, extracellular matrix proteins, antioxidant proteins, cytoskeleton proteins, cell cycle regulatory proteins, proteins for cell growth and apoptosis, signaling proteins and transcription factors. These changes appeared to be correlate with the pathophysiological changes observed in early osteoarthritis. Conclusion : cDNA microarray analysis revealed a marked variability in gene expression, and provided insight into the overall molecular changes. The result of this study provide initial information for further studies to identify therapeutic targets in osteoarthritis pathogenesis.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.13 no.8
• /
• pp.3561-3569
• /
• 2012

This study investigated the effect of mulberry fruit extract(MFE) on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of middle aged women with rheumatoid factor (RF). Thirty two middle-aged subjects were divided into two groups which were normal middle-aged group (NMG) and abnormal middle-aged group whose serum RF level were > 10 u/mL (AMG). All groups had consumed MFE (100 mL/day) for 4 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, serum inflammatory factors, serum oxidative stress markers analyses were performed at baseline and then at 4 weeks following the study. There were no significant differences in anthropometric measurements, including BMI, WHR and body fat composition between two groups. But after 4 weeks MFE consumption, serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), serum TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-2, IL-4 had significantly decreased (p<0.05) in AMG. These findings suggested that the MFE consumption as food may be protective against oxidation and inflammation like RA.

• Food Science and Industry
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.278-301
• /
• 2018

Although more than 80% of living organisms are found in marine ecosystems, only less than 10% of marine resources have been utilized for human food consumptions and other usages. It is well known that marine resources (fish, shellfish and algae) have exceptional nutritional properties; however, their functional characteristic has not been completely discovered. It is believed that metabolites (organic compounds, proteins, peptides, lipids, minerals, etc.) play an important role to show its biological properties. Marine proteins and peptides are considered to be future drugs due to their excellent biological activities with a fewer adverse side effect. Marine peptides show several biological activities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-coagulant, immunomodulatory, appetite suppressing and neuroprotective effects. Therefore, the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical companies have been paid attention to the marine peptides to commercialize into products. This current review mainly focused on the above mentioned biological activities of marine peptides and protein hydrolysates as a functional food and pharmaceutical applications. To commercialize these materials in industrial level required large quantity in high-purity level, and it is complicated to produce huge quantity from the marine resources due to insufficient raw materials, unavailability of raw materials through a year, hinder the growth with geographical variations, and availability of compounds in extreme small quantities. The best solution for these issues is to introduce new modern technologies such as artificial intelligence robots, drones, submersibles and automated raw material harvesting vessels in farming industries instead of man power, which will lead to 4th industrial revolution.