• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.472-476
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• 2011

Hypercholesterolemia indirectly increases the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis by enhancing the ability of platelets to aggregate. Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is composed of fructooligosaccharides, proteins, minerals and phenolic compounds, and has potential benefits for the management of diabetes. This study investigated whether the consumption of yacon in the diet inhibits platelet aggregation under hypercholesterolemic conditions. Male New Zealand white rabbits were fed one of five dietary interventions: a normal control diet, 0.5% cholesterol diet, 0.5% cholesterol diet+a low dose of yacon (0.5 g/kg body weight given orally each day), 0.5% cholesterol diet+a high dose of yacon (2.5 g/kg body weight given orally each day), or a 0.5% cholesterol diet+lovastatin (2 mg/kg body weight given orally each day). After 8 weeks, blood was collected to measure the amount of collagen- and thrombin-induced platelets present. Yacon inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by low doses of agonists (0.5 ${\mu}g/mL$ collagen and 0.02 units/ml thrombin) in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, yacon concentration-dependently inhibited collagen-induced arachidonic acid liberation. Moreover, n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions showed a marked and selective inhibition of the platelet aggregation induced by collagen, again in a dose-dependent manner. These fractions, especially that of chloroform, significantly suppressed platelet aggregation. The results of this study demonstrate that when yacon is added to a cholesterol-enriched diet, cholesterol-induced platelet aggregation returns to control levels. This may also be beneficial in preventing atherosclerosis and reducing risk factors for coronary artery disease and stroke.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2009

Recently, Korean people are consuming seaweeds almost 3.5 times more now than three decades ago. It is well known that seaweeds contain lots of soluble dietary fiber in addition to micronutrients such as ${\beta}$-carotene, iodine and some bioactive components. Seaweeds are considered to be effective for preventing chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, cancer or constipation. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of seamustard intake on body weight gain, blood glucose level and lipid profiles in rats fed diets with different energy nutrient composition. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (average initial weight 103.7g) were divided into groups for two experiments as follows; Control, M2.5 & M5 groups (Exp. I) and M5, M10, HCM5, HCM10, HFM5 & HFM10 groups (Exp. II). The rats were fed diet and water ad libitum for 4 weeks. In general, there was no significant difference in blood glucose and triglyceride concentration among groups. In Exp. I, serum LDL-cholesterol level of rats fed diet with 5% seamustard powder (M5) was significantly lower than that of control group, while HDL-cholesterol level, TC/LDL ratio and weight of adrenal gland were higher. In Exp. II, food intake, body weight gain and EER of high fat diet with 10% seamustard group (HFM10) were the lowest among groups. Except gastrocnemius muscle, all organ weights of HFM10 group were the lowest. Fecal cholesterol excretion and serum LDL-cholesterol concentration of HFM10 group were the highest, while serum HDL-cholesterol level was the lowest among groups. Interestingly, HDL-cholesterol concentration was the highest in HCM5 group among groups. From these results, it was suggested that seamustard intake might be more effective for body weight control, but not for improving blood lipid profiles in high fat diet than in high carbohydrate diet.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 1998

This study was undertaken to examine relations between obesity and birthweight, parental weight and serum biochemical levels(lipids , glucose, insulin and aminotransferase) in elementary school children aged 10-12 . The weight of obese girls was higher than that of obese boys, while WHR was higher in obese boys than in obese girls. The birth weight of the obese children was significantly higher than that of the non-obese children(p<0.01), and was positively correlated with current weight. The concentrations of serum TG, LDL, VLDL, LDL-cholesterol, glucose, insulin and ALT in obese children were much higher than those in non-obese children . However, the serum HDL -cholesterol concentration of the obese children was significantly lower compared with that of the no-obese children. On the other hand, little differences in these levels were found between genders. The concentrations of PL, TC and AST in the groups showed no significant differences. In the obese children, serum concentrations of TG, LDL-cholesterol , glucose and ALT were more closely associated with GMI than with WHR. No significant correlation was found with serum insulin , glucose and TG levels. These data show that childhood obesity may be related to hyperlipidemia , atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and fatty liver.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 1997.06a
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• pp.119-131
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• 1997

As the average span of human life is continuously increasing, especially the old aged groups, are suffering from various chronic and critical diseases e.g. cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis and alzheimer's etc. However, effective and safe treatment methods have not yet been investigated threathening old aged groups. This research was planned to isolate compounds with the therapeutic potential for the above mentioned chronic diseases from the mulberry leaves. Biological screenings were carried out for the following categories; anti-atherogenic, anti-diabetic and antihypertensive effects. The results were as follows; Mulberry leaves, 20% $\alpha$-treated Gaelyrangppong showed significant 81% of blood glucose lowering effects in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice. Particularly, butanol-soluble fractions of mulberry leaves showed the more significant hypoglycemic activity than other fractions in alloxan induced hyperhlycemic mice. Also in the group given 1g/kg doses of extract of mulberry leaves, total cholesterol level was decreased significantly by as much as 49% in hyperlipidemia-induced rats. In Mulberry leaves post-treated group, the atheroscelosis index, HDL-cholesterol/Total-cholesterol, was increased significantly by as much as 91%.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1406-1415
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• 2022

The formation of macrophage foam cells stimulated by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is deemed an important cause of atherosclerosis. Transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1), which is a universally expressed multifunctional protein, is closely related to cell metabolism disorders such as lipid metabolism, sugar metabolism, and bile acid metabolism. However, whether YY1 is involved in macrophage inflammation and lipid accumulation still remains unknown. After mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells were induced by ox-LDL, YY1 and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) expressions were found to be increased while low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) expression was lowly expressed. Subsequently, through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot analysis, Oil Red O staining and cholesterol quantification, it turned out that silencing of YY1 attenuated the inflammatory response and lipid accumulation in RAW264.7 cells caused by ox-LDL. Moreover, results from the JASPAR database, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, luciferase reporter assay and Western blot analysis suggested that YY1 activated PCSK9 by binding to PCSK9 promoter and modulated the expression of LDLR in the downstream of PCSK9. In addition, the results of functional experiments demonstrated that the inhibitory effects of YY1 interference on ox-LDL-mediated macrophage inflammation and lipid accumulation were reversed by PCSK9 overexpression. To sum up, YY1 depletion inhibited its activation of PCSK9, thereby reducing cellular inflammatory response, cholesterol homeostasis imbalance, and lipid accumulation caused by ox-LDL.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.523-535
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect and improvement of dyslipidemia on Hyangsapyeongwi-san. Methods: In this study, HUVEC cells were cultured and treated with Hyangsapyeongwi-san to measure intracellular KLF2, eNOS, MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 gene expression levels related to anti-inflammation. The weight of experimental animals administered with Hyangsapyeongwi-san was measured, blood samples were biochemically analyzed, and liver tissues were reviewed to research histological changes. Results: Gene expression levels in the cells treated with Hyangsapyeongwi-san generally showed a meaningful anti-inflammatory effect. The body weight of the experimental animals decreased, and total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-cholesterol in the blood generally declined while HDL-cholesterol tended to increase. Fat accumulation between hepatocytes was also reduced after the administration of Hyangsapyeongwi-san. Conclusions: This study confirmed that Hyangsapyeongwi-san has the effect of suppressing vascular inflammatory responses through the regulation of genes involved in the vascular inflammatory process and improving dyslipidemia through the reduction of blood lipids and weight loss.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2024

27-Hydroxycholesterol (27OHChol), a prominent cholesterol metabolite present in the bloodstream and peripheral tissues, is a kind of immune oxysterol that elicits immune response. Recent research indicates the involvement of 27OHChol in metabolic inflammation (meta-inflammation) characterized by chronic responses associated with metabolic irregularities. 27OHChol activates monocytic cells such that they secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and increase the expression of cell surface molecules such as pattern-recognition receptors that play key roles in immune cell-cell communication and sensing metabolism-associated danger signals. Levels of 27OHChol increase when cholesterol metabolism is disrupted, and the resulting inflammatory responses can contribute to the development and complications of metabolic syndrome, including obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular diseases. Since 27OHChol can induce chronic immune response by activating monocyte-macrophage lineage cells that play a crucial role in meta-inflammation, it is essential to understand the 27OHChol-induced inflammatory responses to unravel the roles and mechanisms of action of this cholesterol metabolite in chronic metabolic disorders.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.777-784
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• 2014

Epidemiologic studies have shown that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a strong risk factor, whilst high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) reduces the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Therefore, strategies to manage dyslipidemia in an effort to prevent or treat CHD have primarily attempted at decreasing LDL-C and raising HDL-C levels. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the exchange of cholesteryl ester for triglycerides between HDL and VLDL and LDL. We have published the first report indicating that a group of Japanese patients who were lacking CETP had extremely high HDL-C levels, low LDL-C levels and a low incidence of CHD. Animal studies, as well as clinical and epidemiologic evidences, have suggested that inhibition of CETP provides an effective strategy to raise HDL-C and reduce LDL-C levels. Four CETP inhibitors have substantially increased HDL-C levels in dyslipidemic patients. This review will discuss the current status and future prospects of CETP inhibitors in the treatment of CHD. At present anacetrapib by Merck and evacetrapib by Eli Lilly are under development. By 100mg of anacetrapib HDL-C increased by 138%, and LDL-C decreased by 40%. Evacetrapib 500 mg also showed dramatic 132% increase of HDL-C, while LDL-C decreased by 40%. If larger, long-term, randomized, clinical end point trials could corroborate other findings in reducing atherosclerosis, CETP inhibitors could have a significant impact in the management of dyslipidemic CHD patients. Inhibition of CETP synthesis by antisense oligonucleotide or small molecules will produce more similar conditions to human CETP deficiency and may be effective in reducing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. We are expecting the final data of prospective clinical trials by CETP inhibitors in 2015.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.36 no.3 s.142
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• pp.229-234
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• 2005

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertner leaf (NNL) has been known that is effective to lowering blood pressure and hyperlipidemic levels. But, its pharmacological actions have not been demonstrated. Therefore, the present research was performed to find the effect of NNL on hyperlipidemic actions in Bio F1B hamster as a model for hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. The hyperlipidemic hamster were induced by basal diet containing 10% coconut oil and 0.05% cholesterol with high fat atherogenic diet(HFAD). A control group and treated groups NNL100, 200, 400 mg/kg/day were fed a HFAD, but a normal group was fed a basal diet only. In conclusion, the serum total cholesterol levels were significantly declined on day 40 in F1B hamster given the NNL extracts (200, 400 mh/kg/day) with p<0.05, when compared with a control value of HFAD fed hamsters. The hepatic TC level was significantly lower in NNL 200 and 400 mg/kg/day group than of control hamster on day 40. But, the HDL levels were not changed between control and treated NNL groups. The TG levels of NNL treated groups showed a decrease tendency compare to the control value. In addition, accumulation of fatty level showed a slight decline to NNL treated groups in aortic arch.