• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.135-146
• /
• 2022

Obesity is closely associated with profound dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. Recent reports have suggested that alterations in gut microbiota can be linked to diet-induced obesity. In this study, the anti-obesity effects of Weissella confusa WIKIM51 isolated from kimchi were investigated, as evidenced by: i) reduced lipid accumulation and downregulated adipogenesis-related genes in 3T3-L1 adipocytes; ii) suppressed gains in body weight and epididymal fat mass; iii) reduced serum lipid levels, for example, triglyceride and total cholesterol; iv) increased serum adiponectin levels and reduced serum leptin levels; v) downregulated lipogenesis and upregulated β-oxidation-related genes in the epididymal fat; and vi) altered microbial communities. The collective evidence indicate the potential value of W. confusa WIKIM51 as a functional food supplement for the prevention and amelioration of obesity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.501-509
• /
• 2012

The dietary intake of whole grains is known to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In our previous study, hog millet (HM, $Panicum$ $miliaceum$ L.) water extract showed the highest anti-lipogenic activity among nine cereal types in 3T3-L1 cells. In this study, the effect of hog millet water extract on hepatic steatosis and lipid metabolism in mice fed a high fat diet was investigated. Mice were fed a normal-fat diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD) or HFD containing 1% or 2% (w/w) HM for 7 weeks. Body weight and food intake were monitored during the study period. Insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR), fasting lipid profile, hepatic fatty acid metabolism-related gene expression determined, and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IGTT) were performed at the study's end. The results indicated that 1% and 2% HM diets effectively decreased liver weights, blood TG and T-cholesterol levels (p<0.05), while the HDL-cholesterol level was increased (p<0.05) compared to HFD-induced steatotsis mice. Hepatic lipogenic-related gene ($PPAR{\alpha}$, L-FABP, and SCD1) expressions decreased, whereas lipolysis- related gene (CPT1) expression increased in animals fed the 2% PME diet (p<0.05). In addition, mice fed 1% or 2% HM diet had markedly decreased IGTT and HOMA-IR, compared to the those of the HFD-induced hepatic steatosis control group (p<0.05). These results indicated that HM inhibited hepatic lipid accumulation by regulating fatty acid metabolism, and suggested that HM is useful in the chemoprevention or treatment of high fat-induced hepatic steatosis and hepatic steatosis-related disorders including hyperlipidemia, glucose sensitivity, and insulin resistance.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.207-214
• /
• 2009

Purpose: Childhood obesity can be complicated by hypertension, hyperlipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of obesity and metabolic complications of children and adolescents based on the degree of obesity. Methods: We analyzed the records of 8,880 students who received student health examinations between May 2006 and October 2008 at the Eulji General Hospital. The prevalence of obesity was evaluated by the body mass index and obesity index. A total of 1,076 obese students had blood tests. We analyzed aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), fasting glucose, total cholesterol, and blood pressure according to the degree of obesity. Results: According to the body mass index, the overall prevalence of obesity was 7.2% (7.8% of male and 6.5% of female students). Based on the obesity index, 12.3% of students (mild: 6.3%, moderate: 5.0%, and severe: 1.0%) were obese. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, ALT elevation, and hypertension were increased as a function of the degree of obesity (p<0.05), but hyperglycemia showed no significant differences (p=0.298). The overall prevalence of ALT elevation was 17.7% (mild obese group, 10.4%; moderate obese group, 20.5%; and severe obese group, 46.8%). The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia were significantly higher in the elevated ALT group (24.7%, 42.6%, and 5.2%, respectively) compared to the normal ALT group (11.1%, 29.8%, and 2.0%, respectively; p<0.05). Conclusion: Hypercholesterolemia, liver function test abnormalities, and hypertension were associated with the degree of obesity. We should focus our attention on managing obese children and adolescents to prevent metabolic complications.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.281-286
• /
• 2011

This study was performed to investigate the effects of salted and fermented shrimp ethanol extract (SFS) on serum lipid metabolism and hepatocytes in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered 60% fat feed to induce hypercholesterolemia and were divided into five groups. Experimental groups were classified according to administered diet: normal diet group (NC), high cholesterol diet group (HC), high cholesterol and low dose shrimp extract (20 mg/kg) group (HC-SFSL), high cholesterol and high dose shrimp extract (200 mg/kg) group (HC-SFSH), and high cholesterol and lovastatin (20 mg/kg) group (HC-Lov). The experimental diets were fed ad libitum for 14 days. Compared with the control group, the serum cholesterol and triglycerides were 40.4 and 64.7% lower in the group fed HC-SFSH respectively. Low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol concentration in serum decreased in the HC-SFSH group compared with the HC group. In a histological assay, hepatocytes in the HC group showed that the vacuolated cells by fat appear clear due to the large amount of intracytoplasmic fat, whereas the liver hepatocytes in the group fed SFS effectively decreased fatty liver and intracytoplasmic fats. These results suggest that the extract of salted and fermented shrimp has an antiatherosclerotic effect and may lessen the effects of cardiovascular disease by reducing the cholesterol level in serum.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.7
• /
• pp.1019-1026
• /
• 2010

Obesity and being overweight are strongly associated with the development of metabolic disease such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia. High-fat diet (HFD) is one of the most important factors which cause obesity. In this study, C57BL/6 mice were treated with a HFD for 22 weeks in order to induce obesity and hyperglycemia. Twenty-two weeks later, body weight and plasma glucose level of the HFD group were significantly increased, compared with the normal diet (ND) group. Intra-peritoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) showed glucose intolerance in the HFD group compared with the ND group. These results confirmed that a HFD induced obesity and hyperglycemia in C57BL/6 mice. Plasma levels of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) were increased in the HFD group compared with the ND group. Hepatic levels of TG and TC were also increased by a HFD. To investigate the alteration of lipid metabolism in liver, proteins which are related to lipid metabolism were observed. Among lipid synthesis related enzymes, fatty acid synthase (FAS) and glycerol phosphate acyl transferase (GPAT) were significantly increased in the HFD group. Apolipoprotein B (apoB) and microsomal triglyceride transport protein (MTP), which are related to lipid transport, were significantly increased in the HFD group. Interestingly, protein level and phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is known as a metabolic regulator, were significantly increased in the HFD group compared with the ND group. In the present study we suggest that HFD may physiologically increase the proteins which are related with lipid synthesis and lipid transport, but that HFD may paradoxically induce the activation of AMPK.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.15-27
• /
• 1974

Since the summer of the year 1972 ulcer disease of common carp, colour carp ana goldfish had suddenly spread widely and caused a serious mortality at fish farms especially around Gim-hae and Yang-san, near Busan. The present study aimed to find out the causative organisms, histopathological changes and the way of treatment, and the results are summarized as follows : Two kinds of pathogenic bacteria, i. e, Chondrococcus columnaris and Aeromonas sp. were isolated from the mucus of the lesion. According to the macroscopic findings, these symptoms began with the hemorrhagic spots under scales which fell out, after the collapse of the dermis, which was followed by lesion to form ulcer, and then the muscle was exposed. The fin was eroded mostly from the distal part, but sometimes from the basal part. Gills showed grey colour, and this part of the tissue collapsed. According to the histopathological findings, the dermis was exposed after the collapsed of the epithelium of the skin, and the necrosis of the musculature occurred, the muscular fibre being destroyed. The epithelial cells of gill tissue proliferated, thus gill filaments were conglutinated and collapsed. Fatty degeneration happened at the liver but the other organs seem to be normal. Treatment with the following mixtures were effective the water temperature of $22\~25^{\circ}C$, but not effective when the temperature was under as low as $13\~15^{\circ}C$. Mixture 1. Aivet (HB-115.HCI) 0.3ppm Malachite green 0.2ppm. Dipterex 0.4ppm Mixture 2. Furanace (P-7138) 0.05ppm Malachite green 0.2ppm Dipterex 0.4ppm When lesion healed, the epithelium, dermis, and the muscular fibre were regenerated.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.179-184
• /
• 2007

Purpose: Obesity has recently emerged as a significant health problem in the pediatric population, and the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is increasing in tandem with a significant rise in childhood obesity. Therefore, this study was conducted to clarify the risk factors of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in obese children. Methods: We enrolled 84 obese children who visited the pediatric obesity clinic at Yeung-Nam university hospital. The patients were divided into two groups based on their alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (separated at 40 IU/L), and the mean of ages, total cholesterol levels, HDL-cholesterol levels, LDL-cholesterol levels, triglyceride (TG) levels, as well as the mean obesity index, and body fat percentage of the two groups were then compared. Results: When the mean of ages ($10.5{\pm}1.6$ vs. $10.7{\pm}2.0$ years), total cholesterol levels ($183.0{\pm}29.1$ vs. $183.7{\pm}31.3$ mg/dL), HDL-cholesterol levels ($53.0{\pm}10.2$ vs. $55.7{\pm}13.0$ mg/dL), LDL-cholesterol levels ($113.4{\pm}30.2$ vs. $113.0{\pm}30.0$ mg/dL), triglyceride levels ($99.4{\pm}62.9$ vs. $114.2{\pm}47.3$ mg/dL), obesity indexes ($44.7{\pm}12.2$ vs. $47.9{\pm}15.1%$), and body fat percentages ($32.7{\pm}5.0$ vs. $34.0{\pm}4.8%$) of group 1 (ALT${\leq}$40 IU/L) were compared with those of group 2 (ALT${\geq}$41 IU/L), no significant differences were observed (p>0.05). However, hypertriglyceridemia (TG${\geq}$110 mg/dL) was more frequent in group 2 than in group 1 (p=0.023). Conclusion: TG may be an important risk factor in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and further study regarding the risk factors in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is required.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2016

Obesity is a pro-inflammatory state that contributes to the development of metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver, and cardiovascular disease. In this study, we evaluated the inhibition of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells and in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice by Peucedanum japonicum Thunberg L. water extract (PJT). Lipid accumulation measurement indicates that PJT markedly inhibited adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. RT-PCR results demonstrated that the mRNA expression of adipogenic transcription factors such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα) in 3T3-L1 cells were significantly down-regulated by PJT treatment. Oral administration of PJT (100, 300, and 500 ㎎/㎏, b.w/daily for 4 weeks) was conducted in high-fat diet induced obese mice and C57BL/6 mice. The PJT-administered group of HFD-induced mice had a lower body weight gain, along with decreased serum levels of glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol compared with the control mice, however, the HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio was increased. Furthermore, the elevated mRNA expression levels of adipogenesis related genes in the white adipose tissue of obese mice were significantly suppressed by PJT. These results indicate that PJT exhibits anti-obesity effects in obese mice by decreasing in serum lipid levels and lipogenesis related gene.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.646-653
• /
• 2002

Purpose : The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children has been increasing worldwide recently, which is thought to be related to the increasing prevalence of obesity. We investigated to evaluate the incidence and the characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and also analysed the relationship between intrauterine growth retardation and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods : We investigated 25 children diagnosed as type 2 diabetes mellitus between March 1990 and December 2000. The analysis was performed retrospectively with medical records based on the clinical characteristics and laborotory findings. Results : Incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in children has been increasing since 1990. We demonstrated an increase in the percentage of type 2 diabetes mellitus children from 5.3% in 1990 to 21.0% in 2000. Sixty eight percent of patients(17/25) were classified as obese group. Initial symptoms at first visit were polyuria, polydipsia and polyphagia 48%(12/25), asymptomatic glycosuria 40% (10/25), weight loss 8%(2/25) and obesity 4%(1/25). The mean age at diagnosis was $12.9{\pm}1.8$ years. 64%(16/25) of patients had positive family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Autoanti-bodies were positive in 18.1%(4/22) of patients. Twenty eight percent (7/25) of patients had an associated disease and two patients had fatty liver in association with obesity. Treatment consisted of diet, exercise, education and oral hypoglycemic agents. Three patients were treated with insulin as well as oral hypoglycemic agents because of poor blood glucose control. Long-term diabetic complications occurred in 4 patients. Intrauterine growth retardtion was found in 34.6%(9/25); 88.9% (8/9) of these patients were non-obese group. Conclusion : The increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children is thought to be related to the increasing prevalence of obesity. The non-obese group of patients might be associated with intrauterine growth retardation.