• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.481-490
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• 2005

Surface sediments and seawater were sampled at Masan and Haengam Bays of Korea, to evaluate contamination by sewage-derived organic matter using fecal sterols, Six stream-water samples into Masan and Haengam Bays were also sampled. Total concentrations of eight sterols (coprostanol, epichloestanol, epicoprostanol, cholesterol, cholestanol, brassicasterol, stigmasterol and $\beta-sitosterol$) were in the range of $1,274\~4,768{\mu}g/g$ dry weight in suspended particulate from the stream-water, $292\~2,244{\mu}g/g$ dry weight in suspended particulate from the seawater and $4.5\~27.2{\mu}g/g$ dry weight in the sediments. Although sterol compositions in sediments, seawater and stream-water were different, cholesterol was the predominant sterol in all samples. The proportion and concentration of coprostanol, a sewage tracer, in stream-water was much higher than those in sediment and seawater. The sterol levels including coprostanol in the sediments and seawater were higher at inner basin than at the outer bay. Some molecular indices and multivariate statistical analysis were used to assess the origin of these sterols and sewage contamination in the study area. The sterol composition patterns in stream-water were mainly associated with contamination by sewage-derived organic matters and those of seawater were associated with the activities of marine-originated organisms. Sterol levels in the sediments were both from the sewage input through stream-water and the marine- originated organisms. This survey suggests that the main source/route of sewage-derived organic matters in Masan Bay is the input of stream-water into the bay.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.40-52
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• 2001

Using a biochemical indicator, the effects of fecal pollution in the estuary of the Nakdong river and in the Chinhae Hay were investigated from summer to winter in 1997-1998. The biochemical indicator used in this study was coprostanol (5-cholestan-3-ol) which is a kind of fecal sterol. It is a useful tracer of fecal pollution, as it is only found in feces of mammals including humans. Coprostanol was less affected by surrounding environments than other indicators of fecal pollution such as fecal coliform or ammonium and was proved to be a good indicator of fecal pollution. Therefore, long-term observations of coprostanol and related compounds could be used as useful indicators for the effects of feces on marine environments and ecosystems.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.637-643
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• 1999

The effects of yam(Dioscorea) on lowering cholesterol level and its mechanism were investigated. The concentrations of plasma and liver lipids, and the excretions of fecal neutral sterol and bile acid were measured in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Five Groups of 8 rats were fed hypercholesterolemic diet(1% cholesterol, 10% lard ; control), hypercholesterolemic diet plus 15% or 30% dried yam powder prepared by either hot-air(15HY, 30HY) or freeze dry(15FY, 30FY) for 4wk. Plasma total lipid, total cholesterol and cholesterol level was also significantly lower(28%, p<0.05), buy HMG-CoA reductase activity was higher in 30FY(230%, p<0.05) than in control. Although no significant differences in fecal neutral sterols were observed among groups, the yam-fed rats apparently had less bacterial degradation of cholesterol as indicated by a significantly greater of fecal cholesterol to coprostanol than in controls. Total fecal bile acids were significantly greater in rats fed yam(15HY : 5 folds, 15FY ; 12,30HY ; 12, 20FY ; 22) than in controls. The ratio of secondary to primary bile acids was almost 8 times lower in 30FY than in control. These data indicate that yam lowers cholesterol both in plasma and in liver through increasing fecal bile acid excretion as well as HMG-CoA reductase activity. Freeze-dried yam, which possesses viscosity, was more effective in cholesterol-lowering action than hot-air dried one.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.352-363
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• 2004

Lipid-lowering effects of the inulin have been demonstrated in animal, yet attempts to reproduce similar effects in humans have generated conflicting results. In this study, the lipid-lowering potential of inulin and especially its effect on bile acid and neutral sterol excretion were investigated in Korean postmenopausal women. Nineteen postmenopausal women were randomly divided into two groups in a double-blind parallel design and consumed one of two supplements for 12 weeks; placebo of 8g maltodextrins/sucrose mixture (placebo group) or 8g inulin (inulin group). There were no significant changes in body weight during the supplementation period in either inulin or placebo group. Dietary consumption of animal fat in both group tended to decrease after 12 weeks of experiment. Intake of cholesterol was lower in placebo group, whereas the decrease of cholesterol intake in inulin group did not reach statistical significance after 12 weeks. The levels of serum total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly decreased in both placebo (p＜0.05) and inulin group (p＜0.01) after supplementation for 12 weeks compared with the baseline. The levels of serum triglyceride (TG) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were not significantly affected by inulin supplements, but atherogenic index (AI) and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (LHR) as a predictor for coronary heart disease were improved (p＜0.01) significantly after inulin supplementation. Therefore, inulin supplement may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease via improving blood cholesterol level. Fecal weight and pH were not changed after 12 weeks of supplementation. There were no statistically significant changes for the fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In inulin group, fecal deoxycholic acid (DCA) was significantly lowered compared with the baseline (p＜0.05) whereas other bile acids were not changed. During the 12 weeks of intervention, no differences were found in fecal excretion of neutral sterol in the two groups. In summary, dietary inulin decreases serum TC, LDL-C, AI, LHR and lowers excretion of fecal DCA in the Korean postmenopausal women. These results support the use of inulin for reducing risk factors for hyperlipidemic postmenopausal women. However, the exact mechanism (s) responsible for the blood lipid lowering action of inulin including altered fecal bile acid remain to be elucidated.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.429-441
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• 1994

The difference in lipid metabolism between breast-fed(BF) and formula-fed(FF) infants were studied in 31 Korean infants at 1, 2 and 3 months postpartum. The formulas had more total lipids(TL), triglycerides(TG) and phospholipids and less cholesterol(CHOL) and free fatty acids(FFA) than the breast milk. The milk consumption of the FF infants was significantly greater than that of the BF infants with a wide individual variation. As a result, the FF infants appeared to consume more TL, TG and PL and less CHOL and FFA than the BF infants during 3 months. The lipid contents of the breast milk tended to decrease in due course of lactation, therefore the intake of lipids of BF infants was reduced during the first three month of lactation. The plasma TG and CHOL levels of infants at 3 month were not significantly different between the BF and FF infants, but the PL level of the BF infants was higher then that of the FF infants. The plasma levels of TG and CHOL were not significantly correlated with the intakes of TL, TG, CHOL, PL and FFA, respectively. The PL level, however, was positively correlated with the intakes of CHOL and FFA, respectively and negatively correlated with PL intake as well as 18 : 2w6 fatty acid content of the breast milk or the formulas. The fecal weight and fecal loss of TL of the FF infants were greater than those of the BF infants during 3 months, however, apparent lipids digestibility was not significantly different between the BF and FF infants. The fecal excretions of CHOL and bile acids of FF infants were substantially higher than those of BF infants during 3 months. New sterol balance showed a particularly large difference between the BF and FF infants. The value of the net sterol balance of the BF infants was negative, but that of the FF infants was positive. This study shows that the consumption pattern of various lipid components of BF and FF infants were different as a result of different lipid compositions between breast milk and formula. The significantly lower sterol balance of the BF infants than the FF infants may have been derived from the unique dietary characteristic of breast milk.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.1258-1263
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• 2008

The current study examined the effects of radish leaves powder on the excretion of fecal triglyceride, and sterol and hepatic UDP-glucuronyl transferase (UDPGT) activity in rats fed hypercholesterolemic diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 100$\pm$10 g were randomly assigned to normal control group (N group), normal diet with 5% radish leaves powder supplemented group (NR) and hypercholesterolemic groups, which were sub-divided into radish leaves powder free diet group (HC) and 2.5% (HRL), 5% (HRM), and 10% (HRH) radish leaves powder supplemented groups. The experimental diets were fed ad libitum for 4 weeks. Fecal weights and water contents were significantly increased in all radish leaves powder supplemented groups (NR, HRL, HRM, and HRH) than that of N and HC groups. Fecal total lipid contents including fecal neutral and acidic sterols in radish leaves powder supplemented groups were higher than those of the HC group, and especially that of HRH group was the highest among all experimental groups. Hepatic UDPGT activity of HRH group was 38% higher than that of HC group. Excretions of fecal bile acid were increased 2.3 and 2.7 folds in HRM and HRH groups compared with that of HC group. And neutral sterol, coprostanol, and coprostanone contents of them were higher in radish leaves supplemented groups than in HC group. These results suggest that radish leaves may act as potential substitute for a dietary fiber capable of improving a gastrointestinal function and lipid metabolism.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2005

Surface sediments (0$\~$4 cm) were sampled at 40 stations from Ulsan Bay and its adjacent areas of Korea, to evaluate the contamination by sewage-derived organic matters using fecal sterols. Some sterols were quantified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Total concentrations of eight sterols (co­prostanol, cholesterol, cholestanol, epicholestanol, epicoprostanol, ${\beta}-sitosterol,$ brassicasterol, and stigmasterol) in the sediments from Ulsan Bay and its vicinity varied from 929 to 23,444 ng/g dry weight. The most predom­inant sterols were cholesterol and coprostanol, accounting for $33\~72{\%}$ of total sterols. The concentration of coprostanol known as the indicator of human feces ranged from 141 to 8,257 ng/g dry weight. In particular, the coprostanol concentrations in the sediments from Jansaengpo Harbor and Taehwa River exceeded the value of 1,000 ng/g dry weight, suggesting that these areas could be considered as the hot-spot zones by municipal sewage contamination. Some molecular indices and multivariate data analysis were used to assess the origin of these sterols in the sediments. Results showed that the major routes of sewage contamination in Ulsan Bay and its vicinity were the input through Jansaengpo Harbor and Taehwa River.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2015

${\varepsilon}$-Polylysine (EPL) is used as a natural preservative in food. However, few studies have been conducted to assess the beneficial functions of dietary EPL. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism underlying the inhibition of neutral and acidic sterol absorption and hepatic enzyme activity-related fatty acid biosynthesis following EPL intake. EPL digest prepared using an in vitro digestion model had lower lipase activity and micellar lipid solubility and higher bile acid binding capacity than casein digest. Male Wistar rats were fed an AIN-93G diet containing 1% (wt/wt) EPL or L-lysine. After 4 weeks of feeding these diets, the marked decrease in serum and liver triacylglycerol contents by the EPL diet was partly attributed to increased fecal fatty acid excretion. The activities of hepatic acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which are key enzymes of fatty acid biosynthesis, were enhanced in rats fed EPL diet. The increased fatty acid biosynthesis activity due to dietary EPL may be prevented by the enhancement of fecal fatty acid excretion. The hypocholesterolemic effect of EPL was mediated by increased fecal neutral and acidic sterol excretions due to the EPL digest suppressing micellar lipid solubility and high bile acid binding capacity. These results show that dietary EPL has beneficial effects that could help prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.224-231
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• 2002

Vertical distributions of coprostanol (5$\beta$-cholestan-3$\beta$-ol) and other sterols were investigated in the intertidal sediment of Shinbul island in the Han River estuary to estimate the short-term variations of fecal contamination in association with reclamation activity which caused a construction of tidal barrier and emigration of residents from the island. Quantitative contributions of coprostanol in total sterol (9.87-15.84%) and in total organic carbon (82.0-157.7 $\mu\textrm{g}$ g$^{-1}$ OC) implied that a substantial amount of organic matter associated with fecal pollutants was introduced into the sediment. The highest contribution of coprostanol to organic carbon that was observed between 0.3-0.9 cm depth seemed to be associated with increased human activities for the reclamation project of the island. The ratio of coprostanol to organic carbon decreased within 0.3 cm depth, which indicated decreased fecal contamination after the emigration of residents from the island. The results suggested that measurement of coprostanol could relevantly reflect short-term fluctuation of fecal contamination in the sediment of the Han River estuary.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.404-415
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• 1990

This study is conducted to evalute the effect of ginseng fraction component (ginseng extract solution, GES; ginseng protein, GP; ginseng saponin, GSA; ginseng residue, GR) upon hyperlipidemia and fatty liver induced by high fat administration. In doing so, the serum, liver and epididymal adpoid tissue have been examined for lipid components level and lipoprotein fraction. Feces bile acid and neutral sterol excretion have been also measured. 1'he results obtained from this study are as follows. 1. Serum, liver, epididymal lipid components of GP and GSA group were significantly lower than the controlgroup. 2. During the feeding experiment, VLDL and LDL increase while HDL decrease in all group. However the degree of VLDL and LDL increase and HDL decrease were signficantly small in GP and GSA group compared with control group. 3. In the excretion of bile acid and neutral sterol, all experiment group showed increased excretion in the comparison of control group.