• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.351-356
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• 2000

The hepatoprotective effects of bergenin and its derivative, acetylbergenin, were evaluated against D-galactosamine-induced liver damage in rats. Bergenin is a C-glucoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid that has been isolated from the cortex of Mallotus japonicus (Euphorbiaceae). Acetylbergenin was synthesized from acetylation of bergenin to increase lipophilic and physiological activities. Bergenin (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) and acetylbergenin (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) were administered orally once daily for successive 5 days after the injection of galactosamine (400 mg/kg, i.p.), respectively. The substantially elevated serum enzyme activities of alanine/aspartate aminotransferase, sorbitol dehydrogenase and ${\gamma}-glutamyltransferase$ due to galactosamine treatment were dose-dependently restored towards normalization by post-treatment with bergenin and acetylbergenin. Bergenin and acetylbergenin also significantly prevented the elevation of hepatic malondialdehyde formation and depletion of reduced glutathione content induced by galactosamine in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the decreased activities of glutathione S-transferase and glutathione reductase were restored towards normalization. These results suggest that effects of bergenin and acetylbergenin may be related to complex mechanisms that involve prevention of lipid peroxidation and preservation of hepatic glutathione. The results of this study clearly indicate that bergenin and acetylbergenin have potent hepatotherapeutic action against galactosamine-induced hepatotoxicity in rats, and lipophilic acetylbergenin is more active in the antihepatotoxic effects against galactosamine than much less lipophilic bergenin.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.439-445
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• 2010

Pretreatment with Taraxacum Mongolicum H(TMH) prior to the administration of on $CCl_4$ significantly prevented the increased serum enzymatic activity of aminotransferase(ALT, AST), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT) and bilirubin concentration in dose-dependent manner. In addition, pretreatment with TMH also significantly restored the elevation of hepatic malondialdehyde formation and the depletion of reduced glutathione content in the liver $CCl_4$-intoxicated rats. The restoration of microsomal aniline hydroxylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase activities indicated the improvement in functional status of endoplasmic reticulum. $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity was also essentially prevented, as indicated by a liver histopathologic study. TMH showed antioxidant effects in $FeCl_2$-ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenate and in superoxide radical scavenging activity. Our results suggest that the protective effect of TMH against $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity possibly involve mechanisms related to its ability to block p450-mediated $CCl_4$ bioactivation and free radical scavenging effects.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 2000

Bergenin is a C-glucoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid that has been isolated from the cortex of Mallotus japonicus (Euphorbiaceae). Acetylbergenin was synthesized by acetylation from bergenin to increase lipophilic and physiological activities. The therapeutic effects of bergenin and acetylbergenin were evaluated against carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Bergenin and acetylbergenin were administered orally once daily for successive 5 days, after the intraperitoneal injection of a mixture 0.5 m1/kg of $CCl_4$ in olive oil (1:1). The substantially elevated serum enzymatic activities of alanine/aspartate aminotransferase, sorbitol dehydrogenase and ${\gamma}$-glutamyltransferase induced by $CCl_4$ were restored towards normalization by posttreatment with bergenin and acetylbergenin. Bergenin and acetylbergenin also significantly prevented the elevation of hepatic malondialdehyde formation and depletion of glutathione content induced by $CCl_4$ in a dose dependent fashion. In addition, the decreased activities of glutathione S-transferase and glutathione reductase were restored towards normalization. These results suggest that therapeutic effects of bergenin and acetylbergenin may be related complex mechanisms that involve prevention of lipid peroxidation and preservation of hepatic GSH. The results of this study clearly indicate that bergenin and acetylbergenin have potent hepatothrapeutic action against $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. In addition, acetylbergenin 50 mgHg showed almost the same levels of hepatoprotective activity as those of bergenin 100 mgAg, indicating the fact that lipophilic acetylbergenin is more effective in the hepatoprotective action against $CCl_4$ than bergenin.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.84-88
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• 2009

Cathepsin S is a cysteine protease that affects extracellular matrix remodeling. Recently, several studies have reported that cathepsin S is involved in obesity. Both mouse and human adipose cells produce this enzyme in the early phase of adipocyte differentiation, where it degrades fibronectin. Cathepsin S gene expression is elevated in the adipose tissue of obese mice as compared to that of lean mice. Paecilomyces tenuipes water extracts (PTW) are shown to have an inhibitory effect on cathepsin S activity. In this study, Z-Val-Val-Arg-MCA was used as a cathepsin S-specific substrate in order to examine inhibitory effect of PTW. Supplementing 3T3-L1 cell media with PTW clearly reduced lipid droplet accumulation and cathepsin S-induced adipogenesis. Furthermore, PTW decreased weight gain, subcutaneous adipose tissue growth, the level of serum triglyceride, and total cholesterol in mice fed a high-fat diet. These data suggest that PTW work against adipose cathepsin S and presumably contribute to anti-obese activities.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1411-1416
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• 2009

The suppressive effects of glutathione-enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae FF-8 strain (FF-8 GY) on alcoholinduced hepatotoxicity have been studied. FF-8 GY (256 mg/L) from the fermentation at a large scale bioreactor was used. Either of 5% FF-8 GY or 5% commercial glutathione-enriched yeast extract (GYE) with or without 30% alcohol was tested with rats for 4 weeks. FF-8 GY and GYE were found to reduce those alcohol-elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities. Blood alcohol and acetaldehyde were also decreased by FF-8 GY and GYE. Interestingly, FF-8 GY drastically increased both hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activities in comparison to GYE group, thus FF-8 GY would be more effective in blood alcohol and acetaldehyde reduction. Attenuated lipid droplet accumulation in hepatocytes was observed in both FF-8 GY and GYE when alcohol stimulated the accumulation. Therefore, FF-8 GY may be useful to protect liver from alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2005

Homocystinuria is a metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of cystathionine ${\beta}$-synthase (CBS). Patients with homocystinuria show clinical symptoms such as mental retardation, lens dislocation, vascular disease with life-threatening thromboembolisms and skeletal deformities. Generally, the major treatments for CBS deficiency include pharmacologic doses of pyridoxine or dietary restriction of methionine. However, there is no effective treatment for this disease up till today and gene therapy can be an attractive novel approach to treatment of the disease. We investigated whether a recombinant adeno-associated virus could be used as a CBS gene transfer vector to reduce the excessive homocysteine level in the homocystinuria mouse model. Recombinant adeno-associated virus vector encoding the human CBS gene (rAAV-hCBS), driven by EF1-a promoter, was infused into CBS-deficient mice ($CBS^{-/-}$) via intramuscular (IM) and intraperitoneal (IP) injection. IP injection was more efficient than IM injection for prolongation of lives and reduction of plasma homocysteine levels. After 2 weeks of gene transfer by IP injection, serum homocysteine level was significantly decreased in treated mice compared with the age-matched controls and the life span was extended about 1.5 times. Also, increased expression of CBS gene was observed by immunohistochemical staining in livers of treated $CBS^{-/-}$ mice and microvesicular lipid droplets was decreased in cytoplasm of liver. These results demonstrate the possibility and efficacy of gene therapy by AAV gene transfer in homocystinuria mice.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.143-157
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• 1993

This research aims to find the information concerning nutritional status and food intake in Korean dirt betic men. Thus, the survey was made on 202 NIDDM patients over 35 age at University Hospital. The data were analysed using F-test and mutiple comparison in SAS package program. Main results were as follows : Incidence of diabetes is high in their forties and fifties. Most of them are salary men, administrators, and professionals in middle class, who reside in metropolitan area including Seoul. They used to take light exercise and were founded NIDDM by subjective symptoms. 36.6% of them have other diseases simultaneously such as hypertension, cancer, etc. Food intake pattern prior to incidence was that intake frequency of grains, sugars, protein foods, and liking foods was higher than of processed foods. Amounts of calorie intake were shown to be lower than normal persons, so that it seemed to be controlled by doctors. In addition, the calorie ratio derived from fat was lower than RDA. Thus protein and carbohydrate ratio was relatively higher than RDA. Total moan fatty acid intake was 32.15g and it is no significance among weight groups in various fatty acid intakes. With respect to the physical standards of the diabetic men, weight, PIBW BMI, BMM, 757, arm circumference, and waist /hip ratio were higher than in normal. Therefore it seemed that these factors would be related to the diabetics. From now on, it is required to research the correlations of fatty acid intakes on the diabetes and their influence to serum lipid profiles.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.52-61
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the feeding and nutritional status of enteral tube-fed elderly patients. Subjects included 77 elderly hospitalized patients who had received enteral nutrition more than one week before admission. Medical records on admission and actual feeding volume were used to assess anthropometric, biochemical, and nutritional status. Most patients manifested disorders of the nervous system (93.5%) and the average duration of tube feeding was 13.9 months. The average feeding volume of formula was 1,107 mL per day and the mean ratios of calorie and protein (supplied vs. required) were 81.7% and 80.9%, respectively. At admission, 57.4% of the patients were malnourished according to the institutional criteria. Patients receiving less than 80% of the required calories were in worse nutritional status compared with those receiving more than 80% of the required calories. Body mass index, percent ideal body weight, serum albumin level and blood lipid levels (total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride) were significantly lower in patients receiving less than 80% of the required calories. These results indicate the high prevalence of malnutrition and the need for increased attention and nutritional care of elderly patients undergoing long-term enteral nutrition.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2006

Delivery of DNA vaccines to airway mucosa would be an ideal method for mucosal immunization. However, there have been few reports of a suitable gene delivery system. In this study we used a cationic emulsion to immunize mice via the intranasal route with pCMV-S coding for Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). Complexing pCMV-S with a cationic emulsion dramatically enhanced HBsAg expression in both nasal tissue and lung, and was associated with increases in the levels of HBs-specific Abs in serum and mucosal fluids, of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in the spleen and cervical and iliac lymph nodes, and of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) against HBsAg. In contrast, very weak humoral and cellular immunities were observed following immunization with naked DNA. In support of these observations, a higher proliferative response of spleenocytes was detected in the group immunized with the emulsion/pCMV-S complex than in the group immunized with naked pCMV-S. These findings may facilitate development of an emulsion-mediated gene vaccination technique for use against intracellular pathogens that invade mucosal surfaces.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.13-26
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• 2014

Objectives: This study aimed to assess whether metabolic syndrome (MS) is related to osteoporosis and investigate the association between the MS components and bone mineral density (BMD). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study for 4,365 women aged over 50 years who completed health examination from 2008 to 2012 in Korea Association of Health Promotion Gangwon Branch. Height, body weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, serum lipid profiles, and BMD were measured. Results: Obesity measured as body mass index (BMI) was detrimental to all of the MS components but positively correlated with BMD at three skeletal sites (lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip). There were no significant differences in the MS prevalence between women without osteoporosis and those with osteoporosis. In age-adjusted analysis, women with MS had significantly higher BMD at three sites when compared to those without MS. After adjusting for BMI and age, these significances disappeared, such that MS was not associated with higher BMD. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that obesity increases the risk of MS whereas underweight increases that of osteoporosis. The association between MS and higher BMD was explained by the higher BMI in those with MS. MS may not be associated with osteoporosis.