• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.272-277
• /
• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the antioxidant activities and hepatoprotective effects of Schisandra chinensis Baillon extract (SCE) against tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative hepatic damage in rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were pretreated with SCE (300, 600, and 1,200 mg/kg BW) or saline once daily for 14 consecutive days. On day 14, each animal, except those belonging to the normal control group, were injected with t-BHP (0.8 mmol/kg BW/i.p.), and all of the rats were sacrificed 16 h after t-BHP injection. RESULTS: Although no significant differences in AST and ALT levels were observed among the TC and SCE groups, the high-dose SCE group showed a decreasing tendency compared to the TC group. However, erythrocyte SOD activity showed a significant increase in the low-dose SCE group compared with the TC group. On the other hand, no significant differences in hepatic total glutathione (GSH) level, glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were observed among the TC and SCE groups. Hepatic histopathological evaluation revealed that pretreatment with SCE resulted in reduced t-BHP-induced incidence of lesions, such as neutrophil infiltration, swelling of liver cells, and necrosis. In particular, treatment with a high dose of SCE resulted in induction of phase II antioxidant/detoxifying enzyme expression, such as glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC). CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, we conclude that SCE exerts protective effects against t-BHP induced oxidative hepatic damage through the reduction of neutrophil infiltration, swelling of liver cells, and necrosis. In addition, SCE regulates the gene expression of phase II antioxidant/detoxifying enzymes independent of hepatic antioxidant enzyme activity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
• /
• 2001.05a
• /
• pp.96-106
• /
• 2001

The phase II detoxifying enzymes are inducible by a variety of compounds and play an essential role for the protection of cells. Many of chemoprotective agents trigger cellular signals for the phase II enzyme induction, which subsequently activate gene transcription through ARE activation.(omitted)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.9
• /
• pp.4655-4660
• /
• 2012

Opuntia humifusa, member of the Cactaceae family, was previously demonstrated to have radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects in in vitro models. It was suggested that O. humifusa could function in the prevention of carcinogenesis. To investigate the in vivo chemopreventive effect of O. humifusa, mice were fed a diet containing either 1% or 3% following 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene (DMBA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induction of skin carcinogenesis. Significant decrease in the numbers of papilloma and epidermal hyperplasia were observed in mice fed with O. humifusa, compared to the control group. O. humifusa also upregulated high total antioxidant capacity and level of phase II detoxifying enzyme such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase activity in the skin. Lipid peroxidation activity level was measured in skin cytosol and significantly inhibited in 3% OH fed group compared to the control group. These results suggest that O. humifusa exerts chemopreventive effects on chemical carcinogenesis in mouse skin and that prevention effects are associated with reduction of oxidative stress via the modulation of cutaneous lipid peroxidation, enhancing of total antioxidant capacity especially in phase II detoxifying enzyme system and partial apoptotic influence.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.9
• /
• pp.1331-1338
• /
• 2010

This study was designed to investigate the potentially protective effects of Curcuma longa Linn. extract (CLE) on carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with 50 or 100mg/kg of CLE or 100mg/kg of butylated hydroxytoluene(BHT) for 14 days before $CCl_4$ administration. In addition, the CLE control group was pretreated with 100mg/kg CLE for only 14 days. Three hours after the final treatment, a single dose of $CCl_4$ (20mg/kg) was administrated intraperitoneally to each group. After the completion of this phase of the experiment, food and water were removed 12 h prior to the next step. The rats were then anesthetized by urethane and their blood and liver were collected. It was observed that the aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities of the serum, and the hepatic malondialdehyde levels had significantly decreased in the CLE group when compared with the $CCl_4$-treated group. The antioxidant activities, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities, in addition to glutathione content, had increased considerably in the CLE group compared with the $CCl_4$-treated group. Phase II detoxifying enzymes, such as glutathione S-transferase, were found to have significantly increased in the CLE group as opposed to the $CCl_4$-treated group. The content of Nrf2 was determined by Western blot analysis. Pretreated CLE increased the level of nuclear translocated Nrf2, and the Nrf2 then increased the activity of the antioxidant and phase II detoxifying enzymes. These results indicate that CLE has protective effects against $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity in rats, via activities of antioxidant and phase II detoxifying enzymes, and through the activation of nuclear translocated Nrf2.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.914-919
• /
• 2006

We investigated the catechin content in green tea leaf (GTL) and green tea seed (GTS), the antiproliferative and detoxifying phase II enzyme-inducing activities of the methanolic (80%, v/v) extracts from GTL and GTS. GTL and GTS contained $8,685{\pm}1,061$ and $108{\pm}32\;{\mu}g/g$ epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), $11,486{\pm}506$ and $116{\pm}72\;{\mu}g/g$ epigallocatechin (EGC), $3,535{\pm}308$ and $821{\pm}95\;{\mu}g/g$ epicatechin gallate (ECG), and $1,429{\pm}177$ and $37{\pm}44\;{\mu}g/g$ epicatechin (EC), respectively. The methanolic extract of GTS showed a greater increase in quinone reductase activity and antiproliferation potential against mouse hepatoma cells than GTL extract did. GTS treatment resulted in the accumulation at sub-G1 phase of mouse hepatoma hepa1c1c7 cells as assessed by flow cytometry. Enhancement of phase II enzyme activity by GTS extract was shown to be mediated, directly or indirectly, via interaction with the antioxidant response element (ARE) sequence in the genes encoding the phase enzymes. As the catechin content in GTS was significantly lower than that in GTL, components other than catechins appear to be responsible for the anticarcinogenic activity of the seed. In summary, these results suggest that the 80% methanolic extract of GTS deserves further study to evaluate its potential as an anticarcinogenic agent and to investigate its mechanism of action.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.2973-2978
• /
• 2013

Maesil (Prunus mume Siebold & Zucc.), a member of the genus Rosaceae, has been reported to have antioxidative effects, as well as anticancer influence in many cancer lines. Thus, this present study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effect of fermented Maesil with probiotics against 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis via its antioxidative potential. Mice were fed a diet containing fermented Maesil, containing either 1% (1% FM fed group) or 2% (2% FM fed group) along with probiotics following DMBA and TPA exposure. Continuous ingestion of the experimental feed markedly inhibited skin carcinogenesis, as evidenced by a marked decrease in papilloma numbers and epidermal hyperplasia as well as cellular proliferation and the percentage of proliferating-cell nuclear antigen positive cells. Also, the FM fed group showed an increase of total antioxidant capacity as well as an increased level of phase II detoxifying enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, concurrent with a decreased lipid peroxidation activity level. Taken together, these results suggest that fermented Maesil has the ability to suppress the development of DMBA-TPA induced skin carcinogenesis, via the reduction of lipid peroxidation, enhancing total antioxidant capacity and phase II detoxifying enzyme.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.127-133
• /
• 2007

Metformin is a drug used to lower blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes via activation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether metformin at the pharmacologically effective concentrations affects the expressions of ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine synthetase and phase II antioxidant genes in the H4IIE cell. Treatment of the cells with either metformin or 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR) abrogated tert-butylhydroxyquinone (t-BHQ) induction of ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine synthetase, a rate limiting enzyme of GSH synthesis. The ability of t-BHQ to induce glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), a major class of phase II detoxifying enzymes that playa critical role in protecting cells from oxidative stress or electrophiles, was also inhibited by the agents. Transcriptional gene repression by metformin was verified by the GSTA2 promoter luciferase assay. Moreover, either metformin or AICAR treatment significantly decreased t-BHQ-dependent induction of other GSTs (i.e., $GST{\mu}$ and $GST{\pi}$ forms). Taken together, our data indicate that metformin treatment may result in the repression of ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione S-transferase genes possibly via AMPK activation.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.340-343
• /
• 2005

Induction of NAD(P)H:(quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase (QR) which promotes obligatory two electron reduction of quinones and prevents their participation in oxidative cycling and thereby the depletion of intracellular glutathione, has been used as a marker for chemopreventive agents. Induction of phase II enzyme is considered to be an important mechanism of cancer prevention. In our previous study, we assessed the quinone reductase QR-inducing activities of 216 kinds of medicinal herb extracts in cultured murine hepatoma cells, BPRc1 and hepalc1c7 cells. Among the 216 herbal extracts tested in that study, extracts from Chrysanthemum zawadskii showed significant induction of QR. In this study, we examined QR-inducing activity of solvent fractions of the herbal extract. The dichloromethane fraction of the herb showed the highest QR induction among the samples fractionated with four kinds of solvents with different polarity. The fraction also significantly induced the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST), one of the major detoxifying enzymes, at $4{\mu}g/mL\;and\;2{\mu}g/mL$ in hepalc1c7 and BPRc1 cells, respectively. In conclusion, dichloromethane-soluble fraction of Chrysanthemum zawadskii which showed relatively strong induction of detoxifying enzymes merits further study to identify active components and evaluate their potential as cancer preventive agents.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.38-44
• /
• 2001

NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (QR), known as DT-diaphorase, is a kind of detoxifying phase II metabolic enzyme catalyzing hydroquinone formation by two electron reduction pathway from quinone type compounds, and thus facilitating excretion of quinoids from human body. With the usefulness of QR induction activity assay system for the modulation of toxicants, in the course of searching for cancer chemopreventive agents from natural products, the methanolic extracts of approximately two hundreds of oriental medicines were primarily evaluated using the induction potential of quinone reductase (QR) activity in cultured murine Hepa1c1c7 cells. As a result, several extracts including Hordeum vulgare, Momordica cochinchinensis, Strychnos ignatii, Houttuynia cordata, and Polygala japonica were found to significantly induce QR activity. In addition, the methylene chloride fraction of H. vulgare, one major dietary food source, showed potent induction of QR activity $(CD=6.4{\mu}g/ml)$. Further study for isolation of active principles from these lead extracts is warranted for the discovery of novel cancer chemopreventive agents.

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
• /
• 2002.05a
• /
• pp.25-35
• /
• 2002

Transcription factor Nrf2 is essential for the antioxidant responsive element (ARE)-mediated induction of phase II detoxifying and oxidative stress enzyme genes. Detailed analysis of differential Nrf2 activity displayed in transfected cell lines ultimately led to the identification of a new protein, which we named Keap1, that suppresses Nrf2 transcriptional activity by specific binding to its evolutionarily conserved amino-terminal regulatory domain. The closest homolog of Keap1 is a Drosophila actin-binding protein called Kelch, implying that Keap1 might be a Nrf2 cytoplasmic effector. We then showed that electrophilic agents antagonize Keap1 inhibition of Nrf2 activity in vivo, allowing Nrf2 to traverse from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and potentiate the ARE response. We postulate that Keap1 and Nrf2 constitute a crucial cellular sensor for oxidative stress, and together mediate a key step in the signaling pathway that leads to transcriptional activation by this novel Nrf2 nuclear shuttling mechanism. The activation of Nrf2 leads in turn to the induction of phase II enzyme and antioxidative stress genes in response to electrophiles and reactive oxygen species.