• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2010

Fermented red ginseng (FRG) was prepared by inoculating 0.1% Lactobacillus fermentum NUC-C1 and fermenting them at $40^{\circ}C$ for 12 hours. The ginsenoside contents of FRG were increased compared with those of red ginseng (RG). Moreover, the levels of the ginsenosides Rg2, Rg3, and Rh2 in FRG increased significantly. In an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood glucose levels were lower in animals fed with RG and FRG extracts than in normal controls. In particular, FRG extracts in OGTT were superior to RG extracts. The antidiabetic effects of FRG in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were investigated. Rats were divided into four groups: normal control, diabetes mellitus (DM), FRG administered at 100 mg/kg, and FRG administered at 200 mg/kg groups. FRG extracts were orally administered to each treatment group for 3 weeks, and blood glucose, insulin, and lipid levels of each group were determined. Orally administered FRG extracts significantly reduced blood glucose levels and increased plasma insulin levels in diabetic rats. Additionally, the activities of disaccharidases, including sucrase, lactase, and maltase, were decreased significantly in the FRG groups. FRG groups also had reduced triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, compared with the DM group. These results suggest that FRG may have antidiabetic effects in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.77-81
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• 2010

Plasma cholesterol is increased in normal aging in both rodents and humans. This is associated with reduced elimination of cholesterol and decreased receptor-mediated clearance of plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The aims of this study were: (1) to determine age-related changes in plasma lipid profiles, and (2) to determine the effect of fenofibrate, an activator of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPAR $\alpha$), on plasma lipid profiles in normal rats on a standard diet. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (n=15) were fed standard chow and water from 10 to 25 weeks of age. During that period, we measured daily food intake, body weight, fasting and random blood glucose levels, plasma total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and free fatty acid (FFA) levels. At 20 weeks of age, all rats were randomly divided into two groups: a fenofibrate group (in which rats were gavaged with 300 mg/kg/day of fenofibrate) and a control group (gavaged with water). Fenofibrate treatment lasted 5 weeks. There were no significant changes in daily food intake, blood glucose, and plasma TG level with age. Body weight, plasma TC, and FFA levels were significantly increased with age. Fenofibrate significantly decreased plasma concentrations of TC and FFA, which had been increased with age. However, fenofibrate did not influence the plasma concentration of TG, which had not increased with age. These results suggest that fenofibrate might have a novel role in preventing age-related hypercholesterolemia in SD rats on a normal diet.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.151-154
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• 2016

Increased plasma insulin levels are often observed in exogenous insulin overdose patients. However, plasma insulin level may decrease with time. We report a case of low plasma insulin level hypoglycemia after insulin lispro overdose. The patient was a 37-year-old man with no previous medical history who suspected insulin lispro overdose. Upon arrival, his Glasgow coma scale was 3 points and his blood sugar level (BSL) was 24 mg/dl. We found five humalog-quick-pen (insulin lispro) in his bag. There was no elevation of glucose level, despite an initial 50 ml bolus of 50% glucose and 150 cc/hr of 10% dextrose continuous intravenous infusion. He also suffered from generalized tonic-clonic seizure, which was treated with lorazepam and phenytoin. We conducted endotracheal intubation, after which he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). There were recurrent events of hypoglycemia below BSL<50 mg/dl after admission. We repeatedly infused 50 ml 50% glucose 10 times and administered 1 mg of glucagon two times. The plasma insulin level was 0.2 uU/ml on initial blood sampling and 0.2 uU/ml after 5 hours. After 13 hours, his BSL stabilized but his mental status had not recovered. Diffuse brain injury was observed upon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and severe diffuse cerebral dysfunction was found on electroencephalography (EEG). Despite 35 days of ICU care, he died from ventilator associated pneumonia.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2018

Purpose: to compare cut off points corrected for age and gender (COOP) with fixed cut off points (FCOP) for fasting plasma insulin and Homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) for the diagnosis of IR in obese children and adolescents and their correlation with dyslipidemia. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study including 383 subjects aged 7 to 18 years, evaluating fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin, and lipid profile. Subjects with high insulin levels and/or HOMA-IR were considered as having IR, based on two defining criteria: FCOP or CCOP. The frequency of metabolic abnormalities, the presence of IR, and the presence of dyslipidemia in relation to FCOP or CCOP were analyzed using Fisher and Mann-Whitney exact tests. Results: Using HOMA-IR, IR was diagnosed in 155 (40.5%) and 215 (56.1%) patients and, using fasting insulin, 150 (39.2%) and 221 (57.7%), respectively applying FCOP and CCOP. The use of CCOP resulted in lower insulin and HOMA-IR values than FCOP. Dyslipidemia was not related to FCOP or CCOP. Blood glucose remained within normal limits in all patients with IR. There was no difference in the frequency of IR identified by plasma insulin or HOMA-IR, both for FCOP and CCOP. Conclusion: The CCOP of plasma insulin or of HOMA-IR detected more cases of IR as compared to the FCOP, but were not associated with the frequency of dyslipidemia. As blood glucose has almost no fluctuation in this age group, even in the presence of IR, fasting plasma insulin detected the same cases of IR that would be detected by HOMA-IR.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 2005

The goal of this study was to investigate abnotmalities in camitine metabolism present by determining blood camitine and lipid concentrations in Korean diabetic patients. The study subjects included 108 Korean diabetic patients (64 males and 44 females) who were hospitalized in Chonbuk National University Hospital and 27 subjects were also hospitalized as non-diabetic controls (10 males and 17 females). Glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and HDL-cholesterol in plasma were enzymatically assayed and insulin was measured by immunoradiometric assay. Nonesterified camitine (NEC), acid-soluble acylcarnitine (ASAC), and acid-insoluble acylcarnitine (AIAC) were determined by a modified radioisotopic method Glucose and insulin levels were significantly elevated in diabetic patients compared with controls. Total cholesterol was elevated in female but not male diabetic patients and triglycerides were elevated both in male and female diabetics. Plasma and urinary total carnitine (TCNE) were significantly elevated in diabetics as compared with normal controls. In male diabetics, NEC concentrations were significantly elevated above controls, but not in female subjects. Plasma NEC and TCNE concentrations were significantly increased in male diabetics, but significantly decreased in female diabetics. All urinary carnitine concentrations were significantly increased in diabetics as compared with controls. Urinary NEC concentrations were four times higher in male diabetics and three times higher in female diabetics than in controls. The ratios of serum and urinary acylcarnitine/NEC were also significantly higher in diabetics than in controls. This study suggested that there was a remarkable abnormality in lipid and carnitine metabolism in Korean diabetic patients, and the further study on carnitine metabolism and the effects of carnitine supplementation for Korean diabetic patients are needed.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.727-736
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• 1995

The hypoglycemic effect of Polygonatum odoratum var. Pluriflorum Ohwi was investigated after extracted with methanol. The methanol extract was fractionated into 4 layers ; hexane, chloroform, butanol and aqueous. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats(200-300g) were induced diabetes mellitus by the streptozotocin injection(45mg/kg B.W) into the tail vein and were divided into 5 groups ; diabetic control and 4 experimental groups. All groups of the rats were fed on a AIN-76 diet, and the 4 experimental groups were orally administered with each fraction(500mg/kg B.W) for 12 days and the diabetic control group was orally administered CMC. The body weight gain was monitered and the blood levels of glucose and cholesterol were measured. Levels of protein, triglyceride, and free fatty acid in plasma were analysed. The contents of protein, triglyceride and glycogen in liver and of protein and glycogen in muscle were also determined. The body weight gain was shown significantly higher in the H2O fraction group than that in the diabetic control group and the heart weight was greater in the CHCl3 group. The extents of blood glucose decrement were greater in the BuOH and H2O groups than that in the control group. The urinary glucose excretion was shown relatively small amount in the BuOH and H2O groups. The plasma cholesterol and protein levels were not influenced by these four fractions in diabetic rats. The liver glycogen level was significantly higher in the BuOH group. The results suggest that the orally administered BuOH and H2O fraction of Polygonatum odoratum var. Pluriflorum Ohwi exhibited hypoglycemic effect in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.127-131
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• 2007

Chronic treatment with olanzapine (OLZ), an atypical antipsychotic drug, is associated with the adverse effects of weight gain, hyperglycemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia. Green tea or epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), one of the most abundant green tea polyphenols, significantly reduces or prevents an increase in glucose levels, lipid markers and/or body weight. We hypothesized that combined treatment with OLZ and green tea extract (GTE) or EGCG may prevent body weight gain and increase of the lipid markers. ICR male mice weighing an average of 30.51 g (n=32) at the beginning of the experiment were used. OLZ, OLZ+GTE and OLZ+EGCG were administered for 27 d in the drinking water, and then the levels of fasting glucose, nitric oxide (NO), and a typical lipid marker triglyceride (TG) were determined in plasma. The body weight and food intake were also compared. The chronic treatment of OLZ increased the average body weight compared with that of controls. In the presence of GTE or EGCG, the OLZ-induced increase in body weight was significantly prevented. Furthermore, in the OLZ group, the plasma levels of glucose, NO and TG were significantly increased, whereas GTE or EGCG prevented these increases. These results implicate that OLZ may induce systematic inflammatory reaction, and suggest that GTE or EGCG can protect against OLZinduced weight gain, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.1912-1920
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• 2021

Objective: This study investigated the effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) on the motility parameters, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, and ATP levels in chicken sperm. Methods: The pooled semen from Barred Plymouth Rock males was used. In the first experiment, the semen was diluted 4-times with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS (-)) containing various concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 mM) of 5-ALA, and then the sperm motility parameters after incubation were evaluated by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). In the second experiment, the semen was diluted 4-times with PBS (-) containing 0.05 mM 5-ALA, and then sperm mitochondrial membrane depolarization and ATP levels after 1.5 h of incubation were analyzed with the MitoPT^® JC-1 Assay and ATP Assay kits, respectively. In the third experiment, the semen was removed from the seminal plasma and resuspended with the mediums of PBS (-), PBS (-) supplemented with CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ (PBS (+)) + 5-ALA, PBS (+) + caffeine, and PBS (+) + caffeine + 5-ALA. Then, the sperm motility parameters after incubation were evaluated by CASA. In the last experiment, the semen was treated with the mediums of PBS (-), PBS (-) + 5-ALA, 5.7% glucose, 5.7% glucose + 5-ALA after removing the seminal plasma, and then the sperm motility parameters were evaluated by CASA. Results: The addition of 0.05 mM 5-ALA significantly increased the chicken sperm motility, progressive motility, linearity, average path velocity, curvilinear velocity, straight-line velocity, and the wobble. The sperm mitochondrial membrane depolarization was also increased by the 5-ALA treatment. The 5-ALA treatment decreased the sperm ATP levels. Both the caffeine treatment and glucose treatment decreased the sperm motility during incubation period. Conclusion: 5-ALA might increase sperm mitochondrial membrane depolarization to utilize the ATP for enhancing sperm movement.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.425-436
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• 2003

The present study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of common Korean legumes as a high-fiber supplement in therapeutic diets for diabetic patients. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were used as animal models and four kinds of legumes, black soybean (BS), yellow soybean (YS), green pea (GP) and soybean curd residue (SCR) were tested as high-fiber supplements. Seven groups of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were fed isocaloric experimental diets containing 8％ dietary fiber from one of four legumes or purified cellulose and pectin for 6 weeks. The effects of the legumes on the glucose and lipid metabolism of diabetic rats was examined and compared with the effects of cellulose and pectin. The legume supplementation did not show any beneficial effect on glucose tolerance, however, it exhibited a plasma cholesterol-lowering effect in diabetic rats. The cholesterol-lowering action was especially strong in BS and the degree of the effect was comparable to that of pectin. The levels of total lipids, cholesterol, and triglyceride in the hepatic tissues of rats fed legume diets were similar to those of the pectin group. All legume supplements induced an increase in fecal steroid excretion. The fecal cholesterol contents were significantly high following the supplementations of YS and SCR (p < 0.05). The excretion of fecal bile acids in the BS and YS groups was significantly higher than it was in the pectin group (p < 0.05). Concentration of lipid peroxidation products in the blood and urine of diabetic animals was lower in the legume groups than in the cellulose group. The levels of hepatic lipid peroxidation products were significantly lower in the BS and YS groups than in the pectin group (p < 0.05). From the results of this study, the plasma cholesterol-lowering effect of BS is possibly due to the significant (p < 0.05) in-crease in fecal steroid excretion, which suggests that BS could be beneficial in improving abnormal lipid metabolism in diabetic rats. (Korean J Nutrition 36(5): 425∼436, 2003)

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.307-312
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• 2007

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) induce insulin sensitization through the activation of PPAR${\gamma}$. However, the undesirable effect such as weight gain was observed. The purpose of this study was to find out an herbal drug that could reduce the side effects of pioglitazone. Among herbal formula that we have searched, oryung-san (OR) inhibited the differentiation of preadipocytes and did not affect on glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In vitro, glucose uptake assay and Oil Red-O staining in 3T3-L1 adipocytes were conducted. In vivo, pioglitazone (PIO, 30 mg/kg), oryung-san (OR, 300 mg/kg), or pioglitazone co-administered with oryung-san (PIO+OR) were administered orally for 7 weeks in high fat diet (HFD) fed ICR mice and measured the body weight and blood glucose level every week. PIO+OR group significantly reduced body weight gain, triglyceride, and total cholesterol compared to PIO group. In addition, PIO+OR group showed a significant reduction of plasma glucose level (72%) compared to HFD control group. Insulin levels in PIO+OR group was also markedly decreased by 85% and 41% compared to HFD control and PIO group, respectively. Diameter of white adipocytes was decreased in the PIO+OR group compared to that in PIO group. Moreover, PIO+OR group reduced expression of PPAR${\gamma}$ and SREBP1a compared to PIO group. Taken together, oryung-san can improve side effects of pioglitazone, such as weight gain and edema, and shows a synergistic effect in plasma insulin levels.