• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.657-665
• /
• 2022

Background: Sarcopenia is a new and emerging risk factor aggravating the quality of life of elderly population. Because Korean Red Ginseng (RG) is known to have a great effect on relieving fatigue and enhancing physical performance, it is invaluable to examine its potential as an anti-sarcopenic drug. Methods: Anti-sarcopenic effect of non-saponin fraction of Korean Red Ginseng (RGNS) was evaluated in C2C12 myoblasts treated with C2-ceramide to induce senescence phenotypes, and 22-month-old mice fed with chow diet containing 2% RGNS (w/w) for 4 further months. Results: The RGNS treatment significantly alleviated cellular senescence indicated by intracellular lipid accumulation, increased amount of lysosomal β-galactosidase, and reduced proliferative capacity in C2C12 myoblasts. This effect was not observed with saponin fraction. In an aged mouse, the 4-month-RGNS diet significantly improved aging-associated loss of muscle mass and strength, assessed by the weights of hindlimb skeletal muscles such as tibialis anterior (TA), extensor digitorum longus (EDL), gastrocnemius (GN) and soleus (SOL), and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of SOL muscle, and the behaviors in grip strength and hanging wire tests, respectively. During the same period, an aging-associated shift of fast-to slow-twitch muscle in SOL muscle was also retarded by the RGNS treatment. Conclusions: These findings suggested that the long-term diet of RGNS significantly prevented aging-associated muscle atrophy and reduced physical performance, and thus RGNS has a strong potential to be developed as a drug that prevents or improves sarcopenia.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.31-37
• /
• 2023

Objective : This study was conducted to investigate the muscle-improving and therapeutic effects of Boehmeria platanifolia (BP) in a mouse model of dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy. Methods : Muscle atrophy was induced in C57BL/6 mice by intraperitoneal administration of dexamethasone for 12 days. BP extract was administered orally at doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg for 19 days, starting 7 days before the intraperitoneal administration of dexamethasone. Mice were weighed during the experimental period, and muscle strength and muscle weight were measured at the end of the experiment. The gastrocnemius (GASTROC) muscles of mice were isolated and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the muscle fibers was measured after H&E staining. Results : Dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy mice had a decrease in body weight compared to normal mice, and BP-administrated mice did not show significant change in body weight compared with a control group. Muscle strength in mice with induced muscle atrophy was reduced compared to normal and significantly increased with BP administration and positive control. In addition, the weight of the quadriceps (QUAD) muscle and fiber size of the GASTROC muscle, which was reduced in sarcopenia-induced mice, was increased by BP. Conclusion : BP extract increased muscle strength, muscle weight, and muscle fiber size in dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy mice. This suggests that the efficacy of BP extracts in improving muscle strength and preventing and treating sarcopenia may be beneficial for the development of potential therapeutic or functional products.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.406-422
• /
• 2023

Sarcopenia is an age-related, progressive skeletal muscle disorder involving the loss of muscle mass and strength. Previous studies have shown that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from fermented oysters aids in regulatory T cells (Tregs) cell expansion and function by enhancing autophagy, and concomitantly mediate muscle regeneration by modulating muscle inflammation and satellite cell function. The fermentation process of oysters not only increases the GABA content but also enhances the content of branched amino acids and free amino acids that aid the level of protein absorption and muscle strength, mass, and repair. In this study, the effect of GABA-enriched fermented sarco oyster extract (FSO) on reduced muscle mass and functions via Treg modulation and enhanced autophagy in aged mice was investigated. Results showed that FSO enhanced the expression of autophagy markers (autophagy-related gene 5 [ATG5] and GABA receptor-associated protein [GABARAP]), forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3) expression, and levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-10 and transforming growth factor [TGF]-β) secreted by Tregs while reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-17A and interferon [IFN]-γ). Furthermore, FSO increased the expression of IL-33 and its receptor IL-1 receptor-like 1 (ST2); well-known signaling pathways that increase amphiregulin (Areg) secretion and expression of myogenesis markers (myogenic factor 5, myoblast determination protein 1, and myogenin). Muscle mass and function were also enhanced via FSO. Overall, the current study suggests that FSO increased autophagy, which enhanced Treg accumulation and function, decreased muscle inflammation, and increased satellite cell function for muscle regeneration and therefore could decrease the loss of muscle mass and function with aging.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
• /
• v.33 no.50
• /
• pp.334.1-334.2
• /
• 2018

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.231-241
• /
• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine effects of sarcopenic obesity on metabolic syndrome in Korean elders. Methods: This study is based on the analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) with 1,155 subjects (524 men, and 631 women) aged 60 or older, from 2008 to 2011. Sarcopenia was defined as an appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM), divided by weight (%) of <1 SD (standard deviation) below the sex-specific mean for young adults. Obesity was defined as a total body fat percent (men${\geq}$25%, women${\geq}$35%). Results: The prevalence of SO (sarcopenic obesity) was 13.3% among men and 22.5% among women. Both sexes showed a higher total body fat percent, and the SMI (skeletal muscle index) was the lowest in the SO group. Metabolic syndrome was highly prevalent in the SO group (52.5% men, 60.4% women). The SO group showed a higher risk for metabolic syndrome (odds ratio men 6.57 [95% CI 5.19~7.27], women 3.89 [95% CI 2.41~6.29]) than the obese group (men 3.14 [95% CI 1.76~4.14], women 2.54 [95% CI 1.38~4.65]). Conclusion: SO is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome in Korean elders. Therefore, a nursing program should be given to the Korean elderly SO group to prevent metabolic syndrome.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.429-439
• /
• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify core keyword of frailty research in the past 35 years to understand the structure of knowledge of frailty. Methods: 10,367 frailty articles published between 1981 and April 2016 were retrieved from Web of Science. Keywords from these articles were extracted using Bibexcel and social network analysis was conducted with the occurrence network using NetMiner program. Results: The top five keywords with a high frequency of occurrence include 'disability', 'nursing home', 'sarcopenia', 'exercise', and 'dementia'. Keywords were classified by subheadings of MeSH and the majority of them were included under the healthcare and physical dimensions. The degree centralities of the keywords were arranged in the order of 'long term care' (0.55), 'gait' (0.42), 'physical activity' (0.42), 'quality of life' (0.42), and 'physical performance' (0.38). The betweenness centralities of the keywords were listed in the order of depression' (0.32), 'quality of life' (0.28), 'home care' (0.28), 'geriatric assessment' (0.28), and 'fall' (0.27). The cluster analysis shows that the frailty research field is divided into seven clusters: aging, sarcopenia, inflammation, mortality, frailty index, older people, and physical activity. Conclusion: After reviewing previous research in the 35 years, it has been found that only physical frailty and frailty related to medicine have been emphasized. Further research in psychological, cognitive, social, and environmental frailty is needed to understand frailty in a multifaceted and integrative manner.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.915-927
• /
• 2022

Recently, protein-fortified milk powders are being widely consumed in Korea to prevent sarcopenia, and the demand for high-protein food powders is continuously increasing in the Korean market. However, spray-dried milk proteins have poor flowability and wettability owing to their fine particle sizes and high inter-particle cohesive forces. Fluidized bed agglomeration is widely used to improve the instant properties of food powders. This study investigated the effect of fluidized bed agglomeration on whey protein isolate (WPI)-fortified skim milk powder (SMP) at different SMP/WPI ratios. The fluidized bed process increased the particle size distribution, and agglomerated particles with grape-like structures were observed in the SEM images. As the size increased, the Carr index (CI) and Hausner ratio (HR) values of the agglomerated WPI-fortified SMP particles exhibited excellent flowability (CI: <15) and low cohesiveness (HR: <1.2). In addition, agglomerated WPI-fortified SMP particles exhibited the faster wetting time than the instant criterion (<20 s). As a result, the rheological and physical properties of the WPI-fortified SMP particles were effectively improved by fluidized bed agglomeration. However, the fluidized bed agglomeration process led to a slight change in the color properties. The CIE L^* decreased, and the CIE b^* increased because of the Maillard reaction. The apparent viscosity (η_a,10) and consistency index (K) values of the rehydrated solutions (60 g/180 mL water) increased with the increasing WPI ratio. These results may be useful for formulating protein-fortified milk powder with better instant properties.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.50-55
• /
• 2019

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships between muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical and cognitive functions and to examine the effects of resistive Theraband® exercise on sarcopenia-associated variables in the older population. [Methods] A total of 28 elderly women (age: 69.90 ± 0.8 years) participated in this study, 15 of whom underwent elastic band exercise for 1 hour per day, twice per week for 8 weeks. The correlation analysis was conducted to identify the associations between body composition, skeletal muscle mass indices, grip strength, and physical and cognitive functions. All variables were assessed at baseline and post-exercise. [Results] Skeletal muscle mass was significantly associated with grip strength and physical function. Gait speed was positively correlated with grip strength and physical function, but not with cognitive function. Theraband® exercise significantly improved gait speed and physical function. [Conclusion] The present data suggest that skeletal muscle mass is highly correlated with grip strength and physical function. Eight weeks of resistive Theraband® exercise favorably affects sarcopenia by improving gait speed and mobility of elderly women.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.12-19
• /
• 2024

Skeletal muscle (SM) is the largest organ of the body and is largely responsible for the metabolism required to maintain body functions. Furthermore, the maintenance of SM is dependent on the activation of muscle satellite (stem) cells (MSCs) and the subsequent proliferation and fusion of differentiating myoblasts into mature myofibers (myogenesis). Natural compounds are being used as therapeutic options to promote SM regeneration during aging, muscle atrophy, sarcopenia, cachexia, or obesity. In particular, ginseng-derived compounds have been utilized in these contexts, though ginsenoside Rg1 is mostly used for SM mass management. These compounds primarily function by activating the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, upregulating myogenin and MyoD to induce muscle hypertrophy, downregulating atrophic factors (atrogin1, muscle ring-finger protein-1, myostatin, and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production), and suppressing the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cachexia. Ginsenoside compounds are also used for obesity management, and their anti-obesity effects are attributed to peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) inhibition, AMPK activation, glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) translocation, and increased phosphorylations of insulin resistance (IR), insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), and Akt. This review was undertaken to provide an overview of the use of ginseng-related compounds for the management of SM-related disorders.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.43-51
• /
• 2024

PURPOSE: Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a clinical condition that combines sarcopenia and obesity. This study examined the frequency of SO in young Korean females between 20 and 29 years of age. METHODS: The study involved 1,000 participants. The height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, skeletal muscle mass index, fasting glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, alcohol consumption, and smoking status were the research variables. The skeletal muscle mass index was calculated as appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) divided by the BMI. The ASM was assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Complex sampling analysis and multiple logistic regression were used for analysis. RESULTS: A .74(.30-1.80) frequency of SO was observed. The statistically significant risk factors in females were height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, skeletal muscle mass index, total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Young Korean adults with SO have a .74(.30-1.80) frequency of occurrence that is linked to specific risk factors. Hence, primary care clinicians and health care professionals should consider these factors when patients require a referral for early detection and treatment. Healthcare professionals and clinicians can identify potential SO patients by acknowledging these risk factors.