The present study was carried out to investigate the acute oral toxicity of Chamaecyparis obtusa (C. obtusa) essential oil in ICR male and female mice. Acute oral treatment with C. obtusa essential oil did not reveal any sign of toxicity or mortality in treated mice. Mouse body weights were not affected after single oral administration of C. obtusa essential oil during the 14-day observation period. In the hematological and blood biochemical analysis, all parameters of the treated group with 2,000 mg/kg body weight of the essential oil were not significantly different those of the control group. Therefore, the lethal dose 50 of the essential oil was estimated to be greater than 2,000 mg/ kg body weight in mice, which indicated that the essential oil is non-toxic. In conclusion, this study suggests that C. obtusa essential oil orally safe ICR mice.

It is noted that Dioscorea quinqueloba is a medicinal herb that is widely used to treat cardiovascular disease and is assessed as useful to treat other various medical conditions. The immunopotentiating effects of the protein extract (DQP-1) from Dioscorea quinqueloba were thus formally investigated in vivo under incident of cold stress. In this case study, the spleen and thymus weight in mice was shown to have decreased after a measured exposure to cold stress, while the adrenal gland weight in the mice was shown to have increased. The systematic oral administration of DQP-1 significantly recovered the weight loss of the spleen and suppressed the adrenal gland hypertrophy during the association with cold stress. Additionally, the DQP-1 also restored the ascorbic acid level in the adrenal gland reduced after cold stress. The cold stress exposure lowered the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in the mouse thymus as determined by the flow cytometric analysis, as well as the levels of some serum immunological cytokines(interleukin-2, interleukin-12, and interferon-γ) in the studied mice. The resulting identified weakened immunity caused by cold stress was also recovered by a treatment with DQP-1. The DQP-1 significantly suppressed the formation of serum enzymes of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase, which were systematically elevated during the cold stress episode. These results indicate that DQP-1 can improve immunity in mice that are characteristically weakened under stress.

Red meats are important animal foods because of their nutritional aspects, but the over-consumption of red meat produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by heme iron and induces colorectal cancer. The effect of orally administered hemin and calcium provided in drinking water for 6 weeks on colon carcinogenesis was observed in male ICR mice. After the mice were acclimated for 1 week, they received three subcutaneous azoxymethane (AOM, 10 mg/kg b.w.) injections weekly and were provided with 2% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) via drinking water for the next week. The mice were divided into three groups: the control, hemin, and hemin + calcium groups. The orally administered daily dose of hemin was 2 g/kg b.w., and 0.05% calcium was provided daily via drinking water. Colonic mucosa samples were stained with methylene blue, and then, the numbers of aberrant crypt (AC) and aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were counted. Lipid peroxidation in feces was estimated by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay. The total numbers of AC and ACF per colon in the hemin group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Calcium treatment significantly decreased the numbers of ACF and AC in the colon of mice. The TBARS value in the feces of the hemin + calcium group was significantly lower than that in the feces of the hemin group. These results showed that hemin enhances the formation of pre-neoplastic lesions in the colon of mice and that calcium decreases the risk of colon carcinogenesis.

There is a growing demand for natural sleep aids due to various side effects of long-term administration of pharmacological treatments for insomnia. Honey has been reported to exhibit numerous potential health benefits, and it is hypothesized that honey may favorably affect insomnia treatment. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the possible hypnotic effect of clover honey (CH) and to determine its in vivo mechanism. The total flavonoid content (TFC) of CH and fractions extracted with ethylacetate (EtOAc) and H2O was measured. The pentobarbital-induced sleep test using GABAA-benzodiazepine (BZD) agonists and antagonists was conducted to evaluate the potential mechanism of action behind the sedative-hypnotic activity of CH in mice. The results showed that administration of 500 and 1,000 mg/kg of CH significantly (p<0.01) reduced the sleep latency to a level similar to that of diazepam (DZP, 2 mg/kg), and 1,000 mg/kg of CH significantly (p<0.01) prolonged the sleep duration, which was comparable to that of DZP (2 mg/kg). Administration of the EtOAc fraction with a higher TFC significantly reduced the sleep latency at 50 to 200 mg/kg and prolonged the sleep duration at 100 to 200 mg/kg, which were comparable to those after administration of DZP (2 mg/kg). However, co-administration of CH and EtOAc with flumazenil, a specific GABAA-BZD receptor antagonist, blocked the hypnotic effect. Our findings suggest that the hypnotic activity of CH may be attributed to allosteric modulation of GABAA-BZD receptors. The TFC of CH is expected to be a key factor that contributes to its hypnotic effect.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer in the world, and heme iron is known to promote the CRC in an animal model. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of ascorbic acid in the presence of hemin on the formation of pre-neoplastic lesions induced by azoxymethane (AOM)/disodium sulfate (DSS) in mice. After acclimation for 1 week, five-week old mice received three s.c. injections (0-2 weeks of the experiment) of AOM [10 mg/kg body weight (BW)] weekly and were treated with 2% DSS in drinking water for the next week to induce aberrant crypt foci (ACF). All animals were fed the AIN-76A purified rodent diet for experimental period of 6 weeks. Experimental groups were then divided into three groups: carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) alone (control), CMC + Hemin, CMC + Hemin + ascorbic acid (AA). The CMC was used as a solvent for hemin. The daily doses were 534 mg/kg BW hemin and 246 mg/kg BW ascorbic acid administered orally. After the colonic mucosa were stained with methylene blue, aberrant crypt foci (ACF), aberrant crypt (AC) and polyps were counted. Lipid peroxidation in liver was evaluated by the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay. The numbers of ACF, AC and large ACF (≥4 AC/ACF) per colon increased in the hemin group compared to the control group, while they decreased significantly in the hemin + ascorbic acid group compared to the control group or hemin group (p<0.01). The number of polyps/colon in the hemin + AA group was significantly decreased compared to the hemin group (p<0.05). In the liver, the TBARS value of the hemin group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.01). Additionally, the TBARS value of the hemin + AA group decreased slightly compared to that of the hemin group. Taken together, these results suggest that hemin can promote colon carcinogenesis in a mouse model and that ascorbic acid has a protective effect against hemin-promoted colon carcinogenesis.

Excessive iron can promote the production of free radicals, thereby leading to harmful effects on cancer and aging. Ascorbic acid is not only an antioxidant but also a co-factor of iron absorption. The effect of iron-overload with ascorbic acid on experimental colon carcinogenesis was investigated in male ICR mice. Animals were treated weekly with azoxymethane (AOM, 10 mg/kg b.w.) at 0, 1, and 2 week and then drunk 2% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-containing water for the next 1 week. There were four experimental groups: carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) alone (control), CMC + ascorbic acid (AA), CMC + Fe, CMC + Fe + AA. The animals fed on AIN-76A purified rodent diet for six weeks. AA or Fe2O3 at the dose of 450 mg/kg b.w. were daily and orally treated for 6 weeks. The colonic mucosa was stained with methylene blue and then aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and polyps were counted. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in serum and liver were determined. Iron concentration in liver was measured by inductively coupled plasma spectrophotometer. Fe-overload with AA strongly increased liver iron contents compared to control or Fe group (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the number of ACF or polyps among all groups, although ironoverloaded groups had slightly higher numbers compared with the control or AA group. TBARS values in the liver were increased in the iron-overloaded groups compared to control and AA only group (p<0.05), but serum TBARS values were not changed. These results indicate that the excessive iron treatment did not affect the experimental colon carcinogenesis regardless of presence of AA in mice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lesions of a mouse collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) model using fluorescence bioimaging and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and to compare it with histopathological examination. Twelve mice were randomly divided into three groups: group 1 (G1) as control, group 2 (G2) as fluorescence probe control and group 3 (G3) as collagen antibodyinduced arthritis. The mice of G3 intravenously received anti-type II collagen 5-clone antibody cocktail (2 mg/mouse) on day 0 and intraperitoneally received lipopolysaccharide (50 μg/mouse) on day 3. On the while, the mice of G1 and G2 received 0.9% saline in equal volumes at equivalent times. Fluorescence bioimaging and micro-CT analysis were carried out to assess arthritis. Treatment with the collagen antibody cocktail increased the paw thickness of mice compared to those in both the control and probe-treated groups. Fluorescence bioimaging using a near infrared imaging agent showed high intensity in the joints of collagen antibody- treated mice, whereas those of control mice showed no signal. Micro-CT analysis of the knee joints of collagen antibody-treated mice showed rough and irregular articular appearance, whereas those of control mice showed normal appearance. Histopathological examination of the knee joints of collagen antibody-treated mice revealed destruction of cartilage and bony structure, synovial hyperplasia and infiltration of inflammatory cells. No cartilage destruction or inflammation was observed in control or probe control mice. Taken together, it is concluded that analyses of fluorescent bioimaging made it possible to evaluate CAIA lesions, comparable with those by micro-CT and histopathological examination in mice.

This study, analyzed the general and minerals composition of kamut and investigated its effect on blood components in mice fed a high fat diet. The content of each general component of kamut was as follows: 11.02±0.75% water, 13.16 ±1.28% crude protein, 1.85±0.19% crude fat, and 1.97±0.13% ash. The leptin level was the highest in the HF group(30.00± 0.00 ng/mL) when compared to the control group. There was a significant decrease of 23.65±5.54 ng/mL in the HFK group when compared to the HF group (p<0.05). The blood LDL-cholesterol concentration was the lowest in the control group at 10.00±2.00 mg/dL. The level was highest in the HF group at 28.00±0.00 mg/dL when compared with the other groups (p<0.05). The aspartate transaminase (AST) level was significantly higher in the HFK group (179.33±173.88 U/L) than in the control (61.00±12.73 U/L) and HF groups (132.00±0.00 U/L). According to the results of this study, the consumption of kamut lowers the blood LDL-cholesterol level more than the consumption of wheat flour. Additionally, kamut contains antioxidant substances such as selenium and zinc, which are thought to contribute to vascular health and thus aid in maintaining good health. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a variety of health foods using kamut; it should be used as a functional food for the maintenance of good health.

Alcoholic steatosis is a fundamental metabolic disorder and may precede the onset of more severe forms of alcoholic liver disease. In this study, we isolated enzymatichydrolysate from Semisulcospira libertine by alcalase hydrolysis and investigated the protective effect of Semisulcospira libertine hydrolysate on liver injury induced by alcohol in the mouse model of chronic and binge ethanol feeding (NIAAA). In an in vitro study, the hydrolysate protects HepG2 cells from ethanol toxicity. Liver damage was assessed by histopathological examination, as well as by quantitating activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). After the administration of S. libertina hydrolysate, fat accumulation and infiltration of inflammatory cells in liver tissues were significantly decreased in the NIAAA mouse model. The elevated levels of serum AST, ALT, and ALP activities, along with the lipid contents of a damaged liver, were recovered in experimental mice administrated with S. libertina hydrolysate, suggesting its role in blood enzyme activation and lipid content restoration within damaged liver tissues. Moreover, treatment with S. libertine hydrolysate reduced the expression rate of cyclooxygenase (COX-2), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, which accelerate inflammation and induces tissue damage. All data showed that S. libertine hydrolysate has a preventive role against alcohol-induced liver damages by improving the activities of blood enzymes and modulating the expression of inflammation factor, suggesting S. libertine hydrolysate could be a commercially potential material for the restoration of hepatotoxicity.

This study was performed to investigate the body fat-lowering effect of garlic powder in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1 α (PGC-1α)-luciferase transgenic mice (TG). In this study, we generated transgenic mice with a PGC-1α promoter (—970/+412 bp) containing luciferase as a reporter gene. Mice were fed a 45% high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce obesity. Subsequently, mice were maintained on either a high-fat control diet (CON), or high-fat diets supplemented with 2% (GP2) or 5% (GP5) garlic powder for an additional 8 weeks. Dietary garlic powder reduced the body weight in the GP2 and GP5 groups, compared to the CON group. Furthermore, garlic supplementation significantly decreased the plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and leptin in the GP5 group, compared to the CON group. Specifically, luciferase activity in liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and brown adipose tissue (BAT) was increased by garlic supplementation in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the body fat-lowering effect of garlic powder might be related to PGC-1α by the increase in luciferase activity in liver, WAT, and BAT. Furthermore, transgenic mice might be useful for evaluating the body fat-lowering effect of various health functional foods.

We recently reported the in vitro and in vivo antiobesity effects of Tenebrio molitor larvae, a traditional food in manycountries, but it remains unknown how the larvae affect appetite regulation in mice with diet-induced obesity. We hypothesizedthat the extract of T. molitor larvae mediates appetite by regulating neuropeptide expression. We investigated T. molitorlarvae extract's (TME's) effects on anorexigenesis and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress–induced orexigenic neuropeptideexpression in the hypothalami of obese mice. Central administration of TME suppressed feeding by down-regulating theexpression of the orexigenic neuropeptides neuropeptide Y and agouti-related protein. T. molitor larvae extract significantlyreduced the expression of ER stress response genes. These results suggest that TME and its bioactive components arepotential therapeutics for obesity and ER stress–driven disease states.

This study examined the acute toxicity of Vital-Shoot containing reduced glutathione in male and female ICR mice. Mice were intraperitoneally injected the drug at dose levels of 0, 250, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg body weight (BW) for single-dose toxicity test. There were no statistical differences in BW changes between the control and all treated groups. Based on hematological and blood biochemical analyses, the drug did not affect all parameters. In addition, markers for liver and kidney functions did not meaningfully change in all treated groups. Since there were no adverse effects from the drug in a single-dose intraperitoneal toxicity test, it was concluded that the lethal dose 50 (LD50) of Vital-Shoot is estimated to be >2,000 mg/kg BW.

The objective of this study was to determine the anti-diabetic effect of the water extract of Neolentinus lepideus in a diabetic mouse model. Seven-week-old C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice were fed either a control diet (CD) or diet supplemented with 1% or 5% of N. lepideus water extract (NLWE1 or NLWE5) for 10 weeks. Oral administration of NLWE significantly decreased the body weight gain compared to that of CD-fed group. Mice in the NLWE group had significantly lower levels of fasting serum glucose, fatty acids, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared to those in the control group. These effects were accompanied by reduced fatty liver and improved glucose tolerance in the NLWE group. Taken together, these results suggest that N. lepideus might have potential as a dietary supplement to control diabetes.

제니스테인(genistein)이 폐경으로 유도된 비만을 조절하는지를 알아보기 위해 폐경기 여성의 동물 모델인 난소절제 암컷 쥐에서 항비만 효과에 대한 제니스테인의 영향을 연구하였다. 7주령의 C57BL/6J 암컷 쥐를 무작위로 3그룹으로 나누어 8주 동안 고지방식 사료 또는 제니스테인이 첨가된 고지방식 사료를 섭취시 킨 후 비만의 결정요소들을 측정하였다. 난소절제 쥐는 난소가 절제되지 않은 쥐에 비해 몸무게와 지방조직무 게가 증가되었다. 그러나 제니스테인의 처리는 난소절제 쥐의 몸무게, 지방조직무게 및 지방세포 크기를 감소 시켰다. 난소절제 쥐에 비해 제니스테인이 처리된 난소절제 쥐는 혈청 속의 중성지방과 총 콜레스테롤이 유의 적으로 낮아졌다. 또한 난소절제 쥐에서 간조직의 지질성분 축적도 제니스테인에 의해 감소되었다. 이러한 결과는 제니스테인이 난소절제로 유도된 지방과다, 지방세포비대 및 지질이상을 효과적으로 개선시킬 수 있 다는 것을 시사하고 있다. 따라서 본 연구는 폐경기 여성의 비만과 고지혈증을 포함한 신진대사 장애의 개선 에 공헌할 것이다.

Metabolic syndrome, including obesity, glucose intolerance and elevated blood pressure, is related to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have reported the anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects of purple corn extract. We investigated the efficacy of purple corn extract (PC) against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and glucose intolerance, and examined the underlying mechanisms by analyzing expression of proteins and genes involved in glucose regulation and macrophage infiltration. C57BL/6 mice were fed with normal chow diet (ND), or HFD treated with distilled water (DW, control) or PC, for 10 weeks. Although body weights were similar in the HFD-fed groups, we observed a decrease in the liver and epididymal adipose tissue (EAT) weights, and enhanced glucose tolerance test (GTT) results in the PC group, as compared with DW group. Liver showed increased Akt phosphorylation in the PC-treated mice; however, no changes were observed in the EAT, for all groups. In PC-treated mice, decreased macrophage infiltration was seen in the EAT, with a reduced expression of macrophage marker genes. Finally, proinflammatory cytokine gene expressions were decreased by PC in the EAT, and a modest trend for downregulation was observed in the liver. Hence, we conclude that PC may decrease glucose intolerance by increasing the phosphorylation of Akt and reducing the macrophage infiltration into the EAT.

본 연구는 정향추출물의 E. coli O157:H7에 대한 항균 효과와 E. coli O157:H7 감염 마우스에 대한 치료효과를 평가하기 위해 수행되었다. 정향 메탄올 추출물(FSAE)을 이용하여 E. coli O157:H7 에 대한 항균효과 확인 시험을 수행한 결과, 배양 후 24 시간째에, FSAE를 첨가한 모든 군들에서 E. coli O157:H7 의 생존율이 무투여 대조군에 비해 통계적으로 유의성 있게 감소하는 결과를 보여(0.269 mg/ml, p < 0.05; 0.538과 1.075 mg/ml, p < 0.001), FSAE가 E. coli O157:H7의 증식 억제 효과가 뛰어난 것으로 확인되었다. 또한, E. coli O157:H7을 감염시킨 마우스에 FSAE를 경구로 투여한 결과, 투여 후 3일째에, FSAE를 1.075 (p < 0.05)와 2.15 mg/ ml (p < 0.01)로 투여한 군들에서 대조군과 비교하여 분변 내 E. coli O157:H7의 균수가 유의성 있게 감소하였으며, 투여 7일째에는, 모든 FSAE 투여군들에서 대조군과 비교 하여 E. coli O157:H7의 균수가 통계적으로 유의성 있게 감소하였다(0.538 mg/ml, p < 0.05; 1.075와 2.15 mg/ml, p < 0.001). 이상의 연구결과로부터, FSAE를 E. coli O157: H7에 감염된 마우스에 경구로 투여할 경우, 감염증상을 완화 시킬 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.