Recently, the prevalence of hyperlipidemia has been increasing, and consequently, the need to identify safe and effective treatments to control this chronic disease has also increased. The beneficial effects of probiotics have been revealed by several studies over the past few years, including their effects on hypertriglyceridemia. However, the mechanisms of action of probiotics are still unclear. The anti-obesity effects of Lactobacillus plantarum Q180 on lipid accumulation have already been demonstrated using an in vitro HepG2 cell model, and therefore, we investigated its efficacy and mechanism of action. Lipid accumulation was induced in HepG2 cells by palmitic acid treatment and then the cells were incubated with L. plantarum Q180 lysate or supernatant to investigate changes in lipid accumulation and expression of lipid metabolism-related genes. The results showed that the L. plantarum Q180-treated group exhibited significantly lower levels of lipid accumulation and mRNA expression of lipid synthesis- and adipogenesis-related genes than the palmitic acid-treated group did. These results indicate that L. plantarum Q180 may contribute to alleviating hypertriglyceridemia by inhibiting lipid synthesis.

Moringa oleifera leaves, seeds, pods, roots, and flowers have been widely used for their medicinal and nutritional properties. Many studies have been conducted on the chemical composition and effectiveness of M. oleifera. In fact, almost every part of M. oleifera has been found to contain essential nutrients and medicinal value. Especially, the leaves of M. oleifera are known to have various nutrients and diverse efficacy. Several studies have assessed the potential toxicity of the leaves when prepared by various methods. The results showed that the M. oleifera leaves when prepared differently were safe in locally used doses and amounts. Moreover, M. oleifera is known to contain various physiological efficacies, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer effects and so on. In the latest research, many attempts are being made to utilize the diverse effects of M. oleifera. This research seems to be bringing a promising view of M. oleifera as a therapeutic functional food for various diseases.

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.