Hee-Hyun Lee

A 4-week repeated oral dose toxicity study of fucoidan from the Sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Fucoidan is extracted from brown seaweeds, which can have anti-coagulant, antithrombotic, antitumor, and antiviral activities. However, detailed studies on the toxicology of fucoidan have not been performed. Here we tested the toxicity of fucoidan in Sprague-Dawley rats. Fucoidan (1350mg/kg bw/day for 4 weeks) did not induce statistically significant differences in groups matched by gender with respect to body weight, ophthalmoscopy, urinalysis, hematology, and histopathology. Fucoidan did not change prothrombin time or activated partial thromboplastin time, indicating an inability to change blood clotting. This study demonstrated that fucoidan is not toxic under this administration paradigm.

Effect of ginsenosides Rg3 and Re on glucose transport in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Ginsenosides, the active component of Panax ginseng, have been shown to evidence a variety of biological activities associated with hyperglycemia, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study evaluated the effects of the ginsenosides, Rg3 and Re, on glucose uptake and the glucose transport system in mature 3T3‐L1 cells. The results demonstrated that the glucose uptake of ginsenosides Rg3 and Re at concentrations of 1–10 µM significantly increased by approximately ∼10% and ∼12%, respectively. Furthermore, the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) mRNA expression of ginsenosides Rg3 and Re at 10 µM was increased by approximately ∼1.73 and 1.43 fold, respectively. It was further confirmed in a series of experiments that ginsenosides Rg3 and Re stimulated the mRNA expression of insulin receptor substrate (IRS‐1) and the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)‐110α protein, which is involved in downstream events in the insulin signaling pathway. These findings demonstrate that ginsenosides Rg3 and Re may stimulate glucose uptake via the PI3K pathways involving IRS‐1. Further, our results suggest that both of these ginsenosides might prove useful as effective antidiabetic and antihyperglycemic agents. Copyright

Effect of Pycnogenol ® on Glucose Transport in Mature 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Pycnogenol®, a procyanidins‐enriched extract of Pinus maritima bark, possesses antidiabetic properties, which improves the altered parameters of glucose metabolism that are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Since the insulin‐stimulated antidiabetic activities of natural bioactive compounds are mediated by GLUT4 via the phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase (PI3K) and/or p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38‐MAPK) pathway, the effects of pycnogenol® were examined on the molecular mechanism of glucose uptake by the glucose transport system. 3T3‐L1 adipocytes were treated with various concentrations of pycnogenol®, and glucose uptake was examined using a non‐radioisotope enzymatic assay and by molecular events associated with the glucose transport system using semi‐quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). The results show that pycnogenol® increased glucose uptake in fully differentiated 3T3‐L1 adipocytes and increased the relative abundance of both GLUT4 and Akt mRNAs through the PI3K pathway in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, pycnogenol® restored the PI3K antagonist‐induced inhibition of glucose uptake in the presence of wartmannin, an inhibitor of the PI3K. Overall, these results indicate that pycnogenol® may stimulate glucose uptake via the PI3K dependent tyrosine kinase pathways involving Akt. Further the results suggest that pycnogenol® might be useful in maintaining blood glucose control. Copyright

Clinical and Microbial Evaluation of the Effects on Gingivitis of a Mouth Rinse Containing an Enteromorpha linza Extract

Enteromorpha linza, a green alga, has been recognized as a potential source of natural antimicrobial and antifungal compounds. We previously reported that an E. linza extract strongly inhibited the growth of Prevotella intermedia and Porphyromonas gingivalis. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical effect of a mouth rinse containing the E. linza extract on gingivitis disease, as measured by the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and bleeding on probing (BOP), and on two bacterial strains (P. intermedia and P. gingivalis), in comparison with Listerine(®) (Listerine-Korea, Seoul, Korea), which was used as a positive control. In total, 55 subjects were recruited into active participation in this clinical study. The PI, GI, BOP, and bacterial strains were then evaluated over a test period of 6 weeks. After 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks, the same clinical indices were recorded, and the levels of P. intermedia and P. gingivalis were quantified via real-time polymerase chain reaction. At the end of the study, the group using the mouth rinse containing the E. linza extract evidenced significant reductions in the clinical indices (PI, GI, and BOP) and P. gingivalis compared with baseline values. Moreover, E. linza extract containing mouth rinse produced effects similar to those of Listerine. Overall, these results indicate that a mouth rinse containing E. linza extract significantly reduces plaque, improves the condition of gingival tissues, and reduces bleeding. Additionally, E. linza extract mouth rinse significantly inhibits P. gingivalis and P. intermedia. Thus, this clinical study demonstrated that the twice-daily use of an E. linza extract mouth rinse can inhibit and prevent gingivitis.