Hye-Kyung Chun

Immunostimulatory effects of oriental plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.)

The fruit of the plum tree (Prunus salicina Lindl.) has been used as a traditional medicinal food in humans to enhance immunity against infectious agents and to treat cancers. However, limited information exists on the mechanisms responsible for its immune enhancing properties. In this study, the immunostimulatory effects of a methanol extract of plum fruit following methanol evaporation and dissolving in PBS were assessed by in vitro lymphocyte proliferation, tumor cell cytotoxicity, and nitric oxide (NO) production. The crude methanol extract stimulated spleen lymphocyte proliferation and NO production by cultured macrophages, and inhibited the viability of tumor cells, significantly greater than media controls. Sequential gel filtration chromatographic separation of the extract on Sephadex G-25 and Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration columns resulted in a more purified preparation that retained the ability to induce lymphoproliferation, tumor killing, and NO production. These results suggest that Prunus salicina contains immunostimulatory components that potentially may be useful in human and veterinary medicine.

Leafy Vegetable Mix Supplementation Improves Lipid Profiles and Antioxidant Status in C57BL/6J Mice Fed a High Fat and High Cholesterol Diet

Daily consumption of an antioxidant-rich leafy vegetable mix (LVM) was assessed for beneficial effects on plasma lipid profiles, tissue lipid peroxidation, and oxidative DNA damage in C57BL/6J mice fed a high fat and high cholesterol diet (20% fat and 1% cholesterol, wt/wt) for 4 weeks. The LVM contained beet leaf, angelica, red leaf lettuce, dandelion, green cos lettuce, lollo rosso, romaine lettuce (12.5%, respectively), scotch kale, and red kale (6.25%, respectively). The mice (n = 16) were randomly divided into either the control (high fat and cholesterol diet without LVM) or the LVM (high fat and cholesterol diet with 8% LVM supplement) groups after a 1-week acclimation. Lipid peroxidation as measured by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in the plasma, liver, heart, and kidney was significantly lower. Antioxidants (glutathione and beta-carotene) and antioxidant enzyme activities (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and superoxide dismutase) were improved in mice fed LVM diet. In the comet assay, tail extent moment, olive tail moment, and tail length were significantly less in the hepatocyte and lymphocyte DNA of the LVM group, indicating the beneficial effect of LVM on the resistance of hepatocytes and lymphocytes DNA to oxidative damage. Findings from the present study suggest that dietary supplementation with LVM may be useful for protecting cells from lipid peroxidation and oxidative DNA damage.

Effect of a Pholiota adiposa Extract on Fat Mass in Hyperlipidemic Mice

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a Pholiota adiposa extract on fat mass in hyperlipidemic mice fed on a high-fat diet. The water extracts from P. adiposa (ASI 24018) were not affected in the total triglyceride contents and epididymal fat mass in mice fed on a high-fat diet, but the retroperitoneal fat mass decreased significantly. This result suggests that the P. adiposa extract may be a potential candidate for use as a functional food that can act as a prophylactic against hyperlipidemia. However, the P. adiposa extract showed no effect in the total triglyceride contents and epididymal fat mass.