Seong Gu Hwang

Antioxidative activity of persimmon and grape seed extract: in vitro and in vivo

Abstract We determined in vitro radical scavenging activity of persimmon seed extract (PSE) and grape seed extract (GSE), and quantified total tannin concentrations of each extract. It has been found that both PSE and GSE have radical scavenging activities, and total tannin concentration of PSE was significantly higher than GSE ( p p in vitro, and inhibited lipid peroxidation in vivo .

Antioxidative effect of chitosan on chronic carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic injury in rats

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) is a toxic material known to induce lipid peroxidation and liver damage. To determine if chitosan has antioxidative effects on CCl(4)-induced liver injury, we administered 1 ml/kg of CCl(4) resolved in a 50% corn oil solution to rats every week by intraperitoneal injection. Chitosan (200 mg/kg body weight per day, MW 380,000 Da) was administered to the CCl(4) + chitosan treated rats by oral gavage during the experimental period. Chitosan significantly decreased liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and increased antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD)). Fatty acid composition was not remarkably changed by chitosan; only arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) levels were significantly altered by CCl(4). Chitosan administration in the present experiment did not restore the decreased delta5-desaturase activity. In addition, chitosan supplementation did not prevent the CCl(4) induced degradation of CYP2E1. In conclusion, our results suggest that chitosan has antioxidative but not detoxifying effects on chronic CCl(4) induced hepatic injury in rats.

Zinc-chelated Vitamin C Stimulates Adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 Cells

Adipose tissue development and function play a critical role in the regulation of energy balance, lipid metabolism, and the pathophysiology of metabolic syndromes. Although the effect of zinc ascorbate supplementation in diabetes or glycemic control is known in humans, the underlying mechanism is not well described. Here, we investigated the effect of a zinc-chelated vitamin C (ZnC) compound on the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Treatment with ZnC for 8 d significantly promoted adipogenesis, which was characterized by increased glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and intracellular lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells. Meanwhile, ZnC induced a pronounced up-regulation of the expression of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) and the adipocyte-specific gene adipocyte protein 2 (aP2). Analysis of mRNA and protein levels further showed that ZnC increased the sequential expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα), the key transcription factors of adipogenesis. These results indicate that ZnC could promote adipogenesis through PPARγ and C/EBPα, which act synergistically for the expression of aP2 and GLUT4, leading to the generation of insulin-responsive adipocytes and can thereby be useful as a novel therapeutic agent for the management of diabetes and related metabolic disorders.

Seasonal and Regional Effects on Milk Composition of Dairy Cows in South Korea

For a period of over 6 years, more than 160,000 milk samples were collected and analyzed to determine the influence of different seasonal temperatures and geographic regional location on milk composition in South Korea. Fat, protein, lactose, non fat milk solids (NFMS) and total solids (TS) contents were significantly higher among dairy cows milked in winter season than other seasons (p<0.05). In contrast, freezing point (FP), milk urea nitrogen (MUN) and somatic cell count (SCC) were significantly higher in summer season than other seasons (p<0.05). The average SCC in the autumn season was 358 × 10 3 /ml, which was lower than any other seasons (p<0.05). These results may be due to the changes in temperature during different seasons. Meanwhile, milk produced by dairy cows in central region had higher fat, protein, lactose, NFMS, TS and MUN and had lower SCC compared to other regions (p<0.05). Fat, TS, FP, MUN and citric acid in northeast region were lower than other regions (p<0.05). The SCC was significantly higher in southeast region than those of other regions (p<0.05). As a result, it might be possible that the differences in feeding management in each different region may affect the milk composition. In conclusion, present results indicated that milk composition is clearly influenced by both season and regional location. Therefore, based on these results, development of different feeding systems, according to season and region is needed to produce high quality and satiable milk

Viscum Album Var Hot Water Extract Mediates Anti-cancer Effects through G1 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest in SK-Hep1 Human Hepatocarcinoma cells.

Viscum album var (VAV) also known as mistletoe, has long been categorized as a traditional herbal medicine in Asia. In addition to its immunomodulating activities, mistletoe has also been used in the treatment of chronic hepatic disorders in China and Korea. There are numerous reports showing that VAV possesses anti-cancer effects, however influence on human hepatocarcinoma has never been elucidated. In the present study, hot water extracts of VAV was evaluated for its potential anti-cancer effect in vitro. SK-Hep1 cells were treated with VAV (50-400 ug/ml) for both 24 and 48 hours then cell viability was measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Flow cytometry analysis was used to measure the proportion of SK-Hep1 in the different stages of cell cycle. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were conducted to measure expression of cell cycle arrest related genes and proteins respectively. VAV dose dependently inhibited the proliferation of SK-Hep1 cells without any cytotoxicity with normal Chang liver cell (CCL-13). Flow cytometry analysis showed that VAV extract inhibited the cell cycle of SK-Hep1 cells via G1 phase arrest. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis both revealed that cyclin dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) and cyclin D1 gene expression were significantly down regulated while p21 was upregulated dose dependently by VAV treatment. Combined down regulation of Cdk2, Cyclin D1 and up regulation of p21 can result in cell death. These results indicate that VAV showed evidence of anti-cancer activity through G1 phase cell cycle arrest in SK-Hep1 cells.

Cnidium officinale Makino extract induces apoptosis through activation of caspase-3 and p53 in human liver cancer HepG2 cells

A number of diverse studies have reported the anticancer properties of Cnidium officinale Makino (CO). However, the apoptotic effect of this traditional medicinal herb in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) remains to be elucidated. Therefore, the present study investigated the ability of CO to reduce cell viability through apoptotic pathways. Cell viability was determined using the 2,3-bis [2-methyloxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide assay. CO extract-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells was assessed by Hoechst 33258 staining. The cell cycle was monitored using fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis with propidium iodide staining. Furthermore, the present study explored whether various signaling molecules associated with HepG2 cell death were affected by CO treatment, including caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), tumor protein p53 (p53), cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and cyclin D. The expression levels of these genes were examined by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The expression levels of caspase-3 and p53 were upregulated with CO extract treatment, whereas those of Bcl-2, CDK4 and cyclin D were significantly downregulated. Cleaved caspase-3 expression was upregulated following treatment with CO extract in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, the data suggest that CO extract has the potential to induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells and may act by suppressing the cell cycle, which leads to caspase-3 cleavage and p53 signaling.

Effect of alcohol dehydrogenase 1C (ADH1C) genotype on vitamin A restriction and marbling in Korean native steers

OBJECTIVE This work was to find the correlation of alcohol dehydrogenase 1C (ADH1C) genotype with vitamin A reduction and carcass traits during the vitamin A restriction period. METHODS In study 1, 60 Korean native steers were fed a diet (890 IU/kg) with 8,000 IU and 0 IU of supplemental premix vitamin A/kg of dry matter (DM) for control and treatment group, respectively. The levels of serum vitamin A were analyzed through high preparative performance liquid chromatography, and the ADH1C genotype was analyzed based on polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP; 78.1% TT type, 21.9% TC type); however, CC type was not found. Then, the interaction between ADH1C and carcass traits on the vitamin A restriction was investigated in study 2. A total of 136 Korean native steers were fed a diet that included 930 IU/kg vitamin A of DM. RESULTS Serum vitamin A in treatment was reduced to 112.4 IU/dL in steers with TT type of ADH1C, while for steers with TC type the concentration of serum vitamin A was dropped to 79.5 IU/dL (p<0.1) in study 1. This showed that TC type had the potential to lower serum vitamin A concentration during vitamin A restriction compared to TT type. In study 2 we found that eye muscle area, marbling and carcass weight in Korean native steers with TC type were higher than in steers with TT type (p<0.05). CONCLUSION The interaction between vitamin A restriction and TC type of ADH1C gene could have the potential of increasing the marbling in Korean native steers. These results indicated that steers with TC type of the ADH1C gene were more sensitive to the change of serum vitamin A than TT types. Furthermore, this finding has the potential to enable a higher marbling score under the condition of vitamin A restriction in Korean native steers.

Increased adipocyte differentiation may be mediated by extracellular calcium levels through effects on calreticulin and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma expression in intramuscular stromal vascular cells isolated from Hanwoo beef cattle

Abstract Marbling is the intramuscular deposition of adipose tissue and is said to be directly associated with beef quality. Nutritional manipulations are a common practice among beef cattle producers in order to achieve better quality meat. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of increasing extracellular calcium on the differentiation of intramuscular stromal vascular cells (IM SVCs) isolated from Hanwoo beef cattle. Primary cell isolates of SVCs were differentiated for 14 days while exposed to increasing concentrations (1.8, 3.6, 7.2, 10.8 mM) of calcium in the media. The correlation between adipogenesis and calcium concentrations was determined through SVC differentiation monitored by RT-PCR, Western blot analysis for PPARγ, C/EBPα, calreticulin, FABP4 and GLUT4 expression. In addition, expression of both phospholipase C gamma (PLC-γ) and protein kinase C (PKC) were investigated since both have possible links to intracellular calcium increase and the expression of several adipogenic genes including FABP4 and GLUT4. Results of the current study provide evidence that stromal vascular cells exposed to the lower concentrations of extracellular calcium have higher rates of adipogenesis possibly due to a decrease in the expression of calreticulin, a known inhibitor of PPARγ expression, and PKC activation followed by PLC-γ activation, leading to the expression of adipogenic genes. Data derived from this study shows that in vitro, decreasing calcium levels present in the microenvironment of fat precursor cells lead to a higher percentage of adipogenesis.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Quantum Energy Living Body onLipopolysaccharide-Induced Murine RAW 264.7 Macrophage Cell Line

Recent developments from science and medical science show a growing interest in the anti-inflammatory activity of natural materials. Inflammation is the body’s physiologic response to injurious stimulation and is known to be mediated by various pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 etc) and iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase). Quantum energy living body (QELBY) powder is a fusion of a special ceramic powder with natural clay mineral classified as quantum energy radiating material (QERM). The powder, composed mostly of silicon dioxide, is known to radiate reductive radiant energy. This study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of QELBY powder on RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells. QELBY powder was mixed with DMEM media and was allowed to stand for 48 hours. Afterwards, the supernatant was taken and diluted to various concentrations (0,5,10,20,40 μg/ml) prior to use. CCK-8 assay was done to determine the effects on cell viability. In addition, NO assay performed to elucidate the effect of QELBY on the NO production of LPS-stimulated macrophages. Lastly, RT-PCR and Western blot analysis for the detection of the mRNA and protein expressions, respectively, of proinflammatory cytokines and iNOS was made. Results demonstrated that QELBY powder causes both an increase in cell proliferation and a concentration-dependent decrease in NO production. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines and iNOS were also inhibited. Taken together, these show that QELBY powder has anti-inflammatory activity and could therefore be used further in the development of materials that induce such kinds of benefits.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Ginsenoside Rh2-Mix on Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Murine Macrophage Cells

Ginsenoside Rh2, a protopanaxadiol saponin from ginseng, has been reported to have strong anti-inflammatory activity. However, the concentration of ginsenoside Rh2 is very low (>0.001%) in the total ginseng extracted, which is not enough for production despite its high pharmacological effects. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of ginsenoside Rh2-mix (GRh2-mix) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. From the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, it was confirmed that the GRh2-mix was mainly composed of 20(S)-Rh2, 20(R)-Rh2, Rk2, and Rh3. The LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were treated with different concentrations of GRh2-mix (100, 200, 400, 500 μg/mL). The cell counting kit-8 assay showed that the GRh2-mix treatment increased cell proliferation in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. The GRh2-mix inhibited nitric oxide production in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect. Furthermore, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot results also indicated that the GRh2-mix suppressed inflammatory genes such as iNOS, TNF-α, COX-2, IL-1β, IL-6, and NF-κB. In summary, these results suggest that the GRh2-mix exhibits anti-inflammatory activity via the downregulation of the NF-κB pathway and has high efficiency with a simple production procedure.