Lipid-Lowering Effects of Medium-Chain Triglyceride-Enriched Coconut Oil in Combination with Licorice Extracts in Experimental Hyperlipidemic Mice.

Coconut oil has gained in popularity over recent years as a healthy oil due to its potential cardiovascular benefits. Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides (MCT) including lauric acid and capric acid that display beneficial properties in human health. Licorice ( Glycyrrhiza uralensis) is used as a sweetener and in traditional Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities. This study investigated the in vivo effects of medium chain-triglycerides (MCT)-coconut oil (MCO) and its combination with licorice extract (LE-MCO) on serum lipid profile, hepatic steatosis, and local fat pad proteins in diet-induced obese mice. No liver toxicity was observed in 45% fat diet (HFD)-fed mice orally treated with LE, MCO, and LE-MCO for 12 weeks. Their supplementation reduced HFD-enhanced body weight, blood glucose, and insulin in mice. Plasma levels of both PLTP and LCAT were boosted in LE-MCO-administered mice. Supplementation of LE-MCO diminished plasma levels of TG and TC with concomitant reduction of the LDL-C level and tended to raise blood HDL-C level compared to that of HFD alone-mice. Treatment of LE-MCO encumbered the hepatic induction of hepatosteatosis-related proteins of SREBP2, SREBP1c, FAS, ACC, and CD36 in HFD-fed mice. Substantial suppression of this induction was also observed in the liver of mice treated with MCO. Oral administration of LE-MCO to HFD mice boosted hepatic activation of AMPK and the induction of UCP-1 and FATP1 in brown fat. Conversely, LE-MCO disturbed hepatic PPAR-LXR-RXR signaling in HFD-fed animals and reversed HFD-elevated epididymal PPARγ. Collectively, oral administration of LE-MCO may impede hyperlipidemia and hepatosteatosis through curtailing hepatic lipid synthesis.

Preventive Intra Oral Treatment of Sea Cucumber Ameliorate OVA-Induced Allergic Airway Inflammation.

Sea cucumber extracts have potent biological effects, including anti-viral, anti-cancer, antibacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammation effects. To understand their anti-asthma effects, we induced allergic airway inflammation in mice after 7 oral administrations of the extract. The hyper-responsiveness value in mice with ovalbumin (OVA)-alum-induced asthma after oral injection of sea cucumber extracts was significantly lower than that in the OVA-alum-induced asthma group. In addition, the number of eosinophils in the lungs of asthma-induced mice pre-treated with sea cucumber extract was significantly decreased compared to that of PBS pre-treated mice. Additionally, CD4[Formula: see text]CD25[Formula: see text]Foxp3[Formula: see text]T (regulatory T; Treg) cells significantly increased in mesenteric lymph nodes after 7 administrations of the extract. These results suggest that sea cucumber extract can ameliorate allergic airway inflammation via Treg cell activation and recruitment to the lung.

Effect of rhBMP-2 Immobilized Anorganic Bovine Bone Matrix on Bone Regeneration.

Anorganic bovine bone matrix (Bio-Oss®) has been used for a long time for bone graft regeneration, but has poor osteoinductive capability. The use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) has been suggested to overcome this limitation of Bio-Oss®. In the present study, heparin-mediated rhBMP-2 was combined with Bio-Oss® in animal experiments to investigate bone formation performance; heparin was used to control rhBMP-2 release. Two calvarial defects (8 mm diameter) were formed in a white rabbit model and then implanted or not (controls) with Bio-Oss® or BMP-2/Bio-Oss®. The Bio-Oss® and BMP-2/Bio-Oss® groups had significantly greater new bone areas (expressed as percentages of augmented areas) than the non-implanted controls at four and eight weeks after surgery, and the BMP-2/Bio-Oss® group (16.50 ± 2.87 (n = 6)) had significantly greater new bone areas than the Bio-Oss® group (9.43 ± 3.73 (n = 6)) at four weeks. These findings suggest that rhBMP-2 treated heparinized Bio-Oss® markedly enhances bone regeneration.

Effect of the use of a ready-made plastic stent on the peri-implant soft tissue.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the effect of the use of a ready-made plastic stent on the width of peri-implant keratinized mucosa with that of conventional methods and examined the effects of a plastic stent on peri-implant soft tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five young-adult beagle dogs were used. Forty titanium implants were placed in the mandibular alveolar ridge. Stage 2 surgery was performed 8 weeks after implant installation. Each dog received a full-thickness, apically positioned flap (fAPF) with a lingual crestal incision using a suture material in the control group (n = 20) and a ready-made plastic stent in the test group (n = 20). The keratinized mucosa width after stage 2 surgery was measured in each group. The pocket depth, length of connective-tissue contact and biological width were measured in the tissue samples. A student's t-test was used to test the differences between the groups (95% confidence level). RESULTS: The width of the keratinized mucosa was significantly higher and the distance from the top of the implant platform to the mucogingival junction was significantly longer in the test group than the control group. Histometric observations revealed the pocket depth and biological width to be significantly lower in the test group than the control group. CONCLUSION: The use of a fAPF with a lingual crestal incision using a ready-made plastic stent can effectively preserve or enhance the width of the keratinized mucosa and might restore a more optimal biological environment at the early soft-tissue healing stage.