Amelioration of estrogen-deficiency-induced obesity by Ocimum gratissimum.

Objectives: Menopausal transition in women initiates with declining estrogen levels and is followed by significant changes in their physiological characteristics. These changes often lead to medical conditions, such as obesity, which is correlated with chronic low-grade/subclinical inflammation. Ocimum gratissimum L. is a food spice or traditional herb in many countries; the plant is rich in antioxidants, which possess anti-inflammation activities and multitude of other therapeutic functions. Methods: In this study, we evaluated effects of O. gratissimum extract (OGE) in preventing obesity by using ovariectomized (OVX) animal models to mimic menopausal women. Methods: OVX rats showed increase in body weight and in adipocyte size in perigonadal adipose tissue (p <0.05) and decrease in uterus weight. By contrast, OGE (0.2 mg/ml) significantly reduced body weight gain and adipocyte in OVX rats and showed insignificant changes in uterus weight. Further investigation indicated that OGE exerted no influence on levels of dorsal fat, serum total cholesterol, and serum triacylglycerol and on serum biochemical factors, calcium, phosphorus, and glucose. Conclusion: These findings suggested that OGE dietary supplements may be useful in controlling body weight of menopausal women.

Amelioration of estrogen deficiency-induced obesity by collagen hydrolysate.

Objectives: Menopausal transition with declining estrogen levels significantly affects the physiological properties of women and consequently contributes to a series of medical conditions, including obesity. Obesity is a crucial risk factor associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and breast cancer. Increasing dietary protein content improves satiety and energy expenditure. Thus, we hypothesize that supplementing with collagen, a common dietary protein, may alleviate menopause-induced obesity. Methods: We used ovariectomized (OVX) rats to mimic a menopausal human. The body weight of OVX rats significantly increased compared with that of sham-operated rats (P<0.05), but uterus weight was decreased. Adipocyte size in perigonadal adipose tissue also increased (P<0.05). Results: By contrast, OVX rats supplemented with aqueous collagen hydrolysate (2.5 mg/mL) exhibited significant attenuation in body weight gain and adipocyte enlargement (P<0.05), but insignificant change in uterus weight. Further investigation indicated that collagen hydrolysate supplementation insignificantly affected the levels of dorsal fat, serum total cholesterol, and serum triacylglycerol. Levels of serum biochemical factors, calcium, phosphorus, and glucose were also insignificantly altered by collagen hydrolysate supplementation. Conclusion: Collagen hydrolysate supplementation reduced body weight gain and adipocyte enlargement in response to ovariectomy but slightly affected blood lipids, calcium, and glucose in both sham-operated and OVX rats. Collagen hydrolysate supplementation is beneficial in ameliorating estrogen deficiency-induced obesity and its associated risk factors.

Anemone altaica Induces Apoptosis in Human Osteosarcoma Cells.

In the past decade, no significant improvement has been made in chemotherapy for osteosarcoma (OS). To develop improved agents against OS, we screened 70 species of medicinal plants and treated two human OS cell lines with different agent concentrations. We then examined cell viability using the MTT assay. Results showed that a candidate plant, particularly the rhizomes of Anemone altaica Fisch. ex C. A. Mey aqueous extract (AAE), suppressed the viability of HOS and U2OS cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that AAE significantly increased the amount of cell shrinkage (Sub-G1 fragments) in HOS and U2OS cells. Moreover, AAE increased cytosolic cytochrome c and Bax, but decreased Bcl-2. The amount of cleaved caspase-3 and poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) were significantly increased. AAE suppressed the growth of HOS and U2OS through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Data suggest that AAE is cytotoxic to HOS and U2OS cells and has no significant influence on human osteoblast hFOB cells. The high mRNA levels of apoptosis-related factors (PPP1R15A, SQSTM1, HSPA1B, and DDIT4) and cellular proliferation markers (SKA2 and BUB1B) were significantly altered by the AAE treatment of HOS and U2OS cells. Results show that the anticancer activity of AAE could up-regulate the expression of a cluster of genes, especially those in the apoptosis-related factor family and caspase family. Thus, AAE has great potential as a useful therapeutic drug for human OS.

Shikonin induces apoptosis through reactive oxygen species/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway in osteosarcoma cells.

Shikonin, a major ingredient in the Chinese traditional herb Lithospermum erythrorhixon, exhibits multiple biological functions including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. In this study, we delineated the molecular mechanisms of shikonin in the apoptosis of 143B osteosarcoma cells. Shikonin reduced the cell viability of 143B cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The IC(50) at 24 h and 48 h for 143B cells was 4.55 and 2.01microM, respectively. A significantly elicited hypodiploid cell population was found in cells treated with 2, 4, and 8microM shikonin for 24 h. Moreover, treatment with shikonin induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, decreased B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl2) expression, and was accompanied by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. Pretreatment with the antioxidant agent N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) not only reversed shikonin-induced ROS generation but also significantly attenuated the cytotoxic effects of shikonin in 143B cells. Furthermore, NAC attenuated shikonin-induced ERK phosphorylation. Taken together, our results reveal that shikonin increased ROS generation and ERK activation, and reduced Bcl2, which consequently caused the cells to undergo apoptosis. Therefore, shikonin may be a promising chemotherapeutic agent for osteosarcoma treatment.