Effect of high hydrostatic pressure extract of fresh ginseng on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

BACKGROUND: Red ginseng is produced by steaming and drying fresh ginseng. Through this processing, chemical compounds are modified, and then biological activities are changed. In the food-processing industry, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) has become an alternative to heat processing to make maximum use of bioactive compounds in food materials. This study comparatively investigated the anti-adipogenic effects of water extract of red ginseng (WRG) and high hydrostatic pressure extract of fresh ginseng (HPG) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. RESULTS: Both WRG and HPG inhibited the accumulation of intracellular lipids and triglycerides, and the activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), a key enzyme in triglyceride biosynthesis. Intracellular lipid content and GPDH activity were significantly lower in the HPG group compared to the WRG group. In addition, mRNA expression of adipogenic genes, including CEBP-α, SREBP-1c and aP2, were lower in HPG-treated cells compared to WRG-treated cells. HPG significantly increased the activity of AMPK, and WRG did not. CONCLUSION: Results suggested that HPG may have superior beneficial effects on the inhibition of adipogenesis compared with WRG. The anti-adipogenic effects of HPG were partially associated with the inhibition of GPDH activity, suppression of adipogenic gene expression and activation of AMPK in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Systematic review of the incidence of herbal drug-induced liver injury in Korea.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Herbal drugs have been generally believed to be safe, based on the natural sources and long clinical experience. With the increasing use of herbal medicine worldwide, the potential toxicity of herbal drugs, especially drug-induced liver injury (DILI), frequently becomes a medical issue. This study was aimed to estimate the incidence of DILI following herbal drug consumption in Korea METHODS AND MATERIALS: A literature search for herbal DILI in eight databases, including PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and four Korean electronic databases. RESULTS: Six studies (three prospective and three retrospective) met the necessary criteria for assessment of the risk of DILI following herbal medicine exposure. The total number of participants in the six studies was 1699 (756 males and 943 females), and the incidence of herbal DILI varied from 0 to 1.92 among them. Total incidence of herbal DILI was 0.71% (12 patients with herbal DILI), and it was significantly higher in male (1.32%) than female (0.21%) respectively (p<0.01). All of the patients that experienced DILI concomitantly ingested herbal medicine and conventional drugs. CONCLUSIONS: This result showed the comprehensive data indicating the incident risk of hepatotoxicity in patients using herbal drugs in Korea, and presented the possibility of increased risk for the DILI by concurrent administration of herbal and conventional medicines.

Anti-obesity efficacy of nanoemulsion oleoresin capsicum in obese rats fed a high-fat diet.

PURPOSE: This study determined the effects of oleoresin capsicum (OC) and nanoemulsion OC (NOC) on obesity in obese rats fed a high-fat diet. METHODS: THE RATS WERE RANDOMLY SEPARATED INTO THREE GROUPS: a high-fat (HF) diet group, HF + OC diet group, and HF + NOC diet group. All groups were fed the diet and water ad libitum for 14 weeks. RESULTS: NOC reduced the body weight and adipose tissue mass, whereas OC did not. OC and NOC reduced mRNA levels of adipogenic genes, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, and fatty acid-binding protein in white adipose tissue. The mRNA levels of genes related to ß-oxidation or thermogenesis including PPAR-α, palmitoyltransferase-1α, and uncoupling protein-2 were increased by the OC and NOC relative to the HF group. Both OC and NOC clearly stimulated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity. In particular, PPAR-α, palmitoyltransferase-1α, uncoupling protein-2 expression, and AMPK activity were significantly increased in the NOC group compared to in the OC group. NOC decreased glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity whereas OC did not. CONCLUSION: From these results, NOC could be suggested as a potential anti-obesity agent in obese rats fed a HF diet. The effects of the NOC on obesity were associated with changes of multiple gene expression, activation of AMPK, and inhibition of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in white adipose tissue.