Laxative Effects of a Standardized Extract of Dendropanax morbiferus H. Léveille Leaves on Experimental Constipation in Rats.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the laxative effects of a standardized aqueous extract of Dendropanax morbiferus H. Lév. on two different constipation rat models. Materials and Methods: Animal studies were conducted with low-fiber diet-induced and loperamide-induced constipation animal models, and isolated colons were used in ex vivo analysis to determine the changes in colonic motility caused by D. morbiferus H. Lév. leaf extract (DPL). Results: The results showed that DPL administration significantly improved certain reduced fecal parameters (number, weight, and water content of the stools) in a both low-fiber diet and loperamide-induced constipation models without adverse effects of diarrhea. The laxative effect of DPL was confirmed to improve the charcoal excretion time upon DPL treatment in a low-fiber diet or loperamide-induced constipation model through gastrointestinal (GI) motility evaluation using the charcoal meal test. In addition, when DPL was administered to RAW264.7 cells and loperamide-induced constipation model rats, the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increased significantly in cells and tissue. Furthermore, DPL dose-dependently stimulated the spontaneous contractile amplitude and frequency of the isolated rat colon. Conclusion: Although our study did not provide information on the acute or chronic toxicity of DPL, our results demonstrated that DPL can effectively promote defecation frequency and rat colon contraction, providing scientific evidence to support the use of DPL as a therapeutic application. However, further toxicity studies of DPL are needed prior to the initiation of clinical trials and clinical applications.

Hepatoprotective effect of 10% ethanolic extract from Curdrania tricuspidata leaves against ethanol-induced oxidative stress through suppression of CYP2E1.

The hepatoprotective effect of 10% ethanolic extract of Curdrania tricuspidata (CTE) was investigated in HepG2/2E1 cells and C57BL/6 J mice. When compared ethanol-only treated HepG2/2E1 cells, pretreatment of CTE prevented increased intra-cellular reactive oxygen species levels and decreased antioxidant activities by ethanol-induced oxidative stress. In C57BL/6 J mice, CTE at a dose of 250 mg/kg/day was administered for 10 days, with ethanol (5 g/kg/day) administered for the final 3 days. Pretreatment with CTE prevented the elevated activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase caused by ethanol-induced hepatic damage. CTE-treated mice displayed a reduced level of malondialdehyde and increased antioxidant activities of catalase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, as well as a reduced level of glutathione as compared with ethanol-only-treated mice. CTE-treated mice exhibited significant inhibition of CYP2E1 activities and expression. These results suggest that CTE could be a useful agent for the prevention of ethanol-induced oxidative damage in the liver, elevating antioxidative potentials and alleviating oxidative stress by suppressing CYP2El.

Supplementation of a Fermented Soybean Extract Reduces Body Mass and Prevents Obesity in High Fat Diet-Induced C57BL/6J Obese Mice.

Obesity is a growing health problem that many countries face, mostly due to the consumption of a Westernized diet. In this present study we observed the effects of a soybean extract fermented by Bacillus subtilis MORI (BTD-1) containing 1-deoxynojirimycin against high fat diet-induced obesity. The results obtained from this study indicated that BTD-1 reduced body weight, regulated hepatic lipid content and adipose tissue, and also affected liver antioxidant enzymes and glucose metabolism. These results suggest that administration of BTD-1 affects obesity by inhibiting hyperglycemia and free radical-mediated stress; it also reduces lipid accumulation. Therefore, BTD-1 may be potentially useful for the prevention of obesity and its related secondary complications.

Inhaled essential oil from Chamaecyparis obtuse ameliorates the impairments of cognitive function induced by injection of ß-amyloid in rats.

CONTEXT: Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. & Zucc., Endlicher (Cupressaceae) forest bathing or aromatherapy has been shown in various studies to have biological functions such as anticancer, antiallergies, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant activity. However, no reports exist on the pharmacological or biological activities of the essential oil of C. obtusa (EOCO) or its effects on central nervous system. OBJECTIVE: The aggregation and formation of ß-amyloid peptides (Aß) into fibrils are central events in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and overproduction and aggregation of Aß into oligomers have been known to trigger neurotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the effects of inhaled EOCO on cognitive function and neuronal apoptosis in rats intrahippocampally injected with Aß. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To model AD, 4 µg of aggregated Aß was injected into the hippocampus. To test the effects of EOCO, behavioral performance in the Morris water maze was tested 4 days after injection. After behavioral testing, brain sections were prepared for TTC staining and TUNEL assay. RESULTS: Inhaled EOCO protected spatial learning and memory from the impairments induced by Aß(1-40) injection. In addition, the behavioral deficits accompanying Aß(1-40)-induced AD were attenuated by inhalation of EOCO. Furthermore, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and neuronal apoptosis were significantly inhibited in rats treated with Aß(1-40) and EOCO compared to rats treated only with Aß(1-40). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: EOCO suppressed both AD-related neuronal cell apoptosis and AD-related dysfunction of the memory system. Thus, the results of this study support EOCO as a candidate drug for the treatment of AD.

Stimulatory effects of ferulic acid on endurance exercise capacity in mice.

Ferulic acid was orally administered to mice in order to investigate its effects on exercise endurance capacity. When a single administration of ferulic acid was given to the mice in an adjustable-current water pool, the duration of exhaustive swimming was longer than that exhibited by the mice in the control group. Also, when the mice were exhaustively exercised for 3 consecutive days, no change in swimming time was found in the ferulic acid-administered group on the final day, and a large decrease in the untreated mice. Administration of ferulic acid efficiently activated the hepatic antioxidative defense system during exercise. The mice that received ferulic acid showed significant increases in the activity of hepatic antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase. Furthermore, an increased glutathione level was observed, while the malondialdehyde content was reduced. These results suggest that ferulic acid possesses stimulatory effects that can enhance exercise endurance capacity and reduce fatigue by elevating antioxidative potentials.

Antiinflammatory effect of lactic acid bacteria: inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 by suppressing nuclear factor-kappaB in Raw264.7 macrophage cells.

Lactobacillus casei 3260 (L. casei 3260) was evaluated in relation to the inflammatory response mediated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in Raw264.7 macrophage cells. The treatment of Raw264.7 cells with L. casei 3260 significantly inhibited the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and prostaglandins E2 (PGE2), followed by suppression of COX-2. To clarify the molecular mechanism, the inhibitory effect of L. casei 3260 on the NF-kappaB signaling pathway was examined based on the luciferase reporter activity. Although the treatment of Raw264.7 cells with L. casei 3260 did not affect the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB, it did inhibit NF-kappaB activation, as determined by the cytosolic p65 release and degradation of I-kappaBalpha. Therefore, these findings suggest that the suppression of COX-2 through inhibiting the NF-kappaB activation by LPS may be associated with the antiinflammatory effects of L. casei 3260 on Raw264.7 cells.

Resistance of Lactobacillus plantarum KCTC 3099 from Kimchi to oxidative stress.

The antioxidative capacity of two lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kimchi, a Korean fermented food, was evaluated by measuring the resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and compared with that of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG as a positive control. Both intact cells and cell-free extracts of Lactobacillus plantarum KCTC 3099 exhibited higher antioxidative activity in inhibiting lipid peroxidation among the strains evaluated with an inhibitory level of 38.6% and 48.5%, respectively. To evaluate the resistance of the two lactic acid bacteria to ROS, we tested their survival in the presence of 1 mM hydrogen peroxide, 0.4 mM hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide anions induced by 10 mM paraquat. L. plantarum KCTC 3099 was viable even after 8 hours in the presence of both 1 mM hydrogen peroxide and 0.4 mM hydroxyl radicals. Moreover, the survival of L. plantarum KCTC 3099 was not affected by superoxide anions generated by using paraquat, indicating that it has resistance to superoxide anions. To define the antioxidative mechanism, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and metal ion chelating activities were determined. L. plantarum KCTC 3099 presented little SOD activity, but had the higher level of chelating activity for both Fe2+ and Cu2+ metal ions at 13.6 ppm and 23.9 ppm, respectively. These results suggested that the antioxidative capacity of L. plantarum KCTC 3099 is apparently caused by chelating metal ions rather than by SOD activation.