Hypoglycemic action of chicken meat extract in type-2 diabetic KKAy mice and GK rats.

This study researched the effects of chicken meat extract on blood glucose and insulin level, membrane glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4), and tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) in type 2 diabetic KKAy mice and GK rats. Eight-week-old KKAy mice and GK rats and euglycemic control animals, C57BL/6J mice and Wistar rats, were orally administered a liquid commercial chicken meat extract, BRAND'S Essence of Chicken (BEC), for up to 8 weeks. BEC (1.5 ml/kg) had no effect on blood insulin levels, but significantly lessened the hyperglycemia in the diabetic animals. In the BEC-treated diabetic animals, insulin induced a significant increase in plasma membrane GLUT4 and cytosolic tyrosine-phosphorylated IRS-1, indicating that it attenuates insulin resistance. The present findings are the first demonstration of the hypoglycemic action of a dietary protein, and they lend credence to the reported benefits of using chicken meat as a source of protein in the dietary management of diabetic individuals.

The effect of lutein supplementation on visual fatigue: a psychophysiological analysis.

We used psychophysiological technology to examine the effect of an oral supplement, a combination of lutein, zeaxanthin and blackcurrant extract (LUT), on visual fatigue, within the context of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial. The LUT supplement and placebo samples were randomly assigned to thirteen participants, who took the samples for two LUT (and vice versa) for another 2 week. Each participant completed visual proof reading tasks for 2h during each of four testing sessions. Saccade tests were administered before and after the proof reading task, during which the participants moved their eyes back and forth between two targets positioned in the center of two checkerboards. We recorded EEG, EOG, heart rate, and facial muscle potential/performance during the saccade tests. Blood pressure was measured and subjective fatigue and stress scores were collected before and after the proof reading task. We averaged EEG starting at saccade offset in order to analyze eye fixation related potentials (EFRP). Our results suggested that the proof reading task induced visual fatigue. An analysis of EFRP and other psychophysiological data revealed significant differences between the LUT and placebo conditions. These results suggest that supplementation with LUT could help to reduce symptoms of visual fatigue.

Effect of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture on CCl(4)-induced hepatic oxidative stress in rats.

To study the effects of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture on carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced hepatic oxidative stress in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were randomly assigned to five groups: control group (olive oil injection), CCl(4) group (CCl(4) injection), silymarin group (CCl(4) injection combined with supplementation of silymarin, 7.5 mg/kg/day), low dose group (CCl(4) injection combined with supplementation of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture at a low dose, 43 mg/kg/day) and high dose group (CCl(4) injection combined with the supplementation of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture at a high dose, 215 mg/kg/day). The hepatic superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities of rats in the low dose and high dose groups were increased significantly compared with those in the CCl(4) group. The hepatic reduced glutathione concentration in the silymarin, low dose and high dose groups were increased significantly (48%, 45% and 53%, respectively) when compared with those of the CCl(4) group. In addition, the concentration of glutathione in the erythrocytes of the low dose group was significantly higher than the CCl(4) group by 25%. These results suggest that the schisandrin B-sesamin mixture exerted a hepatoprotective effect by improving the antioxidative capacity in rats under CCl(4)-induced hepatic oxidative stress.

Protective effects of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) extract on restraint stress-induced liver damage in mice.

Our experiments showed that 18 h restraint stress could induce serious liver damage, with an increase in plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (107.68 +/- 3.19 U/L vs 18.08 +/- 1.46 U/L). Meanwhile, we observed increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and lowered oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values in plasma and liver of restraint mice compared with starved mice. Bilberry extract (containing 42.04% anthocyanins) was oral administrated to mice at 50, 100, and 200 mg/(kg x day) for five days, which remarkably decreased plasma ALT level to 17.23 +/- 2.49 U/L at the dose of 200 mg/(kg x day) and thus alleviated stress-induced liver damage. In addition, bilberry extracts increased glutathione (GSH) and vitamin C levels and significantly decreased MDA and nitric oxide (NO) levels in the liver tissues. These results suggest that bilberry extract plays an important role in protecting against restraint stress-induced liver damage by both scavenging free radicals activity and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect. This study showed the beneficial health effects of bilberry extract through its antioxidative action.

Evaluation on the combined effect of Sesamin and Schisandra extract on blood fluidity.

Several studies have demonstrated a link between blood viscosity and various forms of liver dysfunction. Therefore, we investigated the effect of liver protective herbal materials, Sesamin combined with extract of Schisandra chinensis berry (Schisandra) for its potential to improve blood fluidity in humans. Ten human subjects were recruited to study the effect of sesamin combined with schisandra extract (SCH) for two weeks on blood viscosity. Blood fluidity was measured as the transit time for 100mul of heparinized whole blood to pass through a micro-channel array setup at baseline, 1 week and 2 weeks. For safety assessment, blood biochemistry, hematology and urine analysis were taken at baseline, 1 week and 2 weeks after SCH administration. No safety concern and adverse effects were observed during the 2-week continuous intake period. Intake of SCH reduced blood passage time by 9.0% and 9.7% at 1 and 2 weeks, respectively. In conclusion, this pilot clinical study indicates that the combined administration of sesamin with schisandra extract could improve blood fluidity after 1 week of oral intake and this effect was sustained up to 2 weeks.

Protective effects of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) extract on KBrO3-induced kidney damage in mice.

Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is an oxidizing agent used as a food additive which causes kidney damage as a potent nephrotoxic agent, and the mechanism may be explained by the generation of oxygen free radicals. Our experiments showed that single intraperitoneal administration of 200 mg/kg KBrO3 could induce serious kidney damage, with an increase in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels. Five-day oral administration of bilberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus L.) extract at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg resulted in a reversal in serum BUN and creatinine to normal levels and decreased kidney malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and xanthine oxidase (XOD) levels. Also, bilberry extract improved oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) levels in kidney tissue, which showed that bilberry extract reduced the degree of oxidative stress and kidney damage induced by KBrO3. These findings demonstrate that the protective effect of bilberry extract is attributed to its free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect.

Effects of postexercise supplementation of chicken essence on the elimination of exercise-induced plasma lactate and ammonia.

We investigated the effects of chicken essence (CE) supplementation on exercise-induced changes of lactate and ammonia during recovery. In this randomized, double blind, crossover study, twelve healthy subjects performed a single bout of exercise to exhaustion, and then consumed either a placebo or CE within 5-min of the exercise cessation. Blood samples were collected before exercise, at exhaustion (0 minute), and 20, 40, 60, and 120 minutes, respectively during the recovery period. There were no differences in plasma glucose, creatine kinase, or heart rate responses between treatments. The exercise exhaustion significantly increased the levels of lactate and ammonia, and both measured values gradually declined during the recovery period. Ammonia levels at 40, 60, and 120 min. of the recovery period were observed lower significantly in the CE group, as compared to those in the placebo group. Additionally, lactate concentrations at 60 and 120 min were lower in the CE group, as compared to those in the placebo group. In conclusion, the main finding of this study was that CE supplementation after exercise reduces plasma lactate and ammonia levels. The results indicated that CE supplementation after an exhaustive exercise could enhance physiological recovery in humans.

Effect of Brand's glucosamine with essence of chicken on collagen-induced arthritis in rats.

The anti-arthritic effects of glucosamine incorporated in a chicken-meat extract known as Brand's Glucosamine with Essence of Chicken versus glucosamine or Essence of Chicken (EOC) alone were investigated on collagen induced arthritis (CIA) in dark agouti (DA) rats. Four groups of rats received basic food (control), 1.2% glucosamine (GLU), 0.8% EOC and 1.2% GLU + 0.8% EOC (GLU + EOC) admixed with basic food for 25 days following CIA. Foot pads were isolated on day 25 for histopathological evaluation. Clinical assessment of hind paw swelling as measured by foot pad volumes and histopathological scoring based on the degree of edema, periosteal new bone formation, periostitis and inflammatory cell infiltration of the isolated foot pad were performed. Arthritic rats given GLU + EOC showed significant reduction in left hind paw swelling following onset of arthritis. Correspondingly, a lesser degree of edema, periosteal new bone formation, periostitis and inflammatory cell infiltration was seen in histological sections of the left hind foot pads of these rats. A similar trend of reduced hind paw swelling was observed in the right hind paws of the same rats and those fed with EOC. Rats fed with GLU alone did not demonstrate these beneficial effects. The present findings demonstrate that a combination of glucosamine and EOC is effective in reducing the histopathological severity of arthritis, probably due to its ability to reduce the inflammatory conditions in CIA.

Clinical study on the combined effect of capsaicin, green tea extract and essence of chicken on body fat content in human subjects.

This study was conducted to assess the body fat content of free-living healthy human subjects taking a health supplement containing 0.4 mg capsaicin, 625 mg green tea extract (125 mg catechins and 50 mg caffeine) and 800 mg essence of chicken (CGTE). Subjects were advised to maintain their regular dietary habits and routine physical activity throughout study duration. Their body fat content was measured before and throughout the trial duration using a hand-grip body fat monitor. After 2 wk of supplementation with CGTE, the mean body fat percentage of males and female subjects was significantly less than the initial value (p < 0.05; t-test). 70.6%, of volunteers showed a trend for decreasing body fat content with 4 subjects showing a significant decrease in body fat content over time. The findings suggested that the effects were more prominent in subjects with higher initial body fat content. It was also demonstrated that the resting energy expenditure (REE) of the subjects taking the test samples were significantly increased in groups supplemented with CGTE, compared to placebo group. Thus, the combined thermogenic effect of capsaicin, green tea extract and essence of chicken could translate to a positive clinical effect by reducing approximately 460 g of body fat, following 2 wk of supplementation and the application of this natural health supplement for excess fat regulation, should be considered.