Kaempferia parviflora rhizome extract exerts anti-obesity effect in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6N mice.

Kaempferia parviflora (KP) rhizome, also called black ginger, has been used as a herbal medicine for many centuries. This current study was aimed at exploring whether KP rhizome extract (KPE) had anti-obesity effects and the mechanism involved. Five-week-old C57BL/6N male mice were allocated into five groups for 8-week feeding with control diet (CD), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD + 150 mg/kg body weight (BW)/day KPE (HFD+K150), HFD + 300 mg/kg BW/day KPE (HFD+K300), and HFD + 600 mg/kg BW/day KPE (HFD+K600). KPE decreased BW, body fat mass, adipose tissue weight, adipocyte size, and serum levels of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin, and leptin in HFD-induced obese C57BL/6N mice. KPE inhibited adipogenesis by decreasing CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, ATP-citrate lyase, and fatty acid synthase mRNA expression. KPE improved lipolysis by increasing carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 and hormone-sensitive lipase mRNA expression. These results suggest that KPE may have inhibited HFD-induced obesity by regulating several pathways involved in decreasing adipogenesis and enhancing lipolysis. Thus, the results suggest that KPE (or KP) may be applicable as an anti-obesity agent.

Polymethoxyflavone purified from Kaempferia parviflora reduces visceral fat in Japanese overweight individuals: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Visceral fat is a more important factor in obesity-associated disorders in Japanese individuals than in Caucasian individuals. The objective of this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study, conducted in Japanese overweight adults, was to investigate the effects of polymethoxyflavone purified from Kaempferia parviflora on visceral fat. A total of 80 subjects (aged 20-64 years, 23.0 ≤ body mass index < 30 kg m-2) were randomly assigned in 1 : 1 ratio to either the active (polymethoxyflavone purified from K. parviflora) or placebo group. Over a 12-week period, each subject received two capsules containing polymethoxyflavone purified from K. parviflora (12 mg polymethoxyflavone per day) or placebo. The primary outcome was a reduction in visceral fat area (VFA), while the secondary outcome was a reduction in subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and total fat area (TFA). VFA was measured at 0, 8, and 12 weeks using computed tomography scanning. Results showed that VFA significantly reduced after 12 weeks in the active group and was significantly lower than in the placebo group at 8 and 12 weeks. A significant reduction was observed in SFA and TFA after 8 and 12 weeks in the active group; TFA was significantly lower than that in the placebo group at 8 and 12 weeks. No adverse events associated with the test supplements were observed in either group. Our study shows that administration of polymethoxyflavone purified from K. parviflora reduces visceral fat in Japanese overweight adults.

Evaluation of the Safety of Daily Consumption of Kaempferia parviflora Extract (KPFORCE): A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

This study's aim was to evaluate the safety of daily consumption of Kaempferia parviflora extract (KPE) using a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study with 52 recruited healthy Japanese subjects. Each subject received five KPE tablets (containing 150 mg of KPFORCE™/tablet) or placebo daily for 4 weeks. There were no adverse events related to KPE intake or any abnormalities compared with placebo group in anthropometric, cardiovascular, blood, and urine parameters during the course of the study. Thus, daily KPE ingestion was found to be safe in healthy Japanese men and women.

Toxicological evaluation of standardized Kaempferia parviflora extract: Sub-chronic and mutagenicity studies.

Kaempferia parviflora (KP), also known as Krachai-dam in Thailand, belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and has been used traditionally to improve blood flow and treat inflammatory, allergic, and gastrointestinal disorders. The objective of this study was to investigate the safety profile of a standardized hydroalcoholic KP rhizome extract via mutagenicity and sub-chronic toxicity evaluations using in vitro and in vivo techniques. The in vitro mutagenicity of KP extract was assessed via reverse mutation tests using Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537, and Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA. The sub-chronic toxicity profile was evaluated after daily oral administration of KP extract to Sprague-Dawley rats for 90 days. General toxicological parameters were monitored weekly. After the treatment period, blood was collected for hematological and biochemical analyses and certain organs were removed for macroscopic and histopathological analyses. Reverse mutation tests revealed that KP extract did not induce gene mutations at any of the concentrations tested. In the sub-chronic toxicity test, a few changes were observed, including increased salivation in the animals administered high-dose KP extract (249 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day). No toxicologically relevant changes were observed in the biochemical analysis. Sub-chronic administration of KP extract increased platelet levels in animals administered low-dose KP extract (25 mg/kg bw/day). However, the hematological and biochemical parameters remained within normal physiological ranges for the animal species. No toxicological changes were observed in the macroscopic and histopathological analyses performed in this study. These results demonstrate that KP extract is not genotoxic and that 90-day oral administration of the doses tested did not result in toxicity. Therefore, KP extract has a high safety margin for daily use.

Daily intake of Kaempferia parviflora extract decreases abdominal fat in overweight and preobese subjects: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study.

PURPOSE: Obesity is a serious problem, which is now a worldwide health problem. Kaempferia parviflora extract (KPE) exhibits anti-obesity effects in animals. However, as no clinical trials have evaluated the anti-obesity effects of KPE in humans, we examined the effects of KPE in reducing abdominal fat in overweight and preobese Japanese subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 12-week, single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Seventy-six subjects (males and females aged 20 to <65 years) with a body mass index ≥24 and <30 kg/m2 were randomly assigned into two groups. The subjects in each group ingested one capsule of placebo or active KPE (containing 150 mg of KPE) once daily for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was reduction in visceral fat area as determined by computed tomography scanning. The key secondary outcomes were reductions in subcutaneous fat area and total fat area. Subgroup analysis was also performed in healthy subjects without dyslipidemia, hypertension, or hyperglycemia. The safety of KPE ingestion was also evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo group, the active KPE group exhibited significant reduction in abdominal fat area (visceral, subcutaneous, and total fat) and triglyceride levels after 12 weeks. Subgroup analyses demonstrated a significant reduction in abdominal fat area and triglyceride levels in healthy subjects compared with the placebo group after 12 weeks. Neither group exhibited adverse events related to the test foods or clinically relevant abnormal changes in physical, biochemical, or hematologic parameters, or in urinalysis results and medical interview. CONCLUSION: Daily ingestion of KPE safely reduces body fat, particularly abdominal fat, in Japanese overweight and preobese subjects.

Kaempferia parviflora extract increases energy consumption through activation of BAT in mice.

Kaempferia parviflora (KP) is a member of the ginger family and is known in Thailand as Thai ginseng, Krachai Dam or Black Ginger. TheK. parviflora extract (KPE) was previously reported to have a number of physiological effects; however, the antiobesity effects of KPE and its mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we conducted KPE feeding experiments (low dose: 0.5% KPE, high dose: 1.0% KPE) in mice to examine the antiobesity effects. For both 0.5% KPE and 1.0% KPE, 7 weeks' feeding of KPE contained in a high-fat diet (HFD) significantly decreased body weight gain, intraabdominal fat accumulation, and plasma triglyceride and leptin levels. Concurrently, KPE administration increased oxygen consumption in mice fed on a HFD. We also found that 1.0% KPE feeding significantly increased the uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Moreover, KPE administration increased urinary noradrenaline secretion levels. These results demonstrate that KPE promotes energy metabolism by activation of BAT, at both doses and up-regulation of UCP1 protein at a high dose. Although numerous challenges remain, the present study demonstrated that KPE suppresses HFD-induced obesity through increased energy metabolism.

S Phase-preferential Cre-recombination in mammalian cells revealed by HIV-TAT-PTD-mediated protein transduction.

The Cre recombinase of bacteriophage P1 is a powerful tool for artificial modification of genomic function in mammalian cells. To date, many researchers have studied the enzymatic biochemistry of Cre recombinase in loxP site-specific cleavage and rearrangement, as well as its use in gene technology. However, the intricate mechanisms of Cre-mediated recombination are still poorly understood. For example, more knowledge is needed in order to understand Cre recombinase's dependency on cell cycle, the necessity of other factors for recombination, and the exact nuclear environment that's required at the target locus, in order for recombination to take place in eukaryotic cells. In this study, we showed that P1 Cre-mediated recombination occurred frequently during S-phase of the cell cycle. HeLa cells were synchronized in cell cycle with the thymidine-hydroxyurea block method, and recombinant Cre proteins were fused with HIV-1 TAT protein transduction domains (PTD) in every phase of the cell cycle. Results showed that the transduction of PTD-Cre gave rise to genomic recombination preferentially during the S-phase of cell cycle. These findings will contribute significantly to the development of the Cre/loxP recombination system in vivo.