Krill Oil Inhibits Cholesterol Synthesis and Stimulated Cholesterol Excretion in Hypercholesterolemic Rats.

The present study aimed to investigate the antihypercholesterolemic effects of krill oil supplementation in high-cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rats, and the mechanisms underlying these effects. Rats were divided into five groups: normal control, control (high-cholesterol diet), krill oil 100 mg/kg b.w.

Deer Velvet and Mixture Regulated Immune Function in C57BL/6N Mice with Immunosuppression Induced by Forced Swimming.

Immunosuppression occurs in response to a variety of external antigens. However, various immune cells and cytokines can activate the immune system. In this study, it was found that fermented deer velvet (FD) and fermented (FE) extract (FDE) mixtures regulated the immunity of animals that underwent induced immunosuppression through forced swimming exercise (FSE).

Hypouricemic Effects of L. and on Hyperuricemia-Induced HepG2 Cells, Renal Cells, and Mice.

Hyperuricemia, abnormally excess accumulation of uric acid, is caused by an imbalance between the production and excretion of uric acid and is a major cause of gout. We compared the effects of extracts from L. (Ci) and Siebold and Zucc.

Standardized Saw Palmetto Extract Directly and Indirectly Affects Testosterone Biosynthesis and Spermatogenesis.

We investigated whether a standardized saw palmetto extract (SP, mixture of supercritical extract and ethanol extract at a ratio of 9.5 to 0.5) can relieve the symptoms of andropause, including metabolic syndrome, and decreases in muscle endurance and spermatogenesis, in old rats.

Antarctic Krill Oil Ameliorates Monosodium Iodoacetate-Induced Irregularities in Articular Cartilage and Inflammatory Response in the Rat Models of Osteoarthritis.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Antarctic krill oil (FJH-KO) in a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) induced osteoarthritis. The effect of FJH-KO on the development and severity of MIA-induced osteoarthritis was assessed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and micro-CT. The expression of PGE, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α), and arthritics related genes in osteoarthritic rats in response to FJH-KO supplementation was investigated using real time PCR.

A Mixture of Increases Longitudinal Bone Growth Rate in Sprague Dawley Rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of administration of a mixture of (MH) on longitudinal bone growth in normal Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. We measured the femur and tibia length, growth plate area, proliferation of chondrocytes, and expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) phosphorylation after dietary administration of MH in SD rats for four weeks. The nose-tail length gain and length of femur and tibia increased significantly in the group that received MH for a period of four weeks.

Policosanol Attenuates Cholesterol Synthesis via AMPK Activation in Hypercholesterolemic Rats.

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of policosanol on high-fat and high-cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rats to provide strong evidence in support of its hypocholesterolemic effect. The hypercholesterolemic rats showed elevations in liver weight, total triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in serum; however, policosanol supplementation reduced these markers significantly. In addition, we found that policosanol supplementation stimulated an increase in fecal cholesterol and bile acid contents and deactivated 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation during high-fat and high-cholesterol-containing diet-induced development of hypercholesterolemia.

Prunus yedoensis bark inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory cytokine synthesis by IκBα degradation and MAPK activation in macrophages.

The bark of Prunus yedoensis is used in antitussive medicines and in oral herbal formulations for inflammatory skin disorders. In the present study, we explored whether P. yedoensis bark extract (PYE) and its solvent partitioned fractions could modulate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 in vivo and in vitro.

Effect of cinnamon water extract on monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and scavenger receptor activity.

Background: Water soluble cinnamon extract has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and modulate macrophage activation, a desirable trait for the management of obesity or atherosclerosis. Our present study investigated whether cinnamon water extract (CWE) may influence the differentiation of monocytes into macrophages and the activity of macrophage scavenger receptors, commonly observed in atherosclerotic lesions.

Methods: We investigated the effect of CWE on the expression of various surface markers and the uptake of acetylated low density lipoprotein (LDL) in phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated THP-1 cells.

The antichromatin antibodies can be useful as a diagnostic tool and disease activity marker of systemic lupus erythematosus in Koreans.

We have investigated the clinical utility of antichromatin antibodies for the diagnosis of SLE and as a marker of disease activity in Korean SLE patients. Blood samples were collected from SLE patients, lupus syndrome patients having only two or three of ACR classification criteria for SLE and normal controls. The level of antichromatin antibody was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and expressed as arbitrary unit.

Cytokine IL-6 and IL-10 as biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus.

There is a great deal of interest in the identification of biomarkers that are closely associated with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but few biomarkers have been validated. Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE. Therefore, we evaluated the levels of cytokines and their possible association with disease activity.