Ethanol extract from Astilbe chinensis inflorescence suppresses inflammation in macrophages and growth of oral pathogenic bacteria.

Chronic oral inflammation and biofilm-mediated infections drive diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial potential of an ethanol extract from Astilbe chinensis inflorescence (GA-13-6) as a prominent candidate for natural complex substances (NCS) with therapeutic potential. In LPS-stimulated RAW 264.

Impact of Exercise on the Presence of Urinary Ketones Based on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data, 2014-2015.

Background: Ketone bodies are a well-known metabolite from the utilization of fatty acids in the fasting state. Some studies have demonstrated the metabolic benefits of urinary ketones in a specific population in whom ketone bodies were detected. However, other studies described the influence of associated factors on the presence of urinary ketone bodies.

Protein Phosphatase 1H, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27, and Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 in Paclitaxel Resistance for Triple Negative Breast Cancers.

Purpose: Paclitaxel is a cytotoxic chemotherapy commonly used in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, the resistance to paclitaxel is a cause of poor response in the patients. The aim of this study was to examine the role of protein phosphatase 1H (PPM1H) in paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer patients.

Methods: To investigate the function of PPM1H in paclitaxel treatment, we conducted assays and molecular experiments using a stable cell line (MDA-MB-231) in which PPM1H is overexpressed.

Soy-Leaf Extract Exerts Atheroprotective Effects via Modulation of Krüppel-Like Factor 2 and Adhesion Molecules.

Soy-leaf extracts exert their cardioprotective effects by inducing endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the arteries, and they favorably modulate the serum lipid profile. In this study, we investigated the atheroprotective effects of an ethanol extract of soy leaf (ESL) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-fed low-density lipoprotein receptor deficient (LDLR-/-) mice. ESL induced the expression of Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2), an endothelial transcription factor, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and suppressed the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) through moderate inflammatory signal activation, not only in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-stimulated HUVECs but also in 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC)-stimulated HUVECs.

ACE Reduces Metabolic Abnormalities in a High-Fat Diet Mouse Model.

The medicinal plants Artemisia iwayomogi (A. iwayomogi) and Curcuma longa (C. longa) radix have been used to treat metabolic abnormalities in traditional Korean medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TKM and TCM).

Ethyl acetate fraction of Amomum xanthioides improves bile duct ligation-induced liver fibrosis of rat model via modulation of pro-fibrogenic cytokines.

We investigated anti-hepatofibrotic effects of ethyl acetate fraction of Ammomum xanthoides (EFAX) using bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced hepatic fibrosis in a rat model. Male SD rats (6 weeks old) underwent BDL followed by 15 days of orall administration of EFAX (12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg) or ursodeoxycholic acid (25 mg/kg).

Synergistic effects of Artemisia iwayomogi and Curcuma longa radix on high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia in a mouse model.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The medicinal plants Artemisia iwayomogi and Curcuma longa radix are both used to treat hyperlipidemia in traditional Korean and Chinese medicine.

Aim Of The Study: To evaluate the anti-hyperlipidemic effects of the 30% ethanol extracts of A. iwayomogi (AI), C.

Anti-fatigue effect of Myelophil in a chronic forced exercise mouse model.

This study was performed to evaluate the anti-fatigue effects of Myelophil. ICR male mice (10 weeks old) were forced to run for 1 hour, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Each running session was followed by administration of distilled water, Myelophil (50 or 100 mg/kg), or ascorbic acid (100 mg/kg) 1h later.

Comparison of TGF-β, PDGF, and CTGF in hepatic fibrosis models using DMN, CCl4, and TAA.

Three chemotoxins including dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), and thioacetamide (TAA) are commonly used in hepatofibrotic models. We aimed to draw characteristics of histopathology and pro-fibrogenic cytokines including TGF-β, PDGF and CTGF among three models. Rats were divided into six groups and intra-peritoneally injected with DMN (10 mg/kg, for three weeks, three consecutive days weekly), CCl4 (1.

Hippocampal memory enhancing activity of pine needle extract against scopolamine-induced amnesia in a mouse model.

We evaluated the neuropharmacological effects of 30% ethanolic pine needle extract (PNE) on memory impairment caused by scopolamine injection in mice hippocampus. Mice were orally pretreated with PNE (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) or tacrine (10 mg/kg) for 7 days, and scopolamine (2 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally, 30 min before the Morris water maze task on first day. To evaluate memory function, the Morris water maze task was performed for 5 days consecutively.

Anti-Obesity Effects of Soy Leaf via Regulation of Adipogenic Transcription Factors and Fat Oxidation in Diet-Induced Obese Mice and 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.

The anti-obesity effects of extracts from soy leaves (SLE) cultivated for 8 weeks (8W) or 16 weeks (16W) were investigated in diet-induced obese mice. The effects of kaempferol, an aglycone of the kaempferol glycosides that are the major component of 8W-SLE, and coumestrol, the major component of 16W-SLE, were also investigated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal diet, high-fat diet (HFD), 8W-SLE (HFD+8W-SLE 50 mg kg(-1) day(-1)), 16W-SLE (HFD+16W-SLE 50 mg kg(-1) day(-1)), and Garcinia cambogia extracts (GE) (HFD+GE 50 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) groups.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Terminalia chebula against t-BHP-Induced Acute Liver Injury in C57/BL6 Mice.

We aimed to identify the hepatoprotective effects of Terminalia chebula water extract (TCW) and its corresponding pharmacological actions using C57/BL6 mice model of tert-butylhydroperoxide-(t-BHP-) induced acute liver injury. Mice were orally administered with TCW (0, 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) or gallic acid (100 mg/kg) for 5 days before t-BHP (2.5 mM/kg) injection.

Chunggan extract, a traditional herbal formula, ameliorated alcohol-induced hepatic injury in rat model.

Aim: To evaluate protective effects of Chunggan extract (CGX), a traditional herbal formula, under 4 wk of alcohol consumption-induced liver injury.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley Rats were orally administered 30% ethanol daily for 4 wk with or without CGX. The pharmaceutical properties were assessed through liver enzymes, histopathology, fibrogenic cytokines, and alcohol metabolism in hepatic tissues as well as by in vitro experiment using HSC-T6 cells.

Modulation of radiation-induced alterations in oxidative stress and cytokine expression in lung tissue by Panax ginseng extract.

We investigated the modulating effect of Panax ginseng extract (PGE) on radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) by measuring early changes in oxidative stress levels, cytokine expression, and the histopathology of mouse lung tissue treated with high dose of X-ray radiation. The mice were pretreated with 25, 50, and 100-mg/kg doses of PGE orally for four consecutive days, and their thoraces were then exposed to 15-Gy X-ray radiation 1 h after the last administration of PGE on day 4. The pretreatments with 50 and 100 mg/kg PGE led to significant reductions in the elevation of lipid peroxidation levels at 2 and 10 days, respectively, after irradiation.

Reliability and validity of Leicester Cough Questionnaire Korean version.

The Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) is a self-administered questionnaire developed in England and validated for reliability. We developed a Korean translation of this questionnaire by applying a sequential forward and backward translation approach. The purpose of this study is to validate the Korean version of the LCQ (LCQ-K) in Korean patients with chronic cough.

Repeated sense of hunger leads to the development of visceral obesity and metabolic syndrome in a mouse model.

Obesity-related disorders, especially metabolic syndrome, contribute to 2.8 million deaths each year worldwide, with significantly increasing morbidity. Eating at regular times and proper food quantity are crucial for maintaining a healthy status.

Ethanolic extract of Astragali radix and Salviae radix prohibits oxidative brain injury by psycho-emotional stress in whisker removal rat model.

Myelophil, an ethanolic extract of Astragali Radix and Salviae Radix, has been clinically used to treat chronic fatigue and stress related disorders in South Korea. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of Myelophil on a whisker removal-induced psycho-emotional stress model. SD rats were subjected to whisker removal after oral administration of Myelophil or ascorbic acid for consecutive 4 days.

Ethanol extract of Astragali Radix and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, Myelophil, exerts anti-amnesic effect in a mouse model of scopolamine-induced memory deficits.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Myelophil, a combination of extracts taken from Astragali Radix and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of chronic fatigue-associated disorders. Here we examined the ability of Myelophil to alleviate memory impairment in a mouse model. We aimed to investigate whether Myelophil has the pharmacological effects on memory deficits associated with brain dysfunctions using an animal model.

Anti-melanoma activity of Cynanchi atrati Radix is mediated by regulation of NF-kappa B activity and pro-apoptotic proteins.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cynanchi atrati Radix has been traditionally prescribed for patients with inflammatory fever or chronic tumoral disorders. Melanoma is one of the most devastating cancer types, in which overexpression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) enables the cancer to survive without apoptosis. To identify a potential anti-melanoma candidate, we evaluated the apoptotic activity of an ethanol extract of Cynanchi atrati Radix (CAE) on melanoma and its underlying mechanisms.

Anti-atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia effects of herbal mixture, Artemisia iwayomogi Kitamura and Curcuma longa Linne, in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Ethnopharmacolgical Relevance: Artemisiaiwayomogi Kitamura and Curcuma longa Linne. (ACE) has been popularly used to treat atherosclerosis as well as hyperlipidemia in the Asian countries.

Objective: Antiatherosclerotic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of ACE were evaluated at protein and gene expression level by using apoE(-/-) mice.

Uwhangchungsimwon, a traditional herbal medicine, protects brain against oxidative injury via modulation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response in a chronic restraint mice model.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Uwhangchungsimwon (UCW) is a representative traditional herbal medicine for central nervous system disorders in East Asia countries over thousand years. To evaluate the pharmacological effects of UCW against oxidative brain injury in a chronic restraint stress mice model.

Methods And Materials: C57BL/6 male mice underwent daily oral administration of distilled water, UCW or ascorbic acid 1h before induction of restraint stress (5h of immobilization daily for 14 days).

The herbal formula CGX ameliorates the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in alcoholic liver fibrosis.

Ethnopharmacologic Relevance: The Chunggan extract (CGX) is a traditional herbal formula prescribed for patients suffering from various liver diseases, including alcoholic liver disease, in which the mechanism of CGX action remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the anti-hepatic fibrosis effects of CGX and its underlying mechanisms in alcohol-induced rat livers.

Materials And Methods: To elucidate the mechanism of action of CGX, we evaluated gene expression profiles in the livers of rats treated with 30% alcohol and anti-fibrotic doses of CGX of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day at 1 day, and 2 and 4 weeks using microarrays.

Myelophil attenuates brain oxidative damage by modulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a chronic cold-stress mouse model.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Myelophil is composed of Astragali Radix and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, according to the long traditional pharmacological practices, and it has been used for patients with chronic fatigue-associated symptoms including concentration problem or memory loss.

Aim Of The Study: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical relevance of Myelophil on brain oxidative damage using a chronic cold stress mice model.

Material And Methods: Balb/c mice were subjected to cold stress (4°C for 4h) six times per week for 2 weeks with or without oral administration of Myelophil (50, 100, or 200mg/kg), or ascorbic acid (50mg/kg).

Antifatigue effects of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Unlabelled: The present study investigated the antifatigue effects of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer in 90 subjects (21 men and 69 women) with idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel designed trial.