An overview of a novel, water-soluble undenatured type II collagen (NEXT-II).

Background: Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is a crippling, chronic debilitating bone disease that commonly affects humans, dogs, and horses. Inflammation and inflammatory responses are key factors for causing swelling, redness, pain, and loss of movement in arthritic animals and humans.

Methods And Results: We developed a novel, water-soluble, undenatured type II collagen (NEXT-II) for osteoarthritis.

Water-soluble undenatured type II collagen ameliorates collagen-induced arthritis in mice.

Earlier studies have reported the efficacy of type II collagen (C II) in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a few studies have investigated the ability of the antigenic collagen to induce oral tolerance, which is defined as active nonresponse to an orally administered antigen. We hypothesized that water-soluble undenatured C II had a similar effect as C II in RA.

Hepatoprotective effect of germanium-containing Spirulina in rats with (D)-galactosamine- and lipopolysaccharide-induced hepatitis.

In the present study, the protective effects of dietary Spirulina (SP) and germanium-containing Spirulina (GeSP) were compared in rats with liver injury induced by an intraperitoneal injection of d-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide (GalN/LPS). Wistar rats were fed one of the following diets: the basal diet (GalN/LPS-CON group; n 6), the basal diet supplemented with 5 % SP or GeSP (GalN/LPS-SP and GalN/LPS-GeSP group, respectively; n 7 each). After administering these diets for 7 d, each rat was intraperitoneally injected with GalN/LPS.

Safety and toxicological evaluation of a novel, water-soluble undenatured type II collagen.

This study was conducted to determine the broad-spectrum safety of a novel, water-soluble undenatured type II collagen (NEXT-II) derived from chicken sternum cartilage. The presence of epitope in NEXT-II was confirmed by using a commercial kit. The acute oral LD₅₀ of NEXT-II was found to be greater than 5000 mg/kg bw in rats, while the single-dose acute dermal LD₅₀ was greater than 2000 mg/kg bw.

Trigonelline ameliorates oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats.

Previously, we showed that trigonelline (TRG) exerts antidiabetic effects in type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats and also lowers blood and liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine when compared with those levels in GK control rats without TRG. These results suggested that TRG also mitigates oxidative stress, which accelerates diabetes. In this study, the mechanisms of TRG prevention of oxidative stress were determined by measuring erythrocyte and liver antioxidant enzyme activities, and expressions of genes associated with reactive oxygen species production, and carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms by DNA microarray.

Anti-obesity effects of onion extract in Zucker diabetic fatty rats.

Anti-obesity effects of onion extract were determined in obesity and diabetes-prone Zucker diabetic fatty rats by measuring the efficacy of markers concerned with diabetes and obesity. Body and adipose tissue weights in 5% of onion extract-fed group were found to be significantly lower than the control group without onion extract. Fasting blood glucose and HOMA-IR levels were also improved, although the serum insulin and leptin levels did not show any remarkable difference.

Anti-diabetic effect of pyroglutamic acid in type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats and KK-Ay mice.

With the rapidly increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), specific dietary components with anti-diabetic efficacy could be one strategy with therapeutic potential. In the present study, the anti-diabetic effects of an amino acid, pyroglutamic acid (PA), found in vegetables and fruits were investigated in T2DM models using Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats and KK-Ay mice by measuring glucose tolerance and other markers of diabetes. Moreover, the effect of PA on gene expression in GK rats was measured by DNA microarray analysis.

Anti-diabetic effects of pumpkin and its components, trigonelline and nicotinic acid, on Goto-Kakizaki rats.

The effects of a pumpkin paste concentrate and its components on oral glucose tolerance and serum lipid levels were determined in non-obese type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. In the oral glucose tolerance test, the pumpkin paste concentrate-fed group maintained a lower glucose level than the control group between 15 and 60 min. The compounds considered to be effective in improving glucose tolerance and contained in the methanol extract of the pumpkin in relatively abundant amounts were isolated and identified as trigonelline (TRG) and nicotinic acid (NA).

Effects of dietary catechins on glucose tolerance, blood pressure and oxidative status in Goto-Kakizaki rats.

Effects of green tea catechins comprising EGCg, EGC, ECg, EC, GCg, GC, Cg, and C were determined on blood glucose tolerance and oxidative stress status in type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. GK rats fed the catechin-containing diet tended to maintain blood glucose and systolic blood pressure at lower levels in the latter stages of the feeding period of 76 d, compared to those not receiving dietary catechins (control group). The blood glucose tolerance test performed on days 48-49 showed that GK rats fed the catechins had lower blood glucose levels than GK rats not fed catechins during the 120 min after glucose loading.