2020, Vol.20, No.1

Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.43

pISSN : 1976-9334 / eISSN : 2288-1522
https://journal.kci.go.kr/jkomor

Objectives: Artemisinin and its derivatives extracted from Artemisia annua, a Chinese herbal medicine, have variable biological effects due to structural differences. Up to date, the anti-obesity effect of dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a derivative of artemisinin, is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-adipogenic and lipolytic effects of DHA on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Methods: Oil Red O staining and AdipoRed assay were used to measure lipid accumulation and triglyceride (TG) content in 3T3-L1 cells, respectively. Cell count analysis was used to determine the cytotoxicity of 3T3-L1 cells. Western blot and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses were used to analyze the expression of protein and mRNA in 3T3-L1 cells, respectively. Results: DHA at 5 μM markedly inhibited lipid accumulation and reduced TG content in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells with no cytotoxicity. Furthermore, DHA at 5 μM inhibited the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBP-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and perilipin A as well as the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, while DHA at 5 μM had no effect on the mRNA expression of adiponectin, it strongly suppressed that of leptin in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. However, DHA at 5 μM had no lipolytic effect on differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, as assessed by no enhancement of glycerol release. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that DHA at 5 μM has a strong anti-adipogenic effect on differentiating 3T3-L1 cells through the reduced expression and phosphorylation of C/EBP-α, PPAR-γ, FAS, perilipin A, and STAT-3.

Objectives: Oxidative stress-mediated neuroinflammation has been supposed as a crucial factor that contributes to the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective activity against oxidative stress and neuroinflammation of protocatechuic acid (PA), active phenolic compound from Momordica Charantia. Methods: Protective activity of PA from oxidative stress was performed under in vitro conditions. Our study investigated the protective mechanism of PA from neuroinflammation in cellular system using C6 glial cell. To investigate the improvement the effects on oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, we induced oxidative stress by H2O2 (100 μM) stimulation and induced neuroinflammation by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1 μg/mL) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) (10 ng/mL) in C6 glial cells. Results: PA showed strong radical scavenging effect against 1,1-dipenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxy radical (⋅OH) and nitric oxide (NO). Under oxidative stress treated by H2O2, the result showed the increased mRNA expressions of oxidative stress markers such as nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide (iNOS). However, the treatment of PA led to reduced mRNA expressions of NF-κB, COX-2 and iNOS. Moreover, PA attenuated the production of interleukin-6 and scavenged NO generated by both endotoxin LPS and IFN-γ together. Furthermore, it also reduced LPS and IFN-γ-induced mRNA expressions of iNOS and COX-2. Conclusions: In conclusion, our results collectively suggest that PA, phenolic compound of Momordica Charantia, could be a safe anti-oxidant and a promising anti-neuroinflammatory molecule for neurodegenerative diseases.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to verify the effects of H Gambitang (GB-001) on body composition and basal metabolic rate in pre- and post-menopausal obese woman retrospectively. Methods: The study was conducted on 57 middle-aged obese women. They were divided into two groups; pre-menopausal obesity group (Pr-MOG; n=34) and post-menopausal obesity group (Po-MOG; amenorrhea was continued to 14~48 month, n=23) with no significant difference of age, height, body weight and body mass index. All subjects took herbal medicine 3 times a day, for 6 weeks during treatment period. The weight, height, body fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and basal metabolic rate of all subjects were measured on first visit. The following measurements were repeated after 2 weeks (2nd), 4 weeks (3rd) and 6 weeks (4th) with Inbody 370 (Biospace) equipment to identify changes of body fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and basal metabolic rate. Results are represented as mean and standard deviation. Results: Po-MOG showed significantly lower decrease rate in weight reduction on 2~6 weeks while significantly higher decrease rate in skeletal muscle reduction on 4~6 weeks. There were no significant differences between two groups in body fat reduction rate and basal metabolic increasing rate. Conclusions: H Gambitang (GB-001) can be used not only in Pr-MOG but in Po-MOG in weight loss although the effect can be lower in Po-MOG. To prevent skeletal muscle mass loss in Po-MOG, following study on adjusting dose and components of H Gambitang (GB-001) thought to be necessary.