Medicinal herbal plants have been commonly used for intervention of different diseases and health enhancement worldwide. Koumine, an alkaloid monomer found abundantly in Gelsemium plants, can be effectively used as an anti-inflammatory medication. In this study, the mechanisms associated with the preventative effect of koumine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophages were investigated. Koumine induced a decrease in the level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein, concomitant reduction in the production of nitric oxide (NO) and reduction of the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-1β. Furthermore, koumine decreased the phosphorylation of p65 and inhibited nuclear factor κ Bα (IκBα) proteins, resulting in lower production of nuclear factor (NF)-κB transactivation. Koumine also induced a decrease in the phosphorylation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and p38 in RAW264 cells. In conclusion, these findings reveal that koumine decreases the productions of pro-inflammatory mediators though the suppression of p38 and ERK MAPK phosphorylation and the inhibition of NF-κB activation in RAW264.7 cells.
Background: The traditional Chinese diet blends lard with vegetable oil, keeping the fatty acid balance intake ratio of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids at nearly 1:1:1. However, the effects of a mixture of lard and vegetable oil on lipid metabolism have never been researched. In the present study, by simulating Chinese high-fat dietary habits, we explored the effects of a mixture of lard and vegetable oil on lipid metabolism. Methods: We randomly assigned 50 male C57BL/6 J mice to 5 groups (10 in each group) and fed them lard, sunflower oil (SFO), soybean oil (SBO), lard blended with sunflower oil (L-SFO), or lard blended with soybean oil (L-SBO) for 12 weeks. Results: We found that the final body weights of mice in the lard group were significantly higher than those of mice in the SFO and SBO groups. Body fat rate and volume of fat cell of the lard group were significantly higher than those of the SFO, SBO, and L-SBO groups. Liver triglyceride level of the lard group increased significantly compared to the other groups. Although body fat rate and liver triglyceride level in the SBO and SFO groups decreased compared to those in the other groups, the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were also significantly decreased in the SBO and SFO groups. Conclusions: We found that a lard diet induced accumulation of body fat, liver and serum lipids, which can increase the risk of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty acid liver disease, and atherosclerosis. The vegetable oil diet resulted in cholesterol metabolism disorders even though it did not lead to obesity. The mixed oil diet induced body fat accumulation, but did not cause lipid accumulation in the liver and serum. Thus, differential oil/fat diets have an impact on differential aspects in mouse lipid metabolism.
Diabetes is a major global epidemic currently affecting millions of people. Unfortunately, the present pharmacological approach for the management of this serious disease has still a lot of rooms for improvement and innovation, which behooves the exploration of newer and safer agents. S. rebaudiana has emerged as a natural non-caloric sweetener and it is reported to have several health benefits including its antidiabetic effects. Thus, an in-depth investigation of this plant is needed in order to elucidate further its antidiabetic properties and its influence on the histological integrity of the major organs involved in carbohydrate metabolism.
Inbred ICR mice (n=36) were randomly into six groups – one group served as the negative control while other five groups were given intraperitoneally with alloxan to induce diabetes and divided into the following groups: positive control (untreated group), glibenclamide (0.2mg/20g) treated, and 100%, 60%, and 10% stevia leaf extract treated, respectively. The experiment was conducted for two weeks where the treatments were orally given once a day and the following were evaluated: changes in body weight, fasting blood sugar (fBGL), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and gross and microscopic changes in the pancreas, liver, and kidney.
Results showed that though stevia has no effect on the reduction of body weight, the different concentrations have comparable effects with glibenclamide in fBGL and OGTT. Furthermore, the different concentrations of stevia leaf extracts showed lesser visceral fat accumulation grossly, and lesser cellular degradation, microscopically.
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