Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2013 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Antiresorptive drugs, alendronate and raloxifene, are effective in lowering bone mineral density (BMD) loss in postmenopausal\r\nwomen. However, long-termtreatment may be associated with serious side effects. Our research group has recently discovered that\r\na Chinese herbal formula, ELP, could significantly reduce BMD loss in animal and human studies. Therefore, the present study\r\naimed to investigate the potential synergistic bone-protective effects of different herb-drug combinations using ovariectomized\r\nrats. To assess the efficacy of different combinations, the total BMD was monitored biweekly in the 8-week course of daily oral\r\ntreatment. Bone microarchitecture, bone strength, and deoxypyridinoline level were also determined after 8 weeks. From our\r\nresults, coadministration of ELP and raloxifene increased the total tibial BMD by 5.26% (2.5 mg/kg/day of raloxifene; P = 0.014)\r\nand 5.94% (0.25 mg/kg/day of raloxifene; P = 0.026) when compared with the respective dosage groups with raloxifene alone.\r\nSimilar synergistic effects were also observed in BMD increase at distal femur (0.25 mg/kg/day; P = 0.001) and reduction in\r\nurinary deoxypyridinoline crosslink excretion (2.5 and 0.25 mg/kg/day; both P = 0.02). However, such interactions could not be\r\nobserved in all alendronate-treated groups. Our data provide first evidence that ELP could synergistically enhance the therapeutic\r\neffects of raloxifene, so that the clinical dosage of raloxifene could be reduced....
Vaccinium uliginosum L. (VU) possesses various biological properties, such as antioxidant and protective effects against VUinduced\r\nskin photoaging. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of oral administration of a mixture of polyphenols\r\nand anthocyanins derived from VU on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene- (DNCB-) induced atopic dermatitis (AD) in NC/Nga mice.\r\nWe assessed anti-AD effects in NC/Nga murine model for a period of 9 weeks. Oral administration of the mixture significantly\r\nalleviated the AD-like skin symptoms and clinical signs including ear thickness and scratching behaviors. Orally administrated\r\nmixture reduced the level of IgE and IgG1, whereas it increased the level of IgG2a in a dose-dependent manner. The calculated\r\nIgG1/IgG2a ratio for each mouse revealed that the mixture derived from VU also significantly reduced the Th2/Th1 ratio, IL-4 and\r\nIL-13 (as Th2 cytokines), IFN-?, and IL-12 (as a Th1 cytokine) in spleens. In addition, it significantly decreased gene expression,\r\nsuch as IL-4, IL-5, CCR3, eotaxin-1, IL- 12, IFN-?, MCP-1, and IL-17, in AD-like lesions and suppressed Th17. Histological\r\nanalyses revealed that the epidermis thickness and number of inflammatory cells were significantly reduced. In conclusion, oral\r\nadministration of the mixture in the DNCB-induced AD is confirmed to improve AD disease in mice....
This study investigated the neuroprotective activity of red ginseng extract (RGE, Panax ginseng, C. A. Meyer) against kainic acid-\r\n(KA-) induced excitotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. In hippocampal cells, RGE inhibited KA-induced excitotoxicity in a dosedependent\r\nmanner as measured by the MTT assay. To study the possible mechanisms of the RGE-mediated neuroprotective\r\neffect against KA-induced cytotoxicity, we examined the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and [Ca2+]i in\r\ncultured hippocampal neurons and found that RGE treatment dose-dependently inhibited intracellular ROS and [Ca2+]i elevation.\r\nOral administration of RGE (30 and 200 mg/kg) in mice decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) level induced by KA injection\r\n(30 mg/kg, i.p.). In addition, similar results were obtained after pretreatment with the radical scavengers Trolox and N, N-\r\ndimethylthiourea (DMTU). Finally, after confirming the protective effect of RGE on hippocampal brain-derived neurotropic\r\nfactor (BDNF) protein levels, we found that RGE is active compounds mixture in KA-induced hippocampal mossy-fiber function\r\nimprovement. Furthermore, RGE eliminated 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, and the IC50 was approximately\r\n10 mg/ml. The reductive activity of RGE, as measured by reaction with hydroxyl radical (ââ?¬Â¢OH), was similar to trolox. The secondorder\r\nrate constant of RGE for ââ?¬Â¢OH was 3.5ââ?¬â??4.5 Ã?â?? 109M-1Ã?·S-1. Therefore, these results indicate that RGE possesses radical\r\nreduction activity and alleviates KA-induced excitotoxicity by quenching ROS in hippocampal neurons...
Consumption of functional foods for lowering serum cholesterol has globally gained acceptance by the general public. Turtle\r\njelly (TJ), also called gui-ling-gao, is a popular traditional functional food in southern China. The hypocholesterolemic effect\r\nof consuming TJ was investigated in rats fed with normal diet, high-cholesterol diet or high-cholesterol diet supplemented\r\nwith simvastatin (3 mg/kg bw per day, p.o.) or TJ (3.3 or 10 mL/kg bw per day, p.o.) for 30 days. TJ markedly reversed\r\nthe increased serum total cholesterol, increased high-density lipoprotein, and decreased high-density lipoprotein induced\r\nby hypercholesterolemic diet with a dose-dependent improvement on the atherogenic index. It also demonstrated good\r\nhepatoprotective function by reducing fat depositions and overall lipid contents in the liver and increasing the activities of hepatic\r\nantioxidative enzymes. The blunted nitric oxide/endothelium-mediated aortic relaxation in rats fed with hypercholesterolemic\r\ndiet was partially restored after TJ consumption. It is postulated that the hypocholesterolemic effect is the primary beneficial effect\r\ngiven by TJ; it then leads to secondary beneficial effects such as vasoprotective and hepatoprotective functions. The results revealed\r\nthat TJ could block the downregulation of LDLR and PEPCK and upregulation of PPARa mRNA and protein expressions in the\r\nlivers of rats fed with hypercholesterolemic diet....
Background and Purpose. Traditional medicine (TM) has been widely used in China (including the Taiwan region), Korea, and\r\nJapan. The purposes of this paper are to summarize the basic data on TM systems in these three countries and to compare them in\r\nterms of overall policy, education, and insurance.Methods. Government websites, national statistics, and authoritative papers from\r\neach country were fully searched. Further data were gathered by TM experts from each country. Results. China and Korea showed\r\nsimilar patterns in TM systems, whereas Japan showed different patterns. In China and Korea, TM was practiced in a dual system\r\nwith conventional medicine (CM), and TM education was 6-year training programs on average for TM doctors, and acupuncture,\r\nmoxibustion, and cupping were completely insured. Whereas, CM was dominant in Japan, and TM was practiced by each health\r\ncare worker who has received different TM education respectively, and main TM therapies were partially insured. Conclusions. TM\r\nwas developed similarly or somewhat differently based on differences in cultural background and national policies in East Asia.We\r\ncautiously propose that this study could contribute to the development of TM and also be used for reference in complementary\r\nand alternative medicine systems...
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