Perilla leaf extract prevents atopic dermatitis induced by an extract of Dermatophagoides farinae in NC/Nga mice.

BACKGROUND: Perilla (Perilla frutescens Britton) leaf comprises many types of active components, mainly flavonoids, and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent in in vitro and in vivo atopic dermatitis (AD) models. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of orally administered perilla leaf extract (PLE) on the symptoms of AD induced by Dermatophagoides farinae extract (DFE) in NC/Nga AD model mice. METHODS: The mice were allowed free intake of 0.5% PLE. Skin lesions were assessed, and blood was sampled from the caudal vein on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 31. On day 31, all mice were sacrificed to obtain blood, skin, spleen, and intestinal tissue samples. RESULTS: The assessment scores of the skin lesions and total serum IgE levels of PLE-treated mice (PLE group) were significantly lower than DFE-treated mice (DFE group) on days 7, 14, and 21. On day 31, the serum periostin and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) levels in the PLE group were significantly lower than those in the DFE group. Histological analysis of the skin revealed that hyperplasia of the epidermal and dermal layers and infiltration of inflammatory cells (cell infiltration in corium tissues) were suppressed by PLE. Periostin deposition was observed in the skin tissue obtained from the DFE group. Moreover, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio of splenic T cells was suppressed in the PLE group but not in the DFE group.

ETAS, an enzyme-treated asparagus extract, attenuates amyloid beta-induced cellular disorder in PC12 cells.

One of the pathological characterizations of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the deposition of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) in cerebral cortical cells. The deposition of Abeta in neuronal cells leads to an increase in the production of free radicals that are typified by reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby inducing cell death. A growing body of evidence now suggests that several plant-derived food ingredients are capable of scavenging ROS in mammalian cells. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether enzyme-treated asparagus extract (ETAS), which is rich in antioxidants, is one of these ingredients. The pre-incubation of differentiated PC 12 cells with ETAS significantly recovered Abeta-induced reduction of cell viability, which was accompanied by reduced levels of ROS. These results suggest that ETAS may be one of the functional food ingredients with anti-oxidative capacity to help prevent AD.

Enzyme-treated Asparagus officinalis extract shows neuroprotective effects and attenuates cognitive impairment in senescence-accelerated mice.

Increases in the number of patients with dementia involving Alzheimer's disease (AD) are seen as a grave public health problem. In neurodegenerative disorders involving AD, biological stresses, such as oxidative and inflammatory stress, induce neural cell damage. Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a popular vegetable, and an extract prepared from this reportedly possesses various beneficial biological activities. In the present study, we investigated the effects of enzyme-treated asparagus extract (ETAS) on neuronal cells and early cognitive impairment of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. The expression of mRNAs for factors that exert cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic functions, such as heat-shock protein 70 and heme oxygenase-1, was upregulated in NG108-15 neuronal cells by treatment with ETAS. Moreover, when release of lactate dehydrogenase from damaged NG108-15 cells was increased for cells cultured in medium containing either the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside or the hypoxia mimic reagent cobalt chloride, ETAS significantly attenuated this cell damage. Also, when contextual fear memory, which is considered to be a hippocampus-dependent memory, was significantly impaired in SAMP8 mice, ETAS attenuated the cognitive impairment. These results suggest that ETAS produces cytoprotective effects in neuronal cells and attenuates the effects on the cognitive impairment of SAMP8 mice.

Thirteen-week oral dose toxicity study of Oligonol containing oligomerized polyphenols extracted from lychee and green tea.

Oligonol is a functional food containing catechin-type monomers and proanthocyanidin oligomer converted from polymer forms via a novel manufacturing process. The catechin component of green tea extract has been associated with nasal toxicity in rats following subchronic exposure. To assess the potential for Oligonol to induce nasal toxicity a 13-week repeated oral dose toxicity study was conducted in rats using doses of 100, 300, and 1000 mg/kg/d. Clinical signs and mortality were not affected by Oligonol treatment. Compound-colored stools and an increase in food consumption were observed in some treated groups; however, there were no treatment-related differences in terminal body weights or with respect to the results of the gross postmortem examinations. Histopathological evaluation of the nasal cavity tissues revealed no treatment-related lesions. The results from this toxicity study indicate that Oligonol does not induce nasal toxicity and further supports the results of previous studies demonstrating the safety of Oligonol for human consumption.

Oligomerised lychee fruit-derived polyphenol attenuates cognitive impairment in senescence-accelerated mice and endoplasmic reticulum stress in neuronal cells.

Recently, the ability of polyphenols to reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has attracted a great deal of interest. In the present study, we investigated the attenuating effects of oligomerised lychee fruit-derived polyphenol (OLFP, also called Oligonol) on early cognitive impairment. Male senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice (4 months old) were given OLFP (100 mg/kg per d) for 2 months, and then conditioned fear memory testing was conducted. Contextual fear memory, which is considered hippocampus-dependent memory, was significantly impaired in SAMP8 mice compared with non-senescence-accelerated mice. OLFP attenuated cognitive impairment in SAMP8 mice. Moreover, the results of real-time PCR analysis that followed DNA array analysis in the hippocampus revealed that, compared with SAMP8 mice, the mRNA expression of Wolfram syndrome 1 (Wfs1) was significantly higher in SAMP8 mice administered with OLFP. Wfs1 reportedly helps to protect against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is thought to be one of the causes for AD. The expression of Wfs1 was significantly up-regulated in NG108-15 neuronal cells by the treatment with OLFP, and the up-regulation was inhibited by the treatment of the cells with a c-Jun N-terminal kinase-specific inhibitor rather than with an extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor. Moreover, OLFP significantly attenuated the tunicamycin-induced expression of the ER stress marker BiP (immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein) in the cells. These results suggest that OLFP has an attenuating effect on early cognitive impairment in SAMP8 mice, and diminishes ER stress in neuronal cells.

Oligonol-induced degradation of perilipin 1 is regulated through lysosomal degradation machinery.

The results obtained from our previous study showed that the addition of a lychee fruit-derived low molecular form of polyphenol, Oligonol, provoked higher levels of lipolytic activity via the degradation of perilipin 1 in primary rat adipocytes. In the current study, we investigated the possible mechanisms by which Oligonol could promote the degradation of perilipin 1 protein. The addition of Oligonol caused the degradation of GFP-tagged perilipin 1 in a time-dependent manner. Meanwhile, the co-addition of Oligonol and NH4CI, a lysosome inhibitor, failed to promote the degradation of perilipin 1, while the co-addition of Oligonol and MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, induced a reduction in the levels of perilipin 1. These results suggest that the Oligonol-induced degradation of perilipin 1 is regulated via a lysosome-dependent mechanism.

Comparison of the effect of oligonol, a new lychee fruit-derived low molecular form of polyphenol, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate on lipolysis in rat primary adipocytes.

Several polyphenols have been shown to be beneficial in preventing the accumulation of body fat in mammals. This paper reports that adding oligonol, a lychee fruit-derived low-molecular form of polyphenol mixture, has a greater effect on lipolysis in primary adipocytes compared with tea (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) alone, accompanied by a significant increase in activation of extracellular signalling-related kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). However, neither phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2), a molecule upstream of ERK1/2, nor the level of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a molecule downstream of ERK1/2 was significantly changed between oligonol and EGCG, although the addition of oligonol and EGCG significantly increased the levels of phosphorylated MEK1/2 and HO-1 compared with the non-treated control cells. These results suggest that the coordinated direct effect of mixed polyphenol, which comprises oligonol, on ERK1/2 plays a key role in a greater lipolytic response to oligonol than EGCG alone.

Oligonol, an oligomerized lychee fruit-derived polyphenol, activates the Ras/Raf-1/MEK1/2 cascade independent of the IL-6 signaling pathway in rat primary adipocytes.

Oligonol is a lychee fruit-derived low-molecular form of polyphenol. In this study, the effect of Oligonol on the mitogen activated-protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in primary adipocytes was investigated to examine the mechanism underlying the enhanced levels of phosphorylated extracellular-signaling regulatory kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) that accompany an in vitro increase in lipolysis. Oligonol significantly elevated the levels of activated Ras and the phosphorylation of Raf-1 and MAPK/ERK kinase1/2 (MEK1/2) with no increase in pan-Raf-1 and -MEK1/2 proteins. The increase in phosphorylation of Raf-1 and MEK1/2 with Oligonol was inhibited completely by pretreatment with GW5074, a selective Raf-1 inhibitor, or PD98059, a selective MEK1/2 inhibitor. IL-6 also activated the MAPK signaling pathway in adipocytes through the association with its receptor. IL-6-induced phosphorylation of Raf-1 and MEK1/2 was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with the IL-6 receptor antibody. Under such a condition, however, the levels of phosphorylated Raf-1 and MEK1/2 with Oligonol still remained significantly higher, and there was a significant decrease in secretion of IL-6 from adipocytes, compared with untreated control cells. These results suggest that Oligonol activates the Ras/Raf-1/MEK1/2 signaling pathway, independent of the IL-6 signaling pathway, leading to activation of ERK1/2 proteins in primary adipocytes.

[Therapeutic effect of oligonol, a low-molecular polyphenol formulation derived from lychee fruits on murine oral candidiasis].

We assessed the potential of oligonol, a low molecular polyphenol formulation prepared from lychee fruits, for treatment of oral candidiasis using a murine model. Oligonol at concentration of more than 313 microg/ml inhibited the mycelial growth of Candida albicans in vitro. When 50 microl of oligonol (20 mg/ml ) was administered three times into the oral cavity of orally Candida -infected mice, the number of viable Candida cells in the oral cavity was reduced significantly and the score of lesions on the tongue recovered on day 2. These findings suggest that oligonol could have potential as a food component supporting anti- Candida treatment.

Oligomerized grape seed polyphenols attenuate inflammatory changes due to antioxidative properties in coculture of adipocytes and macrophages.

Macrophage infiltration of white adipose tissue (WAT) is implicated in the metabolic complications of obesity. In addition, inflammatory changes through dysregulated expression of inflammation-related adipokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in WAT are considered to be one of the causes of insulin resistance. Recently, enhanced oxidative stress in adipocytes has been reported to be implicated in dysregulated expression of inflammation-related adipokines. Polyphenols are well known as potent natural antioxidants in the diet. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidative effects of an oligomerized grape seed polyphenol (OGSP) on inflammatory changes in coculture of adipocytes and macrophages. Coculture of HW mouse white adipocytes and RAW264 mouse macrophages markedly increased the production of TNF-alpha, MCP-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 compared with control culture. Treatment of HW cells with OGSP significantly attenuated the dysregulated production of adipokines. Moreover, OGSP significantly suppressed coculture-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although enhanced release of free fatty acids (FFAs) by coculture was not altered by OGSP, FFA-induced ROS production in HW cells was significantly attenuated by OGSP. Furthermore, OGSP significantly reduced increases in the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-kappaB and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase by coculture. Thus, these results suggest that the antioxidative properties of OGSP attenuate inflammatory changes induced by the coculture of adipocytes and macrophages.

Oligonol, a new lychee fruit-derived low-molecular form of polyphenol, enhances lipolysis in primary rat adipocytes through activation of the ERK1/2 pathway.

The effect of Oligonol, a phenolic product from lychee fruit polyphenol (LFP) containing catechin-type monomers and lower oligomers of proanthocyanidin, on lipolysis in primary adipocytes was investigated in order to examine the possible mechanism underlying the regulation of in vivo metabolism in fat. Oligonol significantly increased lipolysis, which was accompanied by both activation of extracellular signaling-related kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and down-regulation of perilipin protein expression, without an increase in intracellular cAMP production. The increase in lipolysis with Oligonol was prevented completely by pretreatment with either PD98059 or U0126, selective ERK1/2 inhibitors, which also prevented the reduction in the expression of perilipin protein. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha also down-regulated the expression of perilipin protein. However, there was no significant alteration in the expression of Galphai protein with Oligonol. These findings indicate that Oligonol enhances lipolysis in primary adipocytes, independent of cAMP production, but its effect is dependent on activation of the ERK1/2 pathway, leading to down-regulation of perilipin protein expression.

[Protective effects of buckwheat hull extract against experimental hippocampus injury induced by trimethyltin in rats].

OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study is to clarify the protective effects of buckwheat hull extract (BWHE) against toxicant-induced spatial memory impairment and hippocampal neuron injury in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley (Jsl: SD) rats were fed chow containing 0.75% (w/w) BWHE during the experimental period. Two weeks after the start of the experiment, trimethyltin (TMT) (8 mg/kg bw) was administered orally to 6-week-old rats. After another two weeks, the rats were subjected to the Morris water maze task, which was used to determine spatial memory impairment. On the day after the Morris water maze task was performed, the right hemi-hippocampi were removed from the right half of the brain and weighed. Coronal sections of the left half of the brain were cut into 16-mum sections using a cryostat, and the number of neurons in each hippocampal region was evaluated by counting the surviving neurons using a light microscope. RESULTS: The impairment of spatial memory and the decrease in the hippocampal weight were observed after the TMT administration. Prolonged supplementation of BWHE seemed to reverse these TMT-induced toxic effects, and also improved the spatial memory of rats. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that the BWHE supplementation of foods enhanced the spatial memory of rats and may have protective effects against hippocampal neurodegeneration accompanied by spatial memory impairment.