The antiosteoporotic effects of Cheonggukjang containing vitamin k2 (menaquinone-7) in ovariectomized rats

Effects of Menaquinone-7 on the Bone Health of Growing Rats under Calcium Restriction: New Insights from Microbiome-Metabolomics

Insufficient calcium intake during growth is a global public health concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary menaquinone-7 (MK-7) on bone accrual in growing Sprague-Dawley rats under calcium restriction. Following 13 weeks of treatment, various bone quality parameters, including microarchitecture, were measured. Fecal and cecal samples were subjected to microbiome (16S rRNA gene sequencing) analyses, while metabolomics analysis of the cecum and humerus samples was analyzed based on UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS. We found that calcium deficiency diminished the richness of the microbiome and disrupted microbiome composition, accompanied by an elevation in the relative abundance of Parasutterella. Furthermore, calcium insufficiency escalated the level of isovaleric acid and modified the metabolic profiles. MK-7 supplementation significantly increased the cortical thickness, cortical bone area, and the calcium content of the femur. Apart from improving bone calcium deposition and diminishing bone resorption, the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of MK on bone quality also involve the modulation of the host's metabolic pathways and the composition of gut microbiota. The gut-bone axis holds promise as an efficacious target for ameliorating calcium deficiency in children's bone quality, and MK-7 is a promising dietary supplement from this perspective.

Current Perspectives on the Physiological Activities of Fermented Soybean-Derived Cheonggukjang

Cheonggukjang (CGJ, fermented soybean paste), a traditional Korean fermented dish, has recently emerged as a functional food that improves blood circulation and intestinal regulation. Considering that excessive consumption of refined salt is associated with increased incidence of gastric cancer, high blood pressure, and stroke in Koreans, consuming CGJ may be desirable, as it can be made without salt, unlike other pastes. Soybeans in CGJ are fermented by Bacillus strains (B. subtilis or B. licheniformis), Lactobacillus spp., Leuconostoc spp., and Enterococcus faecium, which weaken the activity of putrefactive bacteria in the intestines, act as antibacterial agents against pathogens, and facilitate the excretion of harmful substances. Studies on CGJ have either focused on improving product quality or evaluating the bioactive substances contained in CGJ. The fermentation process of CGJ results in the production of enzymes and various physiologically active substances that are not found in raw soybeans, including dietary fiber, phospholipids, isoflavones (e.g., genistein and daidzein), phenolic acids, saponins, trypsin inhibitors, and phytic acids. These components prevent atherosclerosis, oxidative stress-mediated heart disease and inflammation, obesity, diabetes, senile dementia, cancer (e.g., breast and lung), and osteoporosis. They have also been shown to have thrombolytic, blood pressure-lowering, lipid-lowering, antimutagenic, immunostimulatory, anti-allergic, antibacterial, anti-atopic dermatitis, anti-androgenetic alopecia, and anti-asthmatic activities, as well as skin improvement properties. In this review, we examined the physiological activities of CGJ and confirmed its potential as a functional food.

Nutrikinetic study of fermented soybean paste (Cheonggukjang) isoflavones according to the Sasang typology

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

In Oriental medicine, certain foods may be beneficial or detrimental based on an individual's constitution; however, the scientific basis for this theory is insufficient. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of body constitution, based on the Sasang type of Korean traditional medical classification system, on the bioavailability of soy isoflavones of Cheonggukjang, a quick-fermented soybean paste.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A pilot study was conducted on 48 healthy Korean men to evaluate the bioavailability of isoflavone after ingestion of food based on constitution types classified by the Sasang typology. The participants were classified into the Taeeumin (TE; n = 15), Soyangin (SY; n = 15), and Soeumin (SE; n = 18) groups. Each participant ingested 50 g of Cheonggukjang per 60 kg body weight. Thereafter, blood was collected, and the soy isoflavone metabolites were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Ntrikinetic analysis of individual isoflavone-derived metabolites was performed.

RESULTS

Our nutrikinetic analysis identified 21 metabolites derived from isoflavones in the blood samples from 48 healthy Korean men (age range, 21-29 years). Significant differences were observed in the time to maximum concentration (T _max) and elimination half-life (t _1/2) for nine metabolites among the three groups. The T _max and t _1/2 of the nine metabolites were higher in the SE group than in the other groups. Moreover, the absorption rates, as determined by the area under the plasma-level curve (AUC) values of intact isoflavone, were 5.3 and 9.4 times higher in the TE group than in the SY and SE groups, respectively. Additionally, the highest AUC values for phase I and II metabolites were observed in the TE group.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that isoflavone bioavailability, following Cheonggukjang insgestion, is high in individuals with the TE constitution, and relatively lower in those with the SE and SY constitutions.

Dry-Fermented Soybean Food (Cheonggukjang) Ameliorates Senile Osteoporosis in the Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 6 Model

Senile osteoporosis increases the risk of skeletal fractures with age. Cheonggukjang (CGJ), a traditional Korean dry fermented soybean product, has numerous therapeutic effects; however, its effects on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism in senile osteoporosis are unclear. In this study, we treated the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6 (SAMP6) model of senile osteoporosis with CGJ to determine its potential for ameliorating and preventing osteoporosis progression. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis for isoflavone profiles revealed that short-term fermentation significantly increased the isoflavone aglycone content in soybeans. Thereafter, we fed 6-week-old SAMP6 mice with experimental diets containing 5% or 10% CGJ for 15 weeks. Microcomputed tomography revealed that CGJ supplementation effectively increased the BMD and relative bone length. In vitro, CGJ increased the osteopontin reactivity and upregulated the expression of Alp, Col1a1, Fak, Bmp2/4, Smad1/5/8, and Runx2 in osteoblasts, and decreased Cathepsin K reactivity and downregulated Rankl and Nfatc1 expression in osteoclasts. In addition, CGJ increased the osteoprotegerin/Rankl ratio. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CGJ can ameliorate the detrimental effects of senile osteoporosis by improving osteogenesis and decreasing osteoclast activity.

A comparatively study of menaquinone-7 isolated from Cheonggukjang with vitamin K1 and menaquinone-4 on osteoblastic cells differentiation and mineralization

The effect of menaquinone-7 isolated from cheonggukjang was comparatively investigated with vitamin K₁ and menaquinone-4 on cell differentiation and mineralization of the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. Results indicated that all vitamin K species significantly increased MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, cellular alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin synthesis, and calcium deposition in a dose-dependent manner. Menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7 had more potent effects on calcium deposition than vitamin K₁, and their effects were only partly reduced by warfarin (γ-carboxylation inhibitor) treatment, while warfarin abolished the induction activity of vitamin K₁ on calcification. This suggests that vitamin K₁ and K₂ (menaquinone-4 & menaquinone-7) may have different mechanisms in stimulating osteoblast mineralization. In addition, the mRNA expression ratio of osteoprotegerin and the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand was also dramatically increased by treatment with vitamin K₁ (62%), menaquinone-4 (247%), and menaquinone-7 (329%), suggesting that vitamin K may suppress the formation of osteoclast by up-regulating the ratio of osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand in osteoblasts. These results provide compelling evidence that vitamin K₁, menaquinone-4, and menaquinone-7 all can promote bone health, which might be associated with elevations in the osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand ratio.

Dihydrodaidzein and 6-hydroxydaidzein mediate the fermentation-induced increase of antiosteoporotic effect of soybeans in ovariectomized mice

The consumption of soybeans is known to have beneficial effects on osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. However, the effects of soybean fermentation on the bioavailability and the antiosteoporotic effect have not yet been elucidated. To address this question, we fed ovariectomized C57BL/6J mice with a 5% nonfermented raw soybean (RS)- or fermented soybean (FS)-supplemented diet. After 18 wk of treatment, microcomputed tomography showed that FSs significantly increased bone mineral density compared with RSs. This was because of the up-regulation of bone morphogenic protein 2 (Bmp2) and its downstream target osteopontin in bone tissues. We analyzed isoflavone metabolite profiles in the sera of RS- or FS-fed mice and observed that the levels of 19 isoflavone metabolites were significantly increased in the sera of FS-fed mice. Among these metabolites, we observed that both dihydrodaidzein (DHD) and 6-hydroxydaidzein (6-HD) increased osteogenesis via Bmp2 signaling pathway in MC3T3-E1 cells and reduced receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand-induced osteoclastogenesis in RAW264.7 cells through the inhibition of NF-κB activation and MAPK phosphorylation. These data suggest that improved bioavailability of FSs resulted from the production of active metabolites such as DHD and 6-HD after consumption. DHD and 6-HD can be used as potential therapeutics for the amelioration of osteoporotic bone loss.-Kim, J.-S., Lee, H., Nirmala, F. S., Jung, C. H., Kim, M. J., Jang, Y.-J., Ha, T. Y., Ahn, J. Dihydrodaidzein and 6-hydroxydaidzein mediate the fermentation-induced increase of anti-osteoporotic effect of soybeans in ovariectomized mice.

Combined treatment with vitamin K2 and PTH enhanced bone formation in ovariectomized rats and increased differentiation of osteoblast in vitro

Osteoporosis is accompanied by insufficient osteogenic capacity. Several lines of evidence suggested that solutions to enhance osteoblastogenesis were important strategies for osteoporotic bone defect repair. This study investigated the effect of combined treatment with vitamin K2 and PTH on bone formation in calvarial bone defect in osteoporotic rats and its influence on osteoblast in vitro. Bilateral ovariectomy was used in SPF Sprague Dawley rats to generate an osteoporosis model. Subsequently, a calvarial defect model was established and all osteoporotic rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: control, VK (vitamin K2, 30 mg/kg everyday), PTH (recombinant human PTH (1-34), 60 μg/kg, three times a week) or VK + PTH (vitamin K2, 30 mg/kg everyday plus PTH, 60 μg/kg three times a week) for 8 weeks. In vitro, bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) were cultured and treated with vitamin K2, PTH or vitamin K2+PTH. ALP staining and western blot were performed to observe the influence of combined treatment on BMSCs. Bone formation within calvarial defect were assessed by serum γ-carboxylated osteocalcin (Gla-OC), micro-CT, histological and immunofluorescent labeling. In this study, combined treatment of PTH and vitamin K2 showed positive effects on preventing bone loss in femurs in OVX rats. Combined treatment increased serum Gla-OC and promoted bone formation in osteoporotic calvarial bone defects. Immunohistochemistry showed that OCN and RUNX2 were more highly expressed in the VK + PTH group than in the control groups. In vitro studies results suggested that combined treatment with PTH and vitamin K2 increased expression of ALP, BMP2 and RUNX2 in BMSCs. Our data suggested that the combination of vitamin K2 and PTH increased differentiation of osteoblast and had a synergistic effect on bone formation in osteoporotic calvarial bone defect.

Bioavailability of Isoflavone Metabolites After Korean Fermented Soybean Paste (Doenjang) Ingestion in Estrogen-Deficient Rats

Doenjang (DJ), a fermented soybean product used in soups, stews, and sauces, contains high quality proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and other functional ingredients, including isoflavones and saponins. This study investigated whether DJ improves the bioavailability of isoflavones compared to boiled soybean (BS) in sham-operated or ovariectomized (OVX) rats. We also examined the effects of ovariectomy on the differences in bioavailability of isoflavones. BS and DJ were administered in sham-operated and OVX rats, and blood samples were collected. Twenty-six isoflavone-derived metabolites were identified. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that T1/2 values of the individual isoflavone metabolites were most different in sham and OVX rats, even after the same sample treatment; however, Tmax values were significant different in a few metabolites such as daidzein 4'-glucuronide, daidzein 4'-sulfate, 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid, and benzoic acid. For most of the individual metabolites, Cmax was higher in both sham and OVX rats administered BS than those administered DJ. The AUC was generally lower in OVX rats than in sham rats. The AUC of daidzein and genistein in BS-fed sham rats was approximately 1.7-fold higher than those administered DJ, whereas glycitein was detected only in the DJ group. No significant differences in AUC of daidzein and genistein were observed between BS and DJ administration in OVX rats, although the total isoflavone content of DJ was lower; thus, DJ-mediated isoflavone bioavailability was more effective in OVX rats. Similar tendencies were observed for phase II and gut-mediated metabolites. These results suggested that DJ enhanced isoflavone bioavailability under estrogen deficiency, even when the total isoflavone content was decreased by fermentation.

Nutrikinetics of Isoflavone Metabolites After Fermented Soybean Product (Cheonggukjang) Ingestion in Ovariectomized Mice

SCOPE

Cheonggukjang (CGJ) is a soybean-based quick-fermented food popular in Korea that contains a variety of biologically active compounds including isoflavones and saponins. Isoflavone bioavailability may be important for the bone health of postmenopausal women; therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of fermentation on the isoflavone metabolite nutrikinetic profile after single dose CGJ or unfermented soybean administration in ovariectomized (OVX) and sham mice.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We identify 34 isoflavone metabolites using UPLC-QTOF-MS and analyze their nutrikinetics at different time points (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 h) to understand their fermentation- and OVX-mediated time-dependent concentration changes. Nutrikinetics analysis shows that genistein, daidzein, genistein 4'-sulfate, dihydrodaidzein sulfate, equol 4'-sulfate, and equol-7-glucuronide are present at high concentrations in all groups based on area-under-the-curve analysis. OVX mice appear to show lower isoflavone bioavailability than mice in the sham group. CGJ enhances various isoflavone metabolite bioavailability including genistein, 3-hydroxygenistein, and equol 7-glucuronide, compared to the unfermented soybean-treated group. Among these metabolites, intact isoflavones, 3-hydroxygenistein, genistein 4'-sulfate, and equol 7-glucuronide promote osteoblastogenesis and inhibit osteoclast formation.

CONCLUSIONS

CGJ has good isoflavone bioavailability and may be beneficial for the bone health of postmenopausal women.

The inhibitory effect of vitamin K on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption

To further understand the correlation between vitamin K and bone metabolism, the effects of vitamins K1, menaquinone-4 (MK-4), and menaquinone-7 (MK-7) on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption were comparatively investigated. Vitamin K2 groups (MK-4 and MK-7) were found to significantly inhibit RANKL-medicated osteoclast cell formation of bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) in a dose-dependent manner, without any evidence of cytotoxicity. The mRNA expression of specific osteoclast differentiation markers, such as c-Fos, NFATc1, OSCAR, and TRAP, as well as NFATc1 protein expression and TRAP activity in RANKL-treated BMMs were inhibited by vitamin K2, although MK-4 exhibited a significantly greater efficiency compared to MK-7. In contrast, the same dose of vitamin K1 had no inhibitory effect on RANKL-induced osteoclast cell formation, but increased the expression of major osteoclastogenic genes. Interestingly, vitamins K1, MK-4 and MK-7 all strongly inhibited osteoclastic bone resorption (p < 0.01) in a dose dependent manner. These results suggest that vitamins K1, MK-4 and MK-7 have anti-osteoporotic properties, while their regulation effects on osteoclastogenesis are somewhat different.

Effects of Rubus coreanus-Cheonggukjang on Bone Mineral Density and Bone Mineral Content in Growing Rats

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the bone-conserving effects of Rubus coreanus-Cheonggukjang (RC-CGJ) supplemented with more intensified phytochemicals compared to general Cheonggukjang (CGJ) in growing rats. Eighteen rats were divided into 3 treatment groups (Control, CGJ, and RC-CGJ) and were given experimental diets for 9 weeks. All of the rats in this study were fed a AIN-93G-based diet. Both CGJ groups were fed with 33.1% CGJ and RC-CGJ powder, respectively. The results of this study indicate that weight gain, mean food intake, and food efficiency ratio were not significantly different by the experimental diets among all groups. Spine bone mineral density (BMD) and femur BMD were not significantly different by the experimental diets. Spine bone mineral content (BMC) was significantly higher in the RC-CGJ and CGJ groups than in the control group, regardless of CGJ type. The femur BMC of the CGJ supplemented group was significantly higher compared with the control group and the RC-CGJ group. Compared with the control group, spine BMD and femur BMD per weight were markedly increased in the RC-CGJ and CGJ group regardless of CGJ type. Also, spine BMC per weight was significantly higher in the RC-CGJ group than in the CGJ group. However, femur BMC per weight was significantly higher in the CGJ group than in the RC-CGJ group. It can be concluded that RC-CGJ and CGJ supplemented diets have more beneficial effects on spine and femur peak bone mass in growing rats.