[Pharmacological Mechanisms of Boiogito and Bofutsushosan in Diabetes and Obesity Models]

　The antihyperglycemic activities of extracts of boiogito (BOT) and bofutsushosan (BTS) were investigated in streptozotocin-induced (STZ)-diabetic mice. BOT extract containing Stephania tetrandra S. MOORE root (stephania), has more potent antihyperglycemic activity than BOT extract containing sinomenium stem (sinomenium). Extracts of stephania and astragalus root (astragalus) exert combined effects in the antihyperglycemic and insulinotropic activities of BOT extract. Fangchinoline, but not tetrandrine, in stephania plays a role in its activity. Formononetin in astragalus potentiates the actions of fangchinoline. Tetrandrine has antiangiogenic effects on choroidal vessels in STZ-diabetic rats, which are associated with the inhibition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. BTS extract has shown antihyperglycemic and insulinotropic activities whereas gardenia fruit (gardenia) extract in BTS has antihyperglycemic, but not insulinotropic, activity in the diabetic mice. Gardenia extract decreased the HOMA-IR level and increased insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake to skeletal muscle. The effects of gardenia extract on 2-DG uptake were associated with the upregulation of glucose transporter type 4 and Akt phosphorylation. Gardenia extract was also shown to have antihyperglycemic and insulinotropic actions in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed and STZ-diabetic mice. In addition, gardenia extract decreased the production of TNF-α and leptin, and increased the production of adiponectin in the visceral adipose tissues. In the early administration period, BTS extract increased mRNA expression levels of leptin, adiponectin, and UCP1 in brown adipose tissues in HFD-fed obese mice. With a longer duration of administration, BTS extract improved insulin resistance and subsequently reduced serum leptin and triglyceride levels in parallel with visceral adipose tissue volume and size.

Mechanisms for the anti-obesity actions of bofutsushosan in high-fat diet-fed obese mice

BACKGROUND

The Kampo medicine bofutsushosan (BTS; Pulvis ledebouriellae compositae; Fang Feng Tong Sheng San) has been used as an anti-obesity treatment in overweight patients. In this study, we assessed the underlying physiological changes induced by BTS in obese mice maintained on a high-fat diet.

METHODS

Male ICR mice were fed a 60% kcal fat diet for 5 weeks starting at 4 weeks of age and then fed the same diet with administration of water (control) or aqueous BTS extract (1.0-2.0 g/kg) for 25 days. Body weight, wet weight of isolated white adipose tissue, and obesity-related serum parameters (glucose, lipids, leptin, adiponectin) were measured after treatment. The mRNA expression levels of leptin, adiponectin, and UCP1 in the adipose tissues were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction after the first 5 days of treatment.

RESULTS

Bofutsushosan (1.5-2.0 g/kg) significantly decreased total body weight and total wet weight of white adipose tissue isolated from subcutaneous (retroperitoneal) and visceral regions (epididymal, mesenteric, and perirenal). At 2.0 g/kg, BTS also decreased total fat mass, visceral fat mass, and ratio of fat mass to body weight as measured by computed tomography, and significantly decreased epididymal adipocyte size after 14 and 25 days' treatment. Twenty-five days' treatment lowered serum glucose, insulin, leptin, and triglycerides, and reduced homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance. Alternatively, 2.0 g/kg BTS significantly increased mRNA levels of adiponectin, leptin, and UCP1 in interscapular brown adipose tissue but not epididymal white adipose tissue after 5 days' administration.

CONCLUSION

In the early administration period, BTS increased mRNA expression levels of leptin, adiponectin, and UCP1 in brown adipose tissues. With longer administration, BTS improved insulin resistance, and subsequently reduced serum levels of leptin and triglyceride in parallel with decreased visceral white adipose tissue volume and adipocyte size.

Effect of intake of gardenia fruits and combined exercise of middle-aged obese women on hormones regulating energy metabolism

[Purpose]

This study is aimed at analyzing how exercise and gardenia affect hormones that regulate energy metabolism by having middle aged, obese women exercise and take gardenia simultaneously.

[Methods]

This study assigned a total of 35 middle-aged obese women with body fat percentage of more than 35 percent into 9 people of the complex treatment group of intake of gardenia and exercise, 9 people of the exercise group, 9 people of the gardenia group and 8 people of the control group in order to find out the effect of the intake of gardenia fruits and Combined exercise of 8 weeks on the body composition, hormones regulating energy metabolism. This study arranged .08 g per weight of 1 kg of the gardenia fruits to be taken twice a day for 8 weeks after breakfast and dinner through the numerical method of roasting the gardenia fruits on fire. And the exercise program was set to be five times a week for 8 weeks, whereas the aerobic exercise of 60 to 70 minutes was 50 to 60 percent for HRmax; thus, the resistance exercise was set to be 1-RM 50 percent. As for the data analysis, the two-way repeated measures ANOVA was utilized for the analysis of interactive effect between groups and times.

[Results]

Thus, the obtained conclusion is as follows: The %fat and WHR has decreased further in the gardenia+exercise group and the exercise group as compared with the control group. And the visceral fat area has decreased further in the gardenia and exercise group and the gardenia group as compared with the control group (p<.05). In addition, the gardenia+exercise group and the exercise group were found to have a significant improvement effect in all the items of body composition, and the gardenia group has reduced the fat percentage and BMI after the treatment (p<.05). Leptin has decreased further in the gardenia+exercise group and the exercise group as compared with the control group, and the insulin resistance and GLP-1 have decreased in all the treatment groups (p<.05).

[Conclusion]

As a result of this study, all the treatment groups were found to have an improvement effect of research variables in general; therefore, the single treatment and complex treatment for the middle-aged obese women were found to have a positive impact on body composition, adjusting factors for energy metabolism. Also, the complex treatment was found to be more positive in terms of change amount. In particular, in the case of visceral fat area that is the major risk factor for metabolic disease of middle-aged obese women, it was found to have decreased further in the complex treatment group than the gardenia group; therefore, the complex treatment was found to be more advantageous.