OBJECTIVETo study the influence of aconite root, a Chinese medicinal herb with hot property, on energy metabolism and gene expression spectrum, and to analyze the possible mechanism of it effect.

METHODThirty two SPF Wistar rats were randomly divided into aconite root group and control group. Decoction of aconite root and NS were intragastrically administrated with the concentration of 10 mL x kg(-1) respectively once a day for 20 days. Temperature, energy intake (EI), digestive energy (DE) and metabolic energy (ME) were measured. The activity of ATPase and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in liver was detected by colorimetry. The gene expression of liver was detected with Illumina's rat ref-12 gene array. The differential expression genes were selected, annotated and classified based on gene ontology (GO). Real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (Q-RT-PCR) was used to test the accuracy of the array results.

RESULTCompared with the control group, the toe temperature (TT) on the 10th and 20th day after the administration,the EI/BM( body mass), DE/BM, ME/BM and the activity of Na+ - K+ - ATPase, Ca2+ - Mg2+ - ATPase and SDH of liver in the aconite root group increased significantly (P<0.05). There were 592 differential expression genes in aconite root group compared with the control group. Based on Go analysis, the most significant genes was related to metabolic process (lgP = - 15.5897).

CONCLUSIONAconite root could improve the energy metabolism in rats, by influencing the metabolic process of sugar, lipid and amino acid, which may be the main molecular mechanism of warming yang and dispelling cold for the treatment of the cold syndrome according to Chinese medicine theory.

Aconitum ; Animals ; Body Temperature ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Energy Intake ; drug effects ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Female ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; Plant Roots ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

The anionic alkali mineral complex solution, Barodon (Barodon-S.F. Corp., Korea), was evaluated for its effectiveness as a nonspecific immunostimulator in pigs. The effects of Barodon were determined by analysis of feed efficiency, growth rate, and phenotype of leukocyte subpopulations using monoclonal antibodies specific to porcine leukocyte differentiation antigens and flow cytometry (FC). The study was focused to investigate the change in proportion of the CD4+CD8+ double positive T lymphocyte subpopulation (dpp) which exists uniquely in pigs. In addition, the mitogen-stimulated lymphoproliferative response, tissue distribution in lymphoid organs and the adjuvant effect of Barodon on hog cholera vaccine efficiency were determined. The study has revealed the average daily gain rates and feed conversion rates were significantly (p<0.05) improved in either group of pigs fed with 0.05% Barodon-spray feed (Tx-1) or pigs fed with 3% Barodon-fermented feed (Tx-2) in comparison with group of pigs fed with feed containing no Barodon (control). The proportion of cells expressing CD4+ antigen in Barodon-treated group increased from 3 weeks posttreatment and was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of control at 8 weeks posttreatment. Particularly, the significantly higher proportion was maintained from 8 weeks through 13 weeks posttreatment in Tx-1 group (p<0.05). The proportion of cells expressing CD8+ antigen was significantly higher at 3 weeks posttreatment in Tx-2 (p<0.01). Proportion of MHC class II-expressing cells was significantly higher in Tx-1 and Tx-2 group at 11 weeks and 8 weeks posttreatment (p<0.05), respectively. In addition, the proportion of Non T/Non B (N) cells was also significantly higher in Tx-2 at 3 weeks posttreatment (p<0.01) and maintained to 13 weeks posttreatment (p<0.1). Between Barodon-treated groups, the proportion of MHC class II-expressing cells was observed to be larger in Tx-2 than Tx-1 from 3 weeks to 8 weeks posttreatment (p<0.05). However, there were no significant difference in the proportions of CD2+ cells, B cells, monocytes and granulocytes between Barodon-treated and control group during the experiment. Dual-color FC analysis, study has revealed an increased proportion of dpp present in lymphocytes obtained from peripheral blood (PB) and mesenteric lymph node (MLN) of Barodon-treated group at 8 and 11 weeks posttreatment. The proportion of dpp in PB was 27.5% and 32.1% in Tx-1 and Tx-2, respectively, but only 2.2% in control group at 8 weeks posttreatment. In MLN, the proportion was 45.1% and 52.1% in Tx-1 and Tx-2, respectively, otherwise 16.5% in control group at 8 weeks posttreatment. The mitogen-stimulated activity was significantly higher in Tx-1 than in the control group at 11 weeks posttreatment when cells were stimulated with Con A and PHA, respectively (p<0.01). Also, Con A-, PHA and PWM-stimulated activity was significantly higher in Tx-2 than in the control group at the same time (p<0.05). The tissue distribution of CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+CD8+ dpp in MLN and spleen was significantly larger in Tx-1 and Tx-2 than in the control group (p<0.01). Also, a larger proportion of dpp was observed in Tx-2 than Tx-1 in spleen between Barodon-treated groups (p<0.01). In conclusion, the study has demonstrated that Barodon had an immunostimulatory effect on pigs through proliferation and activation of porcine immune cells, specially CD4+CD8+ dpp lymphocytes.
Adjuvants, Immunologic/*pharmacology ; Alkalies/*pharmacology ; Animals ; Body Weight/drug effects ; Energy Intake ; *Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects ; Minerals/*pharmacology ; Solutions ; Swine/*growth & development ; T-Lymphocytes/drug effects/*immunology ; Weight Gain

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the effects of a network program to prevent obesity and improve dietary habits for patients taking antipsychotics or antidepressants. METHOD: Thirty-seven patients in two hospitals were assigned to a control group (21 patients) or an intervention group (16 patients). The intervention group was evaluated to analyze the effect of the network program for six weeks after the program. RESULT: There was a difference in the rate of increased body weight between the control group and the intervention group. Notably, the body weight of both groups before the intervention was significantly increased. However, after the intervention the body weight of the intervention group rarely increased, whereas, the body weight of the control group was significantly increased as expected. There was an observed difference in diet between the control group and the intervention group. After the intervention, caloric intake per day of the intervention group decreased. Also, the duration of the meal of the intervention group after the intervention was longer than before. CONCLUSION: The network program for preventing obesity and improving dietary habits of patients taking antipsychotics or antidepressants was effective. The study shows that a network program can be an important part of a nursing intervention in clinical practice.
Weight Gain/drug effects ; Schizophrenia/drug therapy ; Obesity/chemically induced/*prevention & control ; Mood Disorders/drug therapy ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Energy Intake ; Diet, Reducing ; Antipsychotic Agents/*adverse effects ; Antidepressive Agents/*adverse effects ; Adult ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVETo study the influence of Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis, two species of Chinese medicinal herbs with hot property, on energy metabolism and gene expression spectrum, and to analyze the possible mechanism of their effects.

METHODSForty-eight specific pathogen free Wistar rats were randomly divided into a Radix aconiti lateralis preparata group, a Rhizoma zingiberis group, and a control group. They were intragastrically treated with concentrated decoction of Radix aconiti lateralis preparata, Rhizoma zingiberis and normal saline respectively for 20 days. Toe temperature (TT), energy intake (EI), digestible energy (DE), and metabolizable energy (ME) were measured. The content of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and energy charge (EC) in hepatic tissue were measured with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The activity of ATPase and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in the liver were detected with chemical colorimetry. The gene expression in the liver was detected with Illumina's rat Ref-12 gene array. The differential expression genes were selected, annotated and classified based on Gene Ontology (GO). Real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (Q-RT-PCR) was used to test the accuracy of results.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the TT on the 10(th) day after the beginning of administration and ATP in the Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis groups increased significantly (P<0.05). EI/body mass (BM), DE/BM, ME/BM, the hepatic EC and the activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase and SDH of liver increased significantly only in the Radix aconiti lateralis preparata group (P<0.05). There were 592 differential expression genes in the Radix aconiti lateralis preparata group and 1 159 in the Rhizoma zingiberis group compared with the control group. Among the differential expression genes, genes related to metabolic processes were the most significant based on GO analysis. There were 337 strips of gene differential expression in common in both Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis groups compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONSHerbs with hot property such as Radix aconiti lateralis preparata and Rhizoma zingiberis could improve the energy metabolism in rats, through influencing the metabolic process of sugar, lipid, and amino acid. It could also promote the production, storage, and utilization of energy by regulating the gene expression related to metabolism, which may be the main molecular mechanism of warming yang and dispelling cold for the treatment of the cold syndrome according to Chinese medicine theory.

Aconitum ; chemistry ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; metabolism ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; metabolism ; Animals ; Body Temperature ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Energy Intake ; drug effects ; genetics ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reproducibility of Results ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Succinate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: Recent research has reported that high sugar diets increase insulin resistance, without abdominal obesity, in male, but not female Wister rats. Whether a high sucrose (SU) diet increased insulin resistance in ovariectomized (OVX) rats was determined. METHODS: Female Sprague Dawley rats, weighing 273 +/- 20 g, had either an ovariectomy or a sham operation (sham). OVX and sham rats were divided into two groups: one group had a 68 En% SU diet and the other a 68 En% starch (ST) diet for 8 weeks. RESULTS: The body weight was higher in the OVX than the sham rats, regardless of dietary carbohydrate subtype. The fasting serum glucose levels did not differ according to diet and ovariectomy. However, the fasting serum insulin levels were higher in the OVX than the sham rats, and in the OVX rats, a high SU diet increased the serum insulin levels more than a high ST diet. The whole body glucose disposal rates, which referred to the state of insulin sensitivity, were lower in the OVX rats fed both the high SU and ST diets, compared to sham rats. Glycogen deposits in the soleus and quadriceps muscles were lower in the OVX rats fed high SU and ST diets than in sham rats. The glucose transporter 4 content and fraction velocity of glycogen synthase in muscles showed similar glucose disposal rates. However, the triacylglycerol content in the muscles were higher in the OVX rats with a high SU diet than those with a high ST diet. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that an OVX increased the weight gain due to higher food intakes, regardless of dietary carbohydrate subtypes. OVX-induced obesity may be involved in the induction of insulin resistance from an increased triacylglycerol content, decreased glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscles, regardless of dietary carbohydrate subtypes.
Animals ; Blood Glucose/*drug effects/*metabolism ; Body Weight/drug effects ; Dietary Carbohydrates/*administration & dosage ; Energy Intake/drug effects ; Estradiol/blood ; Female ; Glucose Clamp Technique ; Glucose Transporter Type 4/drug effects/metabolism ; Glycogen/metabolism ; Glycogen Synthase/drug effects/metabolism ; Insulin/blood ; *Insulin Resistance ; Leptin/blood ; Models, Animal ; Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism ; *Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors ; Triglycerides/metabolism

This study was conducted to evaluate whether the composition of carbohydrate or fat diet affects insulin resistance by measuring the muscle glucose transport rate. Both high-sucrose and high-starch diet with or without high-fat decreased insulin-stimulated glucose transport, but there were no significant differences among groups. Calorie intake in both high-sucrose and high-starch diet groups was higher than in chow group. The high-fat high-sucrose diet induced decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose transport was partially improved by supplement with fish oil. Calorie intake in high-fat high-sucrose and fish oil supplemented groups was higher than in chow group. The decreased insulin-stimulated glucose transport was accompanied by the increase in visceral fat mass, plasma triglyceride and insulin levels. These changes were improved by the supplement with fish oil. These results demonstrate that the composition of fat in diet is clearly instrumental in the induction of muscle insulin resistance. However, in high carbohydrate diet, it is likely that the amount of calorie intake may be a more important factor in causing insulin resistance than the composition of carbohydrate. Thus, the compositions of carbohydrate and fat in diet differentially affect on muscle insulin resistance.
Animals ; Blood Glucose/metabolism ; Body Weight ; Diet ; Dietary Carbohydrates/*pharmacology ; Dietary Fats/*pharmacology ; Dietary Supplements ; Energy Intake/drug effects ; Fish Oils/pharmacology ; Insulin/blood ; Insulin Resistance/*physiology ; Intra-Abdominal Fat/drug effects/metabolism ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal/*drug effects/physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo explore the cause of decreasing intake food of diet-induced obesity resistant (DIO-R) rats.

METHODSFifty male Sprague-dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control group and high-fat group and they were fed with basic diet and high-fat diet respectively for 13 weeks. DIO-R and diet-induced obesity (DIO) rats were selected according to their body weight and the quantity of energy intake, then observing the changes of the total food intake, the level of serum leptin and plasma NPY were determined by radioimmunoassay and the contents of the melanocortin receptor-4 (MCR-4) in brain were determined by Western Blot.

RESULTSThe total food intake of DIO-R rats was (1 679.1 +/- 146.8) g. The total food intake of DIO rats was (1 818.4 +/- 148.9) g. The total food intake of DIO-R rats was lower than that of DIO rats (P < 0.05). The level of plasma NPY of DIO-R rats was (795.24 +/- 83.59) ng/L. The level of plasma NPY of DIO rats was (1 007.14 +/- 172.83) ng/L. The level of plasma NPY of DIO-R rats was lower than that of the DIO rats (P < 0.05). The levels of serum leptin of basic, DIO-R and DIO rats was (4.80 +/- 0.75) microg/L, (9.17 +/- 1.19) microg/L and (9.32 +/- 1.04) microg/L. The level of serum leptin of rats in high-fat diet group was increased as compared with the rats in basic diet group, but there was no significant difference between DIO-R and DIO rats (P > 0.05). The levels of brain MCR-4 of basic, DIO-R and DIO rats were (342 +/- 31) mm2, (455 +/- 33) mm2, (355 +/- 30) mm2. High fat diets increased the content of brain MCR-4 in DIO-R rats.

CONCLUSIONDIO-R rats decreased appetite by increasing expression of ob gene to reduce activity of NPY pathway and activate the MCR-4 pathway, and thus inhibit the increase body of weight.

Animals ; Appetite ; physiology ; Blotting, Western ; Body Weight ; physiology ; Brain ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Disease Models, Animal ; Energy Intake ; physiology ; Leptin ; blood ; Male ; Neuropeptide Y ; blood ; Obesity ; blood ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Radioimmunoassay ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4 ; metabolism