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Obesity is known as metabolic syndrome and it affects many tissues including adipose tissue, liver, and central nervous system (CVS). Gambi-jung (GBJ) is a modified prescription of Taeumjowi-tang (TJT), which has been used to treat obesity in Korea. GBJ is composed of 90% Ephedra sinica Stapf (ES). Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the antiobesity effects of GBJ and to compare the effects of GBJ and ES on obesity. GBJ administration remarkably reduced the body weight, Body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage compared to the ES administration in human subjects. GBJ-treated mice had lower white adipose tissue (WAT) amounts than ES-treated mice. GBJ and ES administration enhanced adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, epididymal WAT and liver of HFD-induced obese mice. Moreover, GBJ and ES reduced food intake by suppressing the mRNA levels of orexigenic peptides, agouti-related protein (AgRP) and neuropeptide-Y (NPY), as well as AMPK in the brain of HFD-induced obese mice. Furthermore, GBJ-treated mice had dramatically lower expression of macrophage marker F4/80 in epididymal WAT than those of ES-treated mice. Based on these results, we suggest the use of GBJ as a natural drug to control weight gain., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Obesity remains a continuing global health concern, as it is associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases. Atractylodes chinensis Koidz. (Ac) is traditionally used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, hepatitis, and gastric ulcers. Despite the diverse pharmacological activities of Ac, scientific evidence for the use of Ac in obesity is still limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the anti-obesity effects of Ac. C57BL/6N mice were divided into five groups as follows: chow diet group (CON), 45% HFD group, HFD + oral administration of orlistat group, and HFD + oral administration of Ac groups. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to examine the expression of molecules relating to obesity progression. Ac-administered mice showed dramatically decreased body weight and weight gain compared to the high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. In addition, Ac administration attenuated the protein expression levels of adipogenic transcription factors in the white adipose tissue (WAT) and livers of HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, Ac administration declined the expression levels of lipogenic genes, while enhancing those of the fatty acid oxidation genes in the WAT of HFD-fed mice. Importantly, Ac administration highly upregulated the AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression levels in WAT of the HFD-induced obese mouse model. Our results provide evidence that Ac can effectively ameliorate weight gain and adipose tissue expansion.

A hypernomic reaction or an abnormal inflammatory process could cause a series of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Additionally, oxidative stress has been identified to induce severe tissue injury and inflammation. Carpesium cernuum L. (C. cernuum ) is a Chinese folk medicine used for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and detoxifying properties. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of C. cernuum in inflammatory and oxidative stress conditions remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a methanolic extract of C. cernuum (CLME) on lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages and a sepsis mouse model. The data presented in this study indicated that CLME inhibited LPS-induced production of proinflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) in RAW 264.7 cells. CLME treatment also reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and enhanced the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein in a dose-dependent manner in the LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, CLME treatment abolished the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor- κ B (NF- κ B), enhanced the activation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and reduced the expression of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) and ERK kinase (MEK) phosphorylation in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. These outcomes implied that CLME could be a potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Yea-Jin Park et al.)

Obesity is one of major health challenges in the industrial world. Although rice hull has been reported to show various bioactivities, no studies have evaluated its anti-obesity effect. We hope to demonstrate the anti-obesity effect of rice hull extract (RHE) and the underlying mechanism in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Serum lipid profiles were determined by enzymatic methods. Histological analysis of liver and epididymis fat tissues was carried out with hematoxylin and eosin stain. The mRNA expression of adipogenic markers was analyzed with qRT-PCR and western blotting. Oral administration of RHE reduced body weight gain and fat accumulation in HFD-fed mice. RHE also reduced lipid accumulation by inhibiting the mRNA expression of adipogenic-related genes in HFD-fed obese mice and differentiated preadipocytes. The downregulation of adipogenesis by RHE was mediated through the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). In addition, RHE induced the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK) in liver and epididymis adipose tissues of HFD-fed obese mice. Taken together, these findings indicate that RHE could inhibit the differentiation of adipose cell and prevent HFD-induced obesity, suggesting its potential in the prevention of obesity and metabolic syndrome and related-disorders.