Effects of Glycyrrhizic Acid on Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARγ), Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL), Serum Lipid and HOMA-IR in Rats

Studies on ligand binding potential of glycyrrhizic acid, a potential agonist to PPARγ, displayed encouraging results in amelioration of metabolic syndrome. The regulation of gene cassettes by PPARγ affects glucose homeostasis, lipid, lipoprotein metabolism and adipogenesis. This study was performed to determine the effects of GA on total PPARγ and LPL expression levels, lipid parameters and HOMA-IR. Oral administration of 100 mg/kg GA for 24 hours resulted in an increase in insulin sensitivity with decreases in blood glucose, serum insulin and HOMA-IR. Improvement in serum lipid parameters was also observed with a decrease in triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and an elevation in HDL-cholesterol. GA administration also resulted in up-regulation of total PPARγ and LPL expression levels in the visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues, abdominal and quadriceps femoris muscles, as well as liver and kidney, with a significant up-regulation only in the visceral adipose tissue, abdominal and quadriceps femoris muscles. Thus, oral administration of 100 mg/kg GA for 24 hours improved insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles and induced upregulation of total PPARγ and LPL expression levels in all studied tissues

Short Communication Urinary Amino Acids Profiles in Vegetarians and Non-vegetarians: Comparison of Thin Layer Chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract Urinary amino acids were determined in 162 individuals (62 young non-vegetarians, 24 elderly non-vegetarians, 40 young vegetarians and 36 elderly vegetarians) by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The two methods used in this study were compared. The difference in the percentage frequencies of detection by TLC and HPLC in non-vegetarian group was found to be similar for amino acids like histidine, isoleucine, valine, glycine and serine while variations were observed in the other amino acids (p>0.05). The difference in the percentage frequencies of detection by TLC and HPLC in vegetarian group was found to be similar for amino acids like histidine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, valine, glycine, asparagine and serine while variation were observed in other amino acids (p>0.05). The difference of percentage frequencies by TLC and HPLC was not significant within the vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups (p>0.05). Urinary isoleucine was not detected in vegetarians by both methods while urinary leucine, aspartic acid and alanine were also not detected in any of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian individuals by both detection methods. It could be concluded that, if a rapid and simple method is required for qualitative detection of urinary amino acids, TLC would be a suitable technique

Effects of glycyrrhizic acid on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), serum lipid and HOMA-IR in rats

Studies on ligand binding potential of glycyrrhizic acid, a potential agonist to PPARγ, displayed encouraging results in amelioration of metabolic syndrome. The regulation of gene cassettes by PPARγ affects glucose homeostasis, lipid, lipoprotein metabolism and adipogenesis. This study was performed to determine the effects of GA on total PPARγ and LPL expression levels, lipid parameters and HOMA-IR. Oral administration of 100 mg/kg GA for 24 hours resulted in an increase in insulin sensitivity with decreases in blood glucose, serum insulin and HOMA-IR. Improvement in serum lipid parameters was also observed with a decrease in triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and an elevation in HDL-cholesterol. GA administration also resulted in upregulation of total PPARγ and LPL expression levels in the visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues, abdominal and quadriceps femoris muscles, as well as liver and kidney, with a significant up-regulation only in the visceral adipose tissue, abdominal and quadriceps femoris muscles. Thus, oral administration of 100 mg/kg GA for 24 hours improved insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles and induced upregulation of total PPARγ and LPL expression levels in all studied tissues

Stress and Its Effects on Glucose Metabolism and 11-HSD Activities in Rats Fed on a Combination of High-Fat and High-Sucrose Diet with Glycyrrhizic Acid

Chronic stress has been shown to have a strong link towards metabolic syndrome (MetS). Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) meanwhile has been shown to improve MetS symptoms caused by an unhealthy diet by inhibiting 11β-HSD 1. This experiment aimed to determine the effects of continuous, moderate-intensity stress on rats with and without GA intake on systolic blood pressure (SBP) across a 28-day period, as well as glucose metabolism, and 11β-HSD 1 and 2 activities at the end of the 28-day period. Adaptation to the stressor (as shown by SBP) resulted in no significant defects in glucose metabolism by the end of the experimental duration. However, a weakly significant increase in renal 11β-HSD 1 and a significant increase in subcutaneous adipose tissue 11β-HSD 1 activities were observed. GA intake did not elicit any significant benefit in glucose metabolism, indicating that the stress response may block its effects. However, GA-induced improvements in 11β-HSD activities in certain tissues were observed, although it is uncertain if these effects are manifested after adaptation due to the withdrawal of the stress response. Hence the ability of GA to improve stress-induced disturbances in the absence of adaptation needs to be investigated further

The Ameliorative Effects of a Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction on the AGE-RAGE Axis and Hypertension in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Rats with Metabolic Syndrome

The clinical value of tocotrienols is increasingly appreciated because of the unique therapeutic effects that are not shared by tocopherols. However, their effect on metabolic syndrome is not well-established. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) from palm oil in high-fat-diet-treated rats. Male, post-weaning Sprague Dawley rats were provided high-fat (60% kcal) diet for eight weeks followed by a TRF (60 mg/kg) treatment for another four weeks. Physical, metabolic, and histological changes were compared to those on control and high-fat diets respectively. High-fat feeding for eight weeks induced all hallmarks of metabolic syndrome. The TRF reversed systolic and diastolic hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hepatic steatosis, impaired antioxidant defense, and myeloperoxidase hyperactivity triggered by the high-fat diet. It also conferred an inhibitory effect on protein glycation to reduce glycated hemoglobin A1c and advanced glycation end products (AGE). This was accompanied by the suppression of the receptor for advanced glycation end product (RAGE) expression in the liver. The treatment effects on visceral adiposity, glycemic control, triglyceride level, as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and γ expression were negligible. To conclude, treatment with a TRF exhibited protective effects on the cardiovascular and liver health in addition to the amelioration of plasma redox imbalance and AGE-RAGE activation. Further investigation as a therapy for metabolic syndrome is therefore worthwhile