부산대학교 도서관

Background Excessive intake of fat, one of the causes of obesity, is associated with low-grade infammation in various susceptible organs and eventually causes tissue toxicity. This study examines the multifaceted suppressive efects of Korean red ginseng extract (KRG) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced lipotoxicity and infammatory responses in the aorta, liver, and brain. Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were fed HFD with or without KRG for 12 weeks. The improvement efect in KRG on lipotoxicity and infammatory potential was determined in the blood and the aorta, liver, and brain tissues. Results KRG signifcantly inhibited 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity by >20% in vitro. KRG supplementation suppressed HFD-associated body weight gain, lipid profle changes, and excessive fat deposition in the liver and increased leptin, insulin, and ALT levels in the blood. Infammatory markers in the aorta, liver, and brain were also signifcantly reduced by KRG treatment. In microvascular endothelial cells, the 15% cyclic stretch-mediated upregulation of ICAM-1 and vascular cell adhesion protein-1 (VCAM-1) expression was signifcantly attenuated in the presence of KRG. Conclusion KRG supplementation attenuates HFD-mediated body weight gain, lipid profle changes, and multi-tissue infammatory responses.