title: Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) prevents dyslipidaemia and oxidative stress in the ageing process.
abstract: Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) is widely used in Indian medicine for the treatment of various diseases. We have investigated the effects of amla on the lipid metabolism and protein expression involved in oxidative stress during the ageing process. SunAmla or ethyl acetate extract of amla, a polyphenol-rich fraction, was administered at a dose of 40 or 10 mg/kg body weight per d for 100 d to young rats aged 2 months and aged rats aged 10 months. The lipid levels, such as cholesterol and TAG, in serum and liver were markedly elevated in aged control rats, while they were significantly decreased by the administration of amla. The PPARalpha is known to regulate the transcription of genes involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism. The PPARalpha protein level in liver was reduced in aged control rats. However, the oral administration of amla significantly increased the hepatic PPARalpha protein level. In addition, oral administration of amla significantly inhibited the serum and hepatic mitochondrial thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels in aged rats. Moreover, the elevated expression level of bax was significantly decreased after the oral administration of amla, while the level of bcl-2 led to a significant increase. Furthermore, the expressions of hepatic NF-kappaB, inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein levels were also increased with ageing. However, amla extract reduced the iNOS and COX-2 expression levels by inhibiting NF-kappaB activation in aged rats. These results indicate that amla may prevent age-related hyperlipidaemia through attenuating oxidative stress in the ageing process.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan. yokozawa@inm.u-toyama.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokozawa
authors.forename: Hyun Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Djoing-Chi
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Lekh Raj
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Juneja
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis; D029842:Phyllanthus emblica / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059808:Polyphenols; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D059808:Polyphenols; D011506:Proteins; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D001205:Ascorbic Acid