Oxidative stress is regarded as a mediator of nerve cell death in several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Sesamin, a lignan mainly found in sesame oil, is currently under study for its anti-oxidative and possible neuroprotective properties. We used 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridine (MPP(+)) ion, the active metabolite of the potent parkinsonism-causing toxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-...

The major lignan in the unsaponifiable fraction of sesame lipids, sesamin, is known to affect lipid metabolism. For example, sesamin inhibits the clearance of tocopherols, the activity of Δ5-desaturase during fatty acid metabolism, and reduces cholesterol absorption and biosynthesis. In order to study whether dietary phytosterols, which are known to reduce the absorption of lipid soluble dietar...

The magic phrase “Open, sesame!” from the famous Arabian story, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, is familiar and popular worldwide, and may have originated from the sudden opening of the sesame capsule to spread seeds. Sesame seeds and their oil have been utilized as an important foodstuff for thousands of years. They are regarded as healthy food and widely used for their distinct taste and flav...

Sesamin is known as a specific inhibitor of delta 5-desaturation, the conversion from dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (20:3(n=6)) to arachidonic acid (20:4(n-6)). In the previous paper, we reported that sesamin inhibited delta 5-desaturation of n-6 fatty acids in rat hepatocytes but not that of n-3 fatty acids, from 20:4(n-3) to 20:5(n-3). Then, we studied the effects of sesamin on delta 5-desatura...

Diabetes is a risk factor that increases the occurrence and severity of cardiovascular events. Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of mortality of 75% of patients with diabetes >40 years old. Sesamin, the bioactive compound extracted from Sesamum indicum, is a natural compound that has diverse beneficial effects on hypoglycemia and reducing cholesterol. The aim of this study is t...

Antioxidative effects of sesamin (a mixture of sesamin and episesamin) were evaluated in the liver, kidney and inferior vena cava of living rats using a radiofrequency ESR method. TEMPOL, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl, was used as an in vivo redox probe, the half-life of which is believed to be correlated with the antioxidant status. The oral administration of sesamin (250 mg...

The effects of inclusion of sesamin / episesamin in Baltic Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) diets based on vegetable oils were studied. The study was designed as a dose response study with two control diets, one diet based on fish oil (FO) and one diet based on a mixture of linseed and sunflower oil (6:4 by vol.) (MO). As experimental diets three different levels of inclusion of sesamin / epise...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have demonstrated that side population (SP) cells isolated from various cancer cell lines and primary tumors possess stem cell-like properties. Sesamin, a food-derived agent, possesses anti-cancer activities both in vitro and in vivo. The present study was designed to determine whether sesamin also have effects on cancer stem-like SP cells from gallbladder cancer (GBC)...

Sesamin is a major lignan in sesame seed. We confirmed that ingestion of sesamin and α-tocopherol synergistically reduced the concentration of blood cholesterol in rats given a high-cholesterol diet. To elucidate the molecular mechanism behind this effect, we analyzed the gene-expression profiles in rat liver after co-ingestion of sesamin and α-tocopherol. Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats ...

The study explored the protective effect of sesamin against lipid-induced renal injury and hyperlipidemia in a rat model. An animal model of hyperlipidemia was established in Sprague-Dawley rats. Fifty-five adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups. The control group was fed a standard diet, while the other four groups were fed a high-fat diet for 5 weeks to induce hyperlipidemia....