Antioxidant activity and biological properties of ferulic acid (FA) are well recognized. This study was designed to estimate the potential utility of FA administered orally at low dosage for improvement of hyperglycemia in diabetes. With this aim we have evaluated the hypoglycemic effect of FA in two type diabetic animal models: (1) streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, a model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM); (2) KK-Ay mice, a model of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). In addition, we measured the production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in brown adipose tissues of diabetic mice at the end of FA feeding experiment. FA at 0.01% and 0.1% of basal diet showed to suppress significantly blood glucose levels in STZ-induced diabetic mice. In KK-Ay mice 0.05% FA suppressed effectively blood glucose levels. In addition, FA inhibited the lipid peroxidation in brown adipose tissue of diabetic mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that dietary FA may be useful in alleviating oxidative stress and attenuating the hyperglycemic response associated with diabetes.

Unique properties of micro- and nanobubbles (MNBs), such as a high adsorption of impurities on their surface, are difficult to verify because MNBs are too small to observe directly. We thus used a transmission electron microscope (TEM) with the freeze-fractured replica method to observe oxygen (O2) MNBs in solutions. MNBs in pure water and in 1% NaCl solutions were spherical or oval. Their size distribution estimated from TEM images close to that of the original solution is measured by light-scattered methods. When we applied this technique to the observation of O2 MNBs formed in the wastewater of a sewage plant, we found the characteristic features of spherical MNBs that adsorbed surrounding impurity particles on their surface.PACS: 68.03.-g, 81.07.-b, 92.40.qc

Defatted rice bran was extracted with water and subcritical water at 50-250 degrees C for 5 min. The highest extract yield was achieved at 200 degrees C, at which the maximum amounts of protein and carbohydrate were also obtained. The total phenolic and furfural contents, radical scavenging activity, and antioxidative activity for the autoxidation of linoleic acid increased with increasing treatment temperature. The bran extracts exhibited emulsifying activity except for the extract prepared at 250 degrees C, which was concomitant with the disappearance of its high-molecular-mass substances. The extract prepared at 200 degrees C also had the highest emulsion-stabilizing activity.

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