本研究將台灣產紅球薑(Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith)進行基原鑑定，紅球薑新鮮塊根外觀進行拍照及鑑定。由於薑科植物外觀相類似，容易與不同薑科薑屬植物混淆，若僅以紅球薑組織切片區別其品種間特性實屬困難，故最終採DNA 序列分析鑑定ITS I 與ITS II在植物屬間或種間變異性。鑑定結果其序列相同性為ITS I :96.9％和ITS II :97.1％；本研究所選台南市東山鄉的紅球薑實屬紅球薑藥材，無混用之情形。紅球薑乙醇萃取物進行成分檢測，分析結果顯示針對紅球薑乙醇萃取物檢測成分以球薑酮(zerumbone)含量最高其次為山奈酚(kaempferol)。藉由高熱量飼料引至肥胖的大白鼠(high-fat diet-induced obesity rat)，以口服的方式給予紅球薑的乙醇萃取物連續八周，亦能顯著降低高脂飲食餵養大鼠血漿中膽固醇(TC)、三酸甘油脂(TG)和低密度脂蛋白(LDL)，有效降低動脈粥狀硬化指數(AI)和冠狀動脈指數(CRI)指數。於實驗結束後將大鼠犧牲，藉由病理切片觀察，有效減少脂肪蓄積於肝臟細胞及縮小腹睪白色脂肪大小。長期服用紅球薑酒精萃取物有效減少體脂肪之形成作用，可增加肝臟中ACO 和肝臟CYP4A 蛋白含量意謂著在過氧化物和微粒體中增強脂肪酸氧化。我紅球薑乙醇萃取物在肝臟過氧化物增殖激活受體-α(PPAR-α)標的基因表現能調控脂質代謝。胰島素抗性評估紅球薑乙醇萃取物治療高果糖餵食大鼠發現胰島素敏感性胰島素分泌指數(ISI comp)顯著升高而胰島素抗性指數(HOMA-IR score)顯著性減少趨勢，且抑制糖化血色素(HbA1c)促進血糖正常，糖化血色素(HbA1c)數值接近正常。觀察大鼠體內胰島素受體活化相關傳訊物，紅球薑乙醇萃取物可以提高葡萄糖第四型轉移蛋白轉位
和穩定血糖體內平衡而反轉高果糖飲食所引起造成胰島素消耗量提高。紅球薑乙醇萃取物治療顯著降低肝臟烯醇式丙酮酸羧激?(PECK-C)表現量。並依據健康食品安全性評估方法將植物萃取物進行安全性測試，研究結果所得結果可知紅球薑乙醇萃取物急性毒性試驗研究結果口服餵食紅球薑乙醇萃取物(15 g/kg)雄/雌性大鼠並無產生任何毒性和死亡現象，28 天餵食毒性試驗無引致動物臟器重量、外觀檢查及組織學檢查未發現與實驗有關的病理型態改變，血液學、生化學參數和組織學檢查結果並不會引起血液數值、各器官不利變化及型態改變，而基因毒性試驗結果紅球薑乙醇萃取物不具有引致基因毒性的危害性。本研究所得結果將有助於紅球薑酒精萃取物應用於肥胖症、胰島素抗性或是高血脂症等代謝性症候群的參考。
In the present study, Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith produced in Taiwan was first authenticated morphologically. However, plants in the same genus with similar appearances often lead to misusage and confusion; therefore genetic differences were compared based on restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the ribosomal
internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The genetic distances were calculated using Kimura 2-parameter mode. Results of the phylogenetic analysis were consistent with those obtained by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA cluster analysis, with a similarity of 96.9% for ITS I and a similarity of 97.1% for ITS II;therefore the samples selected for this study were indeed Z. zerumbet.
The effects of ethanol extract of Z. zerumbet (EEZZ) on the reduction of body fat formation were evaluated. Analytical study on EEZZ revealed that it contained a high amount of zerumbone followed by kaempferol. High-fat diet-induced obesity rats were orally administered with the experimental substance for 8 weeks, resulting in significant reduction in serum total cholesterol, trilglyceride and low density lipoprotein, as well as evidently decreasing arterial stiffness index and chronotropic response index. The rats were sacrificed for biopsy; immunohistochemistry staining demonstrated significant decrease in fatty accumulation in hepatocytes and reduction in size of white adipose tissue in the epididymis. Long term intake of EEZZ not only reduced fat formation, but also elevated the amount of ACO and CYP4A in the liver, indicating an up-regulation of fat oxidation in peroxides and in the microsome. Furthermore, investigations in high-fructose diet-induced diabetic rats showed that EEZZ obviously elevated ISI comp; on the other hand, HOMA-IR score was considerably decreased. Protein expressions of signal transduction pathways related to insulin receptor activation demonstrated that EEZZ increased the translocation of glucose transporter type 4 and promoted the homeostasis of blood sugar, in turn inverting the high consumption of insulin due to high fructose intake. EEZZ significantly decreased the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in
the liver. Safety assessment tests were conducted in accordance with the Guidelines of Health Food Safety Assessment promulgated by the central competent health authority, and the results showed that EEZZ at a dosage of 5 g/kg induced no acute toxicity nor mortality in male/female rats. 28-day feeding toxicity study did not cause any changes to organ mass nor any alterations under morphological, histopathological, hematological and genotoxic inspections. The results of this study would provide valuable information for the development of health food incorporating Z. zerumbet cultured in Taiwan for the beneficial purpose of reducing body fat formation,treating diabetes and/or regulating blood lipid in the future.
