Fig. 4

Serum biomarkers and micro-CT findings in viscothionin-treated HFD-fed Mice. Six weeks HFD mice were induced to be obese, and then treated with viscothionin at the dose of 1 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg for 3 weeks. 10 mg/kg of simvastatin was used for comparative control. Serum samples were obtained after viscothionin treatment. a, b Serum concentrations of triglycerides and total cholesterol were measured by a chemistry analyzer. c, d LDL + VLDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels were measured with a commercial analysis kit. e Transverse section image of abdominal cavity. White areas represent abdominal visceral fat. f Quantification of abdominal visceral fat. Transverse imaging measured relative cross-sectional areas of abdominal visceral fat at the mid-kidney level. Note that the area of visceral abdominal fat is lower in the viscothionin-treated mice than in the HFD mice. Values are mean ± SEM for eight animals in each group. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001, as compared with control. ^#p < 0.05, and ^##p < 0.01, as compared with HFD