3.1. Effect of mulberry on changes in body weight and relative
organ weight
No significant (PN.05) difference was observed between SAMR1
(Group I) and SAMP8 (Group II) mice in terms of their initial body
weights (Table 1). The body weights of mice in Group I increased by
3 g over the 3-month period of the experiment. In contrast, the
body weights were almost constant in SAMP8 mice, and there was
no significant difference (PN.05) between SAMP8 groups treated
with or without ME. More importantly, the relative organ weight
changes for the liver in Group II was significantly (Pb.05) heavier
than that of Group I, and treatment with the high ME dose (500
mg/kg body weight, Group V) decreased the liver tumidity that
accompanies ageing. These data suggest that consumption of
mulberry or BE did not influence the body and organ weights of
mice; however, dietary supplementation with mulberry or BE did
inhibit ageing-induced hepatomegaly