Health Food In Japan Research Articles

Polysaccharide from Hizikia Fusiformis Enhances the Immunomodulatory Activity of Macrophages

Background and Objectives: <i>Hizikia fusiformis</i> is widely used in oriental health food in Japan, China, and Korea, and is known for its anti-oxidation properties.Materials and Method: In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects and mechanisms of <i>Hizikia fusiformis</i> (<i>H. fusiformis</i>) extracts in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 cells. RAW 264.7 cells were incubated in the presence of different concentrations of the viscozyme component of <i>H. fusiformis</i> (1, 2, 5, and 10 μg/mL), and changes in expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (GM-CSF, iNOS, VEGF, and COX-2) were evaluated by real-time PCR and immunoblotting. In addition, the associated signaling pathway including phospho (p)-pNF-κB 65, p-pIkBa, p-p38, and p-p44/42 was also evaluated.Results: The viscozyme component of <i>H. fusiformis</i> downregulated the expression of GM-CSF, iNOS, VEGF, and COX-2 mRNA. The augmented NO and ROS production was decreased by administration of <i>H. fusiformis</i>. The signal intensity of p-pNF-κB 65, p-pIkBa, p-p38, and p-p44/42 protein activated by LPS was ameliorated by administration of the viscozyme fraction in RAW 264.7 cells.Conclusion: These results suggest that <i>H. fusiformis</i> has potential as a therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases.

Ashitaba (Angelica Keiskei) Exudate Prevents Increases in Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Induced by Obesity in Tsumura Suzuki Obese Diabetic Mice

ABSTRACTAngelica keiskei koidzumi (ashitaba) is consumed as a traditional folk medicine and health food in Japan. Ashitaba extract contains abundant flavonoids containing chalcones. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the primary physiological inhibitor of tissue plasminogen activator. Excessive amounts of PAI-1 in plasma disrupt the fibrinolytic balance and promote a prothrombotic state with which thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases are associated. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ashitaba yellow exudate (AE) on enhanced PAI-1 levels in Tsumura Suzuki obese diabetic (TSOD) mice. AE significantly decreased food efficiency and plasma PAI-1 in TSOD mice but did not affect lean control Tsumura Suzuki nonobese (TSNO) mice. AE also decreased some parameters in the plasma, such as glucose, insulin, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and gains in body weight, subcutaneous, mesenteric fat weight in TSOD mice but had little effect on these parameters in TSNO mice. Levels of adipose PAI-1 were significantly higher in TSOD than in TSNO mice. Major sources of plasma PAI-1 are thought to be adipose tissue and liver. AE significantly suppressed PAI-1 protein levels in the livers of both TSOD and TSNO mice. These results suggest that AE decreased plasma PAI-1 levels by suppressing both the adipose tissue retention of PAI-1 protein and liver PAI-1 production in TSOD mice. Supplementing the diet with AE might help to prevent thrombotic diseases or alleviate the risk of thrombotic diseases as well as to suppress metabolic state in obese individuals.

Investigation on the Interactions between Various Drugs and Aojiru (Green Juice) Using a Simple Centrifugation Method.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the interactions between various drugs and aojiru (green juice), a popular health food in Japan, using a simple centrifugation method. The mixture of drug solution and aojiru suspension was gently shaken and centrifuged. The drug concentration in the supernatant fluid was then determined by HPLC. The concentration of rhodamine 123 (Rho-123), a model compound, in the supernatant fluid significantly decreased after mixing with aojiru, indicating extensive binding of Rho-123 to the insoluble components of aojiru. When administered into rat small intestinal loops together with aojiru, the plasma Rho-123 concentrations became much smaller than those when administered alone. This result strongly suggested that a strong interaction observed in vitro was well reflected in modulated absorption. Among seven drugs tested, chlorpromazine and imipramine exerted binding properties to aojiru similar to or greater than Rho-123. As a small part of both Rho-123 and imipramine was released when the aojiru precipitate was resuspended, their binding to aojiru was considered to be tight. The binding of diltiazem, fexofenadine, glibenclamide, metformin, and norfloxacin to aojiru was much weaker or almost negligible compared with that of chlorpromazine and imipramine. The present results suggest that aojiru can decrease the intestinal absorption of some clinically relevant drugs through tight binding in the small intestine and that the present centrifugation method is useful for predicting in vivo interactions between drugs and aojiru.

Disintegration Test of Health Food Products Containing Ginkgo Biloba L. or Vitex Agnus-Castus L. in the Japanese Market.

For many years now, a number of Western herbs have been widely used in health food products in Japan and as pharmaceuticals in Europe. There are few or no mandated criteria concerning the quality of these herbal health food products, thus clarification is warranted. Here, we performed disintegration tests of 26 pharmaceutical and health food products containing the Western herbs ginkgo leaf and chaste tree fruit, in accord with the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. All eight pharmaceutical herbal products found in the European market completely disintegrated within the defined test time, and 11 of the 18 tested herbal products distributed as health foods in Japan disintegrated. Among the incompatible products identified in the Pharmacopoeia test, some products remained intact after incubation in water for 60 min. To ensure the efficacy of Western herbal products sold as health food in Japan, quality control, including disintegration, is therefore recommended, even though these products are not regulated under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.

Assessment of safety and efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane on bone and knee joints in osteoarthritis animal model

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), which is one of the popular ingredients of so-called health foods in Japan, is expected to relieve inflammation in arthritis and allergies. However, there is no scientific evidence to confirm the efficacy and safety of MSM in detail. In this study, we examined the effects of MSM on cartilage formation in growing rats (G) and cartilage degradation in STR/Ort mice (A), an accepted human osteoarthritis (OA) model. For cartilage formation study, 6-week-old growing male Wister rats were assigned to four groups to receive a control or MSM-containing diet. To examine the efficacy of MSM on the cartilage of OA model mouse, 10-week-old male STR/OrtCrlj mice were assigned to three groups to receive a control or MSM-containing diet. The dosages used were amounts equal to the recommended supplements for humans [0.06g/kg body weight (BW)/day: MSM1G and MSM1A], 10 fold higher (0.6g/kg BW/day: MSM10G and MSM10A), and 100 fold higher (6g/kg BW/day: MSM100G). Intake of MSM for 4weeks did not affect cartilage formation in the knee joint in growing rats. Body, liver, and spleen weight in the MSM100G group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Intake of MSM for 13 weeks decreased degeneration of the cartilage at the joint surface in the knee joints in STR/Ort mice in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that appropriate intake of MSM is possibly effective in OA model mice; however, intake of large amounts of MSM induced atrophy of several organs.

イトラコナゾールカプセルの吸収における黒酢の効果についての検討

Itraconazole (ITCZ), a useful oral drug effective against Aspergillus, is reported to cause insufficient blood concentration through unstable enteral absorption. Hypoacidic gastic conditions have been reported to reduce absorption, whereas acidic drinks promote it. We present a case of pulmonary aspergillosis in a subject administered ITCZ with black vinegar, a popular health food in Japan. The 59-year-old man showed high blood concentrations of ITCZ, resulting in good Aspergillosis control. To confirm the efficacy in black vinegar on absorbing ITCZ, we administered ITCZ capsules with and without black vinegar to 10 healthy adults after preparation with a proton pump inhibitor to decrease gastric acidity, and measured blood concentrations of ITCZ and the metabolite OH-ITCZ. Administration of this combination increased ITCZ and OH-ITCZ Cmax significantly. For patients who produce too little gastric juice, black vinegar could thus serve to promote ITCZ capsule absorption.

Legal Situations of Supplements in the United States and European Union

The importance of supplements is well recognized both in the United States (US) and European Union (EU) as substances to maintain and promote health and to reduce the risk of various diseases. From a legal point of view, systems to regulate the health claims of products classified as supplements have been established in both the US and EU. The health claims are divided into two categories, that is, disease risk reduction claims and structure/function claims, and the claims must be substantiated with concrete scientific evidence. In particular, to substantiate the disease risk reduction claims, reliable human clinical studies, such as randomized controlled interventional trials, are acceptable as strong evidence. Evaluation of the safety of the ingredients for supplements is another important issue. The safety is mainly evaluated by means of risk analysis. However, the concept of risk-benefit analysis is gradually becoming more important than previous risk analysis techniques. The regulations for supplements and health claims currently enforced in both the US and EU are discussed in this article in comparison with the current regulatory systems applied to health foods in Japan.

Measurement of a Genotoxic Hydrazine, Agaritine, and Its Derivatives by HPLC with Fluorescence Derivatization in the Agaricus Mushroom and Its Products

Agaricus blazei MURRILL mushroom products are sold as so-called health foods in Japan. However, a part of Agaricus is known to contain hydrazines. A sensitive and specific method for analyzing a genotoxic hydrazine, agaritine, and its derivatives was developed to assess the safety of Agaricus products. beta-N-(gamma-L(+)-Glutamyl)-4-(hydroxymethyl)phenylhydrazine (agaritine, AGT), 4-hydrazinylbenzylalcohol (HMPH), 4-hydrazinylbenzoic acid (CPH), 4-methylphenylhydrazine (MPH) and phenylhydrazine (PH) were converted to their correspond-ing fluorescent derivatives with 3,4-dihydro-6,7 dimethoxy-4-methyl-3-oxoquinoxaline-2-carbonyl chloride (DMEQ-COCl) as the fluorescence derivatization reagent. The detection limits (S/N=3) for CPH, AGT, PH and MPH were 422, 45.3, 16.5 and 138 fmol, respectively, in a 20 microl injection volume. Recoveries, achieved by adding known AGT amounts to the Agaricus sample and Agaricus products, ranged from 92.8 to 102%. By using this method which does not require partial purification of the Agaricus sample, the amounts of AGT in several types of foods were found to be 112-1836 microg/g dry weight.

Occurrence of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-6-methyldipyrido[1,2- a:3′,2′- d]imidazole (Glu-P-1) and other heterocyclic amine mutagens in oil of charred egg yolk (ranyu)

Mutagenicity of oil of charred egg yolk (called ranyu in Japanese), which is commercially avaialable and consumed as a health food in Japan, was tested on Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100 with and without metabolic activation. Both strains showed a high response to the oil, and the number of His + revertant colonies with strain TA98 was 15000–20000 for 1 g equivalent amount of the oil. The mutagens were purified by acid extraction, chloroform extraction after alkalization, dialysis, adsorption to blue cotton, passing through a Sephadex LH-20 column and several stages of high-pressure liquid chromatography with reverse-phase columns. At least 7 heterocyclic amine mutagens were detected. Two of them were suggested to be 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoline (IQ) and 2-amino-6-methyldipyrido[1,2- a:3′,2′- d]imidazole (Glu-P-1). One was suggested to be 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoline (MeIQ). The others were not identified but distinguishable from 12 known heterocyclic amine mutagens. The estimated minimum contents of IQ and Glu-P-1 were 1.1 ng/g and 4.8 ng/g, respectively.

A survey of the occurrence of nivalenol, deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in food stuffs and health foods in Japan.

By adopting a rapid and sensitive method for simultaneous detection of nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin, DON) and zearalenone (ZEN), the natural occurrence of these mycotoxins in Japan in retail marked cereal flours, popcorn and health foods (totalling 76 samples) was surveyed. Significant contamination by NIV and DON was observed in commercial wheat and barley flours, and partially milled grains which are consumed as rice ingredients. Of particular interest was the presence of DON in popcorn imported from the United States, and the high-level contamination of NIV and ZEN in job's-tears (Hatomugi in Japanese), a widely marketed health food.