Hiroyuki Inagaki

高脂肪飼料摂取マウスにおける「べにふうき」緑茶の脂肪蓄積抑制効果

benifuuki, methylated catechins, epigallocatechin-( -methyl)gallate (EGCG Me), fat accumulation, obesity : : EGCG Me Anti-obese e ects of tea leaf powders were compared in mice who consumed ‘benifuuki’, a tea cultivar that contains unique methylated catechins such as epigallocatechin-( -methyl) gallate (EGCG Me), and ‘yabukita’, a popular tea cultivar in Japan that lacks methylated catechins. For weeks, four groups of -week-old male C BL/ J mice ( per group) were fed either high-fat diets with and without the addition of benifuuki or yabukita tea leaf powder ; for a non-obese control group, mice were fed a low-fat diet with no additive. The body weight and food intake were recorded for each mouse times a week. On the last day of the experiment, the mice were sacrificed to determine the final weight of white adipose tissue as well as blood levels of lipid metabolism-related components. The hot-water extract of benifuuki, an ingredient useful for industrial applications, was similarly examined in mice for anti-obese e ects and dose dependency by a single daily oral administration of , and mg total catechins per kg body weight. The mice fed a high-fat diet containing benifuuki powder showed significant decreases in body weight, adipose tissue weights and plasma leptin concentration, compared with those fed a control high-fat diet with no additive. On the other hand, the mice fed a high-fat diet containing yabukita powder showed less anti-obese e ects, with the only significance in subcutaneous fat weight. A single daily administration of benifuuki extract to mice that were fed a high-fat diet showed anti-obese e ects in a dosedependent manner. The results indicated that benifuuki had much higher anti-obese e ects than yabukita, and was dose dependent. The strong anti-obese activity of benifuuki may be ascribed to the unique methylated catechins (primarily EGCG Me) contained exclusively in this cultivar, whose fractional absorption and stability in blood are much higher than EGCG. Health Food Science Research Institute, Morinaga & Co., Ltd., , Shimosueyoshi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa * Morinaga Institute of Biological Science, INC., , Sachiura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa ** National Institute of Vegetable and Tea Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Kanaya, Shimada, Shizuoka

Administration of Piceatannol Complexed with α-Cyclodextrin Improves Its Absorption in Rats

Piceatannol is polyphenolic antioxidant found in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seeds. The aim of this study was to improve the absorption of piceatannol using α-cyclodextrin (αCD). The solubility of piceatannol in neutral and acidic solutions increased in an αCD concentration-dependent manner. The maximum plasma concentration of intact piceatannol and the time-to-maximum plasma concentration of O-methylated piceatannol metabolites increased in rats administered αCD-piceatannol inclusion complexes (PICs). Administering the αCD inclusion complexes significantly increased the area under the concentration-time curve of total stilbene derivatives (0-3 h) in terms of the total amount of intact piceatannol, O-methylated piceatannol, conjugated piceatannol, and isorhapontigenin. Gastrointestinal ligation experiments demonstrated that substantially higher levels of piceatannol metabolites were present in the lower intestine (the ileum) at 1 h postintragastric αCD-PICs administration as compared to those observed following piceatannol administration only. These results suggested that αCD enhanced piceatannol movement and absorption in the small intestine.

Enzymatically modified isoquercitrin supplementation intensifies plantaris muscle fiber hypertrophy in functionally overloaded mice

BackgroundEnzymatically modified isoquercitrin (EMIQ) is produced from rutin using enzymatic hydrolysis followed by treatment with glycosyltransferase in the presence of dextrin to add glucose residues. EMIQ is absorbed in the same way as quercetin, a powerful antioxidant reported to prevent disused muscle atrophy by targeting mitochondria and to have ergogenic effects. The present study investigated the effect of EMIQ on skeletal muscle hypertrophy induced by functional overload.MethodsIn Study 1, 6-week-old ICR male mice were divided into 4 groups: sham-operated control, sham-operated EMIQ, overload-operated control, and overload-operated EMIQ groups. In Study 2, mice were divided into 3 groups: overload-operated whey control, overload-operated whey/EMIQ (low dose), and overload-operated whey/EMIQ (high dose) groups. The functional overload of the plantaris muscle was induced by ablation of the synergist (gastrocnemius and soleus) muscles. EMIQ and whey protein were administered with food. Three weeks after the operation, the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle fibers were measured.ResultsIn Study 1, functional overload increased the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle. EMIQ supplementation significantly increased the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle in both the sham-operated and overload-operated groups. In Study 2, EMIQ supplementation combined with whey protein administration significantly increased the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle.ConclusionEMIQ, even when administered as an addition to whey protein supplementation, significantly intensified the fiber hypertrophy of the plantaris muscle in functionally overloaded mice. EMIQ supplementation also induced fiber hypertrophy of the plantaris in sham-operated mice.