Yoshihide Suwa

Chicken extract stimulates haemoglobin restoration in iron deficient rats

Chicken essence is widely used as a traditional remedy for several ailments including anaemia. To test this claim for objective evidence, a series of experiments was carried out in anaemic rats by supplementing iron deficient diets with either liquid or lyophilised essence, which contains mainly protein and peptides (83 mg/ml) and free amino acids (3.1 mg/ml), very little iron (1 microgram/ml), and no fat. Haemoglobin returned to normal significantly more rapidly in rats supplemented with ad libitum liquid BEC over a period of up to 27 days compared with controls fed only water in addition to the ad libitum iron deficient diet. Haemoglobin was also significantly increased after 1 week in animals fed ad libitum diets supplemented with lyophilised chicken essence than with controls fed the unsupplemented diet. The effect was greater with supplementation at the level of 0.2% than at 1% lyophilised essence. The results indicate that the effects were mediated by increased appetite and by enhanced availability of food iron. These studies provide objective evidence for the traditional belief that chicken essence remedies anaemia.

Subchronic (13-week) oral toxicity study of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA) oil in rats.

Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) is one of the essential fatty acids, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. To assess the toxicity of a novel DGLA oil produced by the fungus Mortierella alpina, we examined it in the Ames test and in acute and subchronic oral toxicity tests in rats. In the Ames test, no mutagenicity was found up to 5000 microg/plate. The acute toxicity test revealed no toxicity related to DGLA oil at 10 g/kg. In the subchronic toxicity test, DGLA oil (500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) was orally administered. Water and soybean oil (2000 mg/kg) were used for the no-oil control and soybean oil control groups, respectively. There was no death in either sex. Because of administration of large amounts of oil, food consumption was low in the soybean oil control and the three test groups, which appeared to mildly decrease urinary excretion of Na, K, and Cl, as well as total serum protein, albumin, and blood urea nitrogen levels. There were no toxicological changes in body weight, food consumption, ophthalmological examination, urinalysis, hematological examination, blood biochemical examination, necropsy, organ weight, or histopathological examination. These findings show that the no-observed-adverse-effect level of the DGLA oil was 2000 mg/kg.

Effect of Plant Worm Extract on Mouse Hair Growth

Topical application of plant worm extract (Chinese drug, dong chong xia cao) caused a dose‐dependent acceleration of hair growth on the dorsal resting hair of shaved C3H mice. The original extract, which was extracted from 3 g of plant worm with 400 ml of 75% ethanol, and a 10‐fold concentrate were significantly effective in accelerating hair regrowth. Even a 100‐fold diluted extract shortened the anagen time of terminal hair growth. The hair regrowth activity of the extract was also highly significant when compared with two solutions containing some other effective ingredients for hair regrowth. The extract did not show any apparent acute toxicity in the mice. No mutagenicity was detected. No systemic or local side effects attributable to the plant worm extract were evident.