Publications by authors named "Akitoshi Ito"

Improving grain quality is a primary objective in contemporary rice breeding. Japanese modern rice breeding has developed two different types of rice, eating and sake-brewing rice, with different grain characteristics, indicating the selection of variant gene alleles during the breeding process. Given the critical importance of promptly and efficiently identifying genes selected in past breeding for future molecular breeding, we conducted genome scans for divergence, genome-wide association studies, and map-based cloning.

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The anticancer drug oxaliplatin is associated with peripheral neuropathy as a side effect accompanied by mechanical and cold allodynia. Although the superficial layer of the spinal cord dorsal horn is known to receive information primarily from peripheral pain nerves, to our knowledge, no in vivo electrophysiological analyses have been conducted to determine whether oxaliplatin administration increases the excitability of superficial layer neurons. Therefore, in vivo extracellular recordings were performed to measure action potentials in the deep and superficial layers of the spinal cord dorsal horn in rats treated with a single dose (6 mg/kg) of oxaliplatin.

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Oxaliplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent, is widely used to treat colorectal cancer, but it induces peripheral neuropathy as a serious dose-limiting side effect. Recently, thrombomodulin alfa, a recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin, was reported to prevent oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in a clinical phase 2 study. Here we conducted preclinical pharmacology studies.

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Clinical studies have reported that teriparatide (TPTD), a human parathyroid hormone analog, reduces back pain in osteoporotic patients. However, the mechanistic insights of this pharmacological action remain elusive. This study investigated the antinociceptive effect of TPTD mainly on primary sensory neurons in ovariectomized (OVX) rats.

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Recently, wild strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from a variety of natural resources have been used to make bread, beer, wine, and sake. In the current study, we isolated wild S. cerevisiae MC strain from the carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L) flower and produced sake using its cerulenin-resistant mutant strain MC87-46.

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3-[3-Amino-4-(indan-2-yloxy)-5-(1-methyl-1-indazol-5-yl)-phenyl]-propionic acid (AK106-001616) is a novel, potent, and selective inhibitor of the cytosolic phospholipase A (cPLA) enzyme. Unlike traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, AK106-001616 reduced prostaglandin E (PGE) and leukotriene B (LTB) production by stimulated cells. The suppression of PGE and LTB production was also confirmed using an air pouch model in rats administered a single oral dose of AK106-001616.

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Article Synopsis
  • Calcitonin (CT) and its precursor proCT are linked to calcium balance and body mass index, but CT's role in metabolism is not fully understood.
  • Researchers created knockout mice lacking CT to study its effects, finding that these mice lost weight and had lower liver, fat, and kidney weights compared to normal mice on a high-fat diet.
  • The CT knockout mice showed improved metabolic health, including less fat in the liver, lower blood sugar and lipid levels, increased insulin sensitivity, and higher adiponectin levels, indicating that CT might influence glucose and fat metabolism in older males.
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The polypeptide hormone calcitonin is well known clinically for its ability to relieve osteoporotic back pain and neuropathic pain such as spinal canal stenosis, diabetic neuropathy, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, and complex regional pain syndrome. Because the analgesic effects of calcitonin have a broad range, the underlying mechanisms of pain relief by calcitonin are largely unknown. However, recent studies using several types of chronic pain models combined with various methods have been gradually clarifying the mechanism.

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Ethyl-2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate (ethyl leucate) contributes to a fruity flavor in Japanese sake. The mold Aspergillus oryzae synthesizes leucate from leucine and then the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae produces ethyl leucate from leucate during sake fermentation. Here, we investigated the enzyme involved in leucate synthesis by A.

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Background: The polypeptide hormone calcitonin is clinically well known for its ability to relieve neuropathic pain such as spinal canal stenosis, diabetic neuropathy and complex regional pain syndrome. Mechanisms for its analgesic effect, however, remain unclear. Here we investigated the mechanism of anti-hyperalgesic action of calcitonin in a neuropathic pain model in rats.

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In addition to its regulatory effect on bone mass, calcitonin has been shown to relieve pain and alleviate peripheral circulatory disturbance in patients with Raynaud's syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome. In the present study, we investigated whether calcitonin ameliorates diminished blood flow and enhanced arterial contraction in response to noradrenaline in chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in rats. Following surgically induced CCI, laser Doppler flowmetry studies showed a significant decrease in plantar skin blood flow of the ipsilateral hind paw compared to the contralateral side.

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Although calcitonin is generally used to relieve chronic pain accompanying osteoporosis, little is known about what kind of noxious sensation is alleviated by calcitonin. We examined actions of calcitonin on nociceptive transmission in the spinal dorsal horn of ovariectomized (OVX) rats using in vivo patch-clamp technique. Inhibitory effect of serotonin on mechanical noxious inputs to dorsal horn neurons was reduced in OVX rats.

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Although many clinical reviews are consistent with the view that hormone replacement therapy should be recommended for increasing bone mass of osteoporotic patients, calcitonin administration is preferable to hormone replacement therapy for the alleviation of pain accompanying osteoporosis, despite the fact that osteoporosis and the accompanying pain are accelerated by the reduction in estrogen levels. Distinct from the clinical view, animal studies have shown that estrogen treatment reduces ovariectomy-induced hyperalgesia, although the mechanism of this phenomenon is unknown. The discrepancy in clinical and animal study outcomes may be due to the timing of administration of estrogen after depletion of the hormone.

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