Effects of polymethoxyflavonoids on T helper 17 cell differentiation in vitro and in vivo.

We examined the effects of polymethoxyflavonoids (PMFs) on T helper (Th) 17 cell differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Five different PMFs including nobiletin (NOB), sudachitin (SUD), demethoxysudachitin, heptamethoxyflavone and natsudaidain were used for the in vitro study, and effects of those flavonoids on Th17 responses were investigated. NOB and heptamethoxyflavone significantly suppressed the proliferation response, but SUD, demethoxysudachitin and natsudaidain did not suppress the proliferation response.

Essential Oil of Citrus sudachi Suppresses T Cell Activation Both In Vitro and In Vivo.

The essential oil of Citrus sudachi (sudachi oil) is extracted from the peel of sudachi, a citrus plant. We investigated the effect of sudachi oil on immune function in both in vitro antigen (Ag) induced lymphocyte activation and in vivo Ag-specific immune response. In the in vitro study, the proliferative activity of splenocytes upon Ag-specific and non-specific stimulation was suppressed by treatment with sudachi oil in a dose-dependent manner.

Nobiletin suppresses the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mediated by modulation of T helper 17 cell differentiation.

Multiple sclerosis is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that targets the myelin antigen in the central nervous system. Nobiletin is a dietary polymethoxylated flavonoid found in citrus fruits. In this study, we investigated how nobiletin affects the disease state and immune responses to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice.

Dietary diversity and characteristics of lifestyle and awareness of health in Japanese workers : a cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of lifestyle and health awareness according to dietary diversity in a Japanese worksite population. The participants were 1,312 men and women aged 20 to 63 years who were living in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan during the period 2012-2013. We obtained anthropometric data and information on lifestyle characteristics using a self-administered questionnaire.

Associations of dietary diversity with allergic diseases in Japanese workers: a cross-sectional study.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the associations of dietary diversity with prevalences of allergic diseases.

Methods And Study Design: The participants were 1,317 men and women aged 20 to 63 years who were living in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan during the period 2012-2013. We obtained anthropometric data and information on lifestyle characteristics and current medical histories of allergic diseases using a self-administered questionnaire.

Nobiletin Enhances Induction of Antigen-Specific Immune Responses in BALB/c Mice Immunized with Ovalbumin.

We examined the effect of nobiletin (5,6,7,8,3',4'-hexamethoxyflavone) on immune response in ovalbumin (OVA)-immunized mice. Treatment with nobiletin increased OVA-specific IL-4 and IL-10 production. In addition, mice that received nobiletin showed higher levels of OVA-specific IgE, IgG and IgG1 production than did control mice.

Associations of marital and parental status and family members living together with health-related behaviors in Japanese young workers : a cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to clarify the associations of family members living together with healthrelated behaviors in Japanese young workers. The participants were 300 men and women aged 20-39 years in 2015 who had a job. A web-based self-administered questionnaire on status of partnering and parenting, number of family members living together, dietary habits, drinking habit, smoking habit, self-rated health, employment status, working time and commuting time was conducted through Internet.

Sudachitin, polymethoxyflavone from , enhances antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune responses in BALB/c mice.

Scdachitin is a polymethoxyflavone (5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6,8,3-trimethoxyflavone) that is found in the peel of . We examined the effect of sudachitin on immune response in ovalbumin-immunized BALB/c mice. Treatment with sudachitin increased ovalbumin-specific IL-4 and IL-10 productions.

Soy product and isoflavone intake associations with allergic diseases in Japanese workers: rhinitis, dermatitis and asthma.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the associations of intake of soy products and isoflavones with allergic diseases.

Methods And Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 1437 participants (aged 20-64 years) who were living in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan during the period 2010- 2011. We obtained anthropometric data and information on life style characteristics including dietary intake and current medical histories of allergic diseases using a structural self-administered questionnaire.

Associations between intake of dietary fermented soy food and concentrations of inflammatory markers: a cross-sectional study in Japanese workers.

Epidemiological investigations have shown that consumption of soybeans or soy foods reduces the risk of the development of cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between different soy foods and inflammatory markers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-18, in Japanese workers. The cross-sectional study included 1,426 Japanese workers (1,053 men and 373 women) aged 20 to 64 years.

Brazilian Green Propolis Promotes Weight Loss and Reduces Fat Accumulation in C57BL/6 Mice Fed A High-Fat Diet.

Propolis is a bee product with various biological properties. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated with propolis for 14 weeks. Body weight in mice treated with 2% propolis was less than that in control mice from 3 weeks after the start of treatment until 14 weeks except for the 7th week.

Extracts of citrus Sudachi peel attenuate body weight gain in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet.

Citrus Sudachi is the special local product of Tokushima Prefecture, and over 98% of Sudachi consumed in Japan every year is produced in Tokushima Prefecture. In this study, we evaluated the function of sudachi peel extract (SPE) using an animal model of obesity. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 1% SPE powder.

Design and synthesis of emodin derivatives as novel inhibitors of ATP-citrate lyase.

Aberrant cellular metabolism drives cancer proliferation and metastasis. ATP citrate lyase (ACL) plays a critical role in generating cytosolic acetyl CoA, a key building block for de novo fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. ACL is overexpressed in cancer cells, and siRNA knockdown of ACL limits cancer cell proliferation and reduces cancer stemness.

Excessive dietary phosphorus intake impairs endothelial function in young healthy men: a time- and dose-dependent study.

Excessive dietary phosphorus (P) has been speculated to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here, we performed a double-blinded crossover study to investigate the time- and dose-dependent effects of dietary P intake on endothelial function in healthy subjects. Sixteen healthy male volunteers were given meals containing 400, 800, and 1,200 mg P (P400, P800, and P1200 meals, respectively) with at least 7 days between doses.

Vitamin A Deficiency Impairs Induction of Oral Tolerance in Mice.

Oral tolerance is a phenomenon of induction of systemic unresponsiveness to antigens ingested by the oral route and loss of immune response. Studies have shown the importance of vitamin A in oral tolerance in vitro but not in an in vivo experimental model. Therefore, we carried out experiments to determine how vitamin A deficiency affects tolerance induction and the ability of mesenteric lymph node (MLN) CD11c(+) cells to induce regulatory T cells (Tregs).

Dietary ribonucleic acid suppresses inflammation of adipose tissue and improves glucose intolerance that is mediated by immune cells in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet.

Recent evidence suggests that immune cells play an important role in differentiation of inflammatory macrophages in adipose tissue, which contributes to systemic chronic inflammation. Dietary ribonucleic acid (RNA) has been shown to modulate immune function. We hypothesized that RNA affects immune cell function in adipose tissue and then improves inflammatory response in adipose tissue.

Treatment with buckwheat bran extract prevents the elevation of serum triglyceride levels and fatty liver in KK-A(y) mice.

Buckwheat powder or protein has been shown to decrease the total serum cholesterol level in non-diabetic mice or rats. However, the lipid-lowering effect of buckwheat bran extract (BBE) in diabetic mice has not been fully elucidated. KK-A(y) mice that received six-week treatment with BBE showed decreased body weight and liver weight compared to those of control (vehicle) mice.

Sudachitin, a polymethoxylated flavone, improves glucose and lipid metabolism by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle.

Background: Obesity is a major risk factor for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. Flavonoids are effective antioxidants that protect against these chronic diseases. In this study, we evaluated the effects of sudachitin, a polymethoxylated flavonoid found in the skin of the Citrus sudachi fruit, on glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity and db/db diabetic mice.

Lactobacillus plantarum OLL2712 regulates glucose metabolism in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum OLL2712 (L. plantarum OLL2712) on glucose and lipid metabolism in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity. Mice that had been administered 10(9) cfu heat-killed L.

Decreased expression of MHC class II and cathepsin E in dendritic cells might contribute to impaired induction of antigen-specific T cell response in NC/Nga mice.

NC/Nga (NC) mice are an animal model for human atopic dermatitis. We found that induction of antigen (Ag)-specific T cell response is diminished in ovalbumin (OVA)-immunized NC mice. Ability of Ag presentation in NC mouse dendritic cells (DCs) was significantly weaker than that in BALB/c and DBA/2 mouse DCs.

Suppression of oral tolerance by Lactococcus lactis in mice.

Although oral ovabumin (OVA) administration suppressed the antibody (Ab) response in OVA-immunized mice, Lactococcus lactis increased OVA-specific IgG2a in these mice. L. lactis increased the casein-specific IgG level in NC/Nga mice fed on a casein diet.

Soy isoflavone equol perpetuates dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute colitis in mice.

The effects of the soy isoflavones, genistein, daidzein and equol, on experimental colitis were examined. Equol severely perpetrated dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis as evaluated by the weight loss. Production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, from T cells was decreased in the equol-treated mice.

Extracts of common buckwheat bran prevent sucrose digestion.

Buckwheat has been shown to have various health benefits such as reduction of hypertension and improvement of hypercholesterolemia; however, its effect on diabetes has not been fully elucidated. In this study, buckwheat bran extracts (BBE) inhibited sucrase activity in vitro more effectively than buckwheat. Balb/c mice pretreated with BBE showed dose-dependent reductions of blood glucose, greater than those observed with control mice, within 60 min following oral sucrose administration.

Dietary deoxynucleic acid induces type 2 T-helper immune response through toll-like receptor 9 in mice.

Background: It has been shown that dietary nucleotides modulate immune response. Due to their unique properties in immune responses, nucleotides are used as immunonutrition in the field of clinical nutrition.

Aim Of The Study: In this study, we examined the effect of dietary deoxynucleic acid (DNA) on antigen (Ag)-specific immune response in ovalbumin (OVA)-immunized BALB/c mice and determined the mechanism using toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) knock-out (KO) mice.

The soy isoflavone equol enhances antigen-specific IgE production in ovalbumin-immunized BALB/c mice.

Although an immunomodulatory role of the soy isoflavone genistein has been demonstrated, the effects of other soy isoflavones on induction of antigen (Ag)-specific immune responses are not known. In this study, we therefore investigated the effects of daidzein and equol on ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T cell and B cell responses in BALB/c mice. Mice that had been treated with 20 mg/kg equol showed a significantly higher level of OVA-specific IgE than control mice.