Improves Lymphatic Function and Prevents UVB-Induced Acute Inflammation and Photodamage in HR-1 Hairless Mice.

A single high-dose ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure on the skin induces acute inflammatory responses, such as an increase in proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6 and IL-1), hyperpermeability and dilation of blood and lymphatic vessels, and infiltration of inflammatory cells.

Oral administration of Jumihaidokuto inhibits UVB-induced skin damage and prostaglandin E2 production in HR-1 hairless mice.

This study was conducted to investigate whether and how Jumihaidokuto (JHT), a traditional Chinese medicine, prevents UVB-induced skin damage in male HR-1 hairless mice. JHT has been traditionally prescribed for patients presenting skin disorders with redness and swelling, and, in Japan, it is approved for prescription to patients with acute and/or purulent skin disorders, hives, acute eczema, and athlete's foot. Considering the traditional use of JHT, we hypothesized that oral administration of JHT might emerge as an effective strategy to prevent UVB-induced skin damage, such as edema and erythema.

Yokukansankachimpihange Improves the Social Isolation-Induced Sleep Disruption and Allopregnanolone Reduction in Mice.

Yokukansankachimpihange (YKSCH), a traditional Japanese medicine composed of 9 crude drugs, is designed to improve neurosis, insomnia in adults, and night crying in children. YKSCH has been reported to improve diurnal rhythm in patients with Alzheimer's disease and prolong the total sleeping time in healthy subjects. However, little is known about how YKSCH alleviates sleep disorders.

Daisaikoto Prevents Post-dieting Weight Regain by Reversing Dysbiosis and Reducing Serum Corticosterone in Mice.

Weight loss is often temporary and is generally followed by recurrent weight gain and a relapse of metabolic complications, whose severity may be even greater upon recurrence. Preventing recurrent obesity, understanding the control of the energy balance subsequent to weight loss, and reversing the predisposition to obesity are critical factors that warrant an in-depth study. Several Kampo medicines, including daisaikoto, have traditionally been used to manage obesity, but their mechanisms of action are not well studied and their effects on weight regain are unknown.

Triterpene Galloyl Esters from Edible Acorn of Castanopsis cuspidata.

Polyphenols of edible acorns of Castanopsis cuspidata were examined and two triterpene galloyl esters were isolated. Based on two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic evidence the structures were determined to be 3,24-di-O-galloyl-2α,3β-23,24-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid (1) and 3,24-di-O-galloyl- 2α,3β-23,24-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (2). The triterpene hexahydroxydiphenoyl esters, which had been found in the leaves, were not detected in the acorns.

A novel mode of ferric ion coordination by the periplasmic ferric ion-binding subunit FbpA of an ABC-type iron transporter from Thermus thermophilus HB8.

Crystal structures of FbpA, the periplasmic ferric ion-binding protein of an iron-uptake ABC transporter, from Thermus thermophilus HB8 (TtFbpA) have been solved in apo and ferric ion-bound forms at 1.8 and 1.7 Å resolution, respectively.