Suppression of Carrageenan- and Collagen II-Induced Inflammation in Mice by Geranium Oil

To obtain experimental evidence on the therapeutic efficacy of essential oils in aromatherapy for inflammatory diseases, we examined the effects of geranium oil on carrageenan-induced and collagen II-induced inflammation in mice, to assess acute and chronic anti-inflammatory activities of the oil. Single intraperitoneal injection of 5 μL of geranium oil clearly suppressed the carrageenan-induced footpaw edema and increase in tissue myeloperoxidase activity, and repeated administration of the oil suppressed collagen-induced arthritis. These results revealed that geranium oil suppressed both acute and chronic inflammatory responses in mice

Suppression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced neutrophil adherence responses by essential oils.

Background: In aromatherapy, essential oils are used as anti-inflammatory remedies, but experimental studies on their action mechanisms are very limited

Early Embryonic Lethality Caused by Targeted Disruption of the Mouse Thioredoxin Gene

AbstractThioredoxins belong to a widely distributed group of small proteins with strong reducing activities mediated by a consensus redox-active dithiol (Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys). Thioredoxin was first isolated as a hydrogen donor for enzymatic synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides by ribonucleotide reductase inEscherichia coli.Recent studies have revealed a variety of roles that thioredoxin plays in transcription, growth control, and immune function. In this report, we describe the phenotype of mice carrying a targeted disruption of the thioredoxin gene (Txn). Heterozygotes are viable, fertile, and appear normal. In contrast, homozygous mutants die shortly after implantation, and the concepti were resorbed prior to gastrulation. When preimplantation embryos were placed in culture, the inner cell mass cells of the homozygous embryos failed to proliferate. These results indicate thatTxnexpression is essential for early differentiation and morphogenesis of the mouse embryo

Fucose-Containing Sulfated Polysaccharides from Brown Seaweeds Inhibit Proliferation of Melanoma Cells and Induce Apoptosis by Activation of Caspase-3 in Vitro

Fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) extracted from seaweeds, especially brown macro-algae, are known to possess essential bioactive properties, notably growth inhibitory effects on tumor cells. In this work, we conducted a series of in vitro studies to examine the influence of FCSPs products from Sargassum henslowianum C. Agardh (FSAR) and Fucus vesiculosus (FVES), respectively, on proliferation of melanoma B16 cells and to investigate the underlying apoptosis promoting mechanisms. Cell viability analysis showed that both FCSPs products, i.e., FSAR and FVES, decreased the proliferation of the melanoma cells in a dose-response fashion, with FSAR being more potent at lower dosages, and FVES being relatively more anti-proliferative than FSAR at higher dosages. Flow cytometric analysis by Annexin V staining of the melanoma cells exposed to the FCSPs products confirmed that both FSAR and FVES induced apoptosis. The FCSPs-induced apoptosis was evidenced by loss of plasma membrane asymmetry and translocation of the cell membrane phospholipids and was accompanied by the activation of caspase-3. The FCSPs bioactivity is proposed to be attributable to distinct structural features of the FCSPs, particularly the presence of sulfated galactofucans (notably in S. henslowianum) and sulfated fucans (notably in F. vesiculosus). This study thus indicates that unfractionated FCSPs may exert bioactive effects on skin cancer cells via induction of apoptosis through cascades of reactions that involve activation of caspase-3

若年女性の香りに対する意識と実態

若年女性が香りに対してどのような意識を持ち、香り付き商品を使っているのかを明らかにするために、アンケート調査を実施した。調査内容は、香りへの興味、居住空間における香り付け、香り付き商品の使用頻度、日用品の選択において香り付きを選択するか、香り付き商品の購入基準や使用目的などであった。公的自意識、ファッション意識を同時に尋ね、香りへの意識や行動との関連を分析した。その結果、若年女性の多くは香りに興味があり、目的に合わせて香り付き商品を選択し、使用している実態が明らかになった。ファッション意識をタイプ別に分けて香りへの意識・行動を分析した結果、公的自意識が高い人ほど、ファッション意識が高く、流行を意識しており、自分から香りがするのが好きであった。ファション意識の高い女性は、すでに香りをファッションの一部として上手に取り入れて楽しんでいる。若年女性の多くは香りに興味を持っており、今後ますますファッションとして香りを活用する人が増えていくと考えられる

小学生のかつおだしと煮干しだしの風味に対する評価：食育取り組み年数が異なる2 校の比較

We compared evaluations of the flavors of dried bonito and niboshi extract soup stock for 5- 6 grade elementary school children（121 children）at two different schools. The two different schools were an elementary school that had implemented shokuiku（food and nutrition education）-related activities for 4 years（4th year school）and an elementary school that had implemented shokuiku-related activities for the first time（1st year school）. The results from fifth graders in elementary school showed that the deliciousness, umami taste, and aroma of both soup stocks（dried bonito and niboshi extract）were rated significantly higher in the 4th year school than in the 1st year school. In the 4th year school, several years of shokuiku-related activities may have increased the taste sensitivity of children to soup stock flavors.原著論

LRRK2 Phosphorylates Tubulin-Associated Tau but Not the Free Molecule: LRRK2-Mediated Regulation of the Tau-Tubulin Association and Neurite Outgrowth

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), a large protein kinase containing multi-functional domains, has been identified as the causal molecule for autosomal-dominant Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, we demonstrated for the first time that (i) LRRK2 interacts with tau in a tubulin-dependent manner; (ii) LRRK2 directly phosphorylates tubulin-associated tau, but not free tau; (iii) LRRK2 phosphorylates tau at Thr181 as one of the target sites; and (iv) The PD-associated LRRK2 mutations, G2019S and I2020T, elevated the degree of tau-phosphorylation. These results provide direct proof that tau is a physiological substrate for LRRK2. Furthermore, we revealed that LRRK2-mediated phosphorylation of tau reduces its tubulin-binding ability. Our results suggest that LRRK2 plays an important role as a physiological regulator for phosphorylation-mediated dissociation of tau from microtubules, which is an integral aspect of microtubule dynamics essential for neurite outgrowth and axonal transport

Cys34-cysteinylated human serum albumin is a sensitive plasma marker in oxidative stress-related chronic diseases

The degree of oxidized cysteine (Cys) 34 in human serum albumin (HSA), as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), is correlated with oxidative stress related pathological conditions. In order to further characterize the oxidation of Cys34-HSA at the molecular level and to develop a suitable analytical method for a rapid and sensitive clinical laboratory analysis, the use of electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ESI-TOFMS) was evaluated. A marked increase in the cysteinylation of Cys34 occurs in chronic liver and kidney diseases and diabetes mellitus. A significant positive correlation was observed between the Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction of plasma samples obtained from 229 patients, as determined by ESI-TOFMS, and the degree of oxidized Cys34-HSA determined by HPLC. The Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction was significantly increased with the progression of liver cirrhosis, and was reduced by branched chain amino acids (BCAA) treatment. The changes in the Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction were significantly correlated with the alternations of the plasma levels of advanced oxidized protein products, an oxidative stress marker for proteins. The binding ability of endogenous substances (bilirubin and tryptophan) and drugs (warfarin and diazepam) to HSA purified from chronic liver disease patients were significantly suppressed but significantly improved by BCAA supplementation. Interestingly, the changes in this physiological function of HSA in chronic liver disease were correlated with the Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction. In conclusion, ESI-TOFMS is a suitable high throughput method for the rapid and sensitive quantification of Cys-Cys34-HSA in a large number of samples for evaluating oxidative stress related chronic disease progression or in response to a treatment