Inhibitors of nitric oxide (NO) production in murine macrophage-like J774.1 cells from Brazilian propolis

ブラジル産プロポリスの水およびメタノールエキスがLPSで活性化したマウスマクロファージ様J774.1細胞の一酸化窒素(NO)産生を濃度依存的に抑制することを明らかにした。さらに,水エキスの成分検索を行ない17種のフェノール性化合物を単離したが,その中の15化合物はプロポリス水エキスからは初めて単離された化合物であった。また,methylρ-hydroxydihydrocinnamate(9)と1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane-1,3-dione(11)のプロポリスからの単離はこれか最初の例である。次いで各化合物のNO阻害活性を測定したところ,ラブダン型ジテルペン,フラボノイド,数種のフェノール性化合物が強いNO阻害活性を示した。特に,coniferyl aldehyde(23 ; IC_50, 18.0μM)とdimeric coniferyl acetate (33 ; IC_50, 27.1μM)は陽性コントロールのNG-monomethyl-L-arginine(L-NMMA ; IC_50, 44.5μM)よりも強い活性を示した。 Water and MeOH extracts of Brazilian propolis showed dose-dependent inhibition toward nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysacchalide (LPS)-activated murine macrophage-like J774.1 cells. From the water extract, 17 phenolic compounds were isolated and among them 15 are new for the water extract of propolis. Moreover, methyl ρ-hydroxydihydrocinnamate (9) and 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane-1,3-dione (11) were isolated, for the first time, from propolis. Labdane-type diterpenes, flavonoids and some phenolic compounds possessed potent NO inhibitory activity. Coniferyl aldehyde (23) and dimeric coniferyl acetate (33) showed the strongest NO inhibition with IC_50 values of 18.0 and 27.1 μM, respectively, which were stronger than the positive control, N^G-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA ; IC_50, 44.5 μM)

超音波法を用いた全身および部位別骨格筋量の推定法と妥当性

The present study was performed to develop regression-based prediction equations for skeletal muscle (SM) mass by ultrasound and to investigate the validity of these equations in Japanese adults. Seventy-two Japanese men (n=38) and women (n=34) aged 18-61 years participated in this study and were randomly separated into two groups: the model development group (n=48) and the validation group (n=24). The total and regional SM mass were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 1.5 T-scanners with spin-echo sequence. Contiguous transverse images (about 150 slices) with a slice thickness of 1 cm were obtained from the first cervical vertebra to the ankle joints. The volume of SM was calculated from the summation of digitized cross-sectional area. The SM volume was converted into mass units (kg) by an assumed SM density of 1.04 kg l^＜-1＞. The muscle thickness (MTH) was measured by B-mode ultrasound (5 MHz scanning head) at nine sites on the anatomical SM belly. Strong correlations were observed between the site-matched SM mass (total, arm, trunk body, thigh, and lower leg) by MRI measurement and the MTH×height (in m) in the model development group (r=0.83-0.96 in men, r=0.53-0.91 in women, P＜0.05). When the SM mass prediction equations were applied to the validation group, significant correlations were also observed between the MRI-measured and predicted SM mass (P＜0.05). The predicted total SM mass for the validation group was 19.6 (6.5) kg and was not significantly different from the MRI-measured SM mass of 20.2 (6.5) kg. Bland-Altman analysis did not indicate a bias in prediction of the total SM mass for the validation group (r=0.00, NS). These results suggested that ultrasoundderived prediction equations are a valid method to predict SM mass and an alternative to MRI measurement in healthy Japanese adults

競技者の高い安静時エネルギー代謝は器官・組織重量に依存する

It is unknown whether increased resting energy expenditure (REE) in athletes is due to changes in organ-tissue mass and/or metabolic rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the organ-tissue component of fat-free mass (FFM) on absolute and relative REE (the REE/FFM ratio) for heavy-weight athletes. We examined the relationship between the REE measured by indirect calorimetry and the REE calculated from organ-tissue mass. Ten heavy-weight athletes (Sumo wrestlers) and 11 moderately active male students (controls) were recruited to participate in this study. FFM was measured by two-component densitometry. Contiguous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images with a 1cm slice thickness were obtained from the parietal to the ankle joints, and the cross-sectional area and volume were determined for each type of organ-tissue. The volume units were converted into mass by an assumed constant density. The measured-REE was determined by indirect calorimetry. The calculated-REE was estimated as the sum of individual organ-tissue masses multiplied by their metabolic rate constants. The measured-REE for Sumo wrestlers (2286kcal/day) was higher (P<0.01) than for controls (1550kcal/day), but the measured-REE/FFM ratio was similar between the two groups (Sumo wrestlers 29.1kcal/kg/day vs. controls 29.3kcal/kg/day). Sumo wrestlers had a greater amount of FFM and FFM components (e.g., skeletal muscle (SM), liver and kidney) except for brain, while the proportion of organ-tissue mass to FFM was not different between the two groups except for liver. The absolute and relative measured-REE values for Sumo wrestlers were not significantly different from the respective calculated-REE values. The REE for heavy-weight athletes can be attributed not to an elevation of the organ-tissue metabolic rate, but to a larger absolute amount of low and high metabolically active tissue including SM, liver and kidney