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研究グループは、大豆発酵製品であるイムバランスが喘息による気道炎症を抑制する効果があることを動物モデルで明らかにしました。気管支喘息は慢性的な気道炎症により喘鳴や呼吸困難などの症状が現れますが、根本的な治療方法がなく、新たな予防・治療法の確立が望まれています。大豆の摂取とアレルギー疾患との関連は過去にも疫学的に報告されており、大豆の成分に何らかの抗アレルギー作用がある可能性が示唆されています。そこで、本研究グループは、喘息モデルマウスにイムバランスを添加した飼料を与えて気道炎症に及ぼす影響を調査しました。その結果、イムバランス投与群では、BALF(気管支肺胞洗浄液)中の好酸球数が有意に減少し、気管支周囲の炎症や粘液産生が抑制されていることを発見しました。また、好酸球性炎症を誘導するBALF中のTh2サイトカインや血清IgEの発現も有意に抑制されていました。この発見により、今後イムバランスが気管支喘息における治療方法の新規候補として期待されます。, The fermented soy product ImmuBalance contains many active ingredients and its beneficial effects on some allergic diseases have been reported. We hypothesized that ImmuBalance could have potential effects on airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma. Mice sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin developed airway inflammation. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was assessed for inflammatory cell counts and levels of cytokines. Lung tissues were examined for cell infiltration and mucus hypersecretion. Oral administration of ImmuBalance significantly inhibited ovalbumin-induced eosinophilic inflammation and decreased Th2 cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (p < 0.05). In addition, lung histological analysis showed that ImmuBalance inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration and airway mucus production. Our findings suggest that supplementation with ImmuBalance may provide a novel strategy for the prevention or treatment of allergic airway inflammation.

研究グループは、病後や術後の食欲不振に処方される漢方薬「人参養栄湯」がCOPD(慢性閉塞性肺疾患)の骨格筋合併症に効果があることを明らかにしました。加齢や疾患により筋力が衰え、疲れやすくなり家に閉じこもりがちになるなど、健常から要介護へ移行する中間の段階である衰え全般を「フレイル」と呼び、健康寿命増進のための課題として注目されています。COPDは主にタバコ煙を吸入することにより肺胞が破壊されたり気管支が傷害されたりして生じる肺疾患であり、咳や痰、息切れの他にしばしばフレイルの中核である筋萎縮や筋力低下といった「サルコペニア(筋肉減少症)」を合併します。フレイル・サルコペニアはCOPDの予後を悪化させる因子として知られており、COPDによる死亡者数増加の一端を担っていると考えられます。そのため、COPDの骨格筋合併症に対する治療は喫緊の課題ですが、運動療法以外に単独の効果が確立されたものがないのが現状です。本研究では、人参養栄湯投与により骨格筋組織においてPGC-1α発現が亢進し、COPDモデルマウスの骨格筋合併症が改善されることが示されました。COPD患者においても人参養栄湯を摂取することでサルコペニア・フレイルの悪循環を断ち切ることができる可能性が示され、今まで克服が困難であったCOPDの骨格筋合併症の新たな治療戦略として注目されます。, Purpose: Sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, is a common systemic consequence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is correlated with higher mortality. Ninjin’yoeito (NYT) is a Japanese herbal medicine used to treat athrepsia and anorexia and is reported to ameliorate weight loss and muscular dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that its crude components upregulate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α)-related pathway, which is involved in skeletal muscle functions. Here, we examined whether NYT improves skeletal muscle complications by upregulating PGC-1α in COPD model mice. / Materials and Methods: Mice were divided into four groups: control, NYT, smoking, and smoking + NYT. The smoking and smoking + NYT groups were exposed to cigarette smoke for 60 min once daily....

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a pulmonary disease caused by long-term inhalation exposure of harmful substances, mainly cigarette smoke. Oxidative stress is considered as one of the important mechanisms of COPD. Irisin is a kind of myokine secreted from muscle by exercise. Recent studies have shown that irisin acts defensively against oxidative stress via Nrf2, a transcription factor responsible for antioxidant capacity. In this study, we examined emphysema suppression effect of exercise in mice. Methods: Mice were divided into three groups: control, smoking, and exercise+smoking. All mice in smoking and exercise+smoking groups were exposed to cigarette smoking for 60 minutes per session once a day. All mice in exercise+smoking group were adapted to treadmill for 30 minutes per session once a day. After 12 weeks intervention, serum irisin concentration, expression of Nrf2 mRNA and protein in lung homogenate, number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and Mean Liner Intercept (MLI) in lung tissue were examined. Results: Serum irisin concentration and expression of Nrf2 (mRNA and protein) in lung homogenate were significantly elevated in exercise+smoking group compared to control group and smoking group. Proportion of neutrophils in BALF was significantly lower in exercise+smoking group than that in smoking group. MLI was significantly smaller in exercise+smoking group than that in smoking group. Conclusions: Our results suggested that irisin secreted from muscle by exercise might act defensively against oxidative stress via Nrf2, and ameliorate emphysema in lung. Exercise-irisin axis might be a novel target for COPD treatment.