- 著者
- Masahiko Umei Hiroshi Akazawa Akiko Saga-Kamo Hiroki Yagi Qing Liu Ryo Matsuoka Hiroshi Kadowaki Akito Shindo Ayaka Nakashima Kosuke Yasuda Kengo Suzuki Issei Komuro
- 出版者
- The Japanese Circulation Society
- 雑誌
- Circulation Reports (ISSN:24340790)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.4, no.2, pp.83-91, 2022-02-10 (Released:2022-02-10)
- 参考文献数
- 40
- 被引用文献数
- 1
Background:Patients with heart failure (HF) often experience gastrointestinal problems such as constipation, diarrhea, and disturbances to drug absorption. In HF, hypoperfusion and congestion cause structural and functional changes in the gut, which, in turn, lead to impaired cardiac function.Euglena gracilisZ (hereafter “Euglena”), calledMidorimushiin Japanese, is a microalga that is used as a food or nutritional supplement. It is unclear whether Euglena is beneficial for bowel habitus and cardiac function in subjects with HF.Methods and Results:We injected C57BL/6 male mice subcutaneously with isoproterenol (ISO) (20 mg/kg/day) for 7 days to examine bowel movement in HF. Euglena was orally administered to mice on anad libitum-feeding to a normal chow containing 2% dietary mixture. ISO induced a decrease in bowel movement and an increase in fecal retention in the cecum, as well as a decrease in left ventricular (LV) contraction. Euglena accelerated intestinal transit, relieved fecal retention, and prevented the alterations in gut pathology in ISO-treated mice. Euglena also suppressed ISO-induced decreases in LV contraction, although it had no significant effect on LV hypertrophy.Conclusions:The results suggested that oral administration of Euglena alleviated constipation and cardiac dysfunction in a mouse model of ISO-induced HF, and highlight the potential clinical benefit of Euglena in patients with HF in preventing constipation and contractile deterioration.
- 著者
- Ayaka NAKASHIMA Koji YAMADA Osamu IWATA Ryota SUGIMOTO Kohei ATSUJI Taro OGAWA Naoko ISHIBASHI-OHGO Kengo SUZUKI
- 出版者
- Center for Academic Publications Japan
- 雑誌
- Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology (ISSN:03014800)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.64, no.1, pp.8-17, 2018 (Released:2018-02-28)
- 参考文献数
- 84
- 被引用文献数
- 139
β-Glucans are a class of polysaccharides consisting of D-glucose units that are polymerized primarily via the β-1,3 glycosidic bonds, in addition to the β-1,4 and/or β-1,6 bonds. They are present in various food products such as cereals, mushrooms, and seaweeds and are known for their numerous effects on the human body, depending on their structures, which are diverse. The major physicochemical properties of β-glucans include their antioxidant property, which is responsible for the scavenging of reactive oxygen species, and their role as dietary fiber for preventing the absorption of cholesterol, for promoting egestion, and for producing short-chain fatty acids in the intestine. Dietary β-glucans also exert immunostimulatory and antitumor effects by activation of cells of the mucosal immune system via β-glucan receptors, such as dectin-1. In this review, we elaborate upon the diversity of the structures and functions of β-glucans present in food, along with discussing their proposed mechanisms of action. In addition to the traditional β-glucan-containing foods, recent progress in the commercial mass cultivation and supply of an algal species, Euglena gracilis, as a food material is briefly described. Mass production has enabled consumption of paramylon, a Euglena-specific novel β-glucan source. The biological effects of paramylon are discussed and compared with those of other β-glucans.