- 著者
- Shinichi Okamura Yoshie Sawada Teturou Satoh Hironosuke Sakamoto Yuichiro Saito Hiroyuki Sumino Takako Takizawa Toshiaki Kogure Chiayo Chaichantipyuth Yoshihiro Higuchi Tsutomu Ishikawa Tetsuo Sakamaki
- 出版者
- 東北ジャーナル刊行会
- 雑誌
- The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine (ISSN:00408727)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.216, no.4, pp.341-351, 2008 (Released:2008-12-06)
- 参考文献数
- 34
- 被引用文献数
- 11 29
Impaired lipid metabolism is an important health problem in postmenopausal women with insufficient estrogens, because dyslipidemia is a risk factor for development of atherosclerosis and the incidence of cardiovascular disease markedly increases after menopause. Pueraria mirifica (PM), a Thai herb, has been noticed as a source of phytoestrogens, estrogen-mimicking plant compounds. However, the clinical effects of PM on lipid metabolism and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain undetermined. Therefore, we examined the effects of PM on serum lipid parameters in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Nineteen postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to receive oral administration of PM powder or placebo. After 2 months of treatment, the PM group showed a significant increase in serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo) A-1 (34% and 40%, respectively), and a significant decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apo B (17% and 9%, respectively), compared with baseline measurements. Moreover, significant decreases were observed in the ratios of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (37%) and apo B to apo A-1 (35%). Next, we determined the effects of PM phytoestrogens on the activation of estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated transactivation by transient expression assays of a reporter gene in cultured cells. Among PM phytoestrogens, miroestrol and coumestrol enhanced both ERα- and ERβ-mediated transactivation, whereas other phytoestrogens, including daidzein and genistein, preferentially enhanced ERβ-mediated transactivation. In conclusion, PM has a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism in postmenopausal women, which may result from the activation of gene transcription through selective binding of phytoestrogens to ERα and ERβ.
- 著者
- Yoshihiro Higuchi Toyoki Maeda Jing-Zhi Guan Junichi Oyama Masahiro Sugano Naoki Makino
- 出版者
- 日本循環器学会
- 雑誌
- Circulation Journal (ISSN:13469843)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.73, no.2, pp.274-279, 2009 (Released:2009-01-23)
- 参考文献数
- 36
- 被引用文献数
- 12 41
Background Diagonal earlobe crease (ELC) have been proposed as a marker of generalized atherosclerosis, so in the present study it was investigated whether individuals with ELC have a shortened telomere, which correlates with an accelerated cell turnover and premature aging, leading to atherosclerosis. Methods and Results The mean terminal restriction fragment (TRF) was determined by Southern blot hybridization in the peripheral blood cells of 34 male Japanese patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) who were under 70 years of age with (n=17) and without (n=17) bilateral ELC, and assessed the relationship of ELC to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (AVD). The results showed that the TRF was shorter in the MetS patients with ELC in comparison to age- and risk-factor-matched MetS patients without ELC (7.6±1.1 kbp vs 8.6±1.2 kbp; P<0.05). ELC were present in 13 patients in the AVD group (n=18), but only 4 patients in the non-AVD group (n=16) had ELC (72.2% and 25% respectively; P<0.05). Conclusions These findings suggest that ELC is a useful dermatological indicator of an accelerated aging process, as suggested by excessive telomere loss, and might be a useful indirect marker of high-risk patients. (Circ J 2009; 73: 274 - 279)
- 著者
- Jun-ichi Oyama Toyoki Maeda Makoto Sasaki Kazuya Kozuma Ryuji Ochiai Ichiro Tokimitsu Sachiyo Taguchi Yoshihiro Higuchi Naoki Makino
- 出版者
- The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
- 雑誌
- Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.49, no.23, pp.2553-2559, 2010 (Released:2010-12-01)
- 参考文献数
- 37
- 被引用文献数
- 13 32
Objective Several epidemiological investigations have reported that green tea reduces cardiovascular and cerebral vascular risks. Green tea catechins may improve peripheral endothelial dysfunction in smokers. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the beneficial effect of green tea catechins on the repair of endothelial dysfunction in smokers. Methods Thirty healthy male smokers divided into three groups ingested a green tea beverage containing 0 mg (control group), 80 mg (middle dose group) or 580 mg (high dose group) of green tea catechins (GTC) daily for two weeks, and endothelial-dependent vasodilatation was investigated by measuring forearm blood flow (FBF) response to reactive hyperemia (RH) by venous occlusion strain-gauge plethysmography. Results An acute effect was that the FBF response to RH significantly increased 2 hr after GTC intake in the high dose group. However, no increase was observed in the other groups. The chronic administration of GTC for one or two weeks ameliorated the FBF responses to RH in the high dose group. On the other hand, no significant increase was observed in the FBF responses to RH in the other groups. Moreover, the plasma concentration of 8-OHdG, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and soluble Fas decreased significantly for two weeks in the high dose group, however, the level of IL-1 beta remained unchanged over this period. Conclusion Green tea consumption over short and long periods appears to ameliorate endothelial dysfunction by scavenging free radicals with anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties in healthy male smokers.