Bioactivities generated from meat proteins by enzymatic hydrolysis and the Maillard reaction.

Bioactive peptides are released from meat proteins by enzymatic hydrolysis (i.e., gastrointestinal digestion, aging/storage, fermentation, and protease treatment). Such peptides attribute physiological functions to meat and meat products and are promising food ingredients for developing functional foods. Meat by-products (e.g., blood and collagen) are also good sources for generating bioactive peptides, since they are produced in large quantities and are rich in proteins. Although protein-derived bioactive peptides are attractive ingredients, their changes by the Maillard reaction during processing, cooking, and storage should be investigated. This article briefly reviews the production of bioactive peptides from meat and meat by-products. Such diverse peptides affects circulatory, nervous, alimentary, and immune systems. Then, the bioactivities of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) generated from protein hydrolysates are discussed. Special attention is paid to bioactivities of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (DMHF) inhalation. As such activities, we have evaluated the impact of DMHF on blood pressure, moods, brainwaves, and dietary intake. Our efforts for understanding various aspects and implication of peptides and MRPs from meat proteins would open new avenues in the meat and food industry.

DMHF (2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone), a volatile food component with attractive sensory properties, brings physiological functions through inhalation.

2,5-Dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (DMHF) is an aroma compound found in various foods, and used widely in the flavor and perfume industry. Dilute DMHF solutions exhibit a strawberry-like flavor while DMHF concentrates have a caramel-like aroma. DMHF is an important flavor compound contributing to the sensory properties of various natural products and thermally processed foods. DMHF is generated by the Maillard reaction during cooking and processing and affects the palatability of foods. Although Maillard reaction products (e.g., melanoidins) have physiologically positive effects, effects of odors generated from by this reaction are relatively unknown. This chapter initially overviewed the Maillard reaction and the generation of volatile compounds. Then, properties of DMHF, which is an attractive volatile food component, is discussed. We focused particularly on bioactivities of DMHF inhalation in our previous studies.

Bioactive Properties of Maillard Reaction Products Generated From Food Protein-derived Peptides.

Food protein-derived peptides are promising food ingredients for developing functional foods, since various bioactive peptides are released from food proteins. The Maillard reaction, which plays an important role in most processed foods, generates various chemical components during processing. Although changes of amino acids or proteins and reduced sugars by the Maillard reaction have been studied extensively, such changes of peptides by the Maillard reaction are still not resolved enough. Since food protein-derived peptides are widely utilized in many processed foods, it deserves concern and research on the changes of peptides by the Maillard reaction in foods during processing or storage. This chapter initially overviewed food protein-derived bioactive peptides. Then, Maillard reaction products generated from peptides are discussed. We focused particularly on their bioactivities.

Inflammatory pain-induced signaling events following a conditional deletion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in spinal cord dorsal horn.

The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) is one of the mechanisms involved in central sensitization during chronic pain. Previously, this laboratory created a spatio-temporal knockout (KO) of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor I (NR1) subunit in the mouse SCDH. The NR1 KO completely blocks NR1 gene and subsequent NMDA receptor expression and function in SCDH neurons. In the NR1 KO mice, the mechanical and cold allodynia induced at 24 h after complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) was reduced. However, the protective effects of KO were transient and were not seen at 48 h after CFA. These observations suggest the presence of NMDA-independent pathways that contribute to CFA-induced pain. CFA induces the activation of several signaling cascades in the SCDH, including protein kinase C (PKC)gamma and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2). The phosphorylation of PKCgamma and ERK1/2 was inhibited in the SCDH of NR1 KO mice up to 48 h after CFA treatment, suggesting that these pathways are NMDA receptor-dependent. Interestingly, neuronal cyclooxygenase (COX) -2 expression and microglial p38 phosphorylation were induced in the SCDH of the NR1 KO at 48 h after CFA. Our findings provide evidence that inflammatory reactions are responsible for the recurrence of pain after NR1 KO in the SCDH.

Salvage esophagectomy after definitive chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Salvage esophagectomy is performed for esophageal cancer after definitive chemoradiotherapy. The clinical significance and safety of salvage surgery has not been well established. We reviewed 14 cases of salvage esophagectomy following definitive chemoradiotherapy from 1994 through 2005 and investigated complication rates and outcomes. Seven of 14 cases were completely resected with salvage surgery. Operation time and bleeding were greater in patients who experienced incomplete resection (R1/R2). Anastomosis leakage, pulmonary dysfunction and heart failure were recognized in four, two and one patients, respectively. The postoperative complications were more frequent (71.4%) in patients with incomplete resection (R1/R2) than in patients with complete resection (R0) (28.4%). Two patients with complete resection (R0) showed long-term survival. Salvage esophagectomy may be indicated when the tumor can be resected completely after definitive chemotherapy. However, all cases of T4 cancer cannot be resected completely, resulting in a high risk for complications and poor survival.

A method for removing copper from charcoal of waste wood using an electrical current.

The reclamation of resources from wastes, through such activities as recycling various kinds of wastes and finding more ways to use them, is an important part of changing to a sustainable society. It is also important to ensure the safety of products by, for example, removing hazardous substances from recycled items. Wood is a type of demolition waste. The reuse and recycling of wood from demolition have not progressed much. To increase the number of ways of using wood wastes we have examined methods of making carbonized materials from them and using these carbonized materials to control indoor air pollution (Shibano et al., 2002). Research currently underway on ensuring the safety of recycled items includes investigating the behavior and other characteristics of hazardous substances that are, or may very well be, found in recycled items. It is known that the smoke arising from the process of carbonizing wood wastes is mutagenic. However, such mutagenic components become smoke and separate from carbonized materials, and, especially at temperatures of 800 degrees C and higher, they hardly remain in carbonized materials at all (Nakajima et al., 2003, 2004). In the carbonization of wood wastes containing hazardous metals such as CCA (Cr, Cu, As)-treated wood, substances that readily vaporize separate from the carbonized materials. One cannot expect, however, the same removal effect on metals that vaporize with difficulty, such as Cu, making it likely that they remain in the carbonized material (Takahashi et al., 2004). To examine methods of removing hazardous metals which may well remain in carbonized wood wastes, we investigated the removal and recovery of copper from charcoal with a high copper content by applying electricity (direct current) to it.

Effect of the adenovirus E1A gene on nitric oxide production in alveolar epithelial cells.

This study determined the effect of the adenovirus E1A gene on nitric oxide (NO) production in alveolar epithelial (A549) cells. E1A-positive A549 cells (E1A transfectants), E1A-negative A549 cells (control transfectants) and untransfected A549 cells were placed in 96-well tissue culture plates. After stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or cytokine mixture (CM), the biochemical reaction products of NO (nitrite and nitrate) in the culture medium were measured by chemiluminescence. The inducible (iNOS) and the endothelial (eNOS) isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) protein expression were examined by Western blotting. iNOS mRNA expression was examined by Northern blotting and RT-PCR. CM-induced NO production by E1A-positive A549 cells was significantly lower than that of E1A-negative cells (p < 0.0001). LPS stimulation failed to enhance NO production in both cell types. CM induced iNOS protein expression in E1A-negative A549 cells, but not in E1A-positive cells. eNOS protein expression was constitutive and was not affected by CM stimulation, LPS stimulation or E1A. CM induced iNOS mRNA expression in E1A-negative A549 cells, but not in E1A-positive cells. In conclusion, the adenovirus E1A gene suppressed NO production through transcriptional control of the iNOS gene in A549 cells. This inhibition of NO production may enable the virus to persist in human tissue, since NO is an antiviral effector of the innate immune system.

[Mechanism-based pharmacotherapy for cancer pain].

Cancer pain is usually treated by 1) pharmacotherapy, 2) nerve block, 3) radiation therapy, 4) cognitive therapy and 5) alternative medicine. Among these methods, pharmacotherapy is the simplest way to relieve cancer pain without special equipment or special settings. WHO cancer treatment guideline shows morphine is effective to most cancer pain. However, 10-20% of the patients' pain is refractory to morphine. A majority of such refractory pain is due to nerve injury caused by cancer itself or by treatment. Recently, many biological processes involved in the mechanism of neuropathic pain have been elucidated. Pharmacological treatment aimed at blocking such processes should produce specific effects on the pain. Such mechanism-based pharmacotherapy is the most effective way to treat difficult pain.

Destabilization of TNF-alpha mRNA by retinoic acid in hepatic macrophages: implications for alcoholic liver disease.

Retinoic acid (RA) inhibits hepatic macrophage (HM) cytokine expression, and retinoids are depleted in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). However, neither the causal link between the two nor the mechanism underlying RA-mediated HM inhibition is known. The aim of the present study was to determine the mechanism of RA-induced inhibition of HM tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha expression and the relevance of this regulation to ALD. Treatment with all-trans RA (500 nM) caused a 50% inhibition in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated TNF-alpha expression by cultured normal rat HM. The mRNA levels for inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1alpha, and IL-1beta were also reduced, whereas those for transforming growth factor-beta1, MMP-9, and membrane cofactor protein-1 were unaffected. The inhibitory effect on TNF-alpha expression was reproduced by LG268, a retinoid X receptor (RXR)-specific ligand, but not by TTNPB, an RA receptor (RAR)-specific ligand. RA did not alter LPS-stimulated NF-kB and activation protein-1 binding but significantly decreased TNF-alpha mRNA stability in HM. HM isolated from the ALD model showed significant decreases in all-trans RA (-48%) and 9-cis RA (-61%) contents, RA response element (RARE) binding, and mRNA levels for RARbeta, RXRalpha, and cytosolic retinol binding protein-1, whereas TNF-alpha mRNA expression was induced. TNF-alpha mRNA stability was increased in these cells, and an ex vivo treatment with all-trans RA normalized both RARbeta and TNF-alpha mRNA levels. These results demonstrate the RA-induced destabilization of TNF-alpha mRNA by cultured HM and the association of RA depletion with increased TNF-alpha mRNA stability in HM from experimental ALD. These findings suggest that RA depletion primes HM for proinflammatory cytokine expression in ALD, at least in part, via posttranscriptional regulation.

[Successful treatment of hairy cell leukemia with pentostatin].

A 45-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital in August, 1999. Laboratory data showed a white blood cell count of 5,050/microliter with 78% abnormal lymphocytes, hemoglobin 6.8 g/dl, platelets 4.8 x 10(4)/microliter, and soluble IL-2 receptor 97,600/ml. The abnormal cells were characterized by a hairy appearance under phase contrast microscopy, and showed strong tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity. Immunophenotype analysis revealed that these cells were positive for CD11c, CD19 and CD25, and negative for CD5. Bone marrow biopsy showed diffuse proliferation of hairy cells with moderate myelofibrosis. We diagnosed the patient as having European-American-type hairy cell leukemia. Pentostatin was administered at a dose of 5 mg/m2 weekly. After twelve doses, the peripheral blood data returned to the normal range with no hairy cells in the blood or bone marrow, although slight splenomegaly remained. The patient underwent splenectomy in December of the same year, and we were unable to find any hairy cells by histological and immunohistochemical examination. Although most patients with hairy cell leukemia in Japan have the Japanese variant, and the European-American type is rare, pentostatin is as effective as it is for European and American patients.

How is the liver primed or sensitized for alcoholic liver disease?

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2000 ISBRA Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The chairs were Hidekazu Tsukamoto and Yoshiyuki Takei. The presentations were (1) Tribute to Professor Rajendar K. Chawla, by Craig J. McClain; (2) Dysregulated TNF signaling in alcoholic liver disease, by Craig J. McClain, S. Joshi-Barve, D. Hill, J Schmidt, I. Deaciuc, and S. Barve; (3) The role of mitochondria in ethanol-mediated sensitization of the liver, by Anna Colell, Carmen Garcia-Ruiz, Neil Kaplowitz, and Jose C. Fernandez-Checa; (4) A peroxisome proliferator (bezafibrate) can prevent superoxide anion release into hepatic sinusoid after acute ethanol administration, by Hirokazu Yokoyama, Yukishige Okamura, Yuji Nakamura, and Hiromasa Ishii; (5) S-adenosylmethionine affects tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene expression in macrophages, by Rajendar K. Chawla, S. Barve, S. Joshi-Barve, W. Watson, W. Nelson, and C. McClain; (6) Iron, retinoic acid and hepatic macrophage TNFalpha gene expression in ALD, by Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Min Lin, Mitsuru Ohata, and Kenta Motomura; and (7) Role of Kupffer cells and gut-derived endotoxin in alcoholic liver injury, by N. Enomoto, K. Ikejima, T. Kitamura, H. Oide, Y. Takei, M. Hirose, B. U. Bradford, C. A. Rivera, H. Kono, S. Peter, S. Yamashina, A. Konno, M. Ishikawa, H. Shimizu, N. Sato, and R. Thurman.

Alcohol and retinoids.

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2000 ISBRA Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The chairs were Hirokazu Yokoyama and David Crabb. The presentations were (1) Roles of vitamin A, retinoic acid, and retinoid receptors in the expression of liver ALDH2, by J. Pinaire, R. Hasanadka, M. Fang, and David W. Crabb; (2) Alcohol, vitamin A, and beta-carotene: Adverse interactions, by M. A. Leo and Charles S. Lieber; (3) Retinoic acid, hepatic stellate cells, and Kupffer cells, by Hidekazu Tsukamoto, K. Motomura, T. Miyahara, and M. Ohata; (4) Retinoid storage and metabolism in liver, by William Bosron, S. Sanghani, and N. Kedishvili; (5) Characterization of oxidation pathway from retinol to retinoic acid in esophageal mucosa, by Haruko Shiraishi, Hirokazu Yokoyama, Michiko Miyagi, and Hiromasa Ishii; and (6) Ethanol in an inhibitor of the cytosolic oxidation of retinol in the liver and the large intestine of rats as well as in the human colon mucosa, by Ina Bergheim, Ina Menzl, Alexandr Parlesak, and Christiane Bode.

Mechanisms of alcoholic liver disease: cytokines.

This article represents the proceedings of a workshop at the 2000 ISBRA Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The chair was Manuela G. Neuman. The presentations were (1) New aspects of hepatic fibrosis, by D. A. Brenner; (2) Cellular immune response in hepatitis C models, by B. Rehermann; (3) The role of interleukin-10 in acute alcoholic hepatitis, by J. Taieb, S. Chollet-Martin, M. Cohard, J. J. Garaud, and T. Poynard; (4) Cytokine-mediated apoptosis in vitro, by M. G. Neuman; (5) Signaling for apoptosis and repair in vitro, by G. G. Katz, R. G. Cameron, N. H. Shear, and M. G. Neuman; (6) Interferons activate the P42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase and Janus Kinase signal transducers and activation of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathways in hepatocytes: Differential regulation by acute ethanol via a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism, by B. Gao; (7) Genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-1 in association with the development of Japanese alcoholic liver disease, by M. Takamatsu, M. Yamauchi, M. Ohata, S. Saito, S. Maeyama, T. Uchikoshi, and G. Toda; and (8) Increased levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in sera from patients with alcoholic liver diseases, by T. Kumagi, S. M. F. Akbar, M. Abe, K. Michitaka, N. Horiike, and M. Onji.

[Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT)].

gamma-GT is a membrane-bound enzyme which plays a role in the metabolism of glutathione and facilitates amino-acid transport. gamma-GT is located in several tissues such as the kidney, pancreas and liver. Serum gamma-GT activity is induced by hepatobiliary diseases, especially alcoholic liver diseases and cholestasis, not by renal diseases. Isoenzymes specific for hepatocellular carcinoma are demonstrated by electrophoresis. A new method of measuring serum gamma-GT specific for hepatocellular carcinoma was recently reported.

Ethanol patch test: a simple method for identifying the effectiveness of cyanamide in alcoholics.

BACKGROUND: To identify the pharmacological effectiveness of cyanamide, 144 alcoholics treated with cyanamide were subjected to a test that used an acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) inhibitor, the ethanol patch test, which is considered to be a good indicator of ALDH2 phenotype. METHODS: We placed 100 microl of 70% ethanol on a lint pad and, as a control, placed the same volume of distilled water on a second pad. The ethanol patch test was performed on 144 alcoholics more than 2 weeks after abstinence from alcohol before and after treatment with cyanamide for 1 week. The dose of cyanamide was increased up to 150 mg until the patch test yielded a positive result. RESULTS: In the ethanol patch test, 36 alcoholics (25.0%) gave a positive result before treatment with cyanamide and might have been ALDH2(1)/2(2) heterozygotes. Among 108 alcoholics who were not positive, the distribution of the cyanamide dose that yielded a positive ethanol patch test result was 30 mg in 42 cases (38.9%), 50 mg in 33 cases (30.6%), 70 mg in 5 cases (4.6%), 100 mg in 6 cases (5.6%), and 150 mg in 2 cases (1.9%). Prevalence of liver cirrhosis was significantly higher in alcoholics who showed a positive ethanol patch test result at doses of less than 50 mg cyanamide than those at doses more than 70 mg (p = 0.029). The prevalence of adverse effects was significantly higher in alcoholics who showed a positive ethanol patch test result at doses of more than 70 mg than at doses of less than 50 mg cyanamide (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The ethanol patch test is a useful method for identifying pharmacological effectiveness of cyanamide and may reduce the prevalence of side effects in cyanamide-treated alcoholics.

Speciation of selenium compounds with ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry as element-specific detection.

For selenium speciation analysis, the hyphenation of chromatographic separation with element-specific detection has proved a useful technique. A powerful separation system, which is capable of resolving several biologically and environmentally important selenium compounds in a single column, is greatly needed. However, that has been difficult to achieve. In this paper eight selenium compounds, namely, selenite [Se(IV)], selenate [Se(VI)], selenocystine (SeCys), selenourea (SeUr), selenomethionine (SeMet), selenoethionine (SeEt), selenocystamine (SeCM) and trimethylselenonium ion (TMSe+), were separated by using mixed ion-pair reagents containing 2.5 mM sodium 1-butanesulfonate and 8 mM tetramethylammonium hydroxide as a mobile phase. The separation of these anionic, cationic and neutral organic selenium compounds on a LiChrosorb RP18 reversed-phase column took only 18 min at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min with isocratic elution, and baseline separation among the six organic Se compounds was achieved. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed as element-specific detection. A comparison of ICP-MS signal intensity obtained with a Barbington-type nebulizer and with an ultrasonic nebulizer (USN) was made. Different signal enhancement factors were observed for the various selenium compounds when a USN was used. The speciation technique was successfully applied to the study on chemical forms of selenium in a selenium nutritional supplement. Selenomethionine was found to be the predominant constituent of selenium in the supplement.

Autologous blood transfusion in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Homologous blood transfusion (HBT) has the risk of an immunosuppressive effect and may adversely affect the prognosis of patients with carcinomas. Autologous blood transfusion (ABT) has not yet become a standard procedure in gastroenteric cancer surgery. We investigated the usefulness and problems of ABT combined with the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rh-EPO). METHODS: An evaluation of autologous blood transfusion (ABT) combined with recombinant human erythropoietin (rh-EPO) treatment was conducted in 46 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing hepatectomy. Preoperative autologous blood donation (ABD) was accomplished for 25 of the 46 patients. The preoperative changes in hemoglobin and hematocrit in relation to route of administration of erythropoietin were studied. In addition, intraoperative blood requirements and the postoperative complications for patients who predonated were compared with those of patients who underwent surgery without autologous predonation. RESULTS: The proportion of patients not requiring additional homologous blood transfusions (HBT) during operation was significantly higher in the ABD group than in the non-ABD group (88% versus 38%). The incidence of postoperative complications was significantly higher in patients receiving HBT than in nontransfused patients and in those receiving ABT. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative autologous blood donation in combination with rh-EPO therapy markedly reduced the requirement for homologous blood transfusion during surgery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma having hepatectomy.

Changes of serum calcitonin in stress load.

Calcitonin, one of the calcium-regulating hormones, is known to have diverse biological effects including those on the gastrointestinal tract. In this organ, the hormone is reported to inhibit gastric acid secretion, gastric motility, and gastrin secretion and to stimulate release of somatostatin, thereby exerting antiulcer and antilesion effects on stress-induced as well as other types of experimental gastric ulcers or lesions. This fact prompted us to examine changes in serum calcitonin concentration during the development of stress-induced gastric lesions in rats. DA rats were constrained in a stress cage after a 24-h fast and then immersed in 24 degrees C water to the level of the xiphoid process for 2 or 5 h. Serum calcitonin concentrations in stressed rats were significantly lower than those in control rats. To investigate the mechanism of the decline in serum calcitonin level under stress in these rats, we conducted a time-course study of serum calcitonin concentration and ionized calcium level during water-immersion stress, lasting 2 h, and during 4 h following release from the stress. Water immersion caused a remarkable decrease in serum calcitonin concentration as early as at 30 min. After release from stress, serum calcitonin concentration gradually recovered. The ionized calcium level in the blood did not change significantly throughout the experimental period. Furthermore, to examine if the sympathetic nerve system was involved in the stress-induced change of serum calcitonin concentration, alpha- and beta-receptor antagonists were administered intraperitoneally before stress exposure. Administration of alpha-receptor antagonist at a low dose that did not have any effect on serum calcitonin concentration in a preliminary study, restored the decline of serum calcitonin level, whereas beta-receptor antagonist did not. These results suggest that stress-provoked decrease of serum calcitonin concentration may be mediated not by a change of ionized calcium level but by alteration of sympathetic nerve activity (particularly via the alpha-receptor).

RAR and RXR expression by Kupffer cells.

Retinoids are known to modulate macrophage differentiation, proliferation, and function including cytokine gene expression. However, signaling of retinoic acid (RA), a biologically active metabolite of vitamin A, in Kupffer cells has not been characterized. This study reports mRNA expression by rat Kupffer cells of RA receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) subtypes and their binding activities to the RA responsive element (RARE) or retinoid X responsive element (RXRE). Total RNA and nuclear proteins were extracted from Kupffer cells immediately following isolation from livers of normal male Wistar rats. Competitive PCR demonstrated relative mRNA expression of RAR and RXR subtypes in the order of beta>alpha>gamma for and alpha>beta>gamma, respectively. It also demonstrated that the RXR alpha and beta mRNA levels were 5- to 10-fold higher in Kupffer cells than in hepatic stellate cells while RAR mRNA expression was shown to be similar for all the subtypes in both cell types. Gel mobility shift assays of nuclear extracts with labeled RARE and RXRE probes showed distinct binding activities for both responsive elements, which were effectively displaced with cold probes in excess but not with an unrelated oligonucleotide. A supershift assay with an antibody against RARalpha or RXRalpha has confirmed the contribution of both receptors to RARE binding and that of the RXRalpha to RXRE binding activity. These results represent the first demonstration of RA signaling at the nuclear level in Kupffer cells.