Effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid on a murine model of diet-induced obesity.

The effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) on obesity were investigated using a murine model (diet-induced obese mice). Diet-induced obese mice were divided into 4 groups: a control group (C group), which was fed a high-fat diet; a low-5-ALA dose (10 mg/kg/day) group (10A group); a moderate-5-ALA dose (30 mg/kg/day) group (30A group); and a high-5-ALA dose (100 mg/kg/day) group (100A group). 5-ALA was administered by mixing the high fat diet for 8 weeks. Body weight increases in the 30A and 100A groups were significantly smaller compared with those of the C group. Body fat measurements by X-ray computed tomography indicated that the 100A group showed a tendency toward low visceral fat quantities during the final week of the study. Visceral fat weights in the 30A and 100A groups were slightly low. The levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total cholesterol (TC) in the 10A group was slightly low, whereas the 30A and 100A groups showed significantly lower ALT and TC values. Liver lipid concentration showed a dose-dependent decrease with ALA. Thus, in this diet-induced obese murine model, administration of 5-ALA had a significantly beneficial impact on the visceral fat, serum ALT and TC, and liver lipid concentration.

Type 2 diabetic conditions in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats are ameliorated by 5-aminolevulinic acid.

A precursor of protoporphyrin IX, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is used as a prodrug for photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy. Recently, it has been shown that 5-ALA reduces glucose levels during fasting and after glucose loading in prediabetic subjects. We hypothesized that 5-ALA ameliorates diabetic conditions through mitochondrial changes in visceral adipose tissue. In order to explore the metabolic effects on the type 2 diabetic state, we administered ALA hydrochloride in combination with sodium ferrous citrate to Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats at intragastric doses of 20 and 300 mg kg(-1) d(-1) for 6 weeks. The administration of 300 mg kg(-1) d(-1) of 5-ALA improved glucose intolerance, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperleptinemia in OLETF rats more effectively than the administration of an equivalent dose of metformin, in accordance with reductions in food intake and body weight. Furthermore, the weight of the retroperitoneal fat tended to decrease and cellular mitochondrial content of the fat was markedly reduced by the 5-ALA administration, showing a positive correlation. These results suggest that 5-ALA ameliorates diabetic abnormalities in OLETF rats by reducing the visceral fat mass and mitochondrial content of adipocytes in a site-specific manner.

Disruption of ptsG gene and manXYZ operon of ethanol-producing Escherichia coli KO11: Effects on glucose and xylose utilization and ethanol production.

Ethanol-producing Escherichia coli strain KO11 consumed 99% of the glucose and only 13% of the xylose in a mixture of glucose (60g/L) and xylose (40g/L) during the 72-h fermentation at 30°C. The deletion mutants ΔptsG, ΔmanXYZ, and ΔptsG/manXYZ utilized 42%, 78%, and 35% of the glucose and 50%, 32%, and 32% of the xylose, respectively.

Oral administration of the extract from Hatakeshimeji (Lyophyllum decastes sing.) mushroom inhibits the development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

We examined whether the extract from Hatakeshimeji (Lyophyllum decastes, LD) mushrooms suppresses the development of atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions induced by repeated application of picryl chloride (PiCl) in NC/Nga mice. Oral administration of LD extract to NC/Nga mice inhibited the development of AD-like skin lesions based on lower total skin severity scores and serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. Splenic lymphocytes were stimulated with the T cell mitogen concanavalin A, and secretion of a Th1 cytokine (IFN-gamma) and a Th2 cytokine (IL-4) was determined by ELISA. IFN-gamma production was not inhibited by treatment with LD extract. On the other hand, IL-4 production was significantly decreased by treatment with LD extract. These results suggest that LD extract exerts anti-allergic actions by suppressing the serum IgE and Th2-type immune responses.