ABSTRACT
Koji, which is manufactured by proliferating non-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus oryzae on steamed rice, is the base for Japanese traditional fermented foods. We have revealed that koji and related Japanese fermented foods and drinks such as amazake, shio-koji, unfiltered sake and miso contain abundant glycosylceramide. Here, we report that feeding of koji glycosylceramide to obese mice alters the cholesterol metabolism . Liver cholesterol was significantly decreased in obese mice fed with koji glycosylceramide. We hypothesized that their liver cholesterol was decreased because it was converted to bile acids. Consistent with the hypothesis, many bile acids were increased in the cecum and feces of obese mice fed with koji glycosylceramide. Expressions of CYP7A1 and ABCG8 involved in the metabolism of cholesterol were significantly increased in the liver of mice fed with koji glycosylceramide. Therefore, it was considered that koji glycosylceramide affects the cholesterol metabolism in obese mice.
Subject(s)
Ceramides/administration & dosage , Cholesterol/metabolism , Fermented Foods , ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 8/metabolism , Animals , Aspergillus oryzae/metabolism , Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism , Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase/metabolism , Japan , Lipoproteins/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, ObeseABSTRACT
We treated a 77-year-old woman with pleural and pericardial effusion and ascites. Initially, collagen vascular disease was suspected due to the presence of anti-centromere antibodies and suspected complication of pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, soft-tissue abnormalities surrounding the bilateral kidneys detected on computed tomography (CT) and symmetrical lesions of the long bones detected on bone scintigraphy made us consider a diagnosis of Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), which is a rare form of histiocytosis. We immunochemically analyzed the cells derived from the ascites in detail and confirmed the diagnosis. Immunocytochemical analyses may therefore help to achieve a better understanding of the pathogenesis of this rare disease.
Subject(s)
Erdheim-Chester Disease/immunology , Erdheim-Chester Disease/pathology , Aged , Antigens, CD/metabolism , Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic/metabolism , Ascites/immunology , Ascites/pathology , Bone and Bones/diagnostic imaging , Diagnosis, Differential , Erdheim-Chester Disease/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Ki-67 Antigen/metabolism , Kidney/pathology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Radionuclide Imaging , Receptors, Cell Surface/metabolism , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
A patient with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) resistant to multiple drugs was treated in our hospital. Even biologics that block tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were ineffective. However, this patient responded quite well to tocilizumab, an interleukin (IL)-6 receptor blocker, suggesting that it is among the promising candidate drugs for multiple-drug resistant AOSD. Although the serum levels of most inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin were reduced promptly by tocilizumab, that of IL-18 remained high. Thus, IL-18 is considered to have a further upstream position than IL-6 or to be at the same level as IL-6 in the inflammatory cascade of AOSD. This finding casts light on the pathogenesis of AOSD, and drugs that target IL-18 may prove beneficial in the treatment of this inflammatory disease.