ABSTRACT
Objective biomarkers are crucial in the development of personalized medicines, such as Japanese traditional medicine (Kampo). To date, some objective markers to predict the response of Kampo medicines have been reported, but the information is somewhat limited. The aim of this study was to search for objective markers and combinations thereof to estimate the effect of the Japanese traditional medicine daikenchuto (DKT) on colon contraction intensity in guinea pigs. Specifically, the microbiome biomarkers were employed as candidate, using the Fisher ratio and the nearest neighbor classifier for statistical pattern recognition. The combination of the ratio between gut microbes of family Ruminococcaceae/Rikenellaceae, Ruminococcaceae/Paraprevotellaceae, and genus Ruminococcus/unknown genus in family Rikenellaceae of guinea pig gut microbes was found to influence the activity of DKT with 0.8 accuracy for test samples. These findings suggest that statistical pattern recognition can contribute to identifying target markers of multi-target drugs such as Kampo.
Subject(s)
Microbiota , Panax , Zanthoxylum , Zingiberaceae , Animals , Biomarkers , Guinea Pigs , Japan , Medicine, Traditional , Plant Extracts/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Holoparasitic plants such as Orobanche spp. have lost their photosynthetic ability, so photoresponses to optimize photosynthesis are not necessary in these plants. Photoresponses are also involved in the regulation of plant development but the photoresponses of holoparasites have not been characterized in detail. In this study, the phytochrome (phy)-related photoresponse of Orobanche minor was investigated. Its photoreceptor, phytochrome A (OmphyA), was also characterized. Light effects on germination, shoot elongation, anthocyanin biosynthesis, and OmphyA expression and subcellular localization were analyzed. Red light (R):far-red light (FR) reversible inhibition of O. minor seed germination demonstrated that phy-mediated responses are retained in this holoparasite. Shoot elongation was inhibited by FR but not by R. This pattern is unique among known patterns of plant photoresponses. Additionally, molecular analysis showed that OmphyA is able to respond to the light signals. Interestingly, the unique pattern of photoresponses in O. minor seems to have been modified for adaptation to its parasitic life cycle. We hypothesize that this alteration has resulted from the loss or alteration of some phy-signaling components. Elucidation of altered components in phy signaling in this parasite will provide useful information not only about its physiological characteristics but also about general plant photoreception systems.
Subject(s)
Orobanche/metabolism , Parasites/metabolism , Phytochrome A/metabolism , Animals , Anthocyanins/biosynthesis , Blotting, Western , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Germination/radiation effects , Green Fluorescent Proteins/metabolism , Light , Orobanche/genetics , Orobanche/radiation effects , Parasites/genetics , Parasites/radiation effects , Photoperiod , Phytochrome A/genetics , Plant Shoots/genetics , Plant Shoots/growth & development , Plant Shoots/radiation effects , Protein Transport/radiation effects , Protoplasts/metabolism , Protoplasts/radiation effects , Seeds/growth & development , Seeds/radiation effects , Subcellular Fractions/metabolism , Subcellular Fractions/radiation effects , Time FactorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the normal appearance of the popliteomeniscal fasciculi (PMF) on MRI after the determination of finely tuned imaging parameters. For this purpose we performed the study in two stages. Stage I was to determine suitable parameters for depicting the popliteomeniscal fasciculi. Stage II was to classify the "normal" image. CONCLUSION: The findings presented in this article will contribute to the understanding of the normal appearance of the popliteomeniscal fasciculi on MRI, and of the degree of variation of this structure among the population.
