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Gene expression regulating agent

Gene expression regulating agent description/claims

This is a continuation of Application PCT/JP2005/001718, filed on Feb. 4, 2005.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gene expression regulating agent which comprises astaxanthin and/or its ester as an effective ingredient; and a food and drink having an effect of regulating gene expression comprising astaxanthin and/or its ester.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, an attention has been paid to the relation between the oxidative damage induced by oxidized substances, and coronary heart disease, cancer, aging, or the like, especially, the relation with the deterioration of tissue and the inhibition of enzyme function or gene expression due to the oxidization of molecules within the living body. Inhibition of oxidative damage induced by free radicals may decrease the risk of such degenerative diseases. There are reports on the inhibition of the oxidization of molecules within the living body by natural or synthetic antioxidants.

In recent years, it has been found that astaxanthin, which is a kind of carotenoids as is β-carotene, has a strong antioxidant effect, 100 to 1,000 times as strong as vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and about 40 times as strong as β-carotene. The astaxanthin is a red dye and has long been eaten. It is widely distributed in nature, especially in the ocean and found in, for example, crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, fishes such as salmon and porgy, algae such as green alga Haematococcus, and yeasts such as red yeast Phaffia. The astaxanthin was used to be treated only as a dye; however, since the above-mentioned findings, astaxanthin is expected as a healthy food in the industry.

Astaxanthin has other functional properties, and there are many reports including, for example, anti-inflammatory effect, anti-atherogenic effect, effect to improve ability to remember, effect to adjust diurnal rhythm, immunostimulatory effect, antistress effect, effect to improve muscle endurance, retina protective effect against light-induced damage, effect to improve regulatory function of eyes, effect to improve quality of sperm, and inhibition of induction of bladder cancer. In addition, as for the effect on the skin, effects to inhibit pigmentation, melanin production, and light aging are reported.

It has been reported that administration of astaxanthin into diabetic mice reduces blood glucose level and astaxanthin has an effect on the improvement of diabetic nephropathy (Naito Y. et al; Astaxanthin protects beta-cells against glucose toxicity in diabetic db/db mice. Redox Rep, 7(5), 290-3, 2002.). In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-265136 describes that administration of astaxanthin into diabetic mice reduces the symptom of diabetic nephropathy and provides a food intake system based on the DNA testing of an individual organism.

However, regulation of gene expression by astaxanthin and/or its ester is not known.

The inventors of the present invention searched substances that regulate gene expression in order to solve above-mentioned problems. As a result, they have found that astaxanthin and/or its ester perform to regulate gene expression. The invention has been accomplished based on such findings, and provides a gene expression regulating agent which comprises astaxanthin and/or its ester as an effective ingredient; and a food and drink having an effect of regulating gene expression comprising astaxanthin or an ester thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gene expression regulating agent which comprises astaxanthin and/or its ester as an effective ingredient; and a food and drink having an effect of regulating gene expression comprising astaxanthin or an ester thereof. The agent and the food and drink of the invention is useful for treating, improving, and preventing the disease caused by the promotion of gene expression and the disease caused by the suppression of gene expression by regulating abnormal gene expression.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, inventors of the present invention have investigated vigorously, and have found that astaxanthin and/or its ester has an effect of regulating gene expression. The invention is based on such findings.

Specifically, the invention includes (1) a method for regulating gene expression, including administering at least one of astaxanthin and an ester thereof as an effective ingredient, (2) a method for regulating cytokine-related gene expression, including administering at least one of astaxanthin and an ester thereof as an effective ingredient, (3) a method for regulating TGF-α-related gene expression, including administering at least one of astaxanthin and an ester thereof as an effective ingredient, (4) a method for regulating collagen-related gene expression, including administering at least one of astaxanthin and an ester thereof as an effective ingredient, (5) a method for regulating the expression of gene related to the increase and decrease of muscle cell and bone cell, including administering at least one of astaxanthin and an ester thereof as an effective ingredient, (6) the method for regulating gene expression according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the at least one of astaxanthin and an ester thereof is administered as an effective ingredient in the form of a food or a drink, and (7) a method for using at least one of astaxanthin and an ester thereof in order to produce the gene expression regulating agent of any one of (1) to (6).

FIG. 1 is a photomicrograph of the renal glomerulus of Example 1. db/db, db/db(Ax), and db/m are renal glomeruli of db/db mouse, astaxanthin-administered mouse, and db/m mouse, respectively.

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