JP2006213608A - Antidepressant and use of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medicine, food or beverage improving metabolism in brain, and effective for the prevention and treatment of depression and further the promotion of a relaxed feeling in daily life by utilizing a living body-adjusting function of raspberry, Marjoram or Amla. <P>SOLUTION: This medicine, food or beverage having an antidepressant activity is provided by using the plant bodies of the raspbrry, Marjoram or Amla or extracts obtained by extract-treating the same with water or an organic solvent singly, or with a mixture of them, as active ingredients. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an antidepressant substance obtained from raspberry, marjoram, and amla and uses thereof.

  While the development of an advanced information society has brought us a convenient and abundant life, there are various factors such as a decrease in opportunities for direct communication between people and the loss of values due to the flood of information. Stress was encouraged, resulting in an increase in the number of mentally unstable people regardless of age or sex. Loss of mental health is becoming a major problem, such as being counted as one of the causes of the crime of young people, suicide, and depression, how to maintain mental health and overcome heart disease Social attention has been directed to that.

  In order to improve mental illness such as depression, lifestyle improvement and drug treatment are widely used. However, in improving lifestyle habits, not only the person himself but also the family who is taking care may be forced to maintain self-regulation that is difficult to sustain. Therefore, there is a demand for a simple and safe improvement means that can be accepted. In recent years, various useful substances have been found in foods or natural products equivalent thereto, and functional foods that take advantage of their physiological functions and safety not found in drugs are becoming a boom. Some functional foods are expected to relieve anxiety and tension by affecting the metabolism of the brain and improve motivation. Its effects include increased blood flow in the brain, increased norepinephrine, and serotonin. An increase in the number has been reported so far. These foods are expected to have physiological functions such as relief of mental stress and promotion of relaxation in daily life, in addition to drug action such as improvement of depressive symptoms, to help maintain a healthy mental state, It is expected to be useful for preventing the onset of psychosomatic diseases. In addition, since the effect is expected only by ingesting food, there is an advantage that the lifestyle does not change significantly and the risk of side effects is low as compared with drug treatment.

Marjoram is a perennial herb of the family Lamiaceae that originates in North Africa from the Mediterranean coast. The scientific name is Origanum majorana and the Japanese name is Majorana. Rich in essential oil components, about 40% of them are monoterpenes and about 50% are monoterpene alcohols. These components are said to exhibit antibacterial / antiviral action, tissue regeneration action, anti-inflammatory action, analgesic / sedative action, etc., and have long been known as “all-purpose medicinal herbs”. Furthermore, it has an appetizing fragrance and is widely known as a herb for cooking. It has been used for meat dishes, dishes using tomatoes, cheese and butter, and fragrances for liqueurs and beer.

Rasberry is a shrub of the Rosaceae native to Europe. Its scientific name is Rubus idaeus L. and its Japanese name is European raspberry. Leaves and fruits have been used for the purpose of preventing diarrhea, relaxing, nourishing and promoting labor. Fruits and leaves contain abundant aroma components and are used in beverages, foods, alcoholic beverages, cosmetics, soaps, detergents, bath preparations and the like. Carbonyls greatly contribute to the aroma of raspberry, and α-iron, β-ionone and raspberry ketone are particularly famous. Recently, raspberry ketone has been reported to promote fat burning.
Amla is distributed in India, Indochina, Taiwan, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China, and both wild and cultivated species are found on mountain slopes above 1,500 meters above sea level. A deciduous tree of the Euphorbiaceae family, with the scientific name Emblica officinalis
Gaertn , the Japanese name is Malacca, Indian currant, also known as Armara Key. It contains abundant vitamin C, tannin and polyphenols, and is known for its physiological effects such as nourishing toughness, preventing white hair, and protecting hyaluronic acid and collagen.
As described above, marjoram, raspberry, and amla are known for their various functions, and foods and cosmetics that make use of these are put on the market. There are no reports on the effects at this time.

  In order to prevent and treat psychosomatic diseases, which will become increasingly social problems in Japan, and to increase mental comfort in daily life, it is necessary to find active ingredients from foods or similar foods. . The present invention uses a bioregulatory function of raspberry, marjoram, or amla to improve the metabolism in the brain, prevent or treat depression, and further to provide a drug or food and drink effective for promoting relaxation in daily life. The purpose is to provide.

The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and it has been confirmed by animal experiments that raspberries, marjoram or amla have physiological activities that were not known so far, and the present invention has been completed. It was.
That is, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical / food / drink having an antidepressant effect, comprising as an active ingredient an extract obtained by extracting a raspberry, marjoram or amla plant or these plants with water or an organic solvent alone or a mixture thereof. Provide goods.

  Since the medicinal products and foods and drinks containing the raspberry, marjoram or amla plants of the present invention or extracts thereof have antidepressant action and relaxation promoting action, they alleviate mental stress in daily life and prevent depression. It is useful for treatment.

When raspberry, marjoram or amla plants are used as they are, the leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, trunks or roots are crushed or powdered to an appropriate size in the raw state or after drying.
In extracting the extract, water, alcohol, other organic solvents, or the like is used. A mixture of these may be used. A preferred extraction solvent is water or a mixed solvent of water and alcohol. Extraction is performed by room temperature extraction, heating extraction, or pressure extraction. Generally, it is performed at room temperature to 125 ° C. After extraction from the plant body, the solid and liquid are separated by centrifugation or the like, and further subjected to treatment such as filtration as necessary, followed by concentration by vacuum concentration or the like. Furthermore, it can also be pulverized by vacuum drying, freeze drying or the like. An appropriate excipient may be added during powdering.

The processed plant or extract can be used as an oral medicine, or mixed with a food material to make a food or drink. A raspberry, marjoram or amla plant may be used alone as an active ingredient, or a mixture of these may be used. The property is solid or liquid, and the pharmaceutical is in the form of tablets, capsules, granules, syrups and the like as oral preparations.
When a plant or extract is administered to the human body as a pharmaceutical, an amount of 0.1 to 1000 mg (dry weight) / kg body weight per material, preferably 0.3 to 300 mg (dry weight) / kg body weight The dose is administered orally once to several times a day.

In the case of a food or drink, the food material mixed therewith may be any of solids (powder, flakes, lumps, etc.), semi-solids (jelly, syrup, etc.), or liquids. The content of the plant body or extract per gram of food or drink is preferably 0.3 to 300 mg (dry weight) per material.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Preparation of marjoram extract)
100 g of dried marjoram was finely ground and suspended in 1 L of 50% ethanol and heated to reflux for 2 hours. After cooling at room temperature, insolubles were removed by filtration, concentrated under reduced pressure, and then lyophilized to obtain 11 g of marjoram extract.

(Preparation of raspberry extract)
100 g of dried raspberry was finely pulverized and suspended in 1 L of 50% ethanol and heated to reflux for 2 hours. After cooling at room temperature, insolubles were removed by filtration, concentrated under reduced pressure, and lyophilized to obtain 12 g of raspberry extract.

(Preparation of Amla extract)
100 g of dried amla was finely pulverized and suspended in 1 L of 50% ethanol and heated to reflux for 2 hours. After cooling at room temperature, insolubles were removed by filtration, concentrated under reduced pressure, and then lyophilized to obtain 15 g of raspberry extract.

(Tablets and capsules)
Marjoram extract 10.0g
Lactose 75.0g
Magnesium stearate 15.0g
Total 100.0g
The above respective parts by weight were uniformly mixed, and tablets and capsules were prepared according to a conventional method.

(Tablets and capsules)
Raspberry extract 10.0g
Lactose 75.0g
Magnesium stearate 15.0g
Total 100.0g
The above respective parts by weight were uniformly mixed, and tablets and capsules were prepared according to a conventional method.

(Tablets and capsules)
Amla extract 10.0g
Lactose 75.0g
Magnesium stearate 15.0g
Total 100.0g
The above respective parts by weight were uniformly mixed, and tablets and capsules were prepared according to a conventional method.

(Powder, granule)
Marjoram extract 20.0g
Starch 30.0g
Lactose 50.0g
Total 100.0g
Each said weight part was mixed uniformly, and it was set as the powder and the granule according to the conventional method.

(Powder, granule)
Raspberry extract 20.0g
Starch 30.0g
Lactose 50.0g
Total 100.0g
Each said weight part was mixed uniformly, and it was set as the powder and the granule according to the conventional method.

(Powder, granule)
Amla extract 20.0g
Starch 30.0g
Lactose 50.0g
Total 100.0g
Each said weight part was mixed uniformly, and it was set as the powder and the granule according to the conventional method.

(candy)
Sucrose 20.0g
Chickenpox (75% solids) 65.0g
9.5g of water
Coloring 0.45g
Perfume 0.05g
Marjoram extract 5g
Total 100.0g
Using each component of each of the above parts by weight, it was made into a candy according to a conventional method.

(candy)
Sucrose 20.0g
Chickenpox (75% solids) 65.0g
9.5g of water
Coloring 0.45g
Perfume 0.05g
Raspberry extract 5g
Total 100.0g
Using each component of each of the above parts by weight, it was made into a candy according to a conventional method.

(candy)
Sucrose 20.0g
Chickenpox (75% solids) 65.0g
9.5g of water
Coloring 0.45g
Perfume 0.05g
Amla extract 5g
Total 100.0g
Using each component of each of the above parts by weight, it was made into a candy according to a conventional method.

(juice)
Concentrated tangerine juice 15.0g
Fructose 4.9g
Citric acid 0.2g
Fragrance 0.1g
0.15 g of color
Sodium ascorbate 0.05g
Marjoram extract 0.1g
79.5g of water
Total 100.0g
Using each component of the above-mentioned parts by weight, juice was prepared according to a conventional method.

(juice)
Concentrated tangerine juice 15.0g
Fructose 4.9g
Citric acid 0.2g
Fragrance 0.1g
0.15 g of color
Sodium ascorbate 0.05g
Raspberry extract 0.1g
79.5g of water
Total 100.0g
Using each component of the above-mentioned parts by weight, juice was prepared according to a conventional method.

(juice)
Concentrated tangerine juice 15.0g
Fructose 4.9g
Citric acid 0.2g
Fragrance 0.1g
0.15 g of color
Sodium ascorbate 0.05g
Amla extract 0.1g
79.5g of water
Total 100.0g
Using each component of the above-mentioned parts by weight, juice was prepared according to a conventional method.

(barley tea)
Barley tea 5.0g
Marjoram extract 3.0g
2992 g of water
Total 3000g
Using each component of each of the above parts by weight, after extracting barley tea components according to a conventional method,
Sodium ascorbate 1.8g
To make barley tea.

(barley tea)
Barley tea 5.0g
Raspberry extract 3.0g
2992 g of water
Total 3000g
Using each component of each of the above parts by weight, after extracting barley tea components according to a conventional method,
Sodium ascorbate 1.8g
To make barley tea.

(barley tea)
Barley tea 5.0g
Amla Extract 3.0g
2992 g of water
Total 3000g
Using each component of each of the above parts by weight, after extracting barley tea components according to a conventional method,
Sodium ascorbate 1.8g
To make barley tea.
In Example 4-18, any one of raspberry, marjoram, and amla was used, but two or three of them can be used in combination.

(Antidepressant / motivating action)
For the test, male ddY mice having a body weight of 22 to 30 g purchased from Japan SLC were used. Tap water was poured into a 200 mL beaker to a depth of 8 cm, and the temperature was maintained at 22 ° C. using warm water or cold water as appropriate. The mouse was placed in the beaker and allowed to swim for 15 minutes. After 24 hours, the administration solution containing 10% (w / v) test material (marjoram extract and raspberry extract) was orally administered to mice at 10 mL / kg, and 30 minutes later, the same conditions as described above were applied for 6 minutes I swam the mouse. From 2 minutes after the start of swimming, it was observed whether the mouse moved its limbs underwater for 4 minutes, and the time during which the movement was shown was summed up to be “spontaneous swimming time”. In general, it is known that spontaneous swimming time of a mouse is prolonged by ingestion of a substance having an antidepressant action or motivation improving action.
As shown in Table 1, spontaneous swimming time of mice was prolonged by administration of marjoram extract, raspberry extract, or amla extract.

(Increased brain amine)
For the test, male ddY mice having a body weight of 22 to 30 g purchased from Japan SLC were used. Mice were orally administered 10 mL / kg of a liquid containing 10% (w / v) test material (marjoram extract and raspberry extract), and 60 minutes later, the brain was removed and the striatum was collected. The striatum was homogenized in 10 times (w / v) physiological saline, and then dechlorinated by adding perchloric acid. After adjusting the pH to 3.5 by adding sodium acetate, the concentrations of serotonin and norepinephrine were measured by liquid chromatography.
As shown in Table 2, the administration of marjoram extract, raspberry extract, or amla extract increased serotonin and norepinephrine concentrations in the brain.

According to the present invention, a substance having an antidepressant action, brain serotonin, and norepinephrine-increasing action can be obtained using marjoram, raspberry or amla as raw materials. Furthermore, it could be easily used as a material for medicines and foods and drinks.

Claims (7)

An antidepressant substance having an antidepressant action, comprising as an active ingredient an extract obtained by extraction from water or an organic solvent alone or a mixture thereof from at least one plant body of raspberry, marjoram, or amra, or a mixture thereof. 2. The antidepressant substance according to claim 1, which has an action of increasing the amount of norepinephrine in the brain. 2. The antidepressant substance according to claim 1, which has an action of increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain. Extracts obtained by extracting from raspberry, marjoram, or amla plants or plants with water or an organic solvent alone, or a mixture thereof, as an active ingredient, are characterized by increasing the amount of norepinephrine in the brain. Brain metabolism improving agent. Extracts obtained by extracting from water or an organic solvent alone or a mixture thereof from at least one plant of raspberry, marjoram, or amla, or an mixture thereof, as an active ingredient, characterized by increasing serotonin in the brain Brain metabolism improving agent. A pharmaceutical comprising the antidepressant substance according to any one of claims 1-3. The food-drinks containing the antidepressant substance of any one of Claims 1-3.