JP2007045751A - Liver function-activating agent - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agent or a food or a beverage excellent in effects and capable of effectively preventing disorder of liver functions by daily taking them and to provide an alcohol metabolism promoter capable of preventing and ameliorating various kinds of adverse effects accompanied by intake of alcoholic beverage. <P>SOLUTION: The liver function-activating agent comprises, as an active ingredient, a composition obtained from asparagus obtained by finely cutting asparagus with a blender, mixing the finely cut asparagus with water and carrying out heat treatment of the mixture for 1 hr at 100°C in an autoclave, cooling the heat-treated material to a room temperature, mixing the material with an enzyme (protease), carrying out shaking treatment of the mixture for 6 hrs at 37°C by using a shaking type incubator, filtering the resultant treated liquid and concentrating the resultant pale-brown extract under reduced pressure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liver function activator or a food or drink containing the same.

  The liver is the largest organ in the human body, and is extremely important for the metabolism and storage of sugar, amino acids and lipids, metabolism of vitamins, decomposition and detoxification of unwanted and toxic substances, bile production, blood flow regulation, etc. It is an organ. These functions cause damage due to viral infection, excessive alcohol consumption, disturbed diet, smoking, stress, etc., and when symptoms progress, acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis Causes serious diseases such as liver cancer.

  Further, as described above, one of the functions of the liver is decomposition of unnecessary materials / toxic substances, and the unnecessary materials / toxic substances include alcohol. Alcoholic beverages have been enjoyed and enjoyed in various forms such as sake, shochu, wine, whiskey, and beer throughout the world since ancient times. In addition, moderate drinking contributes to the maintenance and enhancement of physical health, such as increased appetite, relaxation of vascular smooth muscles and associated blood flow, enabling mood change, relaxation, chatting and smooth communication, etc. It also contributes to the maintenance and promotion of mental and social health.

  When alcohol (ethanol) drink is ingested, the alcohol absorbed in the stomach and small intestine enters the blood and reaches the brain, acts on the central nervous system of the brain, paralyzes the brain function and relaxes the mood. Blood alcohol is detoxified in the liver. First, ethanol is oxidized and converted to acetaldehyde by the action of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). Acetaldehyde is further oxidized and converted into acetic acid by the action of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Acetaldehyde is highly toxic, and if it is not metabolized sufficiently and remains in the body, it causes sickness symptoms such as skin flushing, heat, palpitation, tachycardia, nausea, headache, bad breath, and urine collection.

  Mongoloids, including Japanese, are genetically found in about 50% of people with ALDH (type I) deficiency, and are considered to be weaker than alcohol compared to Westerners. In fact, it has been confirmed that the acetaldehyde concentration in blood after alcohol intake in ALDH-deficient persons is significantly higher than those in which this enzyme works normally. In addition, long-term alcohol consumption affects the metabolism of fat and lactic acid, leading to diseases such as fatty liver, cirrhosis and gout.

  Conventionally, liver regeneration promoters such as protoporphyrin disodium preparations, thiopronin preparations, glycyrrhizin preparations, diisopropylamine dichloroacetate preparations, anti-inflammatory agents, and antidote agents have been used as therapeutic agents for liver diseases. It is not a therapeutic drug that cures liver disease fundamentally, and there is also a risk of side effects. In addition, as an agent that activates liver function, amino acid preparations, glutathione, or herbal medicines are used such as turmeric, ginseng, maria thistle, oyster extract, liver extract, etc., but the effect is weak and large intake However, it was not satisfactory because it was necessary. Under such circumstances, it is desired to develop a drug or a food or drink that can prevent or treat liver dysfunction by ingesting daily, and the present invention provides such a drug or food or drink.

  In addition, as conventionally used substances or foods for preventing or reducing drunkness, branched chain amino acids (BCAA) such as methylpyrazole, alanine, ornithine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine are known. . For folk remedies, sesame extract containing sesamin, swordfish extract containing ornithine, and the like are also used. Examples of therapeutic agents for liver damage include protoporphyrin-based preparations, glucuronic acid preparations, and amino acid preparations such as arginine hydrochloride. Among these, methylpyrazole and proline suppress ADH and suppress the production of acetaldehyde, but ethanol remains in the body for a long time (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, alanine alleviates death due to acute alcoholic liver injury (for example, Patent Document 2), ornithine improves the detoxification and excretion function of ammonia in the liver in hepatic coma (for example, Patent Document 3), BCAA is a hepatic coma patient There is a knowledge that it is effective for rapid recovery of the condition (for example, Patent Document 4).

  However, these methods have been problematic in that they require large intakes, are limited to use as pharmaceuticals, are symptomatic drugs, and have strong side effects.

  On the other hand, asparagus is a component of the liver function activator described above and contains abundant glutathione, which is an alcohol metabolism-promoting component, and also contains a lot of aspartic acid that promotes metabolism and promotes protein metabolism. The effects of functional enhancement and alcohol metabolism promotion have been suggested at the private level.

However, it is suggested that glutathione is broken down into amino acids in the digestive tract when taken orally, and even if it enters the blood vessels, it is suggested that it is transferred to the bile and transported again to the small intestine. The effect is questioned. In addition, glutathione, although rare, can cause anaphylactic shock, which is not preferable.
Japanese Patent No. 3479986 Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-5459 Japanese Patent Publication No.41-9316 Japanese Patent Publication No.57-29446

  The present invention reduces the above-mentioned problems and activates liver function, that is, has an effect of promoting alcohol metabolism that can prevent and ameliorate various side effects associated with ingestion of alcoholic beverages, and also has an effect of preventing and improving antialcoholic liver damage. It aims to provide what it has.

  As a result of intensive studies on the above-described problems, the present inventors have heated asparagus to remove glutathione and obtained an extract, and found that the extract also has a strong liver function activation effect. Moreover, as a result of discovering that the liver function activation effect is superior to that of aspartic acid alone in the same amount as in the extract, and diligently researching the asparagus heated extract, γ-aminobutyric acid (hereinafter abbreviated as GABA). ), And the present invention has been reached. Incidentally, the present inventors have found for the first time that asparagus is rich in GABA (Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-301557).

  That is, the first aspect of the present invention is a liver function activator characterized by comprising a composition obtained from asparagus as an active ingredient, preferably a composition obtained from asparagus, Asparagus is subjected to an enrichment treatment to increase the GABA content.

  Moreover, the 2nd of this invention makes the summary the food / beverage products characterized by containing the said liver function activator.

  According to the present invention, liver function can be effectively activated, and liver damage can be improved / prevented. In addition, according to the present invention, alcohol can be metabolized effectively, and from mild side effects such as hangover, nausea and headache when ingesting alcoholic beverages, improvement of liver disorders such as alcoholic fatty liver and cirrhosis Prevention is possible.

  First, the liver function in the present invention means all the functions of the liver and is not particularly limited. The liver function activator of the present invention has an effect of activating liver function, and activation of liver function as used in the present invention refers to liver such as activation / maintenance / improvement of liver function and prevention / improvement of liver damage. In addition to not reducing the function, it also includes therapeutic effects such as acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver failure, cirrhosis, fatty liver, etc. Specifically, it is a test item of liver fat accumulation prevention, liver function Γ-GTP, GOT, GPT, ALP increase suppression, blood neutral fat associated with decreased liver function, blood LDL-cholesterol increase suppression, alcohol degradation metabolism promotion, hangover and nausea It is used to include all effects such as prevention of headaches, prevention of alcoholic fatty liver and cirrhosis, and improvement.

  The asparagus used in the present invention may be any as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention. Asparagus is green asparagus grown under sunlight, white asparagus cultivated while shading with soil, etc., mini asparagus that cuts in a thin and short period, and purple asparagus that is different from green asparagus. Among them, green asparagus and murasakia paragas rich in nutrient components such as amino acids and rutin are preferable, and green asparagus is more preferable because of its low cost.

  The production area of asparagus is not particularly limited, and it may be domestically produced or imported from overseas. The part to be used is not particularly limited, and young stems, above-ground stems, and storage roots can be used. Among these, young stems are preferable. The young stem may be the root portion or the tip portion, but the root portion cut when aligning the length of the asparagus as the product is most preferable because it can be obtained at low cost. Asparagus may be used as it is, or may be used after processing such as crushing, cutting, freeze-drying and dehydration.

  The composition obtained from asparagus used in the present invention refers to a composition containing GABA obtained from asparagus. For example, asparagus is directly crushed, shredded, dehydrated, freeze-dried, vacuum dried, and spray dried. It can be obtained by processing any one or a combination of two or more known techniques.

  Crushing / chopping is a method of physically crushing asparagus finely, crushing by impact, and crushing by cutting. Grinding and shredding may be performed manually using a mortar, kitchen knife, cutter knife, scissors, or the like, but an apparatus is used when a large amount of asparagus is to be processed in a short time. Examples of such an apparatus include a mill, a hammer type pulverizer, a mixer, a blender, and the like, and a vegetable shredding machine may be used. The size of the crushed and shredded asparagus is not particularly limited, but is preferably 2 cm or less, and more preferably 5 mm or less.

  Dehydration is an operation for removing moisture in asparagus, and examples thereof include squeezing, filtration, separation of a precipitate by standing, centrifugation, heat evaporation, freeze drying, vacuum drying, spray drying, and the like. Of these, freeze-drying is preferred in that the possibility of component loss, decomposition, and alteration is low.

  Freeze drying and vacuum drying are methods in which the atmospheric pressure is lowered to lower the boiling point and vaporize water. Spray drying is an operation that enables drying in a short time by atomizing the solution and bringing it into contact with hot air.

  In the present invention, in addition to the above treatment, it is preferable to incorporate a heating operation in order to remove glutathione. In this heating operation, the temperature is preferably 70 ° C to 100 ° C, and more preferably 80 ° C to 90 ° C. If the temperature is lower than 70 ° C., the decomposition of glutathione becomes insufficient, and if it is higher than 100 ° C., other active ingredients may be decomposed. Further, the heating time is preferably 5 minutes to 30 minutes, more preferably 10 to 15 minutes. If the heating time is shorter than 5 minutes, the decomposition of glutathione becomes insufficient, and if it is longer than 30 minutes, other active ingredients may be decomposed. This heating operation also serves as sterilization.

  As a preferable example of the combination of the above treatments, a heat treatment of asparagus, lyophilization, and pulverization with a mill or the like is preferable.

  In addition, the composition obtained from asparagus in the present invention is known from the above treatments such as water extraction, solvent extraction, pressing, enzymatic decomposition, supercritical extraction, concentration, dilution, solid-liquid separation, purification, etc. These techniques may be obtained singly or in combination. Hereinafter, these operations will be described. Also in this case, it is preferable to incorporate a heating operation similar to the above when the above heating operation is not performed.

  Water extraction is a method in which water is added to elute components. The amount of water to be added is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 to 100 times, more preferably 0.5 to 5 times the amount of asparagus. When the amount of water is less than 0.01 times, the extraction efficiency is lowered, and when it is more than 100 times, only a thin extract can be obtained and a concentration operation may be required later. Moreover, 0 to 100 degreeC is preferable and the temperature of the water to be used has more preferable 10 to 80 degreeC. When the temperature of water is lower than 0 ° C., the extraction efficiency tends to decrease, and when the extraction temperature is higher than 100 ° C., active ingredients other than GABA may be decomposed.

  Solvent extraction is a method of extraction using an organic solvent such as alcohols, hydrocarbons and lipids, and the organic solvent used is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired, and may be used alone. In addition, it may be used by mixing with other solvents, or may be used by mixing with water. Examples of preferred organic solvents include ethanol, methanol, propanol, butanol, hexane, acetone, glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester, ethyl ether, methyl ethyl ketone, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO ), N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC), and more preferably ethanol, hexane, acetone, DMSO, and glycerin. The amount of the organic solvent to be added is not particularly limited by the type of the organic solvent, but is preferably 0.01 to 100 times, more preferably 0.5 to 5 times that of asparagus. When the amount of the organic solvent is less than 0.01 times, the extraction efficiency is lowered. Moreover, the temperature of the organic solvent to be used is preferably -20 ° C to 200 ° C, more preferably 0 ° C to 120 ° C. When the temperature of the organic solvent is lower than −20 ° C., the extraction efficiency tends to decrease, and when the extraction temperature is higher than 200 ° C., the active ingredient may be decomposed.

  Squeezing is a method in which physical pressure is applied to asparagus to squeeze the liquid and transfer GABA to the juice. The pressure may be applied only in one direction, may be applied from two or more directions, and may be accompanied by a shearing force. Although the operation of pressing is easy if a commercially available pressing machine is used, it may be performed by a method that does not use a machine such as hand pressing or stepping. At this time, water or hot water may be added to asparagus and squeezed.

  Enzymatic decomposition is a method in which an enzyme is allowed to act on asparagus and then separated into solid and liquid to transfer GABA to a filtrate. Here, the enzyme is not particularly limited as long as the effect of the present invention is not impaired, but an enzyme that can be used for food is preferable in consideration of use for food. The type of enzyme is not particularly limited, but cellulase, hemicellulase, pectinase, xylanase, arabinase, arabanase, arabanase, amylase, glucanase, etc., in order to decompose asparagus fiber, pectin, polysaccharide, etc. In order for dextranase to degrade proteins and recover many free amino acids, protease, peptidase, etc. to convert glutamic acid to GABA, glutamic acid decarboxylase, etc. to convert glutamine to glutamic acid Glutaminase and the like can be used. In the enzymatic degradation in the present invention, only one kind of the above-described enzymes may be used, or two or more kinds may be used simultaneously or successively.

  In supercritical extraction, carbon dioxide or water is brought to a pressure and temperature above the gas-liquid critical point to make it a supercritical fluid with active molecular motion, and this is used as an extraction solvent. In the present invention, the supercritical fluid is preferably carbon dioxide. The temperature during supercritical extraction is preferably 31 ° C to 150 ° C, more preferably 31 ° C to 100 ° C. When the temperature is higher than this range, there is a possibility that useful components are decomposed. When the temperature is lower than this range, there is a problem that the extraction efficiency is lowered. Moreover, the pressure at the time of performing supercritical extraction is preferably 7 MPa to 50 MPa, and more preferably 7 MPa to 30 MPa. When the pressure is higher than this range, there is a problem in decomposition of useful components, high cost, and safety, and when the pressure is lower than this range, the extraction efficiency tends to decrease.

  Concentration is an operation to reduce the amount of water without reducing other components, and may be performed by any method such as vacuum concentration, heat concentration, concentration using a filtration membrane, but in the range of 20 ° C to 60 ° C. It is preferable to carry out concentration under reduced pressure.

  Solid-liquid separation is a method that separates the solvent and components dissolved in it from insoluble solids. For example, any method such as filter filtration, squeeze filtration, centrifugation, or decantation can be used. it can. When obtaining a clear GABA-containing composition, it is preferable to perform filter filtration using a filter aid such as diatomaceous earth. Moreover, when obtaining a clearer liquid or removing microorganisms, it is preferable to further filter this with a membrane filter having a pore diameter of less than 1 μm.

  Purification is an operation that separates the target component from other components. Methods include electrophoretic separation, density gradient centrifugation, membrane separation such as reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration and dialysis, gel filtration, ion exchange, Examples include affinity chromatography. Any purification method may be used as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention. For purification to increase the GABA content, chromatography using a strongly acidic cation exchange resin is high in yield and simple. Most desirable from.

  Examples of the form of the composition obtained from the asparagus in the present invention obtained by the treatment as described above include aqueous solutions, creams, suspensions, gels, powders, tablets, capsules and the like. As an example, it is obtained by adding 1 to 2 times the amount of water to the bottom of the stem of asparagus, performing extraction at 70 to 90 ° C. for 30 to 60 minutes, and then performing filter filtration using a filter aid such as diatomaceous earth. The obtained clarified filtrate or a powder obtained by drying the clarified filtrate is preferred.

  The composition obtained from asparagus in the present invention includes GABA, other amino acids, polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, monosaccharides such as D-glucose, D-fructose, and D-galactose, proteins, peptides, and saponins. And polyphenols. As amino acids, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, alanine, serine, proline and the like are relatively contained.

  The weight percent of GABA contained in the composition obtained from the asparagus obtained as described above is preferably 0.05 wt% to 99.5 wt%, more preferably 1 wt% to 95 wt%, More preferably, it is 5 to 90% by weight. If GABA wt% is less than 0.01 wt%, it is necessary to ingest a large amount in order to exert the effect, and if it exceeds 99.5%, a substance that brings a synergistic additive effect to the liver function activation effect The content of is low, which is not preferable.

  Further, the composition obtained from asparagus is preferably obtained by enriching asparagus in order to increase the GABA content. As this enrichment treatment, a method using a known refining technique, a commercially available GABA pure product (for example, “Kyowa Hakko Co., Ltd.“ GABA Kyowa ””) or a GABA-containing composition (for example, “Olisa Gabba Extract HC- 90 ”, Pharma Foods Research Institute“ Pharmaca Gabba ”), a method using an asparagus endogenous enzyme, and the like. Among these, the method using an asparagus endogenous enzyme is most preferable in that a component having a liver function activation effect and an alcohol metabolism promotion effect is not removed and the cost is low.

  The method using an asparagus endogenous enzyme is a method of treating asparagus and / or an asparagus extract under an environment of 10 ° C. to 50 ° C., glutamic acid, glutamate, pyridoxallin in the asparagus and / or asparagus extract. Examples include a method of adding at least one selected from acid salts and pyridoxine hydrochloride and treating in an environment of 10 ° C to 50 ° C.

  By performing such an enrichment treatment, the proportion of GABA in the composition increases, and the added components are also included.

  The liver function activator of the present invention contains the composition obtained as described above as it is or together with other components. In the liver function activator of the present invention, the composition obtained from asparagus is 0.1 wt% to 100 wt%, more preferably 1 wt% to 95 wt%, even more preferably, depending on its GABA content. Is preferably contained in an amount of 10% to 90% by weight. When the content of the composition obtained from asparagus is less than 0.1% by weight, it is necessary to ingest a large amount in order to exert the effect, which is not preferable.

Other components that can be included in the liver function activator in the present invention include active ingredients having liver function activation action such as alcohol metabolism promoting action, and specific examples include glutathione, vitamins (vitamin C, vitamin E). Vitamin B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₆ etc.), α-lipoic acid, flavonoid, lignanoic acid, curcuminoids, amino acids (ornithine, taurine, aspartic acid, valine, leucine, isoleucine, arginine, proline, tryptophan, alanine, Examples thereof include glutamic acid and glycine). Other examples include ethanolamine, phosphoethanolamine, phosphoglyceroethanolamine or salts thereof, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, γ-linolenic acid or oils and fats containing these. Furthermore, examples of the other liver function activating component and / or alcohol metabolism promoting component include a plant body or an extract thereof, an animal body or a hydrolyzate thereof. Plants used for the plant body or extracts thereof include Maria thistle, ginseng, turmeric, ginger, dandelion, western dandelion, chicory, onion, garlic, yarrow, medicinal salvia, chrysanthemum, Korean thistle, gardenia, wolfberry, Sesame, Burdock, Miyama quail, Sete sangria, Akamegasiwa, Seiko, Celery arc, Prunus japonica, White-bellied swordfish, Japanese cypress, Japanese azalea, Japanese maple, Teika quail, Fulinumadoki, Fukumangi, sugarcane, peach, tea Etc. Any animal body may be used as the animal body or its hydrolyzate, but livestock animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, etc. are preferred from the viewpoints of rich food experience and easy availability.

  The coexisting weight ratio of GABA contained in the liver function activator of the present invention and the composition obtained from asparagus other than GABA is (GABA) :( composition obtained from asparagus other than GABA) is 1: 0. 005 to 1: 100 are preferable, more preferably 1: 0.05 to 1:40, and still more preferably 1: 0.1 to 1:10. If it is below or above this range, a sufficient liver function activation effect cannot be obtained.

  In addition, the coexisting weight ratio of GABA and aspartic acid contained in the liver function activator of the present invention is preferably (GABA) :( aspartic acid) of 1: 0.001-1: 100, more preferably 1: 0. .05 to 1:20, more preferably 1: 0.1 to 1:10. If it is below or above this range, a sufficient liver function activation effect cannot be obtained.

  The liver function activator of the present invention can be formulated into various dosage forms together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier as long as the effect is not impaired.

  Examples of the dosage form include oral solid preparations such as tablets, granules, fine granules, powders, capsules and pills, and oral liquid preparations such as solutions, suspensions and emulsions.

  When preparing an oral solid preparation, it is sufficient to use those conventionally used, such as excipients, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, flavoring agents, and coloring agents. For example, lactose, sucrose, glucose, mannitol, sorbit, dextrin, starch, crystalline cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, dextran, pullulan, anhydrous silicic acid, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate etc. Crystalline cellulose, sucrose, mannitol, dextrin, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, gum arabic, dextran, pullulan, water, ethanol etc. as binders, starch, carboxymethylcellulose, hydride as disintegrants Xylpropylcellulose, dextrin, crystalline cellulose, etc., as a lubricant, stearic acid and its metal salts, talc, boric acid, fatty acid sodium salt, sodium lauryl sulfate, magnesium lauryl sulfate, silicic acid anhydride, etc. as flavoring agents Can be exemplified by sucrose, orange peel, citric acid, tartaric acid and the like.

  When preparing a liquid preparation for oral use, it is sufficient to use a buffer, a stabilizer, a flavoring agent, or the like used in a conventional manner. As a buffer, citrate, succinate, etc. Examples of the agent include lecithin, gum arabic, gelatin, and methylcellulose, and examples of the flavoring agent include those described above.

  When the liver function activator of the present invention is used, it may be adjusted so that the amount of GABA contained therein is 50 mg to 2000 mg / day / person, particularly preferably 300 mg to 1000 mg / day / person. If it exists in this range, the liver function activation effect can fully be acquired.

  The second food / beverage product of the present invention has a liver function activator by containing the above-described first liver function activator of the present invention, and the liver function activator itself or an existing beverage or It can be obtained by including in food.

  When the liver function activator of the present invention itself is used as a food or drink, for example, after adding the above-described carrier or the like, it is granulated, granular, tablet, capsule, gel, paste, milk, What is necessary is just to shape | mold in the form suitable for edibles, such as turbidity, liquid form, and a drink. In addition, sugars, sugar alcohols, salts, fats and oils, amino acids, organic acids, fruit juices, vegetable juices, fragrances, alcohols, glycerin, etc. are added to improve the quality of the taste as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. can do.

  When the liver function activator of the present invention is included in an existing beverage or food, it is not particularly limited as a base beverage or food. For example, processed noodles such as udon and pasta, processed meat foods such as ham and sausage, etc. Processed foods such as kamaboko and chikuwa, processed milk products such as butter, milk powder and fermented milk, desserts such as jelly and ice cream, processed foods such as breads, confectionery and seasonings, and soft drinks Beverages such as alcohols, fruit juice drinks, vegetable juice drinks, milk drinks, carbonated drinks, coffee drinks, and alcohols are preferred.

  Although the content of the liver function activator obtained from asparagus in the food and drink of the present invention is not particularly limited, it is 50 mg to 2000 mg / day / person, particularly preferably 300 mg to 1000 mg / day / person in terms of GABA. It may be adjusted so that If it exists in this range, hepatic function activation effect | action can fully be acquired and it is excellent also in economical efficiency.

  The form of the liver function activator obtained from asparagus to be included in the food and drink of the present invention is not particularly limited, and liquids are used for beverages, gummi, candy, etc., and powders are used for tablets, granules, capsules, etc. You can use things.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the examples, the contents of GABA and amino acids are values obtained by the following method. That is, it measured on the following conditions by the high performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC method), and detected using the fluorescence detector.
HPLC: Shimadzu Corporation LC-9A
Column: Shim-pack ISC-07 / S1504
Mobile phase: 0.2 N sodium citrate buffer (pH 2.2)
Flow rate: 0.3 ml / min Temperature: 55 ° C
Reaction solution: ortho-phthalaldehyde Detection wavelength: excitation wavelength 348 nm, fluorescence wavelength 450 nm

Production Example 1
1 kg of asparagus (produced by Akita) was shredded to 5 mm or less with a blender, 2 L of water was introduced, and heat treatment was performed in an autoclave at 100 ° C. for 1 hour. After cooling to room temperature, 1 g of Sumiteam LPL (protease activity 500,000 units / g) manufactured by Shin Nippon Chemical Co., Ltd. was introduced, and the mixture was shaken at 37 ° C. for 6 hours using a shaking incubator. The obtained treatment liquid was subjected to suction filtration using filter paper (ADVANTEC Toyo No. 5C) using diatomaceous earth as a filter aid to obtain a light brown extract. This was heated in boiling water for 10 minutes to deactivate the enzyme, and suction filtered again using diatomaceous earth. The obtained filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure 10 times by a desktop evaporator (manufactured by EYELA). By this operation, 280 ml of a GABA-containing composition was obtained. The contents of amino acids and GABA were as shown in Table 1.

Production Example 2
1 kg of asparagus young stalk (from Akita) was crushed with a mixer, and 2 L of water was introduced. Thereto, 50 g of sodium glutamate was added and dissolved by stirring well. This was shaken using a shaking incubator at 25 ° C. for 24 hours, and GABA enrichment treatment was performed. Further, 1 g of Sumiteam LPL (protease activity 500,000 units / g) manufactured by Shin Nippon Chemical Co., Ltd. was introduced, followed by shaking treatment at 37 ° C. for 6 hours using a shaking incubator. The obtained treatment solution was filtered by suction using filter paper (No. 5C manufactured by ADVANTEC Toyo) using diatomaceous earth as a filter aid, and the obtained filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure 10 times by a desktop evaporator (manufactured by EYELA). . By this operation, 270 ml of a yellow-green GABA-containing composition was obtained. The GABA and amino acid contents were as shown in Table 1.

Example 1 [Evaluation in a carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury model]
Experimental animal: Std (clean): Wistar rat (female) (Japan SLC, approx. 180 g), 6 weeks old, 36 normal samples: Lab MR stock (Nippon Agricultural Industries)

Method: Rats were housed under conditions of room temperature 25 ° C. ± 1 ° C., humidity 60% ± 5%, 12 hours light period 12 hours dark period (light period 7 o'clock to 19 o'clock). Prior to sample administration, normal feed was given for 1 week, and physiological saline was administered once a day at 2 ml / kg with a gastric sonde for habituation. Then, it divided into 6 groups and the sample of AF shown in Table 2 was administered once a day with a 2 ml / kg gastric sonde. On the 7th day from the start of the experiment, 0.36% carbon tetrachloride solution (v / v, corn oil) was administered at 7.5 ml / kg as a gastric tube. Fasted 12 hours after administration of carbon tetrachloride, collected blood 24 hours later, centrifuged, and then plasma glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured. For measurement, transaminase CII test Wako was used for GOT / GPT activity, alkaline Phospho B-Test Wako was used for ALP activity, and LDH-CII test Wako was used for LDH activity. went. The test results were obtained as the liver injury intensity by determining the ratio of the plasma enzyme activity of each group when the plasma enzyme activity of group A was 100 (%).
Results: The results are shown in Table 3. The results are shown as mean ± standard deviation.

  As is apparent from Table 3, it was found that carbon tetrachloride administration has a high effect of preventing liver dysfunction. Moreover, in the administration group of asparagus extract and GABA-enriched asparagus extract, it is higher than the aspartic acid contained in the extract in the same amount of aspartic acid or the same amount of amino acid as the amino acid excluding GABA. It was found to have an effect of preventing liver dysfunction.

Example 2 [Effect of reducing blood acetaldehyde level after ingestion of alcoholic beverage]
Experimental animals: Std (clean): Wistar rats (female) (Japan SLC, approx. 180 g), 6 weeks old, 36 normal samples: Lab MR stock (Nippon Agricultural Industries)
Method: Rats were housed under conditions of room temperature 25 ° C. ± 1 ° C., humidity 60% ± 5%, 12 hours light period 12 hours dark period (light period 7 o'clock to 19 o'clock). Prior to sample administration, normal feed was given for one week, and physiological saline was administered once a day at 2 ml / kg with a gastric sonde for habituation. Then, it divided into 6 groups and the sample of AF shown in Table 2 was administered once a day with a 2 ml / kg gastric sonde. On the 7th day from the start of the experiment, the animals were fasted for 12 hours, and the samples A to F were administered with 2 ml / kg gastric sonde. Blood was collected 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 9 hours, and 12 hours after ethanol administration, and the blood acetaldehyde concentration was measured with an F-kit manufactured by Bellinger Mannheim Yamanouchi Co., Ltd.
Results: The results are as shown in FIGS. The results are shown as mean ± standard deviation.

  As apparent from FIGS. 1 to 3, it was found that the blood aldehyde concentration after ethanol intake was reduced. Also, in the group administered with asparagus extract and GABA-enriched asparagus extract, it is higher than the aspartic acid in the extract and the same amount of aspartic acid or the same amount of amino acid as the amino acid excluding GABA. It was found to have an effect of reducing blood aldehyde concentration.

Example 3 [Evaluation in a chronic alcohol administration liver injury model]
Experimental animal: Std (clean): Wistar rat (female) (Japan SLC, approx. 180 g), 6 weeks old, 36 normal samples: Lab MR stock (Nippon Agricultural Industries)
Method: Rats were housed under conditions of room temperature 25 ° C. ± 1 ° C., humidity 60% ± 5%, 12 hours light period 12 hours dark period (light period 7 o'clock to 19 o'clock). Prior to sample administration, a normal feed was given for one week, and a 20% ethanol / 80% physiological saline solution was administered once a day at 2 ml / kg with a gastric sonde for acclimation. Then, it divided into 6 groups and the sample of AF shown in Table 2 separately from ethanol was administered once a day with a 2 ml / kg gastric sonde. Blood was collected after fasting overnight on the 30th day from the start of the experiment, and plasma enzyme activity was measured according to Example 3 to determine the liver injury intensity.
Results: Table 4 shows the results. The results are shown as mean ± standard deviation.

  As is apparent from Table 4, it was found that there was a high effect of preventing liver dysfunction on chronic alcohol administration. Also, in the group administered with asparagus extract and GABA-enriched asparagus extract, it is higher than the aspartic acid in the extract and the same amount of aspartic acid or the same amount of amino acid as the amino acid excluding GABA. It was found to have an effect of preventing liver dysfunction.

Example 4
The GABA-enriched asparagus extract produced in Production Example 2 was freeze-dried and then pulverized. The obtained powder was mixed and granulated well in the following blending ratio, and then tableted with 500 mg per tablet to produce a tablet. In addition,% shows the mass%.

Raw material GABA-enriched asparagus extract 50%
15% crystalline cellulose
Reduced maltose 30%
Sucrose fatty acid ester 5%

Example 5
Production Example 2 and the produced GABA-enriched asparagus extract were freeze-dried and then pulverized. 100 g of the obtained powder was mixed with 900 g of “Oolong tea extract powder” manufactured by Nippon Powder Chemical Co., Ltd. to produce a GABA-containing liver function activated oolong tea powder. 5 g of this GABA-containing oolong tea powder was dissolved in 500 ml of water to produce a GABA-containing liver function activated oolong tea.

The blood acetaldehyde level fluctuation | variation figure of A group, B group, and E group. * Indicates that there is a significant difference from group A (p = 0.05). The blood acetaldehyde level fluctuation | variation figure of A group, C group, and E group. * Indicates that there is a significant difference from group A (p = 0.05). The blood acetaldehyde level fluctuation | variation figure of A group, D group, and F group. * Indicates that there is a significant difference from group A (p = 0.05).

Claims (3)

A liver function activator comprising a composition obtained from asparagus as an active ingredient. The liver function activator according to claim 1, wherein the composition obtained from asparagus is obtained by subjecting asparagus to an enrichment treatment for increasing the content of γ-aminobutyric acid. A food or drink comprising the liver function activator according to claim 1 or 2.