JP2012051811A - Immunoenhancing agent - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an immunoenhancing agent containing a ginger extract component as an active ingredient.SOLUTION: The immunoenhancing agent contains 6-shogaol as an active ingredient. The 6-shogaol is preferably contained in form of a ginger extract containing 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol, wherein 6-shogaol is 1.6 times or more 6-gingerol.

Description

  The present invention relates to an immune enhancer containing 6-shogaol as an active ingredient.

  6-shogaol and 6-gingerol are components contained in ginger rhizome and its extract. According to Patent Document 1, the content of gingerols such as 6-shogaol in ginger rhizomes is smaller than the content of gingerols such as 6-gingerol.

For example, there are the following prior arts as techniques focusing on these components.
Patent Document 1 describes that a ginger extract containing these components has an effect of increasing body temperature.

  Patent Document 2 describes a therapeutic and preventive agent for diabetes and / or obesity containing gingerols. As a specific embodiment, a soft drink containing 0.005 wt% (5.0 mg%) of 6-shogaol is disclosed.

  Patent Document 3 contains gingerol and gingerol in a weight concentration ratio of 10: 1 to 1:10 in total of 0.001% by weight or more, and the content of ar-curcumene as an aroma component is 15 mg / kg or less. A ginger processed food composition having a sugar concentration of 40 to 90% by weight is described. Patent Document 3 discloses heating ginger extract or the like in order to increase the content of gingerol having excellent health functionality.

Japanese Patent No. 3462839 JP 2008-189571 A JP 2010-124786 A

  Beverages and the like containing ginger extract are recognized by consumers as having an action of warming the body.

  However, it has not been studied in the past whether or not beverages containing ginger extract have an immune enhancing effect. A composition that exerts an immune enhancing action is expected to have an effect of making it difficult to catch a cold by maintaining immunity.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an immunopotentiator comprising ginger components as active ingredients.

The present inventors have found that a ginger extract containing 6-shogaol has an immunopotentiating action, and has completed the present invention. The present invention includes the following inventions.
(1) An immune enhancer containing 6-shogaol as an active ingredient.
(2) The immune enhancer according to claim 1, comprising 6-shogaol in the form of a ginger extract containing the 6-shogaol.

(3) containing 6-shogaol in the form of a ginger extract containing 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol,
The content of 6-shogaol in the ginger extract is 1.6 times or more with respect to the content of 6-gingerol.
(2) The immunopotentiator.
(4) The immunopotentiator according to any one of (1) to (3), which is used so that 0.01-0.06 mg / kg body weight of 6-shogaol per day is orally ingested by humans.

  According to the present invention, an immunopotentiator comprising 6-shogaol as an active ingredient is provided.

FIG. 1 shows changes in body temperature of mice after sample administration in a control group, an example cold stress group and a control cold stress group. FIG. 2 shows the cytotoxicity (NK activity) of mouse spleen lymphocytes in a control group, an example cold stress group and a control cold stress group. FIG. 3 schematically shows a test schedule for the cold stress group of the example.

  6-shogaol used as an active ingredient of the immune enhancer of the present invention may be in the form of a ginger extract containing the same, or may be synthesized, such as ginger It may be derived from a plant.

  6-shogaol is preferably used in the form of a ginger extract, more preferably in the form of a ginger extract containing 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol. Particularly preferably, it is used in the form of a ginger extract in which the content of 6-shogaol is 1.6 times or more the content of 6-gingerol.

  Ginger (Zingiber officinale) belongs to the family Ginger. The ginger extract used in the present invention refers to an extract of ginger rhizome.

  The content of 6-shogaol in the ginger rhizome is less than the content of 6-gingerol. For this reason, in the ginger extract prepared by the usual method, the content of 6-shogaol is significantly smaller than the content of 6-gingerol, and the content of 6-shogaol is usually 6-gingerol. It is less than 1/5 with respect to the content of. The present inventors can obtain a ginger extract satisfying the above ratio by reducing 6-gingerol and increasing 6-shogaol by heat-treating the ginger extract or the ginger raw material before extraction. I found.

  The ginger extract in which the content of 6-shogaol is increased to 1.6 times or more, preferably 2 times or more than the content of 6-gingerol, can achieve immune enhancement without increasing the pungency. Therefore, it is preferable. In order to achieve the above ratio, it is preferable to heat treat the ginger extract or the like at a temperature of 100 to 130 ° C. for 24 to 60 hours. In the heat treatment under the conditions (100 ° C. or higher, 0.5 to 5 hours) disclosed in paragraph 0015 of Patent Document 3, the content of 6-shogaol is 6-gingerol because the heating time is short. The amount cannot be exceeded and the above ratio cannot be achieved. In the heat treatment under the conditions (115 ° C. or higher, 2 hours) disclosed in Example 1 of paragraph 0023 of Patent Document 3, the content of 6-shogaol is about 0. 0 relative to the content of 6-gingerol. 47 (paragraph 0024).

  The time at which the heat treatment is performed in the preparation of the ginger extract is not particularly limited. You may heat-process the ginger juice obtained by pressing a rhizome.

  The extraction medium for the preparation of ginger extract is not particularly limited as long as it can elute 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol, and typically an organic solvent such as acetone, lower alcohol, hexane, ethyl acetate, And supercritical fluids such as supercritical carbon dioxide. The extraction can be performed by a usual method. The range of ginger extract also includes a fraction containing 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol obtained by fractionating ginger extract.

  The immune enhancer of the present invention can be effective with a small amount of ingestion. Preferably, the immunopotentiator of the present invention is used so that 0.01-0.1 mg / kg body weight of 6-shogaol per day is taken orally to humans. Oral intake of the immunopotentiator is preferably continued for several days or more (for example, 5 days or more).

  The immunopotentiator of the present invention exhibits not only an effect of increasing immunity in mammals such as humans, but also an effect of suppressing a decrease in immunity due to stress. That is, the scope of the immune enhancer of the present invention includes an immune lowering suppressant.

  The immune enhancer of the present invention may be in any form such as a food / beverage product composition or a pharmaceutical composition (including a quasi-drug composition; the same applies hereinafter).

  Examples of the form of the food / beverage product composition include beverages, solid foods and semi-solid foods. Specific examples of the beverage include fruit juice beverages, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages. Examples of solid food include tablets (tablets) and sugar-coated tablets including candy, troches, etc., granules, powdered beverages, powdered soups, powdered blocks, confectionery such as biscuits, capsules, jelly, etc. There are various forms such as Examples of the semi-solid food include a paste form such as jam and a gum form such as chewing gum. In addition to the ginger extract containing 6-shogaol or 6-shogaol, these food and drink compositions are variously used as raw materials for food and drink as long as the desired effects of the present invention are not impaired. Ingredients can be blended. These components can be used alone or in combination.

  As the food / beverage product composition, a beverage form is particularly preferable. When the immune enhancing agent of the present invention is in the form of a beverage, the content of 6-shogaol in the beverage is preferably 1.0 mg% or more, and more preferably 1.5 mg% or more. In the beverage, 6-shogaol contains 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol, and the content of 6-shogaol is 1.6 times or more than the content of 6-gingerol. In the beverage, the total content of 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol is preferably 5.0 mg% or less. Note that “mg%” refers to the mass (unit: mg) per 100 g of beverage.

Examples of other components for preparing a beverage include water, fructose glucose liquid sugar, cyclic oligosaccharide, acidulant, thickener, inositol, flavor, niacin, antioxidant, vitamins, sweetener and the like. Examples of the acidulant include citric acid, malic acid, gluconic acid, tartaric acid, and salts thereof. Examples of the thickener include thickening polysaccharides such as gellan gum, xanthan gum, pectin, guar gum, and fermented cellulose. Examples of the sweetener include sugars such as sucrose, fructose, glucose, and liquid sugar, and high sweetness sweeteners such as honey, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, thaumatin, and aspartame. Examples of the antioxidant include vitamin C and enzyme-treated rutin. Examples of vitamins include vitamin B ₁ , vitamin B ₆ , vitamin E and the like. These components can be used alone or in combination.

  As the pharmaceutical composition, those formulated for various dosage forms can be used. There are no particular limitations on the formulation form of the pharmaceutical composition, and normal formulation forms such as oral preparations such as liquids, tablets, granules, fine granules, powders, chewable preparations, and parenteral preparations such as injections are included. It is preferable that The above preparation can be prepared by a conventional method using 6-shogaol or a ginger extract containing 6-shogaol and other pharmaceutically acceptable components such as excipients.

(Sample)
Solution of Example: Ginger extract produced by heating an extract obtained from a dried ginger rhizome by supercritical extraction method at 120 ° C. for 48 hours (6-shogaol concentration: 10% by mass, 6-gingerol concentration) : 4.2% by mass) diluted with wellsolve.
Control sample: saline

(Test animal)
After the quarantine habituation was completed, 7 mice per group were divided into 3 groups by a completely randomized method based on body weight, and the measurement test for body temperature reduction described below was performed. In addition, the NK activity measurement test described below was performed on another three groups of mice that were similarly grouped.

(Test method)
The test animals were divided into the following three groups.
Control group: a group in which physiological saline was orally administered at a rate of 10 ml / kg body weight for 5 days in a room at 25 ° C. for 5 days without being subjected to cold stress. Example Cold stress group: cold room at 5 ° C. 5 days (4 hours on the first day, 7 hours on the second day, 24 hours on the third and fourth days, 10 hours on the fifth day) The time is kept indoors at 25 ° C.), and during the loading period, the ratio of 10 ml / kg body weight (including ginger extract 15 mg / kg body weight, 6-shogaol 1.5 mg / kg body weight *) Group administered orally for 5 consecutive days at the beginning of the day. The test schedule for this group is shown schematically in FIG.
Control cold stress group: A group in which cold stress was applied as described above, and physiological saline was orally administered at a rate of 10 ml / kg body weight for 5 consecutive days at the beginning of the day during the loading period. Determination method The dose of 6-shogaol to humans was set to 0.03 mg / kg body weight per day (the daily dose for a 50 kg human was 1.5 mg). The conversion factor normally used for evaluating the effectiveness of human doses in tests using mice is 50. Therefore, in this study, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the human dose (0.03 mg / kg body weight per day), the daily dose to mice was 1.5 mg / kg body weight (= 0.03 mg / kg body weight × 50).

(Measurement of decreased body temperature)
The body temperature of the mouse was determined by inserting a thermometer through the anus and measuring the intestinal body temperature at the time of administration of the sample on the fifth day and every 10 hours after administration. It was measured.
The results are shown in Table 1 and FIG.

(Measurement of NK (natural killer) activity)
Blood was collected from each group of mice 4 hours after the 5th day, and the spleen was aseptically removed and weighed. A lymphocyte suspension was prepared from the excised spleen. Spleen lymphocyte suspension and fluorescently labeled YAC-1 cells were mixed and incubated, and cytotoxicity (%) was measured by FACS.
The results are shown in Table 2 and FIG.

Claims (4)

  6-immunopotentiator containing gingerol as an active ingredient.   The immunopotentiator according to claim 1, comprising 6-shogaol in the form of a ginger extract containing the 6-shogaol. 6-shogaol in the form of a ginger extract containing 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol,
The content of 6-shogaol in the ginger extract is 1.6 times or more with respect to the content of 6-gingerol.
The immunopotentiator according to claim 2.   The immunopotentiator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is used so that 0.01-0.1 mg / kg body weight of 6-shogaol per day is orally ingested by humans.

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