| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Epidemiological studies indicate that high intake of fruits and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of hypertension and cancer, and several plant-derived drugs have been already developed. Since only a small part of the flora has been tested for any kind of bioactivity, we chose small fruits as sources of inhibitory activity of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), differentiation-inducing activity against HL-60 leukemia cells, and antiproliferative activity toward several cancer cell lines. We have prepared juices from various small fruits that are mainly growing in northern part of Japan. Among 43 samples, 6 juices namely Elaeagnus multiflora Thunb., Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb., Rubus idaeus L., Ribes latifolium Janczewski, Ribes nigrum Linn., and Alonia melanocarpa exhibited ACE inhibition, while juices of Vaccinium smallii A.Gray, Sorbus sambucifolia Roem., Rosa rugosa Thunb., Actinidia polygama Maxim. demonstrated potent differentiation-inducing and antiproliferative activities, and yet low cytotoxicity toward normal human cell lines. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the physiological screening on the small fruits in order to identify plants rich in anti-hypertensive and/or anticancer substances.
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