Objective evaluation and molecular mechanism of citric acid's effect on fatigue alleviation focusing on GADD34

• Project/Area Number: 18K11030
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59040:Nutrition science and health science-related
• Research Institution: Showa Women's University
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Nakamichi 昭和女子大学, 生活機構研究科, 准教授 (90365809)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
• Keywords: クエン酸 / 疲労 / 疲労感 / GADD34

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We attempted to elucidate the still unknown effect of citric acid on reducing fatigue and its mechanism by using two models: a model in which mice are subjected to fatigue by swimming for 1 hour after administration of a food ingredient and a model in which mice are subjected to fatigue immediately after forced swimming and the degree of fatigue afterwards is evaluated over time.
As a result of verifying the effect of citric acid in the above two models, citric acid was found to reduce fatigue, but not to restore fatigue. The results also showed that GADD34 was not involved in the fatigue-reducing effect of citric acid.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで、食品成分の疲労軽減効果はアンケート調査などの主観的な評価や一部の代謝物の変化によってのみ報告されてきた。また、疲労軽減効果自体も「疲れにくくなる効果」なのか、「疲れから回復しやすくなる効果」なのかが区別されてこなかった。本研究では、食品成分の疲労軽減効果を「疲れにくくなる効果」と「疲れから回復しやすくなる効果」を客観的に評価する系を確立した。これにより、今後、さまざまな食品成分の疲労軽減効果を客観的に評価することが可能となった。さらに、疲労軽減効果のある食品成分を、疲労負荷の前に摂取した方が良いのか、後に摂取した方が良いのか、についても検討できる手段を得た。

Research Products

• [Presentation] 池尾初凪，永野友花，加藤由衣 ，渡辺睦行，原百合恵 (2020)
  • Author(s): クエン酸摂取による疲労軽減効果の客観的評価とメカニズムの検証
  • Organizer: 日本食品科学工学会令和2年度関東支部会