Exploration of new functional foods for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, based on improvement of mitochondrial function

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K05895
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38050:Food sciences-related
• Research Institution: Tokai University
• Principal Investigator: Nagai Ryoji 東海大学, 農学部, 教授 (20315295)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山中 幹宏 東海大学, 農学部, 特任准教授 (70767946)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: S-(2-succinyl)cysteine / ミトコンドリア / 翻訳後修飾 / フマル酸

Outline of Final Research Achievements

As the first outcome, a substance that has inhibitory effect of S-(2-succinyl)cysteine formation was purified from apple pericarp, and its structure was identified by NMR analysis. In the next step, a cell culture model and LS-MS/MS analysis were established to evaluate 2SC level, and they enabled quantitative analysis of 2SC in samples from animal and human. Animal experiment demonstrated that the 2SC level in brain is increased in accordance with age, indicating that 2SC may have some effect on brain function. We also examined the concentration of 2SC level in the serum of chronic kidney disease patients. The results showed that 2SC was significantly increased in accordance with the rising chronic kidney disease severity, and they were significantly decreased after transplantation.
This study demonstrates that mitochondrial metabolic disorders contribute to impaired kidney function,

Free Research Field

病態生化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

生体における2SCの存在については徐々にその認識が広まりつつあるが、その測定についてはほとんど行われてこなかった。今回の研究により動物・ヒト由来の試料中2SCの測定が可能となり、内部標準物質を用いた質量分析装置での定量技術においては本研究の代表者グループの技術は突出していると自負している。また今回、加齢や加齢によりその機能が低下する腎機能との関連も明らかとなり、その測定の意義は今後より大きくなると確信しており、加齢性疾患の予防・進展にも役立つと考えられる。また、2SCはミトコンドリア機能異常からその生成量が増加するため、2SC測定が加齢性関連疾患の発症メカニズム解明に役立つ可能性も示された。