Chrono-nutrition research to improve the circadian disruption-related metabolic disorders

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25350179
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Eating habits
• Research Institution: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: OISHI Katsutaka 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, バイオメディカル研究部門, 研究グループ長 (50338688)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 体内時計 / 食生活 / 肥満 / メタボリックシンドローム / 時計遺伝子 / 機能性食品

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Feeding at unusual times of the day (inactive phase) is thought to be associated with obesity and metabolic disorders in experimental animals and in humans. We compared metabolic functions between mice fed only during the sleep phase (daytime) and those fed only during the active phase (nighttime). Feeding during daytime desynchronizes peripheral clocks and causes obesity and metabolic disorders by inducing leptin resistance, hyperphagia, physical inactivity, hepatic fat accumulation and adiposity.
To find natural compounds that could modulate the biological clock, we developed a real-time molecular clock reporter system using neuronal cells derived from PER2::LUC mouse embryos. We discovered that natural compounds such as shikonin, aconitine, alisol A, paeonol, and (E)-cinnamic acid could shorten the circadian period of neuronal clock in vitro.

Free Research Field

時間生物学