Studies on a feed for improving zinc nutrition by the use of zinc transporters

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H04501
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Food science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Kambe Taiho 京都大学, 生命科学研究科, 准教授 (90303875)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 宮前 友策 京都大学, 生命科学研究科, 助教 (30610240)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 亜鉛欠乏 / トランスポーター / Zip4 / 大豆抽出物 / ソヤサポニンBb / 高齢者 / 亜鉛要求性酵素 / 栄養改善

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Adequate zinc intake is indispensable to maintain health, because zinc plays critical roles in a variety of physiological processes. In the small intestine, zinc transporters ZIP4 and ZNT1 play essential roles for zinc absorption, and thus food components with the activity of increasing ZIP4 or ZNT1 expression would be a potential enhancer of zinc absorption. We here found extracts prepared form several spices have the activity to increase the abundance of both human and mouse ZIP4. Unfortunately, we found no extracts to increase ZNT1 expression. We found it difficult to evaluate whether or not food extracts have positive effects on zinc absorption in rats, because of low sensitivity to measure zinc absorption rates through ZIP4 and ZNT1. We found several enzymes activities nicely correlated with zinc levels in the diets, even in the case of low zinc diets. The activities would be useful as a marker for evaluation of zinc absorption rates.

Free Research Field

栄養生化学