PPARγ2 production activator, adiponectin production activator, and MCP-1 production inhibitor

Abstract

To provide a PPARγ production activator that is excellent in safety and can be ingested daily and for a long period of time.SOLUTION: To provide a PPARγ2 production activator comprising a pulverized product or extract of cardamom as an active ingredient and to provide a food composition for activating PPARγ2 production, which comprises the PPARγ2 production activator and a food material.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a PPARγ2 production activator, an adiponectin production activator, and an MCP-1 production inhibitor. [Background technology]

[0002] Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily, and three subtypes, PPARα, PPARγ, and PPARδ, are known. They are thought to be a group of transcription factors involved in the intracellular metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, etc., and cell differentiation. There are three known isoforms of PPARγ, and PPARγ1 is expressed in many tissues such as the heart, muscle, and colon. PPARγ2 is a polypeptide 30 amino acid residues longer than PPARγ1 and is mainly expressed in adipose tissue. PPARγ3 is expressed in macrophages, large intestine, and white adipose tissue. As PPAR activators, it has been disclosed that curcumin contained in turmeric and glove extract (Patent Document 1), apolycopenoids contained in tomatoes (Patent Document 2), passionflower extract (Patent Document 3), and tangerine extract (Patent Document 4) activate PPARγ. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-027014 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-19758 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2018-48103 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2019-23176 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a PPARγ production activator that is highly safe and can be taken on a daily basis over a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present inventors have conducted extensive research into PPARγ production activators that are safe and can be taken on a daily and long-term basis, and have surprisingly found that ground cardamom or an extract thereof has the effect of activating PPARγ2 and adiponectin production. They have also found that ground cardamom or an extract thereof has the effect of suppressing MCP-1 production. The present invention is based on these findings. Thus, the present invention provides [1] A PPARγ2 production activator containing crushed cardamom or an extract of cardamom as an active ingredient. [2] The PPARγ2 production activator according to [1], wherein the extract is an alcohol extract. [3] A food composition for activating PPARγ2 production, comprising the PPARγ2 production activator according to [1] or [2] above and a food material. [4] An adiponectin production activator comprising ground cardamom or an extract thereof as an active ingredient. [5] The adiponectin production activator according to [4], wherein the extract is an alcohol extract. [6] A food composition for activating adiponectin production, comprising the adiponectin production activator according to [4] or [5] above and a food material. [7] An MCP-1 production inhibitor containing ground cardamom or an extract as an active ingredient. [8] The MCP-1 production inhibitor according to [7], wherein the extract is an alcohol extract; and [9] A food composition for inhibiting MCP-1 production, comprising the MCP-1 production inhibitor according to [7] or [8] above and a food material. Regarding. Effect of the Invention

[0006] The PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can differentiate and reduce the size of fat cells. The adiponectin production activator of the present invention can improve arteriosclerosis. The MCP-1 production inhibitor of the present invention can suppress inflammation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows two schemes for adding cardamom extract to mouse-derived 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. [Diagram 2] 1 is a graph showing the effect of cardamom extract on MCP-1 production in Scheme 1 (A) and Scheme 2 (B). [Diagram 3] 1 is a graph showing the effect of cardamom extract on MCP-1 gene expression in Scheme 1 (A) and Scheme 2 (B). [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing the effect of cardamom extract on adiponectin gene expression in Scheme 1 (A) and Scheme 2 (B). [Diagram 5] 1 is a graph showing the effect of cardamom extract on PPARγ gene expression in Scheme 1 (A) and Scheme 2 (B). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The PPARγ2 production activator, adiponectin production activator, or MCP-1 production inhibitor of the present invention contains ground cardamom or an extract thereof as an active ingredient.

[0009] "cardamom" There are two types of cardamom: green cardamom and black cardamom. The cardamom used in the present invention is a spice obtained from the fruits of green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). Green cardamom is a perennial plant of the Elettaria genus of the Zingiberaceae family native to India, Sri Lanka, and the Malay Peninsula, and is also called cardamom. It grows to a height of 2 to 5 m, and its leaves are about 40 cm long and 7 to 10 cm wide, with sheath-shaped bases. It produces light green, white with reddish purple flowers near the ground, and when mature, it produces egg-shaped fruits of 1 to 2 cm in size. The inside of the fruit is divided into three chambers, and contains dark brown to blackish brown seeds. The green fruits of Elettaria cardamomum are dried with the seeds still included, and are used as a spice either as is or ground into powder.

[0010] Shatter In the present invention, the pulverized material may be any pulverized state of cardamom, and may be, for example, in the form of powder, granules, or paste. The pulverized material is preferably a powder. In addition, a powdered material molded or granulated into, for example, a cube, block, or granule may also be preferably used. The process for processing into the pulverized material or powder is not particularly limited, and may include a process of pulverizing the plant body by any method commonly used by those skilled in the art using a crusher, mill, blender, mixer, millstone, or other grinding equipment or tool. The plant body may be dried before grinding.

[0011] When the cardamom contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention is a ground product, the average longest diameter of the ground cardamom may be, but is not limited to, 0.01 to 4 mm, preferably 0.02 to 1 mm, more preferably 0.02 to 0.5 mm. In addition, 90% by weight or more of the ground cardamom may have a longest diameter of 0.01 to 4 mm, preferably 0.02 to 1 mm, more preferably 0.02 to 0.5 mm. In addition, 90% by weight or more of the ground cardamom may pass through 4.7 mesh (4 mm), 16 mesh (1 mm), or 30 mesh (0.5 mm) in the JIS test sieve mesh conversion table. When the longest diameter of the ground cardamom is 1 mm or less, the expression of PPARγ2 of the present invention is improved, so it is preferable to use a cardamom with a longest diameter of 4 mm or less. The average longest diameter of cardamom can be measured using a known device for measuring particle size. Alternatively, 100 pieces of cardamom are arbitrarily selected from the ground cardamom, and the longest diameters of the pieces are measured using a stereomicroscope, and the average of the longest diameters is calculated.

[0012] 《Extract》 The PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention may contain an extract of cardamom. The PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention may contain both crushed cardamom and extract. Cardamom used for extracting the active ingredient of the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention may be raw or dried. It may also be processed into a crushed or powdered state to improve the extraction efficiency.

[0013] The active ingredients can be extracted by any of the usual methods used to extract ingredients derived from plants, including, but not limited to, steam distillation, solvent extraction, pressing (direct, hot or cold), or supercritical extraction. A combination of these extraction methods, such as pressing followed by solvent extraction, may also be used.

[0014] The extraction solvent used when extracting by the solvent extraction method is not limited as long as the active ingredient can be sufficiently extracted into the extract, but for example, an organic solvent, an aqueous solvent, or a mixture of an organic solvent and an aqueous solvent can be used.

[0015] The cardamom extract contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can be extracted with an organic solvent, such as alcohol, acetone, benzene, ester, ethyl acetate, hexane, chloroform, and diethyl ether. The alcohol is not limited as long as the active ingredient can be sufficiently extracted into the extract, and for example, a monohydric alcohol having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, such as methanol, ethanol, propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and butyl alcohol, can be used. A polyhydric alcohol having 2 to 5 carbon atoms, such as 1,3-butylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, and glycerin, can also be used. The preferred alcohol is a monohydric alcohol having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, more preferred alcohols are methanol and ethanol, and the most preferred alcohol is ethanol.

[0016] The cardamom extract contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can be extracted with an aqueous solvent. The aqueous solvent is not limited as long as it contains water, and for example, water, physiological saline, or a buffer solution can be used. Examples of the buffer solution include phosphate buffer, sodium phosphate buffer, sodium carbonate buffer, citrate buffer, citrate phosphate buffer, acetate buffer, and Tris buffer. The pH of the aqueous solvent is not particularly limited.

[0017] The cardamom extract contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can be extracted with a mixture of an organic solvent and an aqueous solvent. The amount of the aqueous solvent contained in the extraction solvent is not limited as long as the active ingredient can be sufficiently extracted into the extract, and can be, for example, 50% by weight or more, 70% by weight or more, or 90% by weight or more based on the total amount of the extraction solvent.

[0018] When the cardamom extract contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention is extracted by a solvent extraction method, the extraction temperature is not particularly limited as long as the active ingredient can be sufficiently extracted into the extract, but is preferably -50°C to 100°C, more preferably 0°C to 100°C, and most preferably 5°C to 100°C.

[0019] The extraction time of the cardamom extract contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can be appropriately determined depending on the state of the cardamom, i.e., whether it is raw or dried, or whether it is processed into a crushed or powdered state. Furthermore, the extraction time can be appropriately determined depending on the extraction conditions, such as the temperature of the extract, or the presence or absence of stirring or shaking. The extraction time is preferably 5 seconds to 1 week, more preferably 5 seconds to 1 day, and most preferably 5 seconds to 3 hours. Furthermore, when the cardamom extract contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention is extracted by a solvent extraction method, it is preferable to carry out the extraction with stirring or shaking so as to improve the extraction efficiency.

[0020] The pressing method is a method of extracting an extract of cardamom by applying physical pressure to cardamom. There are direct pressing method performed at room temperature, high-temperature pressing method performed at high temperature, and low-temperature pressing method performed at low temperature. The extract contained in the bitterness suppressing composition of the present invention can be extracted by any pressing method.

[0021] The extract contained in the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can be extracted using supercritical extraction. Supercritical extraction is a method of extracting an extract from a specific plant using a substance in a supercritical state. As a substance in a supercritical state, for example, carbon dioxide has a strong dissolving power and is generally used for decaffeinating coffee or extracting flavorings and pharmaceutical ingredients from natural raw materials such as plants.

[0022] PPARγ2 Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2) is one of three subtypes (PPARα, PPARγ, and PPARδ) of the nuclear receptor superfamily PPAR. Three isoforms (PPARγ1, PPARγ2, and PPARγ3) are known for PPARγ, and PPARγ2 is mainly expressed in adipose tissue. It is believed that increased expression of PPARγ2 improves adiponectin expression. It has also been reported that increased expression of PPARγ2 improves the expression of aP2 and PPARα. The PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can increase the expression of PPARγ2 and activate the action of PPARγ2.

[0023] Adiponectin Adiponectin is a protein secreted by adipocytes. The adiponectin production activator of the present invention can increase the expression of adiponectin and activate the action of adiponectin.

[0024] MCP-1 Monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), also known as CCL2, is a chemokine that has been reported to enhance monocyte chemotaxis, increase the production and release of reactive oxygen species and lysosomal enzymes, and inhibit tumor growth. It has also been reported to degranulate basophils, produce and release histamine and leukotriene C4, and enhance the migration of bone marrow-derived mast cells. The MCP-1 production inhibitor of the present invention can reduce the expression of MCP-1 and inhibit the action of MCP-1.

[0025] The ground cardamom or extract, which is an active ingredient in the present invention, can be administered to a subject (animal, preferably a mammal (especially a human)) in an effective amount, either alone or preferably together with a pharmaceutically or veterinarily acceptable usual carrier or diluent. It can also be given to animals other than humans in the form of food or drink as feed.

[0026] The PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention may consist of ground cardamom or extract, or may contain ground cardamom or extract. When the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention contains ground cardamom or extract, it may contain other additives.

[0027] The dosage form of the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples include oral preparations such as powders, fine granules, granules, tablets, capsules, suspensions, emulsions, syrups, extracts, or pills, or parenteral preparations.

[0028] The oral preparations can be manufactured in accordance with standard methods using excipients such as gelatin, sodium alginate, starch, corn starch, white sugar, lactose, glucose, mannitol, carboxymethylcellulose, dextrin, polyvinylpyrrolidone, crystalline cellulose, soybean lecithin, sucrose, fatty acid esters, talc, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol, magnesium silicate, anhydrous silicic acid, or synthetic aluminum silicate, binders, disintegrants, surfactants, lubricants, flow enhancers, diluents, preservatives, colorants, fragrances, flavorings, stabilizers, moisturizers, preservatives, or antioxidants.

[0029] Examples of parenteral preparations include injections. In preparing injections, in addition to the active ingredient, for example, water-soluble solvents such as physiological saline or Ringer's solution, water-insoluble solvents such as vegetable oils or fatty acid esters, isotonicity agents such as glucose or sodium chloride, solubilizers, stabilizers, preservatives, suspending agents, or emulsifiers may be optionally used.

[0030] The PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention is not limited to any particular one, and may contain, for example, 0.01 to 500 mg / mL, preferably 0.1 to 400 mg / mL, more preferably 0.5 to 300 mg / mL, even more preferably 1 to 200 mg / mL, even more preferably 2 to 150 mg / mL, and most preferably 1 to 100 mg / mL as a dried product obtained by filtering and drying an ethanol extract of cardamom.

[0031] The dosage of the PPARγ2 production activator etc. of the present invention can be determined appropriately, but for example, the dosage can be 1 to 3000 mg / kg body weight / day, preferably 5 to 2000 mg / kg body weight / day, more preferably 10 to 1500 mg / kg body weight / day, even more preferably 15 to 1000 mg / kg body weight / day, even more preferably 20 to 800 mg / kg body weight / day, and most preferably 25 to 400 mg / kg body weight / day in terms of a dry matter obtained by filtering and drying the ethanol extract.

[0032] Furthermore, when using the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention, the dosage can be 0.1 to 1000 mg / kg body weight / day, preferably 0.5 to 500 mg / kg body weight / day, more preferably 1 to 250 mg / kg body weight / day, even more preferably 3 to 100 mg / kg body weight / day, even more preferably 5 to 50 mg / kg body weight / day, or most preferably 8 to 30 mg / kg body weight / day, as a freeze-dried powder of the extract obtained using an aqueous solvent.

[0033] Of course, the above administration method is an example, and other administration methods may be used. It is desirable that the administration method, dosage, administration period, administration interval, etc. of the PPARγ2 production activator etc. to humans be determined through a controlled clinical trial.

[0034] The PPARγ2 production activators of the present invention can be administered to humans, but may also be administered to animals other than humans, including pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, and squirrels; livestock such as cows and pigs; laboratory animals such as mice and rats; and animals kept in zoos, etc.

[0035] One embodiment of the food composition in this specification refers to a food composition for activating PPARγ2 production, which comprises the PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention and a food material. In this specification, another embodiment of the food composition refers to a food composition for activating adiponectin production, which contains the adiponectin production activator of the present invention and a food material. In this specification, another embodiment of the food composition refers to a food composition for inhibiting MCP-1 production, which contains the MCP-1 production inhibitor of the present invention and a food material. In this specification, food ingredients include finished foods or beverages such as curry or beer, spices that are used as ingredients for curry or beer, or miso or sake, which can be eaten as a food or beverage as it is and can also be used as ingredients in cooking.

[0036] Specific examples of foods include fresh prepared foods such as salads; cooked foods such as croquettes, fried white fish, pizza, and hamburgers; stir-fried foods such as stir-fried vegetables; vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, bitter melon, carrots, potatoes, and asparagus, and cooked foods made from these vegetables; confectioneries such as cookies, bread, biscuits, dry bread, cakes, rice crackers, yokan, puddings, jellies, ice cream, chewing gum, crackers, chips, chocolate, and candy; noodles such as udon, pasta, and soba; fish paste products such as kamaboko, ham, and fish sausage; dairy products such as cheese, cream, and butter; condiments such as miso, soy sauce, sauce, dressing, ketchup, mayonnaise, soup base, noodle soup, curry powder, salt and pepper, sesame salt, mirin, oden base, roux, and seasoning spices; soy foods such as tofu; konjac; and supplements. The food product is preferably a sauce (e.g., a base for curry, stew, gratin, or pasta), a roux (e.g., for curry or stew), a mixed spice, a seasoning spice, or a supplement.Furthermore, the food product may include, for example, a spice sprayed with cardamom extract.

[0037] Examples of beverages include coffee beverages, cocoa beverages, vegetable juices obtained from the above-mentioned vegetables, fruit juice beverages such as grapefruit juice, orange juice, grape juice, and lemon juice, tea beverages such as green tea, black tea, green tea, and oolong tea, alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine (red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, etc.), sake, plum wine, sparkling wine, whiskey, brandy, shochu, rum, gin, and liqueurs, milk beverages, soy milk beverages, liquid diets, and sports beverages. The beverage is preferably spiced tea (e.g., herbal tea or chai).

[0038] The food composition of the present invention can be, for example, in the form of a powder, granule, solid, liquid, capsule, paste, gel, or tablet.

[0039] If desired, these foods or beverages may contain food additives and food ingredients, such as antioxidants, flavorings, acidulants, colorants, emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings, sweeteners, spices, pH adjusters, stabilizers, antioxidants, vegetable oils, animal oils, sugars and sugar alcohols, vitamins, organic acids, fruit juice extracts, vegetable extracts, grains, beans, vegetables, meats, seafood, etc., either alone or in combination of two or more. The amounts of these food ingredients and food additives to be added may be appropriately determined within the range that does not impair the object of the present invention.

[0040] These foods or beverages can be subjected to common sterilization treatments, such as heat-pressure sterilization using retort and autoclave, batch sterilization, plate sterilization, electric heating sterilization, microwave heating sterilization, and steam sterilization such as injection and infusion.

[0041] Foods and beverages include functional foods (beverages) and health foods (beverages). In this specification, "health foods (beverages)" refers to foods or beverages that have some effect on health or that can be expected to have an effect, and "functional foods (beverages)" refers to foods or beverages that, among the above-mentioned "health foods (beverages), have been designed and processed to fully express a bioregulatory function (i.e., an immunostimulatory function). Functional foods and health foods can be in the form of granules, solids, liquids, capsules, gels, or tablets.

[0042] The food or beverage includes feed for animals, such as primates, including humans, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, and mice. EXAMPLES

[0043] The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0044] Example 1 In this example, an ethanol extract was prepared from cardamom. Cardamom seed powder was suspended in 100% ethanol to a concentration of 100 mg / mL, and extracted by ultrasonic treatment for 1 hour twice. After extraction, the supernatant was collected by centrifugation. The solvent was evaporated to dryness using an evaporator, and the weight of the residue was measured. It was then dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to a concentration of 100 mg / mL to obtain a test sample.

[0045] Example 2 In this example, the effect of an ethanol extract of cardamom on MCP-1 production was examined using mouse cells. Using mouse-derived 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, cardamom extract was added at a concentration of 50 μg / mL simultaneously with the start of treatment with an inducer for differentiation into adipocytes, as shown in scheme 1 of FIG. 1, and the cells were collected 8 days later. Differentiation induction treatment was performed by adding 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (500 μM), dexamethasone (0.25 μM), and insulin (5 μg / mL) as MDI differentiation inducers from day 0 to day 2 after the start of induction, and by adding only insulin (5 μg / mL) from day 2 onwards. Cardamom extract was not added to the control (comparative example). To evaluate the effect on mature adipocytes, cardamom extract was added at a concentration of 50 μg / mL to 3T3-L1 adipocytes differentiated into adipocytes (six days after differentiation induction), and the cells and culture medium were collected two days later, as shown in Scheme 2 of Figure 1. No cardamom extract was added to the control (comparative example).

[0046] MCP-1 production in the culture supernatant of the recovered cells was measured using an MCP-1 / CCL2 Mouse Uncoated ELISA Kit (Invitrogen) according to the attached protocol. The primary antibody solution was dispensed at 100 μL / well into a 96-well ELISA plate (Thermo Fisher) and incubated overnight at 4°C. The primary antibody solution was removed, and the plate was washed three times with T-PBS(-). After washing, the ELISA / ELISPOT solution was dispensed at 200 μL / well and incubated at room temperature for 1 hour. A total of eight calibration curve solutions were prepared by diluting the MCP-1 standard solution in two steps with the ELISA / ELISPOT solution. The cell supernatant was diluted 50-fold with the ELISA / ELISPOT solution to prepare sample solutions. The plate was washed three times with T-PBS(-). After washing, the calibration curve solution and sample solution were dispensed at 100 μL / well and incubated at room temperature for 2 hours. The plate was washed three times with T-PBS(-), secondary antibody solution was dispensed at 100 μL / well, and incubated at room temperature for 1 hour. The plate was washed three times with T-PBS(-), Avidin-HRP solution was dispensed at 100 μL / well, and incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes. The plate was washed four times with T-PBS(-), TMB solution was dispensed at 100μL / well, and after sufficient color development, 0.5N H2SO4 was dispensed at 50μL / well to stop the color development reaction. The absorbance at a wavelength of 450nm was measured (Reference: 595nm). As shown in FIG. 2, cardamom significantly suppressed MCP-1 production both before and after induction of adipocyte differentiation.

[0047] Furthermore, the expression of the MCP-1 gene in the harvested cells was measured by real-time RT PCR. The pre-cultured cell supernatant was removed, and the cell surface was washed with PBS(-). 1 mL of Sepasol RAN I Super G (Nacalai Tesque) was added to the cells, and the cells were collected by pipetting. 200 μL of chloroform was then added, and the cells were mixed vigorously by inversion for 2 minutes. After mixing, the cells were centrifuged at 12,000 × g for 15 minutes. After centrifugation, 498 μL of the aqueous layer was collected. An equal volume of propanol was added to the collected aqueous layer, mixed by inversion, and then left to stand on ice for 10 minutes. It was then centrifuged at 12,000×g for 10 minutes. After centrifugation, the supernatant was removed, 75% ethanol was added, mixed by inversion, and centrifuged at 12,000×g for 5 minutes. After centrifugation, the supernatant was removed, the mixture was naturally dried, and then ultrapure water was added and left to stand on ice for 15 minutes. The absorbance of the mRNA solution was measured using a spectrophotometer (BioSpec-nano, SHIMADZU) to determine the concentration of mRNA in the solution. An RNA solution containing 100 ng of RNA was filled up to 13.5 μL in a microtube with sterilized ultrapure water, and 0.5 μL of oligo dT primer was added. The mixture of mRNA and oligo dT primer was heated at 70°C for 5 minutes and then cooled at 4°C. 5 μL of dNTP, 5 μL of 5× reverse transcription reaction buffer, 0.5 μL of RNase inhibitor (Invitrogen), 0.2 μL of reverse transcriptase (Nippon Gene), and 0.3 μL of ultrapure water were added and heated at 42°C for 60 minutes. Then, it was cooled at 4°C. After the reaction was completed, it was diluted 40 times with ultrapure water. 1 μL of cDNA, 1 μL each of MCP-1 forward primer (5'-CCACTCACCTGCTGCTACTCAT-3'; sequence number 1) and reverse primer (5'-TGCTGATCCTCTGTAGCTCTCC-3'; sequence number 2), 3 μL of ultrapure water, and 5 μL of DNA detection solution were added to a PCR 96-well plate, and the reaction was carried out under the conditions of 95°C-1 minute, (95°C-3 seconds, 60°C-30 seconds) x 40 cycles. Analysis was performed using the comparative Ct method. β-actin was used as an endogenous control to correct the expression of the target gene. The StepOne Plus (Life Technologies) was used as the device. As shown in FIG. 3, cardamom significantly suppressed the expression of the MCP-1 gene both before and after induction of adipocyte differentiation.

[0048] Example 3 In this example, the effect of an ethanol extract of cardamom on adiponectin was examined using mouse cells. The procedure for detecting the MCP-1 gene in Example 2 was repeated, except that the following forward primer (5'-AAAGGAGAGCCTGGAGAAGC-3'; sequence number 3) and reverse primer (5'-CGAATGGGTACATTGGGAAC-3'; sequence number 4) for adiponectin were used instead of the primer for the MCP-1 gene. As shown in FIG. 4, cardamom significantly increased the expression of the adiponectin gene both before and after induction of adipocyte differentiation.

[0049] Example 4 In this example, the effect of an ethanol extract of cardamom on PPARγ was examined using mouse cells. The procedure for detecting the MCP-1 gene in Example 2 was repeated, except that the following forward primer (5'-AACTCTGGGAGATTCTCCTGTTGA-3'; SEQ ID NO: 5) and reverse primer (5'-GAAGTGCTCATAGGCAGTGCAT-3'; SEQ ID NO: 6) for PPARγ were used instead of the primer for the MCP-1 gene. As shown in FIG. 5, cardamom significantly increased the expression of PPARγ gene both before and after induction of adipocyte differentiation. [Industrial Applicability]

[0050] The PPARγ2 production activator of the present invention can increase the expression of PPARγ, the adiponectin production activator of the present invention can increase the expression of adiponectin, and the MCP-1 production inhibitor of the present invention can inhibit the expression of MCP-1.

Claims

1. A PPARγ2 production activator comprising an alcohol extract of cardamom seeds as an active ingredient.

2. The PPARγ2 production activator according to claim 1 , wherein the alcohol extract is a 100% ethanol extract.

3. A food composition for activating PPARγ2 production, comprising the PPARγ2 production activator according to claim 1 or 2 and a food material.

4. An adiponectin production activator containing an alcohol extract of cardamom seeds as an active ingredient.

5. The adiponectin production activator according to claim 4 , wherein the alcohol extract is a 100% ethanol extract.

6. A food composition for activating adiponectin production, comprising the adiponectin production activator according to claim 4 or 5 and a food material.

7. An MCP-1 production inhibitor containing an alcohol extract of cardamom seeds as an active ingredient.

8. The MCP-1 production inhibitor according to claim 7, wherein the alcohol extract is a 100% ethanol extract.

9. A food composition for inhibiting MCP-1 production, comprising the MCP-1 production inhibitor according to claim 7 or 8 and a food material.

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