B cell number increasing agent

Abstract

To provide a novel agent for increasing B-cell counts.SOLUTION: An agent for increasing B-cell counts contains at least one selected from the group consisting of royal jelly and a pollen lump.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an agent for increasing the number of B cells.

Background Art

[0002] B cells are a type of lymphocyte that express immunoglobulins on their surface and are known to differentiate into antibody-producing cells when they recognize specific antigens. Here, Non-Patent Document 1 reports that the number of B cells increased after ingesting Brazilian propolis for 6 weeks.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel agent for increasing the number of B cells.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present inventors have found that royal jelly and pollen load have an effect of increasing the number of B cells in the blood. The present invention is based on this new finding.

[0006] That is, the present invention provides an agent for increasing the number of B cells, which contains at least one selected from the group consisting of royal jelly and pollen load as an active ingredient.

[0007] The above royal jelly is preferably enzymatically decomposed royal jelly.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, there is provided an agent for increasing the number of B cells, which contains at least one selected from the group consisting of royal jelly and pollen load as an active ingredient.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0010] The agent for increasing the number of B cells according to the present embodiment contains at least one selected from the group consisting of royal jelly and pollen load as an active ingredient.

[0011] Royal jelly is an emulsion formed by adding fatty acids secreted from the mandibular gland to a transparent protein-rich liquid secreted from the hypopharyngeal gland of worker bees, or a substance derived therefrom. It is known that royal jelly contains water, protein, carbohydrates, lipids, ash, free amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and the like. Royal jelly may be in its as-collected state (raw royal jelly), or may be a processed product of raw royal jelly. Raw royal jelly can be obtained as a beekeeping product according to a conventional method, for example. The type of honeybee used for collecting raw royal jelly is not particularly limited.

[0012] Examples of processed royal jelly products include royal jelly concentrates or dilutions obtained by concentrating or diluting raw royal jelly, royal jelly powders obtained by drying raw royal jelly into a powder, enzymatically decomposed royal jelly obtained by treating raw royal jelly with a proteolytic enzyme, and royal jelly organic solvent extracts such as royal jelly ethanol extracts obtained by extracting raw royal jelly with an organic solvent such as ethanol. The processed royal jelly product may be subjected to a plurality of treatments. Since royal jelly can obtain a higher B cell-increasing effect and has a reduced allergenicity, enzymatically decomposed royal jelly is preferable, and enzymatically decomposed royal jelly powder obtained by drying enzymatically decomposed royal jelly into a powder is more preferable.

[0013] Royal jelly concentrate can be obtained, for example, by removing moisture from raw royal jelly. Royal jelly diluent can be obtained, for example, by adding moisture to raw royal jelly.

[0014] Royal jelly powder can be obtained, for example, by pulverizing raw royal jelly by known methods in the art such as freeze-drying and spray-drying. Further, after freeze-drying or spray-drying, it may be pulverized by a pulverizer (for example, a pin mill, a hammer mill, a ball mill, a jet mill) to obtain royal jelly powder.

[0015] Enzymatically decomposed royal jelly can be obtained, for example, by treating raw royal jelly with a proteolytic enzyme. Examples of the proteolytic enzyme include an enzyme having an endopeptidase action, an enzyme having an exopeptidase action, and an enzyme having both an endopeptidase action and an exopeptidase action. The proteolytic enzyme may be an enzyme having at least one of an endopeptidase action and an exopeptidase action, an enzyme having at least an endopeptidase action is preferred, and an enzyme having both an endopeptidase action and an exopeptidase action is more preferred. Here, the endopeptidase action is an action of decomposing a peptide bond of a non-terminal amino acid, and the exopeptidase action is an action of decomposing a peptide bond of a terminal amino acid.

[0016] Proteolytic enzymes include enzymes that only have exopeptidase activity, enzymes that only have endopeptidase activity, and enzymes that have both endopeptidase and exopeptidase activities. For enzymes that have both endopeptidase and exopeptidase activities, if the endopeptidase activity is stronger, they are referred to as "enzymes with endopeptidase activity"; if the exopeptidase activity is stronger, they are referred to as "enzymes with exopeptidase activity"; and if the exopeptidase activity and endopeptidase activity are equal or nearly equal, they are referred to as "enzymes with both endopeptidase and exopeptidase activities". Here, equal or nearly equal means that the ratio (activity ratio) of endopeptidase activity to exopeptidase activity is 0.8 to 1.2 times.

[0017] Specific examples of enzymes that have both endopeptidase and exopeptidase activities include, for example, pancreatin, pepsin, etc. More specific examples of enzymes that have both endopeptidase and exopeptidase activities include peptidase produced by Streptomyces griseus (trade name: Actinase AS), peptidase produced by Aspergillus oryzae (trade name: Protease A, Flavorzyme), and peptidase produced by Aspergillus melleus (trade name: Protease P).

[0018] Specific examples of enzymes having exopeptidase activity include, for example, carboxypeptidase, aminopeptidase, or exopeptidases derived from microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria, Aspergillus spp. or Rhizopus spp. More specific examples of enzymes having exopeptidase activity include peptidases produced by Aspergillus oryzae (trade names: Umamizyme G, Promod 192P, Promod 194P, Sumitomo Flap), peptidases produced by Aspergillus sojae (trade name: Sternzyme B15024), peptidases produced by Aspergillus spp. (trade name: Kokurase P), and peptidases produced by Rhizopus oryzae (trade name: Peptidase R).

[0019] Specific examples of enzymes having endopeptidase activity include, for example, endopeptidases derived from animals (e.g., trypsin, chymotrypsin, etc.), endopeptidases derived from plants (e.g., papain, etc.), or endopeptidases derived from microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria, yeast, mold, Bacillus subtilis or actinomycetes. More specific examples of enzymes having endopeptidase activity include peptidases produced by Bacillus subtilis (trade names: Orientase 22BF, Nuclease), peptidases produced by Bacillus licheniformis (trade name: Alcalase), peptidases produced by Bacillus stearothermophilus (trade name: Protease S), peptidases produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (trade name: Neutrase), and peptidases produced by Bacillus spp. (trade name: Protamex).

[0020] When treating raw royal jelly with proteolytic enzymes, the reaction conditions (such as the amount of proteolytic enzyme used, temperature, pH, reaction time, etc.) can be appropriately set according to the type of proteolytic enzyme used, etc. As specific reaction conditions, for example, when using actinase AS (manufactured by Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) which has both endopeptidase activity and exopeptidase activity as the proteolytic enzyme, the amount of proteolytic enzyme used can be exemplified as 1 g per 100 g of royal jelly, the temperature during the reaction is 45 - 55 °C, the pH is 8.5 - 9.5, and the reaction time is 2 - 4 hours.

[0021] The organic solvent extract of royal jelly can be obtained, for example, by extracting raw royal jelly using an organic solvent such as ethanol, methanol, propanol, acetone, etc. as the solvent. The extraction time can be appropriately set according to the form of the raw royal jelly used as the raw material, the type and amount of the solvent, the temperature and stirring conditions during extraction, etc. After extraction, solid components may be removed by filtration, centrifugation, etc. Also, the extracted solution may be used as it is, or the solvent may be removed from the solution and used as a concentrated solution or powder. The organic solvent extract of royal jelly is preferably a royal jelly ethanol extract.

[0022] Commercially available royal jelly may be used. Specific examples of commercially available royal jelly include, for example, enzymatically decomposed royal jelly king (manufactured by Yamada Bee Farm Co., Ltd.).

[0023] The content of royal jelly in the B - cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment may be 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 65% by mass or more, or 70% by mass or more in terms of dry solid content based on the total amount of the B - cell number increasing agent. Also, the content of royal jelly in the B - cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment may be 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, or 60% by mass or less in terms of solid content based on the total amount of the B - cell number increasing agent.

[0024] When the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment contains royal jelly as an active ingredient, the B cell number increasing agent can be used at a dose of 30 mg or more and 1500 mg or less per day for an adult weighing 60 kg in terms of the amount of the active ingredient, preferably at a dose of 500 mg or more and 1200 mg or less, and more preferably at a dose of 700 mg or more and 900 mg or less. The dose can be appropriately set within the above range according to factors such as the health condition of the person to be ingested, the administration method, and the combination with other agents.

[0025] Pollen load is a mixture of pollen and nectar collected by honeybees. The pollen load may be as it is when collected, or may be a pollen load processed product subjected to treatments such as physical treatments such as pulverization or crushing, drying treatment, extraction treatment, enzyme treatment, fermentation treatment, etc. The physical treatment can be carried out, for example, by applying ultrasonic vibration to the water containing the pollen load. Since pollen particles are said to have a hard cell wall and low digestibility, the pollen load is preferably a pollen load processed product. By breaking the cell wall of pollen by the above various treatments, the digestibility and absorbability when the pollen load is ingested can be improved.

[0026] The pollen load used in the B cell proliferation promoter according to this embodiment is not particularly limited, but is preferably derived from Cistus, Myrica, or Jara. The type of honeybee used for collecting the pollen load is not particularly limited. The pollen load can be obtained as a beekeeping product, for example, according to a conventional method.

[0027] Commercially available pollen loads may be used. Specific examples of commercially available pollen loads include, for example, pollen load [granules] (manufactured by Yamada Beekeeping Co., Ltd.).

[0028] The content of pollen load in the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment may be 60% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 75% by mass or more, or 80% by mass or more in terms of solid content with respect to the total amount of the B cell number increasing agent. Further, the content of pollen load in the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment may be 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, or 70% by mass or less in terms of solid content with respect to the total amount of the B cell number increasing agent.

[0029] When the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment contains pollen load as an active ingredient, the B cell number increasing agent can be used in a dose of 300 mg or more and 2100 mg or less per day for an adult weighing 60 kg in terms of the amount of active ingredient, preferably in a dose of 600 mg or more and 1800 mg or less, more preferably in a dose of 900 mg or more and 1500 mg or less, and even more preferably in a dose of 1100 mg or more and 1300 mg or less. The dose can be appropriately set within the above range according to factors such as the health condition of the person taking it, the administration method, and the combination with other agents.

[0030] As shown in the examples described later, royal jelly and pollen load have the effect of increasing the number of B cells. Therefore, the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment contains at least one selected from the group consisting of royal jelly and pollen load as an active ingredient, and thus has the effect of increasing the number of B cells, the effect of proliferating B cells, or the effect of promoting the proliferation of B cells. That is, by ingesting the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment, the number of B cells in the blood can be increased and the immunity can be enhanced.

[0031] The B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment may be administered orally (ingested) or parenterally. As long as the effective dose per day of the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment is within the above-described range, it may be administered once a day or divided into multiple times such as twice a day or three times a day.

[0032] The B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment may further contain other components in addition to the active ingredient. Examples of other components include pharmaceutically acceptable components (e.g., excipients, binders, lubricants, disintegrants, emulsifiers, surfactants, bases, solubilizing agents, suspending agents), and food acceptable components (e.g., minerals, vitamins, flavonoids, quinones, polyphenols, amino acids, nucleic acids, essential fatty acids, cooling agents, binders, sweeteners, disintegrants, lubricants, coloring agents, fragrances, stabilizers, preservatives, sustained release regulators, surfactants, solvents, wetting agents).

[0033] The B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment may be in any form such as solid, liquid, paste, etc., and may be in dosage forms such as tablets (including plain tablets, sugar-coated tablets, effervescent tablets, film-coated tablets, chewable tablets, troches, etc.), capsules, pills, powders (powders), fine granules, granules, liquids, suspensions, emulsions, syrups, pastes, injections (including the case of being formulated as a liquid by mixing with infusion solutions such as distilled water, amino acid infusion solutions, or electrolyte infusion solutions when in use), etc. These various preparations can be prepared, for example, by mixing the active ingredient and, if necessary, other components and shaping them into the above dosage forms.

[0034] The B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment can be used as a pharmaceutical, quasi-drug, or food composition itself, or as a component in these products. A pharmaceutical, quasi-drug, or food composition containing the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment as one component can be produced, for example, by adding the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment to an intermediate product in the manufacturing process of these products.

[0035] When the B cell number increasing agent according to this embodiment is used as a food composition or as one of its components, it is preferable that the food composition emphasizes the tertiary function of food, i.e., the body condition regulating function. Examples of products that emphasize the tertiary function of food include health foods, foods with function claims, foods with nutritional functions, dietary supplements, supplements, and foods for specified health uses.

[0036] Examples of food compositions include beverages such as coffee, juice, and tea beverages, soft drinks, milk beverages, lactic acid bacteria beverages, yogurt beverages, carbonated beverages, and alcoholic beverages such as Japanese sake, Western liquor, fruit wine, and honey wine; spreads such as custard cream; pastes such as fruit paste; Western confectionery such as chocolate, doughnuts, pies, cream puffs, gums, jellies, candies, cookies, cakes, and puddings; Japanese confectionery such as mochi, rice cakes, steamed buns, castella, anmitsu, and yokan; frozen confectionery such as ice cream, ice candy, and sherbet; cooked foods such as curry, beef bowl, congee, miso soup, soup, meat sauce, pasta, pickles, and jam; seasonings such as dressings, furikake, umami seasonings, and soup bases, etc.

Example

[0037] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0038] 〔Test method〕 Twelve healthy male and female volunteers aged 18 or older were given 3 capsules of enzymatically decomposed royal jelly king (manufactured by Yamada Bee Farm Co., Ltd., 294.8 mg / capsule as dry royal jelly powder) or 4 pollen grains (manufactured by Yamada Bee Farm Co., Ltd., 300 mg / pollen grain) every day for 4 weeks. For the number of B cells per 1 μL of blood before and after ingestion by each volunteer, the number of B cells recognized as positive for anti-CD20 antibody was measured by flow cytometry. The results are shown in Table 1. Note that * in the table represents p < 0.05 (Paired-t test).

[0039]

Table 1

[0040] It was shown that the ingestion of royal jelly or pollen grains significantly increased the number of B cells.

Claims

【Claim 1】 A B cell number increasing agent containing pollen load as an active ingredient, wherein the pollen load is derived from Cistus.

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