Seawater has been used for thalassotherapy and atopic dermatitis for a long time in medical treatment. However, there are still many obscure points in the scientific evidence about the effective of medical treatment.Deep seawater at depths between about 500 m and 1000 m circulates around the world. 1) Deep seawater is known to have such characteristics as being clean and rich in mineral components compared to surface seawater, [2][3][4] and application has been attempted in many fields. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In health food and medical fields, deep seawater has been processed into drinking water, and various beneficial effects have been suggested, but they have not been confirmed scientifically. In particular, differences between surface and deep seawater remain unqualified.We reported previously that deep seawater was effective for hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis prevention. 12)In this study, we prepared drinking water samples containing the same amounts of major mineral constituents Na, K, Ca, and Mg, with hardness of 1200, by filtering with a semipermeable membrane using surface and deep seawater collected in the sea area of Muroto, Kochi Prefecture, known for the up-flow of deep seawater, and examined the effects of the drinking water samples on the prevention of a typical lifestyle-related disorder, hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS AnimalsMale Japanese white rabbits weighing 1.8 to 2.0 kg (Shimizu, Kyoto, Japan) were used in this study. These animals were acclimatized on a 12 h light/dark cycle in a humidity-and temperature-controlled facility and allowed free access to food and water for 1 week before the experiment.Deep and Surface Seawater Deep seawater pumped up from a depth of 374 m off Muroto Cape (Kochi, Japan) was separated into desalinated water and concentrated by a semipermeable membrane. Various concentrations of water (with sodium eliminated etc.) were added to the desalinated water, and deep seawaters were prepared. (hardness of about 1200; Muroto Marinefood Corporation, Odanikokufun Corporation) The surface seawater of the Muroto Cape ocean space was taken and same process was performed to prepare the drinking water (hardness of about 1200; Kochi Prefectural Deep seawater Laboratory).The mineral-ingredient content of each drinking seawater is shown in Table 1.Administration of Deep or Surface Seawater Cholesterol fed rabbits were divided into three groups and medicated with 150 ml/d of deep seawater, surface seawater and distilled water in a water-supply bottle ad libitum, and fed * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Murotomisaki-cho, Muroto, Kochi 781-7101, Japan: c Muroto Marinefood Corporation; 3507-5 Murotomisaki-cho, Muroto, Kochi 780-8123, Japan: and d Odanikokufun Corporation; 939-4 Takasu, Kochi, Kochi 780-8123, Japan. Received July 13, 2004; accepted September 9, 2004; published online September 10, 2004 Using surface and deep seawater collected in the sea area of Muroto Cape (Kochi, Japan), desalinated drinking samples of about 1200 hard...

In recent years, deep-sea water has been applied not only in food production but in industry and the medical field in an attempt to utilize its properties, 1) its wealth of inorganic materials, its purity and mineral content, which have attracted attention.2) In particular, various minerals in their characteristic dissolved states, including indispensable trace elements abundant in deep-sea water have demonstrated their usefulness and attracted attention in each field, and various applications have been tried. 3)A major problem of insufficient minerals caused by the recent westernization of lifestyles and eating habits, has resulted in so-called lifestyle-related illnesses such as hyperlipemia, hypertension, and diabetes. 4) In order to prevent or treat these illnesses, it is important to adjust disorders in body functioning. However, although deep-sea water contains minerals used in the treatment of lifestyle-related illness and the production of health food, there is no scientific proof of its usefulness.To examine the lifestyle-related illness, hyperlipemia, in which eating habit disorders are considered to particularly influence the development of symptoms, we medicated normal rabbits with deep-sea water (desalinated water, hardness 28, 300, and 1200) simultaneously with cholesterol loading, and examined its preventive effect on hyperlipemia. Furthermore, prepared hyperlipemia rabbits 5) carrying the same cholesterol load as normal rabbits, were administered deep-sea water, and its medical treatment effect on hyperlipemia was examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS AnimalsMale Japanese white rabbits weighing 1.8 to 2.0 kg (Shimizu, Kyoto, Japan) were used in this study. These animals were maintained on a 12 h light/dark cycle in a humidity-and temperature-controlled facility and allowed free access to food and water for 1 week during acclimatization before the experiment.Deep-Sea Water Deep-sea water pumped up from a depth of 374 m off Muroto Cape (Kochi, Japan) was desalinated and concentrated by reverse osmosis. Various concentrations of water with eliminated sodium etc. were added to the desalinated water and deep-sea water samples of varying hardness (28, 300, 1200) were prepared. The mineral ingredient content of each deep-sea water sample is shown in Table 1.Administration of Deep-Sea Water Normal rabbits were divided into four groups and administered 150 ml/d of deep-sea water (desalinated water, hardness 28, 300, and 1200) in a water supply bottle ad libitum, and fed normal food (CR-3, Clea, Osaka, Japan) for 4 weeks ( Table 2). It was confirmed that the rabbits consumed the water each time.Cholesterol-loaded rabbits were similarly divided into four groups and were each administered deep-sea water, and fed a 1% cholesterol-containing diet (CE-2, Clea, Osaka, Japan) for 4 weeks ( Table 2).Hyperlipemia rabbits fed a 1% cholesterol diet for 4 weeks and with a raised total cholesterol (T-Cho) level before this experiment, were similarly divided into four groups, admin- * To whom correspondence should be addresse...

We have clarified that Eriobotrya japonica seed extract has strong antioxidative activity, and is effective for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as hepatopathy and nephropathy. In this study, to investigate the influences of components of Eriobotrya japonica seed extract on its antioxidative activity, extracts were prepared using various solvents (n-hexane (Hex), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), methanol (MeOH) and H 2 O) and the antioxidative activity of the solvent fractions and components was evaluated based on the scavenging of various radicals (DPPH and O 2 ؊ ) measured by the ESR method and the inhibition of Fe 3؉ -ADP induced NADPH dependent lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes. The radical scavenging activities and inhibitory activities on lipid peroxidation differed among the solvent fractions and components. In the n-BuOH, MeOH and H 2 O fractions, radical scavenging activity and inhibitory activity on lipid peroxidation were high. In addition, these fractions contained abundant polyphenols, and the radical scavenging activity increased with the polyphenol content. In the low-polar Hex and EtOAc fractions, the radical scavenging activity was low, but the lipid peroxidation inhibition activity was high. These fractions contained b b-sitosterol, and the inhibitory activity on lipid peroxidation was high. Based on these findings, the antioxidative activity of Eriobotrya japonica seed extract may be derived from many components involved in a complex mechanism, resulting in high activity.

No abstract

Recent studies have shown that oxidative damage in the body induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals is frequently involved in the development of many diseases.1-3) ROS are continuously produced physiologically, and play an important role in the expression of cell functions such as the transmission of impulse information. However, if they are produced excessively from any cause, they act cytotoxically as mediators of adverse events such as inflammation, necrosis, and apoptosis. In the kidney, ROS are important causes of acute and subacute renal failure in most cases. It has also been reported that renal failure results from decreased levels of the antioxidant vitamin E and decreased activity of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx), 4,5) and can be prevented by free-radical scavengers and polyphenols. 6,7) Also, certain anticancer drugs themselves produce free radicals, and act as factors promoting nephrotoxicity. 8) In particular, adriamycin (ADR), which is used to treat leukemia and lung cancer, generates superoxide anions and hydroxy radicals, thereby inducing nephrotoxicity, suggesting that the administration of antioxidant substances is effective in inhibiting nephrotoxicity. However, no clinically useful drugs are currently available.Eriobotrya japonica is widely cultivated as a fruit crop. Among Chinese medicine preparations, Eriobotrya japonica folia are an ingredient in Shini-seihai-to and Biwayo-to used as antiphlogistic, analgesic, antitussive, and expectorant agents. Recently, the blood sugar-reducing 9-11) and antiphlogistic actions 12,13) of Eriobotrya japonica folia have also been reported. On the other hand, Eriobotrya japonica seeds, like those of apricots and peaches of the same genus (Rosaceae), contain amygdalin as the main constituent; therefore, they were used as a substitute medication for the latter seeds in prewar Japan.To date, we have discovered the antioxidant action and associated hepatotoxicity-inhibiting action of an extract from Eriobotrya japonica seeds.14) In this study, to clarify the physiological action of an extract from Eriobotrya japonica seeds, we administered an Eriobotrya japonica seed extract (ESE) with 70% ethanol to rats with ADR nephrotoxicity, and evaluated its improvement effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS MaterialsSufficiently sun-dried seeds of Mogi-loquant collected at Muroto and Susaki cities in Kochi Prefecture of Japan were the Eriobotrya japonica seeds used. Adriamycin (ADR) was provided by Kyowahakko (Japan). All other chemicals were of reagent grade.Extraction of Seed Eriobotrya japonica seeds were extracted by 70% ethanol. Briefly, 1.0 kg of seeds was crushed in a blender equipped with a refrigerator at 1000 rpm, and then continuously stirred by a mixer at 300 rpm for 7 d after being dissolved in the 70% ethanol. The supernatant was then collected and evaporated to dryness to prepare the dried extracts.Animals Male Wistar rats, aged seven weeks, 180-200 g, were purchased from NSC Japan. Animals were acclimatized for seven days ...