KASE YOSHIO

Medications or dietary components can affect both the host and the host's gut microbiota. Changes in the microbiota may influence medication efficacy and interactions. Daikenchuto (TU-100), a herbal medication, comprised of ginger, ginseng, and Japanese pepper, is widely used in Japanese traditional Kampo medicine for intestinal motility and postoperative paralytic ileus. We previously showed in mice that consumption of TU-100 for 4 weeks changed the gut microbiota and increased bioavailability of bacterial ginsenoside metabolites. Since TU-100 is prescribed in humans for months to years, we examined the time- and sex-dependent effects of TU-100 on mouse gut microbiota. Oral administration of 1.5% TU-100 for 24 weeks caused more pronounced changes in gut microbiota in female than in male mice. Changes in both sexes largely reverted to baseline upon TU-100 withdrawal. Effects were time and dose dependent. The microbial profiles reverted to baseline within 4 weeks after withdrawal of 0.75% TU-100 but were sustained after withdrawal of 3% TU-100. In summary, dietary TU-100 changed mouse microbiota in a time-, sex-, and dose-dependent manner. These findings may be taken into consideration when determining optimizing dose for conditions of human health and disease with the consideration of differences in composition and response of the human intestinal microbiota.

Yokukansan (YKS) and yokukansankachimpihange (YKSCH) are traditional Japanese Kampo medicines. The latter comprises YKS along with the medicinal herbs Citrus unshiu peel and Pinellia tuber. Both of these Kampo medicines are indicated for the treatment of night crying and irritability in children and for neurosis and insomnia in adults. In recent clinical trials, YKS exhibited ameliorative effects on the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, such as aggressiveness, excitement, and irritability. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the involvement of cholinergic degeneration in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) in the development of aggressiveness in rats. Subsequently, using this animal model, the effects of YKS and YKSCH on aggressiveness were compared and the mechanisms underlying these effects were investigated. L-Glutamic acid (Glu) was injected into the right NBM of rats to induce deterioration of cholinergic neurons. On day 8 after Glu injection, aggressive behaviors were evaluated using resident-intruder tests. After the evaluation, YKS or YKSCH was administered to rats with aggressive behaviors daily for 7 days. In some groups, the 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY-100635 was coadministered with YKS or YKSCH over the same period. In other groups, locomotor activity was measured on days 12-14 after Glu injection. On day 15, immunohistochemistry was then performed to examine choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activities in the NBM. Aggressive behaviors had developed on day 8 after Glu injection and were maintained until day 15. YKS and YKSCH significantly ameliorated the aggressive behaviors. These suppressive effects were entirely abolished following coadministration of WAY-100635. Finally, the number of ChAT-positive cells in the right NBM was significantly reduced on day 15 after Glu injection, and treatment with YKS or YKSCH did not ameliorate these reduced cell numbers. Our results show that unilateral Glu injections into the NBM of rats leads to the development of aggressive behaviors, which is thought to reflect cholinergic degeneration. YKS and YKSCH treatments ameliorated Glu-induced aggressive behaviors, and these effects were suggested to be mediated by 5-HT1A receptor stimulation, but not by improvement of cholinergic degeneration.

The traditional Japanese herbal medicine hangeshashinto (HST) has beneficial effects for the treatment of oral ulcerative mucositis (OUM) in cancer patients. However, the ingredient-based mechanism that underlies its pain-relieving activity remains unknown. In the present study, to clarify the analgesic mechanism of HST on OUM-induced pain, we investigated putative HST ingredients showing antagonistic effects on Na+ channels in vitro and in vivo. A screen of 21 major ingredients using automated patch clamp recordings in channel-expressing cells showed that [6]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol, two components of a Processed Ginger extract, considerably inhibited voltage-activated Na+ currents. These two ingredients inhibited the stimulant-induced release of substance P and action potential generation in cultured rat sensory neurons. A submucosal injection of a mixture of [6]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol increased the mechanical withdrawal threshold in healthy rats. In a rat OUM model, OUM-induced mechanical pain was alleviated 30 min after the swab application of HST despite the absence of anti-bacterial and antiinflammatory actions in the OUM area. A swab application of a mixture of [61-gingerol and [6]-shogaol induced sufficient analgesia of OUM-induced mechanical or spontaneous pain when co-applied with a Ginseng extract containing abundant saponin. The Ginseng extract demonstrated an acceleration of substance permeability into the oral ulcer tissue without an analgesic effect. These findings suggest that Na+ channel blockage by gingerol/shogaol plays an essential role in HST-associated analgesia of OUMinduced pain. This pharmacological mechanism provides scientific evidence supporting the use of this herbal medicine in patients suffering from OUM-induced pain. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.