Project description:Natto is a traditional Japanese food from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis natto. Natto contains a powerful fibrinolytic enzyme called nattokinase (NK), which has thrombolytic, anti-hypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic and lipid-lowering effects. This project aims to study the effects of NK in vascular inflammation.
Project description:From a long time ago, supplementation of fermented enzyme foods could have worked health effects on the body in the east nevertheless, only a few studies reported functions of them such as weight loss and metabolic syndrome. Thus, it is necessary to be verified whether supplementation of fermented enzyme foods can act in the body as a functional material. Therefore, we investigated the anti-obesity effects of fermented mixed grain with digestive enzymes (FMG) in high-fat diet induced mice. Sixty C57BL/6J mice were divided into six dietary groups and fed a normal diet (ND), a high-fat diet (HFD), Bacilus Coagulans group, steamed grain group, low-dose fermented mixed grain group(L-FMG), high-dose fermented mixed grain group (H-FMG) supplement for 12 weeks. After sacrificing, body weight and body fat mass in H-FMG group were significantly decreased compared to HFD group with a simultaneous decrease in plasma lipids. Also, H-FMG significantly decreased the blood glucose and improved the glucose tolerance compared to HFD group. Moreover high-dose FMG supplementation dramatically decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines which secreted from adipocyte. Taken together, our findings suggest that H-FMG ameliorate high fat-diet induced obesity and its complication and could be used as a potential preventive agent for obesity.
Project description:Soybeans fermented by Bacillus subtilis BJ3-2 exhibits strong ammonia taste in medium temperature below 37℃ and prominent soy sauce-like aroma moderate temperatures above 45℃. The transcriptome sequencing of Bacillus subtilis BJ3-2 (incubating at 37°C and 45°C) has been completed, screening of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through data analysis, and analyzing their metabolic pathways, laying a foundation for exploring the regulatory mechanism of soy sauce-like aroma formation.
Project description:Mycotoxin citrinin (CTN) is a contaminant widely found in foods, feeds, and fermented health supplements. To investigate the potential neurotoxic effect of CTN, RNA-seq was performed on human neuroblastoma cells SH-SY5Y exposed to 0, 10, and 20 μM CTN for 72 h. The transcriptomic profile revealed novel underlying mechanisms of CTN neurotoxicity, providing useful information for risk assessment of consuming CTN-contaminated grains and its commercial food products.