Traditional Japanese medicine uses the leaves of Kumaizasa bamboo extracted in hot water at 100°C. For this study, we developed a new, 'vigorous' extraction method involving steps at 100, 121 and 196°C. This procedure not only yielded greater amounts of extract but also with significant increase in immunostimulating activity, which induces activation of human natural killer (NK) cells, macropha...

IH-901 (20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol or compound K) is a final intestinal bacterial metabolite of ginseng in humans. It has various pharmacologic effects such as antiaging, immunopotentiation, antistress, and antimetastatic activities. We analyzed the antioxidant activities of IH-901 using several assays including: total antioxidant activity, reductive potential, 1,1-diphenyl-2...

Several promising adjuvant candidates have been studied over the past 75 years; however, only alum is currently approved for human use. The complex acylated polysaccharide emulsan, secreted from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, represents a new candidate. Unique features of this family of polymers are their amenability to structural tailoring and their emulsification behavior. We demonstrate that e...

Oral (PO) administration of KS-2 to adult DDI mice resulted in a peak serum interferon (IF) titer of 800 units (U)/ml 20 hours after administration with detectable levels persisting until 30 hours. After intraperitoneal (IP) injection, a peak serum IF titer of 1,600 U/ml was detected and it followed the same time course as that of oral administration. The IF induced by KS-2 shared certain physi...

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a collective term used for fatty acids with a conjugated double bond that are geometrical and positional isomers of linoleic acid. Anti-obesity and anti-cancer properties, an immunopotentiation effect, and promotion of bone formation by CLA have been shown in cell culture and animal studies. A mixture of 9c11t- and 10t12c-CLA is now used as a health food supple...

Ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) is one of the richest sources of phenolic acids and flavonoids. EEP and its phenolic compounds have been known for various biological activities including immunopotentiation, chemopreventive and antitumor effects. Tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a naturally occurring anticancer agent that preferentially induces apoptosis in ...

Prolonged excessive ingestion or consumption of alcohol eventually results in hepatic insufficiency; induces the aggravation of viral hepatitis and/or fatty liver. The long term ingestion of alcohol not only induces a decline in the immune function but also promotes the production of inflammatory cytokines by Kupffer cells activated by enterobacterial endotoxins. Royal Jelly has numerous functi...