Effects of astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis extract on cognitive function: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

In this study we tried to confirm the effect of an astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis extract on cognitive function in 96 subjects by a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study. Healthy middle-aged and elderly subjects who complained of age-related forgetfulness were recruited. Ninety-six subjects were selected from the initial screen, and ingested a capsule containing astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis extract, or a placebo capsule for 12 weeks. Somatometry, haematology, urine screens, and CogHealth and Groton Maze Learning Test were performed before and after every 4 weeks of administration. Changes in cognitive performance and the safety of astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis extract administration were evaluated. CogHealth battery scores improved in the high-dosage group (12 mg astaxanthin/day) after 12 weeks. Groton Maze Learning Test scores improved earlier in the low-dosage (6 mg astaxanthin/day) and high-dosage groups than in the placebo group. The sample size, however, was small to show a significant difference in cognitive function between the astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis extract and placebo groups. No adverse effect on the subjects was observed throughout this study. In conclusion, the results suggested that astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis extract improves cognitive function in the healthy aged individuals.

100-Gbps CMOS transceiver for multilane optical backplane system with a 1.3 cm2 footprint.

A compact 4 × 25 Gbps optical transceiver has been fabricated for an optical backplane system, which consists of a 4 × 25 Gbps DFB-LD array, a 4 × 25 Gbps PIN-PD array, and a CMOS transceiver chip. These are directly mounted on 9 × 14 mm(2) multi-layer ceramic package with an electromagnetic shield structure to suppress inner-channel crosstalk effectively. The transceiver includes an analog front-end as well as an electrical interface function to interface with the switch LSI or CPU. Power consumption was as low as 20 mW/Gbps, and a transmission experiment was successfully conducted at 25 Gbps.

Preliminary Clinical Evaluation of Toxicity and Efficacy of A New Astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis Extract.

Astaxanthin (Ax), a carotenoid ubiquitously distributed in microorganisms, fish, and crustaceans, has been known to be a potent antioxidant and hence exhibit various physiological effects. We attempted in these studies to evaluate clinical toxicity and efficacy of long-term administration of a new Ax product, by measuring biochemical and hematological blood parameters and by analyzing brain function (using CogHealth and P300 measures). Ax-rich Haematococcus pluvialis extracts equivalent to 4, 8, 20 mg of Ax dialcohol were administered to 73, 38, and 16 healthy adult volunteers, respectively, once daily for 4 weeks to evaluate safety. Ten subjects with age-related forgetfulness received an extract equivalent to 12 mg in a daily dosing regimen for 12 weeks to evaluate efficacy. As a result, no abnormality was observed and efficacy for age-related decline in cognitive and psychomotor functions was suggested.

Protective effects of astaxanthin on 6-hydroxydopamine-induced apoptosis in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Although understanding of the pathogenesis of PD remains incomplete, increasing evidence from human and animal studies has suggested that oxidative stress is an important mediator in its pathogenesis. Astaxanthin (Asx), a potent antioxidant, has been thought to provide health benefits by decreasing the risk of oxidative stress-related diseases. This study examined the protective effects of Asx on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced apoptosis in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Pre-treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with Asx suppressed 6-OHDA-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, Asx strikingly inhibited 6-OHDA-induced mitochondrial dysfunctions, including lowered membrane potential and the cleavage of caspase 9, caspase 3, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. In western blot analysis, 6-OHDA activated p38 MAPK, c-jun NH(2)-terminal kinase 1/2, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, while Asx blocked the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK but not c-jun NH(2)-terminal kinase 1/2 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. Pharmacological approaches showed that the activation of p38 MAPK has a critical role in 6-OHDA-induced mitochondrial dysfunctions and apoptosis. Furthermore, Asx markedly abolished 6-OHDA-induced reactive oxygen species generation, which resulted in the blockade of p38 MAPK activation and apoptosis induced by 6-OHDA treatment. Taken together, the present results indicated that the protective effects of Asx on apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells may be, at least in part, attributable to the its potent antioxidative ability.

Differential transcriptional regulation of two distinct S-adenosylmethionine synthetase genes (SAM1 and SAM2) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Expression of a number of genes encoding enzymes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known to be repressed on the addition of myo-inositol and choline to the culture medium (inositol-choline regulation). All genes subject to this inositol-choline regulation have an octamer sequence 5'-CATRTGAA-3' in their upstream regions and those octamer sequences play an important role in this regulation. To confirm the role of the octamer sequence further, we studied the transcriptional regulation of two distinct S-adenosylmethionine synthetase genes (SAM1 and SAM2) of S. cerevisiae. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that only the SAM2 gene was subject to the inositol-choline regulation, consistent with the fact that only the SAM2 gene has two octamer sequences in its upstream region. Furthermore, functional promoter analysis revealed that the proximal octamer sequence of the SAM2 gene has an essential role for this regulation.

A new strategy to determine the target DNA sequence of a short peptide.

The design of molecules that target desired DNA sequences has been one of the major challenges in the field of molecular recognition. We report here a general strategy for defining the sequence-preference of DNA-binding short peptide by using its heterodimer. Our method successfully identified specific sequences of short peptides derived from native DNA-binding proteins. The usefulness of this approach has been demonstrated by identifying preferred DNA targets for a peptide composed only of D-amino acids.