Through joint research by Daikan Nagane, Lecturer at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Takumi Sato, Professor at Tokyo University of Technology, and Nippon Petfood Co., Ltd., polyhydroxybutyric acid (PHB) has been found to affect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) through intestinal bacteria. ) was found to exhibit an inhibitory effect.
Although various therapeutic approaches have been investigated, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still one of the intractable diseases. Intestinal flora and its metabolites are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of IBD, among which short-chain fatty acids play an important role.However, due to their high volatility, short-chain fatty acids are difficult to deliver to the large intestine, where IBD occurs, by oral administration.
The research team focused on polyhydroxybutyric acid (PHB), a type of biodegradable polyester. PHB is decomposed by microorganisms in soil and converted to 3-hydroxybutyric acid (3-HB), a type of short-chain fatty acid.If intestinal bacteria can convert PHB to 3-HB in the same way as soil bacteria, it may affect the pathology of IBD.
As a result of the study, it was confirmed that PHB was degraded by intestinal bacteria in IBD model mice orally administered with PHB, and 3-HB was continuously released in the large intestine.It is said that the 3-HB concentration in the blood increased and succeeded in suppressing the pathology of IBD.In tissues, regulatory T cells, which are anti-inflammatory immune cells, were increased, suggesting that PHB may exert therapeutic effects in IBD through activation of regulatory T cells.
It was suggested that PHB could be applied to treat diseases related to intestinal flora, including ulcerative colitis.Biodegradable polyester is not only an indispensable material for sustainable social development, but it is also expected to be a new approach to diseases from the applicability of PHB shown in this research.