Developers
Si-Young Cho, Juewon Kim, Sin-Hyeog lm, Hang-Rae Kim, etc.
Description of the technology
Age-associated immunological dysfunction (immunosenescence, i.e. age-associated thymus involution) is closely linked to perturbation of the gut microbiota.
New technology has proposed a modulation of immune aging and the gut microbiota associated with this effect with the help of a polyphenolic lignan syringaresinol (SYR). SYR has been reported to exert various health-promoting effects, including antioxidant, antistress, antitumorigenic, and anti-inflammatory effects. These diverse bioactivities of SYR, like other dietary polyphenols, depend on bacterial transformation by the gut microbiota. In turn, SYR may influence the relative abundance of different bacterial groups within the gut microbiota. However, to date there have been no reports regarding SYR metabolism by gut microbiota and the effects of SYR on modulation of the gut microbiota. In process of new technology development the authors have carried out these investigations.
The technology was tested in experiment on middle-aged mice. Compared with age-matched control mice, SYR treatment delayed immunosenescence by enhancing the numbers of total CD3+ T cells and naïve T cells. SYR treatment induced the expression of Bim as well as activation of FOXO3 in Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Furthermore, SYR treatment significantly enhanced the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio compared with that in age-matched controls by increasing beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, while reducing the opportunistic pathogenic genus, Akkermansia. In addition, SYR treatment reduced the serum level of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, an inflammatory marker, and enhanced humoral immunity against influenza vaccination to the level of young control mice.
In sum, these findings suggest that SYR may rejuvenate the immune system through modulation of gut integrity and microbiota diversity as well as composition in middle-aged mice, which may delay the immunosenescence associated with aging.
Practical application
The technology can be valuable for preventive therapy of ageing and additional treatment of age-associated diseases. Besides, it can be used for modulation of human gut microbiota in various cases of dysbacteriosis.
Laboratories
- R&D Unit, AmorePacific Corporation, Gyeonggi-do (Republic of Korea)
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Republic of Korea)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Republic of Korea)
- Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology (IBB), Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang (Republic of Korea)
Links
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep39026
Publications
- Cho, S.Y. et al. «Modulation of gut microbiota and delayed immunosenescence as a result of syringaresinol consumption in middle-aged mice." 6 Sci Rep. (2016): 39026.
- Cho, S. et al. «Syringaresinol protects against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cardiomyocytes injury and death by destabilization of HIF-1alpha in a FOXO3-dependent mechanism." 6 Oncotarget, (2015): 43–55.
- Cho, S. et al. «Identification of a small molecule activator of SIRT1 gene expression." 5 Aging (Albany NY), (2013): 174–182.