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We search for new functions of components in food and medicinal resources by applying more than 40 kinds of diverse bioassays owned by the University of Tsukuba, and clarify the active components and their mechanism on function expression.
AIST has been developing technology for the synthesis of useful chemicals from biomass. By applying this technology, we will develop a process to produce substances with advanced bioactive functions from inexpensive biomass raw materials.
Isorhamnetin is a monomethylated form of quercetin, a flavonol found abundantly in the Mediterranean salt plant Nitraria retusa. We have found that isorhamnetin has the ability to improve symptoms and inhibit cell fibrosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
3,4,5-Tri-O-caffeoylquinic acid (TCQA) is a kind of chlorogenic acid contained in very small amounts in stems and leaves of sweet potatoes and Asteraceae plants, and propolis. We found that TCQA has the function of promoting hair growth and pigmentation, and clarified its mechanism.
Squalene is a kind of triterpene found in shark liver oil and olive oil, and is also known to be produced by certain microalgae. We have synthesized a series of new squalene compounds attached with ethylene glycol units, and have clarified their bioactivity.
