Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Designated organic active ingredient containing – Carbohydrate doai
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-13
2001-06-05
Lee, Howard C. (Department: 1623)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Designated organic active ingredient containing
Carbohydrate doai
C514S053000, C514S055000, C514S893000, C514S894000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06242431
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for treating liver dysfunction.
In recent years, in Japan, reflecting the progressive increase in elderly population and the westernization of diet, the incidence of various diseases in the adult population has increased. One of these diseases is diabetes, which is a generic term for chronic high blood glucose and various complications (such as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and immune disorder) induced by capillary dysfunction accompanying the chronic high blood glucose. It is estimated that domestically about five million patients are suffering from these diabetes conditions. Diabetes is generally classified into insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). In Japan, it is reported that IDDM patients account for at most 5% of the diabetes patients, while NIDDM patients account for at least 95% of the diabetes patients. Particularly, NIDDM, which is related to habitat factors such as obesity, overfeeding, ataxia and senescence, is expected to increase in the future in Japan where the progressive increase in elderly population and the westernization of diet will further advance.
As the causes of IDDM, it is generally known that viral infection or defects of the autoimmunization mechanism cause inflammation of the Langerhaus islet of the pancreas, resulting in the destruction of beta-cells as the insulin-producing cells, whereby insulin will not be secreted. This develops IDDM. Accordingly, treatment is made by administration of insulin.
Further, as the causes of NIDDM, it is believed that although insulin is secreted, the action of the insulin on the cells is inadequate, whereby the cells can not sufficiently take glucose in the blood, and a hyperglycemia state is thereby continued. Accordingly, for the treatment, insulin is not necessarily required, and dietary treatment and excercise treatment are mainly used.
If the hyperglycemia state is continued by diabetes, systemic capillaries will fall into disorder and arteriosclerosis will advance, thereby causing obstruction of blood vessels in the heart or brain and gangrene of the legs. Further, if the blood glucose level is high, glucose in the blood is likely to bond to proteins in hemoglobin or tissues, whereby the functions thereof will be inhibited. As the results, complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neurosis, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction and cataracts occur. Further, because immunization power is decreased by diabetes, the patients are likely to catch infections easily.
If the complications become worse, recovery is very difficult, and it is thereby important for diabetes patients to control their blood glucose level so that it will not rise above such level that no symptom is observed. For such a purpose, various antidiabetic agents, such as hypoglycemic agents, have heretofore been developed. For example, there may be mentioned, as natural materials, a hypoglycemic agent containing, as an active ingredient, tea lactone as a water-soluble polysaccharide component of tea leaves (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-124139), an antidiabetic agent containing, as an active ingredient, a hot water extracted fraction of banaba leaves (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-228539), a hypoglycemic agent of a xanthone extracted and isolated from Japanese green gentian (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-206673), and the like; and as chemically synthesized products, a moranolin N-substituted derivative (Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 59-43949), a thiazolidine compound (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-210977) and a condensed 7-membered cyclic compound having an imidazolyl group (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-178381), and the like.
The chemically synthesized products generally exhibit potent effects, but give unwanted side effects, whereby long term administration gives rise to many problems. While the natural extracted products are high in safety, they typically exhibit inadequate effects.
With respect to liver dysfunction as another one of the diseases of adult people, the liver plays important rolls in vivo, for example, in detoxication, metabolism or storage of sugar, protein or lipid, and hormone control. Dysfunction of the liver often leads to fatal results for living bodies. It is well known that the causes of liver dysfunction represented by hepatitis are based on the habits of life, for example, over ingestion of alcoholic beverages, heavy drinking, heavy eating, irregular life or stress. However, it has been found that liver dysfunction is often caused by the hepatitis virus. Moreover, if viral hepatitis becomes chronic, it will often become hepatic carcinoma through liver cirrhosis, for which a suitable treatment method has been demanded.
Many proposals have heretofore been made as a treatment agent for hepatitis. However, chemically synthesized products generally exhibit potent effects, but have side effects, thereby being problematic for long term administration. Natural extracted products are high in safety, but they do not exhibit adequate effects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for treating liver dysfunction which is high in safety and gives adequate effects.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for treating liver dysfunction which comprises administering at least one member selected from the group consisting of a chitin oligosaccharide, a chitosan oligosaccharide and salts thereof, in an effective amount.
According to the present invention, as indicated in the test examples as shown below, with respect to mice suffering from an artificially induced hepatitis, significant treatment effects, i.e., lessening the symptoms, can be observed. Accordingly, it is expected that the method of the invention will show an improving effect or effects on treating liver dysfunction accompanying hepatitis or the like during treatment of animals, including humans.
The chitin oligosaccharide, chitosan oligosaccharide and salts thereof used for these methods are obtained from polysaccharides as starting materials present abundantly in nature, and thereby are high in safety and can be produced by relatively simple steps, such being advantageous in production costs.
Further, the chitin oligosaccharide, chitosan oligosaccharide and salts thereof are easily dissolved in water, whereby they are easily handled, and readily ingested in daily life by adding them, for example, to foods and drinks.
REFERENCES:
patent: 59105843 (1984-06-01), None
patent: 59-43949 (1984-10-01), None
patent: 1-258623 (1989-10-01), None
patent: 4-124139 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 4-178381 (1992-06-01), None
patent: 4-210977 (1992-08-01), None
patent: 5-86399 (1993-12-01), None
patent: 6-321-787 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 7-206673 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 7-228539 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 01294627 (1998-11-01), None
Anthonsen et al. “Solution properties of chitosans: conformation and chain stiffness of chitosans with different degree of N-acetylation”, Carb. Polymers, vol. 22: 193-201, 1993.*
Capon et al. “The preparation of chitin oligosaccharides”, J. Chem. Soc. (C), 1654-1655, 1970.*
Pronova Biomedica product literature, 1999.*
Lu et al., “Chitin as a solid phase carrier to detect hepatitis B surface antigen”, Shengwu Huaxue Shengwu Wuli Jinzhan, vol. 19(6), pp. 454-456, 1992.*
Hon, David. “Chapter 21: Chitin and Chitosan: Medical Applications”, Polysaccharides in Medicinal Applications, edited by Severian Dumitriu, pp. 631-649, 1996.
Fujiwara Michio
Inada Seisuke
Matahira Yoshiharu
Lee Howard C.
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
Yaizu Suisankagaku Industry Co. Ltd.
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