Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Food or edible as carrier for pharmaceutical
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-12
2001-06-19
Wilson, James O. (Department: 1623)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Food or edible as carrier for pharmaceutical
C424S441000, C424S464000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06248347
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a calcium assimilation accelerator containing &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide as an active ingredient, a calcium-supplementing diet containing it, and a method for accelerating calcium assimilation.
&bgr;-Glucooligosaccharide is a compound composed of &bgr;-glucoside bonds, and a saccharide obtained by &bgr;-1,6 bonding and/or &bgr;-1,4 bonding of glucoses. It has been known that since these &bgr;-glucbside bonds can not be decomposed by internal enzymes, they can be utilized as a low calorie sugar, and accordingly they can be utilized as additives for various diets or refreshments.
Further, in JP-A-3-262460 filed by the present applicant, it has been found that &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide has a growing or proliferation effect on bifidobacteria and lactic-acid bacteria, and an intestinal flora (bacteria flora in intestine) improver comprising &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide is disclosed. Furthermore, since &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide is rich in moisture retention property, its effects on not only a humectant for foods, but also a crystal inhibitor, a glazing agent, an excipient and the like have been recognized, and it can be utilized for medicines.
On the other hand, as a calcium assimilation accelerator, vitamin D has been well known. Although vitamin D has a calcium assimilation-accelerating effect, vitamin D has a problem that its expression mechanism is influenced by homeostasis by hormones, thereby reducing the effect for assimilating the desired calcium amount.
Further, it has been observed that saccharides such as lactose show a calcium assimilation-accelerating effect. However, galactooligosaccharide and fructooligosaccharide have been reported to have an effect for accelerating the assimilation of minerals (“Japanese Nutrition and Food Society Journal”, vol. 44, pp 287-291, 1991) and they have been known as a proliferation promoter of bifidobacteria. Furthermore, JP-A-4-134031 discloses a calcium assimilation accelerator comprising galactooligosaccharide as an active ingredient, JP-A-6-205653 discloses a mineral assimilation accelerator comprising lactulose-oligosaccharide as an active ingredient, JP-A-6-205654 discloses a mineral assimilation accelerator comprising a branched galactooligosaccharide as an active ingredient, and JP-A-5-67 discloses diets containing dietary fibers, calcium and maltitol.
However, there has been a problem that over ingestion of saccharides such as lactose and maltitol bring about symptoms such as diarrhea.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a calcium assimilation accelerator and a calcium-supplementing diet, which have a calcium assimilation-accelerating effect and hardly bring about the symptom of diarrhea unlike the above saccharides, and a method for accelerating calcium assimilation.
The present inventors have extensively studied on substances for accelerating the assimilation of calcium, and have found that &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide having &bgr;-glucoside bonds accelerates the calcium-assimilating property. The present inventors have accomplished the present invention based on this discovery.
Namely, the first aspect of the present invention is to provide a calcium assimilation accelerator which comprises &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide as an active ingredient.
The second aspect of the present invention is to provide a calcium-supplementing diet which comprises &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide and a calcium material.
The third aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for accelerating calcium assimilation, which uses a calcium assimilation accelerator comprising &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide as an active ingredient.
The fourth aspect of the present invention is to provide a use of &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide for accelerating calcium assimilation.
According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, since &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide has an effect for accelerating calcium assimilation, medicines and diets having &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide incorporated therein are useful for supplementing calcium, whereby adequate amount of calcium can be ingested with a high efficiency. Moreover, although &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide is not digested nor assimilated in small intestine, it is decomposed in large intestine by intestinal bacteria, particularly bifido bacteria or lactic-acid bacteria, and a part of the &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide is assimilated as organic acids, whereby no diarrhea symptom is caused.
MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to preferred embodiments.
With respect to &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide as an active ingredient of the calcium assimilation accelerator of the present invention, its preparation method is not particularly limited, and, for example, a method for obtaining it by degradation of polysaccharides composed of &bgr;-glucoside bonds such as cellulose, laminarin and psutulan, or a method for obtaining it by utilizing a condensation/glucosyltransfer reaction of &bgr;-glucosidase, or the like, may be employed.
Nevertheless, it is preferred to employ a method for producing &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide easily with a high yield by utilizing a condensation/glucosyltransfer reaction possessed by &bgr;-glucosidase by reacting &bgr;-glucosidase produced by microorganisms to glucose and/or &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide, as described in detail in JP-A-1-222779 and JP-A-2-219584 proposed by the present inventors.
This preparation method will be briefly explained in the following. As the &bgr;-glucosidase, ones produced by various microorganisms may be used. For example, it is preferred to employ enzymes produced by microorganisms, for example, flamentous fungi such as
Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma konignii, Aspergillus niger
and
Penicillium frequentans
; wood-decaying fungi such as
Polypolus tulipiferae, Chrysosporium lignorum
and
Shizophyllum commune
; and bacteria such as
Psuedomonas fluorescens
var.
cellulosa, Cellulomonasuda, Clostridium thermocellum
and
Ruminococcus albus
. These microorganisms are well known and easily available to prepare the enzymes.
Further, as a substrate, D-glucose and/or &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide is used. Here, the &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide as the substrate means cellobiose, gentiobiose, or ones having higher degree of polymerization such as gentiooligosaccharide. When the &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide is used as the substrate, it is possible to obtain &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide with a higher degree of polymerization by this enzyme reaction. It is particularly preferred to use glucose as the substrate.
When &bgr;-glucosidase is reacted to glucose and/or &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide, various &bgr;-glucooligosaccharides such as cellobiose, gentiobiose, 4-O-&bgr;-D-gentiooligosyl-D-glucosce and 6-O-&bgr;-D-gentiooligosyl-D-glucose, are obtained. Here, 4-O-&bgr;-D-gentiooligosyl-D-glucose means 4-O-&bgr;-D-gentiobiosyl-D-glucose, 4-O-&bgr;-D-gentiotriosyl-D-glucose or ones having a higher degree of polymerization. Further, 6-O-&bgr;-D-gentiooligosyl-D-glucose means 6-O-&bgr;-D-gentiobiosyl-D-glucose (gentiotriose), 6-O-&bgr;-D-gentiotriosyl-D-glucose (gentiotetraose) or ones having a higher degree of polymerization.
In the present invention, as the &bgr;-glucooligosaccharides, it is preferred to use cellobiose, sophorose, laminaribiose, gentiobiose and &bgr;-D-gentiooligosyl-D-glucose alone or as a mixture of an appropriate combination.
The calcium-supplementing diet of the present invention contains &bgr;-glucooligosaccharide and a calcium material. The calcium material is not particularly limited so far as it is a natural matter or a food additive useful for foods. However, it is preferred to use calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, calcium lactate, tribasic calcium phosphate, calciumhydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen calcium phosphate, calcium chloride, calcined bone calcium, uncalcined calcium, calcined shell calcium and calcined eggshell calcium, alone or as a mixture of an appropriate co
Goda Toshinao
Nakakuki Teruo
Takase Sachiko
Unno Takehiro
Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co. Ltd.
Smith Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
Wilson James O.
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