Takara Bio Inc. (President & CEO: Ikunoshin Kato, Ph.D.) has announced that Biotechnology Laboratories is the first lab in the world to discover that components of Angelica keiskei (the ashitaba plant) significantly increase the production of BMP-2 in osteoblast. A bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is expected to play a major role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. It is estimated that Japan alone has 4 million to 4.5 million of potential osteoporosis patients, mainly among postmenopausal women, as well as men of advanced age. This discovery by Takara Bio's lab demonstrates that it is possible to prevent osteoporosis through dietary intake of certain foods.

BMP-2, discovered from bone tissue by Urist et al. of the University of California in 1965, is a protein with strong bone morphogenetic activity. Currently, more than ten types of BMP are known. BMP-2, in particular, promotes differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts that are responsible for bone production. Although a commercially produced preparation of a collagen-sponge matrix impregnated with a recombinant BMP-2 has already been clinically used to demonstrate the effectiveness of BMP-2 in humans, the protein has not been applied to osteoporosis.

Takara Bio's lab screened edible plants for BMP production potentiation properties by adding extracts from various plants to human bone cell line culture, and monitoring the concentrations of BMP-2 secreted from the cells into the culture media, in an attempt to discover foods that may increase BMP production in the human body. This effort led to the discovery that Angelica keiskei exhibits the strongest potentiation properties among the plants tested, with the leaves and stems increasing the production of BMP-2 approximately five-fold, and the roots approximately tenfold. While the discovery that Statin-group drugs exhibit BMP-2 production potentiation properties attracted attention, the discovery of such properties in a food is first of its kind.

Based on the discovery of Angelica keiskei's unique physiological properties, Takara Bio has already formulated and begun marketing the dietary supplement "Midori-no-Tenshi (Green Angel)," which unlike other Angelica products includes roots, stems, and leaves from the plant.

Bone tissue metabolism is based on a balance between bone production and bone decomposition; with osteoblasts and osteoclasts each playing a role in the production and decomposition of bone tissue, respectively. It is believed that osteoporosis is caused by hormonal imbalances due to menopause or aging, which results in more bone decomposition by the osteoclasts than bone production by the osteoblasts.

The present treatment method for osteoporosis attempts to prevent the loss of bone-mass by blocking the osteoclastic activity with drugs that include estrogens. This methodology is not a complete solution, however, since it cannot compensate for bone loss because these drugs do not activate bone production. Although high-calcium food products or food products that promote absorption of calcium through the enteric wall are recommended as a preventive measure for osteoporosis, they do not increase bone formation activity either. Supplementary calcium therefore should be effective in preventing and treating osteoporosis only when the production of BMPs, elements facilitating bone formation, in the body is enhanced.

In an aging society, extending the period during that each individual remains healthy is of foremost concern both in terms of general improvement of the quality of life (QOL) of people, as well as reducing social medical costs. For more than a decade, Takara Bio has actively developed food items with health maintaining properties (health maintenance foods) such as physiologically active polysaccharides derived from certain types of seaweed. Past discoveries include hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) production enhancing properties, immune activating properties, and the anticancer properties of fucoidan derived from kombu (Laminariaceae seaweed), and the anticancer properties, the anti-inflammatory properties, and the carcinogenesis prevention properties of agarose oligosaccharides. Since osteoporosis, along with the senile dementia, drastically damages the QOL of the elderly, especially older women, the concern is that the number of affected individuals is increasing. The latest discovery that Angelica keiskei components enhance BMP-2 production is the result of concerted research efforts to find foods useful to prevent and treat ailments such osteoporosis.

This article is translated from news in Japanese for your convenience.