Toei Shinyaku Co., Ltd. confirmed an Akkermansia muciniphila growth-promoting effect by intake of our King Agaricus KA21, Agaricus blazei (brasiliensis, subrufescens) cultivated outdoor in Brasil, as a result of research conducted in collaboration with Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences. We hereby report that a patent application for “Akkermansia muciniphila growth promoting compositions applicable in medicine and beauty and pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, and feedstuffs containing such compositions” has been filed based on the results of this research.
Akkermansia muciniphila is known to be obligate anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria that are approximately 0.6 to 1.0 μm in size, do not produce spores, are not motile, and are eubacteria normally present in the intestines of many mammals, including humans.
Recent studies have confirmed that the amount of Akkermansia muciniphila decreases in the intestines of obese and diabetic people, and that administration of Akkermansia muciniphila improves fat gain and insulin resistance in mice, indicating a link between Akkermansia muciniphila and obesity and other disorders (*1) (*2). Furthermore, the amount of Akkermansia muciniphila is reported to be inversely proportional to the severity of appendicitis and be decreased in the intestines of patients with inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, suggesting that Akkermansia muciniphila is involved in anti-inflammatory effects in the intestines (*3) (*4). Furthermore, the effect of enhancing PD-1 inhibitors of antineoplastic agents is also suggested in recent years (* 5).
Under such circumstances, Akkermansia muciniphila has been increasingly collecting attention as promising means to prevent or ameliorate these diseases and disorders.
(*1) Nature Medicine 23,107-113,2017
(*2) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110,9066-9071(2013)
(*3) Gut．2011 Jan；60(1)：34-40
(*4) Am J Gastroenterol．2010 Nov；105(11)：2420-8
(*5) Science 05 Jan 2018:Vol. 359, Issue 6371, pp. 91-97