Cha - Koji , comprising green tea leaves fermented with Aspergillus luchuensis var kawachii kitahara , increases regulatory T cell production in mice and humans

作者：Bunsei Yamamoto, Yusuke Suzuki, Takahisa Yonezu, Nanami Mizushima, Nobuo Watanabe, Takehito Sato, Shigeaki Inoue, Sadaki Inokuchi · 发表于：Bioscience Biotechnology and Biochemistry · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1080/09168451.2018.1443789 · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Tea Polyphenols and Effects、Probiotics and Fermented Foods、Gut microbiota and health

Abstract Green tea leaves fermented with Aspergillus luchuensis var kawachii kitahara (Cha-Koji) are a health food containing live A. luchuensis. In this study, we examined the effects of Cha-Koji on the immune system and the enteric environment. First, we designed a clinical trial; after ingesting Cha-Koji daily for 28 days, blood parameters and the fecal composition of the participants were analyzed. Similarly, mice were administered (oral administration) with Cha-Koji suspension or its vehicle for 14 days. Thereafter, both humans and mice were examined by analyzing their immune cell phenotypes and intestinal microbiota. Regulatory T cell (Treg) numbers were significantly increased after administering Cha-Koji. An increase of Clostridium subcluster XIVa, that were known to be rich in butyrate-producing bacterium, was observed in human feces, but not in mice. These results suggest that Cha-Koji has the ability to increase Treg production in both humans and mice, irrespective of the presence of enteric butyrate.