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The four strains of Rhodococcus are isolated that specifically degrades estrogens by using enriching culture of activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants. The results suggest that Rhodococcus zopfii and R. equi strains degrade 17beta-estradiol into substances without estrogenic activity.

The article investigates how the highly-antioxidative lactic acid bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus YIT 2001 prevents acute colitis that was induced by the administration of 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium in mice. The preventive effect of Streptococcus thermophilus YIT 2001 was compared with that of Streptococcus thermophilus YIT 2084.

The article reports on a study about effects of probiotics, bifidobacterium breve (BbY) and lactobacillus casei (LcS), on bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in rats. It states that BPA, an acknowledged endocrine disruptor, may be taken up by humans through diet and can have adverse effects on human health. The study showed that BbY and LcS reduced the intestinal absorption by facilitating the excretion of BPA.

The article reports on results of a study of the development of the reverse passive latex agglutination (RPLA) method for the detection and quantification of the genus Nitrospira in the wastewater treatment process. A description of the experimental set-up and measurement methods is presented. The study concluded that the RPLA method is applicable for use in daily control and maintenance of water quality in wastewater treatment facilities.

The article studies the hypocholesterolemic effects of Kluyveromyces marxianus YIT 8282 (KM-CW) crude cell wall on serum lipids. According to the authors, the mean value of low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic subjects decreased slightly with intake of placebo yogurt. The authors note that there is a possibility that the additive or synergetic effect of KM-CW and yogurt resulted in the marked reduction in LDL-cholesterol.

Examines the cellular component involved in the hypocholesterolemic activity of Kluyveromyces marxianus YIT 8292 in rats fed on high-cholesterol diet. Details on the concentration of short-chain fatty acids in the cecum; Recognition of the major risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease; Involvement of cell wall polysaccharides in hypocholesterolemic activity.

Studies yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus YIT 8292 strain in rat models by researchers from Tokyo, Japan. Examination on the hypocholesterolemic activity of various yeast strains; Potency of K. marxianus YIT 8292 strain compared to other yeast strains studied; Reasons behind the difference of the hypocholesterolemic activities of the yeasts between strains.

We investigated the preventive effect of Streptococcus thermophilus YIT 2001, a lactic acid bacterum having high antioxidative activity, on acute colitis induced by 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium in mice, and compared the effect with that of S. thermophilus YIT 2084 which has lower antioxidative activity. Feeding S. thermophilus YIT 2001 decreased the disease activity index and level of lipid peroxide (the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance content) in the colonic mucosa. The hematocrit and hemoglobin concentrations in the blood of S. thermophilus YIT 2001-fed mice were higher than those of the control mice. S. thermophilus YIT 2084 had no significant effect on these parameters. The results suggest that the antioxidative activity of S. thermophilus YIT 2001 was involved in the improving effect on colitis.

The effects of an acyl-CoA:cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor, N-(3,5-dimethoxy-4-n-octyloxycinnamoyl)-N'-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)piperazine (YIC-C8-434), on cholesterol esterification in the intestine and liver were investigated in vitro and in vivo. YIC-C8-434 inhibited the formation of cholesteryl [(3)H]oleate from [(3)H]oleic acid and cholesterol both in human colon adenocarcinoma Caco2 cells and in human hepatoma HepG2 cells with IC(50) values of 0.38 and 0.49 microM, respectively. However, it did not influence the incorporation of [(3)H]oleic acid into triacylglycerols and phospholipids. Oral administration of YIC-C8-434 at a dose of 8.3 mg/kg/d inhibited [(14)C]cholesterol absorption by 17% (p<0.01) in rats. YIC-C8-434 also significantly reduced the secretion of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol from the liver into the plasma at an oral dose of 100 mg/kg/d after an intravenous injection of Triton WR-1339. These results suggest that oral administration of YIC-C8-434 reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption and hepatic VLDL cholesterol secretion by direct inhibition of ACAT in the intestinal epithelium and hepatocytes, respectively. However, the inhibitory action of YIC-C8-434 on cholesterol absorption rather than hepatic cholesterol secretion may play a more important role in its hypocholesterolemic activity, because the effective dose for the former was 12-fold lower than that for the latter.

The metabolic stability of the acyl-CoA: cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor N-(4-benzyloxy-3, 5-dimethoxycinnamoyl)-N'-(2, 4-dimethylphenyl)piperazine (YIC-708-424) and its n-alkoxy derivatives containing an alkyl chain of 3 or 7 to 10 carbons, which exhibited different hypocholesterolemic activities, was investigated in vivo and in vitro in rats. After the oral administration of YIC-708-424 to rats at a dose of 5 mg/kg/d for 7 d, the parent compound was not detected in the blood. On the other hand, when the n-alkoxy derivatives were administered to rats, an increase in the alkyl chain length produced a progressive increase in the blood concentration of the parent compound. Both in the blood of rats administered YIC-708-424 and in the reaction mixture after the incubation of YIC-708-424 with rat hepatic 9000 x g supernatants, an inactive major metabolite, N-(4-benzyloxy-3, 5-dimethoxycinnamoyl)-N'-(4-carboxyl-2-methylphenyl)piperazine, was observed. The ratio of the maximum velocity to the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (V(max)/K(m)) for the degradation of the n-propyloxy derivative in rat hepatic and intestinal microsomes was almost equivalent to that of YIC-708-424. On the other hand, an increase in the alkyl chain length of n-alkoxy derivatives produced a progressive decrease in V(max)/K(m) for the degradation of these compounds. Additionally, the in vivo hypocholesterolemic activities of YIC-708-424 and its n-alkoxy derivatives were positively correlated with the blood concentration of the parent compound and were negatively correlated with their V(max)/K(m). These results suggest that the metabolic stability of ACAT inhibitors in the liver and intestinal epithelium, which are the major target organs of these compounds, has a strong influence on their pharmacological activities in vivo.