[Oxidative injury and its defense system in vivo]

We and other researchers verified that excessively produced free radicals by neutrophils induce various diseases such as Behçet's disease, MCLS, SLE (neutrophil-stimulated lymphocytes), RA (synovial fluid neutrophils), Crohn's disease, colitis ulcerosa, and dermatitis herpetiformis (Dühring). Recently, it was reported that environmental toxic agents including herbicides such as paraquat, insecticides, nitrogen oxide, and ultraviolet radiation produce free radicals. Nitrogen oxide, a main product of the combustion of petroleum, is a prominent component of exhaust from automobiles. Generation of 1O2 by ultraviolet radiation has also increased by breaks in the earth's ozone layer induced by halogenated hydrocarbon gas. Various diseases have been induced by these agents such as malignancies, severe adult atopic dermatitis, complication of cataract and retinolysis with atopic dermatitis, skin cancer, male infertility, severe collagen diseases, and lung fibrosis. It was also found that PCB, methyl-Hg and Mn, Cd induce neuropathic diseases through the increase in free radical production. On the other hand, a self-defense system exists against oxidative injuries; high-molecular-weight antioxidants such as SOD, catalase, and GSH-Px, and low-molecular-weight antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, A, polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechin. As protection from oxidative injury, various antioxidant products have been developed, however, the development of SOD injection was given up by all the pharmaceutical companies in the world on account of ineffectiveness due to rapid excretion from the kidney, low affinity to the receptor and weak penetration into the cell. A.M. Michelson, a French biochemist succeeded in developing an effective bovine liposomal-encapsulated SOD solving these problems, however, he also gave it up since French government prohibited bovine products due to the prion virus. Regarding low-molecular-weight antioxidants, synthetic products generally show low affinity to human cell receptors, however, natural products also has demerits that abundant low-molecular-weight compounds with antioxidant activity that exist in the native materials as repeating subunits of high-molecular-weight polymers resulting in inactive forms. We have developed effective natural antioxidant by a unique treating procedure that includes heating with far infrared radiation of 4-14 microns wavelength, brewing with the fungus Aspergillus oryzae, and emulsification with similarly heated sesame oil. This formulation is based on our hypothesis that treatment of natural plant products with heating and brewing results in the liberation of abundant low-molecular-weight compounds with antioxidant activity that exist in an inactive form as repeating polymers as described above.