JP2016204281A - Circadian rhythm improver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circadian rhythm improver comprising a natural component that can effectively control at least one of the phase, periodic length, or periodic amplitude of a circadian rhythm, as an active ingredient, and foods and drinks, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.SOLUTION: A circadian rhythm improver comprises a cinnamic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to a circadian rhythm improving agent useful for improving sleep disorders and the like.

Occurrence of various forms of sleep disorders associated with aging and 24-hour social activities has become a social problem. Currently, 1 out of 5 Japanese people are said to have some kind of sleep problem, and especially in elderly people, 1 out of 3 people are concerned about sleep.
Sleep disorders are classified into sleep breathing disorders such as sleep apnea, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders (circadian rhythm sleep disorders) that are related to the onset of the circadian clock. For circadian rhythm sleep disorders, extrinsic acute syndrome caused by jet lag, night shift / shift work, shift phase sleep syndrome (DSPS), sleep phase advance syndrome (ASPS), non-24-hour sleep It can be classified into intrinsic chronic syndromes such as arousal disorder and irregular sleep-wake pattern.
As a cause of circadian rhythm sleep disorders, some familial genetic causes have been reported in advanced sleep phase syndrome, but most of them are night shifts, shift work, jet lag, irregular diet, mental It is thought that lifestyle habits such as social stress are involved. The onset of these sleep disorders is thought to be related to the body clock composed of clock genes, but the detailed mechanism is unknown.

  On the other hand, it is known that various physiological rhythms such as deep body temperature and secretory rhythms of hormones such as melatonin related to sleep decrease with age, and sleep disorders associated with aging. Is considered to involve the decay of the circadian clock (Non-Patent Document 1). Lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome are known to cause sleep disorders, and it is thought that decay of the body clock is also involved in such sleep disorders. (Non-Patent Document 2).

As a treatment method for sleep disorders, high-intensity phototherapy requiring a special device and administration of vitamin B12 (Non-patent Document 1) or melatonin preparation (Patent Document 1) are generally used. However, all of these treatment methods attempt to normalize biological rhythms by coordinatively adjusting abnormalities in the biological clock, and fundamentally cure disorders caused by abnormal biological clocks. It cannot be.
In addition, benzodiazepine drugs (Non-patent Document 3) are generally used as sleeping drugs, and various half-life drugs have been developed from long-time types to short-time types, intermediate types, and long-term types. . However, the treatment of sleep disorders using these sleeping drugs is coping therapy, and it is often difficult to fundamentally treat sleep disorders. In addition, there are many side effects such as sleepwalking symptoms, and careful attention is required for their use.

Recently, a 4-oxoimidazolidine-2-spiropiperidine derivative having an action as an agonist of a nociceptin receptor is expected to have a circadian rhythm sleep disorder therapeutic effect (Patent Document 2), but is still under research and development. Side effects are also a concern.
Research and development of sleep-improving agents using raw materials for various foods and beverages and natural ingredients contained in them are also thriving, using tea leaf-derived theanine (Patent Document 3), and whey such as fermented whey having an endogenous melatonin secretion effect Sleep improvers using ginseng extract (Non-patent Document 4), phosphatidylcholine (Non-patent Document 5) contained in salmon roe oil, etc., in addition to those added with a kind (Patent Document 4) . These are all derived from ingredients used in foods and beverages, luxury goods, etc., so they are highly safe and can be taken on a daily basis. The elucidation is not enough, and the individual differences in the effects are large.

  The circadian rhythm is controlled by a circadian clock, and in recent years it has become clear that the rhythm of the circadian clock is engraved by a series of genes called clock genes. The circadian clock has three functions: circadian rhythm phase adjustment, cycle length adjustment, and amplitude adjustment. These circadian rhythm phase, cycle length, and amplitude adjustment functions are responsible for sleep disorders. It is considered to be the most important in the prevention, improvement and treatment of various biological rhythm-related diseases including Improving various circadian rhythm phase disturbances, cycle length disturbances, and amplitude decay caused by metabolic diseases such as aging, diabetes and obesity normalizes various biological rhythms, including sleep-wake rhythms The effective circadian rhythm improving agent, which is expected to be an effective means to do this, is a natural component with established safety and adjusts the phase, period length and amplitude of the circadian rhythm. There are no reports yet.

  On the other hand, in recent molecular biological studies of biological clocks centering on clock genes, reporter plasmids that link the luciferase gene to the promoters of clock genes such as Period1 (Per1), Period2 (Per2), and Bmal1 are used as fibers such as NIH3T3. Many experiments have been used in which the effect on the circadian clock is examined by introducing it into blast cells and monitoring the circadian rhythm of luciferase activity (Non-patent Documents 6 and 7). In addition, a study has been reported in which a cell line that stably expresses a gene encoded by these reporter plasmids is established to examine the same action (Patent Document 5). However, in experiments using these fibroblasts, it is considered impossible to reflect the function of nerve cells that control the circadian clock. On the other hand, in 2004, Yoo et al. Produced a transgenic mouse (PER2 :: LUC mouse) in which a luciferase gene was knocked in downstream of the mouse Period2 gene (Non-patent Document 8). Yoo et al. Were able to examine the expression rhythm of Period2 protein in cells throughout the body by culturing tissues collected from the transgenic mice and monitoring the circadian rhythm of luciferase activity (Non-patent Document 8). . It is possible to collect the nerve tissue of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is the center of the mammalian biological clock from this mouse, and examine the biological clock function of the nerve cells in the tissue culture system, but in the primary culture system the individual that becomes the donor It is difficult to examine the circadian clock function using nerve cells in a stable state in which reproducibility is ensured depending on the state of the sample and the conditions for collection. When examining the control action of circadian rhythm cycle by harmine, the present inventors can proliferate from PER2 :: LUC mice for the purpose of reproducing the biological clock function of neurons in a stable state in a culture system. We successfully collected and stored neural progenitor cells, induced differentiation into neurons during the experiment, and succeeded in establishing a test system for stably evaluating the biological clock function of neurons (Non-patent Document 9).

JP-T 8-502259 Publication WO2003 / 010168 pamphlet WO2005 / 097101 pamphlet WO2005 / 094849 pamphlet JP 2011-26270 A

"Circadian Rhythm Sleep Clinic" Shigeru Chiba, Kenichi Honma, Emerging Medical Publishers, 2003 Pannain S. et al., The connection between sleep loss, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, P.J. Shiromani et al., (Eds.) Sleep Loss and Obesity: Intersecting Epidemics, Springer Science “Sleep Disorder Response and Treatment Guidelines”, Makoto Uchiyama, Jiho, 2002 Young Ho Rhee, et al., Psychopharmacology, 1990, 101, 486-488 Hidehiko Hibino, Food Style 21, 2003, 7 (3), 50-53 Mariko Izumo, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2003, 100, 16089-16094 Hiroki R. Ueda, et al., Nature, 2002, 418, 534-539 Seung-Hee Yoo, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2004, 101, 5339-5346 Daisuke Kondoh, et al., Biol. Pharm. Bull., 2014, 37, 1422-1427

  The subject of the present invention is a component derived from a natural component that has been widely consumed so far, and effectively the circadian rhythm (the rhythm controlled by the expression rhythm of a series of clock genes), the cycle length, or An object of the present invention is to provide a circadian rhythm improving agent having an ingredient capable of adjusting the amplitude as an active ingredient, and a food and drink and a pharmaceutical composition containing the same.

  The present inventors have conducted intensive studies on the circadian rhythm improving effect of naturally derived components using the above-mentioned PER2 :: LUC mouse-derived neurons in order to identify components that can improve circadian rhythm abnormalities. The present inventors have found that cinnamic acid contained in cinnamon (or nikki, cinnamon), which is a herbal medicine, has its action, and completed the present invention. The cinnamon bark is a herbal medicine obtained by drying the skin (bark) of the trunk or branch of the Cynnamomum cassia Blume or the genus plant. The present inventors have found for the first time that such cinnamic acids contained in cinnamon have an effect of improving circadian rhythm.

That is, the present invention
[1] A circadian rhythm improving agent containing cinnamic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

(式１中、Ｒ¹は、水素原子、水酸基、又は、−Ｃ(＝Ｏ)−Ｒ⁷であり、Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁷はそれぞれ独立に水素原子、水酸基、炭素原子数１〜８の低級アルキル基、炭素原子数１〜８の低級アルコキシ基、炭素原子数２〜６の低級アルケニル基、アリール基又は炭素原子で結合するヘテロアリール基を表す。)
また、本発明の概日リズム改善剤の一実施の形態によれば、
〔５〕前記〔１〕〜〔４〕のいずれかに記載の概日リズム改善剤が、飲食品の形態であることを特徴とする。 Here, according to one embodiment of the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention,
[2] The circadian rhythm improving agent has an action of regulating at least one of a phase, a cycle length, and an amplitude of an expression rhythm of a clock gene.
Moreover, according to one embodiment of the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention,
[3] The circadian rhythm improving agent according to [2], wherein the clock gene is a Per1 gene and / or a Per2 gene.
Moreover, according to one embodiment of the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention,
[4] The circadian rhythm improving agent according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the cinnamic acid is a compound represented by the following formula 1:
Formula 1:

(In Formula 1, R ¹ is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or —C (═O) —R ⁷ , and R ^{2 to} R ⁷ are each independently a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or a lower group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Represents an alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a lower alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl group, or a heteroaryl group bonded with a carbon atom.)
Moreover, according to one embodiment of the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention,
[5] The circadian rhythm improving agent according to any one of [1] to [4] is in the form of a food or drink.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides:
[6] A pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing a circadian rhythm disorder or a disease caused thereby, comprising the circadian rhythm improving agent according to any one of [1] to [4].
According to another aspect of the present invention,
[7] The present invention relates to a food or drink containing the circadian rhythm improving agent according to any one of [1] to [4].
Here, according to one embodiment of the food and drink of the present invention,
[8] The food or drink according to [7] is for a subject having or possibly having a circadian rhythm disorder or a disease caused thereby.
Moreover, according to one embodiment of the food and drink of the present invention,
[9] The food / beverage product according to [7] or [8] is provided with a display indicating that it is used for improving the circadian rhythm.

(式１中、Ｒ¹は、水素原子、水酸基、又は、−Ｃ(＝Ｏ)−Ｒ⁷であり、Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁷はそれぞれ独立に水素原子、水酸基、炭素原子数１〜８の低級アルキル基、炭素原子数１〜８の低級アルコキシ基、炭素原子数２〜６の低級アルケニル基、アリール基又は炭素原子で結合するヘテロアリール基を表す。) According to another aspect, the present invention provides:
[10] An agent for improving the expression rhythm of Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene containing cinnamic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
Here, according to the expression rhythm improving agent of Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene of the present invention,
[11] The cinnamic acid is
It is a compound represented by the following formula 1:
Formula 1:

(In Formula 1, R ¹ is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or —C (═O) —R ⁷ , and R ^{2 to} R ⁷ are each independently a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or a lower group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Represents an alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a lower alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl group, or a heteroaryl group bonded with a carbon atom.)

According to another aspect, the present invention provides:
[12] A circadian rhythm improving method comprising a step of orally ingesting a circadian rhythm improving agent containing cinnamic acids or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

Here, according to one embodiment of the circadian rhythm improvement method of the present invention,
[13] The circadian rhythm improving method according to [12] does not include medical practice.
Moreover, according to one embodiment of the circadian rhythm improving method of the present invention,
[14] The circadian rhythm improving method according to [12] or [13], wherein the step of orally ingesting the circadian rhythm improving agent has or may have a circadian rhythm disorder or a disease caused thereby. The present invention relates to a circadian rhythm improvement method applied to a subject.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides:
[15] relates to cinnamic acids or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof for use in the treatment of circadian rhythm disorders.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides:
[16] Use of cinnamic acids or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof in the manufacture of a therapeutic agent for circadian rhythm disorders.

  The circadian rhythm improving agent according to the present invention is a cinnamic acid contained in cinnamon (or nikki, cinnamon) dried from a stem or branch skin (bark) of a camphoraceae (Cinnamomum cassia Blume) or a genus plant, or a pharmacy thereof By including a salt that is chemically acceptable as an active ingredient, at least one of i) phase, ii) period length, or iii) amplitude in the expression rhythm of the clock gene can be adjusted. Accordingly, the circadian rhythm can be used to normalize the circadian rhythm by adjusting the phase disturbance, the period length disturbance, and the amplitude attenuation. Cinnamon containing cinnamic acid is used in traditional Chinese medicine as a herbal medicine, and is widely used as a spice for foods and drinks, so safety has been confirmed as a component that can be taken orally. The circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention is also useful in that respect.

FIG. 1 shows the results obtained by measuring the expression level of Per1 mRNA by quantitative real-time PCR when PER2 :: LUC mouse-derived neurons were cultured in a differentiation medium supplemented with cinnamic acid in Example 1 below. . The value of the expression level is shown as a relative value compared with the expression level of GAPDH. The horizontal axis represents the culture time (h) during which PER2 :: LUC mouse-derived neurons were cultured. The control group shows the expression level of Per1 mRNA in PER2 :: LUC mouse-derived neurons cultured in differentiation cultures that do not contain cinnamic acid. FIG. 2 shows the time course of fluorescence intensity of luciferase when neural progenitor cells derived from PER2 :: LUC C57BL / 6J mice were cultured in differentiation medium supplemented with cinnamic acid and luciferin in Example 2 below. It is a graph which shows a result. The Vehicle section shows the results when the neural progenitor cells are cultured in a differentiation medium (without addition of cinnamic acid) to which only luciferin is added. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the average value of the cycle length in the expression rhythm of luciferase in each of the group to which cinnamic acid was added and the vehicle group in Example 2 below.

Sleep disorders are roughly classified into “circadian rhythm sleep disorders” and “sleep disordered breathing”. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are divided into exogenous acute syndromes and intrinsic chronic syndromes, such as sleep phase advance syndrome and sleep phase regression syndrome, non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, irregular sleep-wake disorder, Included in intrinsic chronic syndrome. The circadian rhythm sleep disorder is thought to be related to the biological clock. In particular, the intrinsic chronic syndrome is partly due to abnormalities in the biological clock. Conventional treatment methods for sleep disorders, such as light irradiation, melatonin administration, and treatments with various sleeping pills, are coping therapy measures that act on resetting the body clock. Sleep disorders resulting from abnormal circadian rhythms are mainly caused by such a state in which the reset of the biological clock continues unsatisfactory. In some cases, the improvement effect could not be obtained. On the other hand, the sleep disorder treatment method aimed at by the present invention is “circadian rhythm disorder”, that is, circadian rhythm amplitude abnormality or period abnormality (periodic disturbance or phase disturbance itself is fundamentally improved. This is a treatment method.
Diseases resulting from circadian rhythm disorders are typically considered to be sleep phase advance syndrome (ASPS), sleep phase regression syndrome (DSPS), non-24 hour sleep phase regression syndrome, and seasonal depression. Other periodic and repetitive disorders such as endogenous manic depression, periodic tension, periodic hypertension, periodic ulcer, irregular ovulation cycle, and diabetes caused by periodic abnormalities of insulin secretion, and cerebral vascular types Circadian rhythm disorder is also considered to be involved in dementia and nighttime hemorrhage in Alzheimer type dementia. In addition, attenuation of amplitude and cycle length or phase disturbance of various circadian rhythms are related to metabolic diseases such as aging, diabetes and obesity. The present invention regulates the circadian rhythm cycle phase (clock gene expression rhythm phase) of circadian rhythm disorders and the circadian rhythm cycle length (clock gene expression rhythm cycle length). Or trying to improve the disorder by adjusting the amplitude of the cycle (the amplitude of the expression rhythm of the clock gene).

The circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention regulates at least one of i) phase, ii) period length, or iii) amplitude of the expression rhythm of the clock gene. The circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention includes those capable of adjusting two of i) phase, ii) period length, or iii) amplitude of the expression rhythm of the clock gene, and further the expression rhythm of the clock gene. Also included are those that can adjust all of i) phase, ii) period length, and iii) amplitude.
In the present specification, `` to regulate the phase of the expression rhythm of the clock gene '' means that the activation of the expression along the expression rhythm (or the cycle of the expression rhythm) and the suppression of the expression are present. This means that the phase of the expression rhythm (or the cycle of the expression rhythm) is delayed (backward) or advanced (forward) in time series. Therefore, as a preferred mode of “adjusting the phase of the expression rhythm of the clock gene”, the phase is changed along the time axis by the amount of the phase that is different from the original expression rhythm (or period of the expression rhythm). To adjust by delaying or accelerating. The circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention, in particular, by inducing the expression of the Per1 gene among the clock genes, the expression rhythm (or cycle of the expression rhythm) of the clock gene (for example, Per1 gene, Per2 gene, etc.) The phase can be adjusted. In addition, the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention can be adjusted, in particular, by delaying or speeding up the phase of the expression rhythm of the Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene among the clock genes along the time axis.

“Adjusting the amplitude of an expression rhythm of a clock gene” means that when a clock gene shows activation and suppression of expression along a certain expression rhythm (or period of expression rhythm) It means that the expression is further activated or further suppressed. Therefore, a preferred embodiment of “modulating the amplitude of the expression rhythm of the clock gene” is to improve (increase the amplitude) the attenuation of the amplitude of the expression rhythm (or the period of the expression rhythm). The circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention, in particular, further activates (increases the expression level) or further suppresses the expression of the Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene of the clock gene along the expression rhythm of the gene. (Reducing the expression level).
Further, `` regulate the cycle length of the expression rhythm of the clock gene '' means that when the clock gene shows activation of expression and suppression of expression along a certain expression rhythm (cycle), the length of the expression rhythm ( It means to extend or shorten the (cycle length). In particular, the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention can reduce the length (cycle length) of the expression rhythm of the Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene in the clock gene.

The clock gene is a gene that controls biological rhythm, particularly circadian rhythm (circadian rhythm), and is also called circadian rhythm control gene. Clock genes include Cry gene (Cry, Cryptochrome) (Cry1, Cry2, etc.), Clock gene (CLOCK), Dec gene (Dec), Rev-erb gene (Rev-erb) (Rev-Erbα gene, etc.), CK1 gene (CK1, Casein Kinase 1) [CK1ε, CK1δ etc.], Bmal gene (Bmal) [Bmal1 etc.], Per gene (Per, Period) [Per1, Per2 etc.]. These genes are known to be possessed by various animals such as humans and mice.
The circadian rhythm is composed of a negative feedback loop mechanism between the above clock genes (Molecular components of the Mammalian circadian clock. Buhr ED, Takahashi JS. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2013; (217): 3-27). By controlling the expression rhythm of the Per2 gene, which plays an important role, the expression of a series of clock genes is controlled, and as a result, the circadian rhythm can be controlled.
Therefore, in one embodiment, the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention is not limited to the Per1 gene or Per2 gene, but the i) phase, ii) cycle length, or iii) of the expression rhythm of the clock genes listed above. At least one of the amplitudes can be adjusted.

In the present specification, “cinnamic acid” includes cinnamic acid (CAS registration number: 140-10-3, molecular formula: C ₉ H ₈ O ₂ ) and derivatives thereof. Examples of cinnamic acid derivatives include any 1 to 5, preferably 1 or 2 hydrogen atoms bonded to the benzene ring of cinnamic acid, a hydroxyl group, a lower alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms ( For example, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, an isopropyl group, a butyl group, a t-butyl group, etc.) a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms (for example, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, a propoxy group, an isopropoxy group, a butoxy group) Group), amino group, alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms (ethenyl group (vinyl group), propenyl group (allyl group), 1-butenyl group, 2-butenyl group, 2-methyl-2-butenyl group, 1-pentenyl group, 2-pentenyl group, 3-pentenyl group), aryl group (for example, phenyl group, paramethoxyphenyl group), heteroaryl group (for example, thienyl group, pyridyl group), etc. be able to. In addition, the carboxyl group of cinnamic acid is substituted with a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group, or the hydroxyl group in the carboxyl group of cinnamic acid is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms (for example, methyl Group, ethyl group, propyl group, isopropyl group, butyl group, t-butyl group, etc.) Lower alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms (e.g., methoxy group, ethoxy group, propoxy group, isopropoxy group, butoxy group, etc.) ), Amino group, hydroxyl group, aryl group (for example, phenyl group, paramethoxyphenyl group), heteroaryl group (for example, thienyl group, pyridyl group) and the like. In addition, cinnamic acids also include geometric isomers (E-form and Z-form) at the carbon-carbon double bond of cinnamic acid.
Moreover, as cinnamic acid used for the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention, it can be expressed as a compound represented by the following formula 1, and cinnamic acid represented by formula 2 can be preferably used. .

(式１中、Ｒ¹は、水素原子、水酸基、又は、−Ｃ(＝Ｏ)−Ｒ⁷であり、Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁷はそれぞれ独立に水素原子、炭素原子数1〜8の低級アルキル基、炭素原子数1〜8の低級アルコキシ基、炭素原子数2〜6の低級アルケニル基、アリール基又は炭素原子で結合するヘテロアリール基を表す。］
なお、Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁶が表すアルキル基としては、炭素原子数1〜8の直鎖又は分岐鎖状アルキル基である。好ましくはメチル基、エチル基、イソプロピル基、2-エチルヘキシル基であり、イソプロピル基がより好ましい。
Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁶が表すアルケニル基としては、炭素数2〜6の直鎖又は分岐鎖状アルケニル基を挙げることができ、トランス体及びシス体の両者を含む。好ましくは、エテニル基(ビニル基)、プロペニル基(アリル基)、1-ブテニル基、2-ブテニル基、2-メチル-2-ブテニル基、1-ペンテニル基、2-ペンテニル基、3-ペンテニル基であり、2-メチル-2-ブテニル基がより好ましい。
Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁷が表すアルコキシ基としては、炭素原子数1〜8の直鎖又は分岐鎖状アルコキシ基である。好ましくはメトキシ基、エトキシ基であり、メトキシ基がより好ましい。
Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁷が表すアリール基としては、好ましくはフェニル基、パラメトキシフェニル基であり、パラメトキシフェニル基がより好ましい。
Ｒ²〜Ｒ⁷が表すヘテロアリール基としては、好ましくはチエニル基、ピリジル基であり、チエニル基がより好ましい。 Formula 1:

(In Formula 1, R ¹ is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or —C (═O) —R ⁷ , and R ^{2 to} R ⁷ are each independently a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Represents a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a lower alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl group, or a heteroaryl group bonded with a carbon atom.]
As the alkyl group represented by R ² to R ^6, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. A methyl group, an ethyl group, an isopropyl group, and a 2-ethylhexyl group are preferable, and an isopropyl group is more preferable.
Examples of the alkenyl group represented by R ^{2 to} R ⁶ include linear or branched alkenyl groups having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, and include both trans and cis forms. Preferably, ethenyl group (vinyl group), propenyl group (allyl group), 1-butenyl group, 2-butenyl group, 2-methyl-2-butenyl group, 1-pentenyl group, 2-pentenyl group, 3-pentenyl group And a 2-methyl-2-butenyl group is more preferred.
The alkoxy group represented by R ^{2 to} R ⁷ is a linear or branched alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Preferably they are a methoxy group and an ethoxy group, and a methoxy group is more preferable.
The aryl group represented by R ^{2 to} R ⁷ is preferably a phenyl group or a paramethoxyphenyl group, and more preferably a paramethoxyphenyl group.
The heteroaryl group represented by R ^{2 to} R ⁷ is preferably a thienyl group or a pyridyl group, and more preferably a thienyl group.

Formula 2 (cinnamic acid)

Further, the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention is a compound contained in cinnamic acid, and can be included in the circadian rhythm improving agent alone, as long as it has a circadian rhythm improving action, A combination of two or more cinnamic acid compounds may also be included. Preferred cinnamic acids used as the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention include cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde (CAS number: 104-55-2, chemical formula: C ₉ H ₈ O), p-coumaric acid (CAS number). : 7400-08-0, chemical formula: C ₉ H ₈ O ₃ ), artepiline C (CAS number: 72944-19-5, chemical formula: C ₁₉ H ₂₄ O ₃ ), cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde P-coumaric acid is more preferred.
The cinnamic acid compounds used in the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention may be commercially available or extracted or synthesized by known methods.

  In the present specification, pharmaceutically acceptable salts include various salts such as acid addition salts, metal salts, ammonium salts, organic amine addition salts, amino acid addition salts, and the like. Although not limited to the following, for example, inorganic acid salts such as hydrochloride, sulfate, phosphate, acetate, trifluoroacetate, citrate, maleate, fumarate, lactate, tartrate, etc. Organic acid salts can be mentioned. Examples of the metal salt include alkali metal salts such as sodium salt, potassium salt and lithium salt, alkaline earth metal salts such as magnesium salt and calcium salt, aluminum salt and zinc salt. Examples of ammonium salts include salts such as ammonium and tetramethylammonium. Examples of organic amine addition salts include morpholine addition salts and piperidine addition salts. Examples of amino acid addition salts include glycine addition salts, phenylalanine addition salts, lysine addition salts, aspartic acid addition salts, and glutamic acid addition salts.

  Ingredients other than cinnamic acids and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof (pharmaceutically acceptable bases) that can be included in the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention are particularly those unless the object of the present invention is impaired. It is not limited. For example, excipients, disintegrants, binders, lubricants, coating agents, colorants, color formers, flavoring agents, flavoring agents, antioxidants, preservatives, flavoring agents, sour agents, sweeteners, strengthening From various preparations, vitamins, swelling agents, thickeners, surfactants, etc. that do not impair various properties required for the formulation (e.g. storage stabilizers) 1 type or 2 types or more can be selected according to the dosage form of quasi-drugs and the like. In addition, the components other than cinnamic acids or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof may be other components having an effect of improving circadian rhythm.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention can be used as a final product as it is. Moreover, in another embodiment of the present invention, the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention can be used as an additive for food and drink additives, pharmaceutical rhythm additives, quasi drugs and the like. Thereby, the circadian rhythm improvement effect can be provided as food / beverage products and a pharmaceutical.

  The administration form of the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, oral administration (eg, oral administration, sublingual administration, etc.), parenteral administration (intravenous administration, intramuscular administration, subcutaneous administration, transdermal administration, nasal administration, pulmonary administration, etc.) and the like can be mentioned. Among these, a less invasive dosage form is preferable, and oral administration is more preferable. When the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention is used as a food or drink, it is more preferably administered orally.

  The dosage form of the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention can be appropriately determined depending on whether it is used as a food / beverage product, a pharmaceutical product or a quasi-drug, and is not particularly limited. Examples of dosage forms for oral administration include liquid (liquid), syrup (syrup), tablet (tablet), capsule (capsule), powder (granule, fine granule), soft capsule (soft capsule) Agent), solid, semi-liquid, cream, and paste. Of these, granular, capsule, powder, soft capsule, and solid are preferable, and granular (tablet) is more preferable.

  For example, in order to exert the desired effect as an oral preparation, although it varies depending on the age, weight, and degree of disease of the patient, the lower limit of the daily dose as the weight of cinnamic acid compounds for normal adults Is 0.1 mg or more, preferably 1 mg or more, more preferably 5 mg or more, and the upper limit is 1 g or less, preferably 300 mg or less, more preferably 30 mg or less. It may be appropriate to take such a dose divided into several times a day. The oral preparation is produced according to a conventional method using, for example, starch, lactose, sucrose, mannitol, carboxymethylcellulose, corn starch, inorganic salts and the like. In this type of preparation, a binder, a disintegrant, a surfactant, a lubricant, a fluidity promoter, a corrigent, a colorant, a fragrance and the like can be appropriately used in addition to the above-mentioned excipients. Specific examples of each are as follows. [Binder] Starch, dextrin, gum arabic powder, gelatin, hydroxypropyl starch, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, crystalline cellulose, ethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, macrogol. [Disintegrant] Starch, hydroxypropyl starch, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose calcium, carboxymethylcellulose, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose. [Surfactant] Sodium lauryl sulfate, soybean lecithin, sucrose fatty acid ester, polysorbate 80. [Lubricant] Talc, waxes, hydrogenated vegetable oil, sucrose fatty acid ester, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, aluminum stearate, polyethylene glycol. [Flowability promoter] Light anhydrous silicic acid, dry aluminum hydroxide gel, synthetic aluminum silicate, magnesium silicate.

The circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention can also be administered as a suspension, emulsion, syrup, or elixir, and these various dosage forms contain a flavoring agent and a coloring agent. Also good. In order to exert the desired effect as a parenteral agent, it varies depending on the age, body weight, and degree of disease of the patient, but the lower limit of the daily dose is usually the weight of the cinnamic acid compound for adults. 0.01 mg or more, preferably 0.1 mg or more, more preferably 0.5 mg or more, and the upper limit is 100 mg or less, preferably 30 mg or less, more preferably 10 mg or less. Intravenous, intravenous infusion, subcutaneous injection, and intramuscular injection are considered appropriate. This parenteral preparation is produced according to a conventional method, and generally used as a diluent is distilled water for injection, physiological saline, aqueous glucose solution, vegetable oil for injection, sesame oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, corn oil, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol and the like. be able to. Furthermore, you may add a bactericidal agent, antiseptic | preservative, a stabilizer, and an emulsifier as needed. In addition, from the viewpoint of stability, this parenteral preparation can be frozen after filling into a vial or the like, water can be removed by a normal freeze-drying technique, and a liquid preparation can be re-prepared from the freeze-dried product immediately before use. Furthermore, tonicity agents, stabilizers, preservatives, soothing agents and the like may be added as necessary. Examples of other parenteral preparations include coating solutions for external use, ointments and the like, suppositories for rectal administration, and the like, and are produced according to a conventional method.
In addition, the administration time of the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention is not particularly limited.

  Moreover, in one embodiment of this invention, the pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing the circadian rhythm disorder or the disease resulting therefrom including a circadian rhythm improving agent is provided. The said pharmaceutical composition can contain an excipient | filler etc. similarly to the circadian rhythm improving agent, and can also contain the other component which has a circadian rhythm improving effect. In addition, the pharmaceutical composition can be appropriately designed and selected in the same manner as the circadian rhythm improving agent.

According to the circadian rhythm improving agent or pharmaceutical composition of the present invention, it is possible to regulate the expression of a clock gene, and further to regulate the circadian rhythm. Therefore, according to the said rhythm improving agent or pharmaceutical composition, a circadian rhythm disorder or the disease resulting from it can be prevented, relieved, or treated. The disease caused by circadian rhythm disorder refers to a disease caused by disturbance or attenuation of the circadian rhythm cycle, but is not limited to the following, for example, sleep phase regression syndrome (DSPS), sleep phase advance syndrome ( ASPS), non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, and irregular sleep-wake patterns, sleep disorders and insomnia, autonomic dystonia, manic depression, seasonal depression, periodic tension, periodic hypertension Diseases, periodic ulcers, irregular ovulation cycles, periodic / repetitive disorders such as diabetes due to periodic abnormalities of insulin secretion, nocturnal epilepsy in cerebrovascular dementia and Alzheimer dementia.
Moreover, as one embodiment of the present invention, an agent for improving the expression of a clock gene (for example, Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene) containing cinnamic acids or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is provided. Note that the expression rhythm improving agent of the clock gene (for example, Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene) may be a phase regulator of the expression rhythm cycle, a cycle length regulator of the expression rhythm cycle, or an expression rhythm cycle, depending on the embodiment. It can be provided as an amplitude improver. These clock gene expression rhythm improving agents, expression rhythm cycle phase adjusting agents, expression rhythm cycle period adjusting agents, and expression rhythm cycle amplitude improving agents are the same as in the circadian rhythm improving agent of the present invention. It may be used as a final product, or may be used as an additive for food and drink products, rhythm additives for pharmaceutical products, quasi drugs, and the like. The clock gene expression rhythm improving agent, the expression rhythm cycle phase adjusting agent, the expression rhythm cycle period adjusting agent, and the expression rhythm cycle amplitude improving agent are administered in the same manner as the above circadian rhythm improving agent. The dosage form, dosage, and administration timing can be designed and selected as appropriate.

Moreover, according to one Embodiment of this invention, the food / beverage products containing a circadian rhythm improving agent are provided. The food or drink can be provided as a food or drink for improving the circadian rhythm, such as general food, functional food, health food, health supplement, nutritional supplement, insurance functional food, food for specified insurance, or It can be used as various foods and beverages such as nutritional functional foods (note that in this specification, the term “food and beverage products” does not include medicines including Chinese medicine). Examples of the form of food and drink include beverages (soft drinks, carbonated drinks, nutritional drinks, powdered drinks, fruit drinks, milk drinks, jelly drinks, etc.), confectionery (cookies, cakes, gums, candy, tablets, gummi, buns, etc. , Yokan, pudding, jelly, ice cream, sherbet etc.) Cheese, margarine, fermented milk, etc.), soup (powdered soup, liquid soup, etc.), staple foods (rice, noodles (dried noodles, raw noodles), bread, cereal, etc.), seasonings (mayonnaise, shortening, dressing, sauce) , Sauce, soy sauce, etc.) and supplements. In order to exert the desired effect as a food and drink, it varies depending on the age, weight, and degree of disease of the subject, but the cinnamic acid compound for adults is usually 0.1 mg or more, preferably 1 mg or more, More preferably, it is contained at a lower limit of 5 mg or more, and it is preferably contained at an upper limit of 1000 mg or less, preferably 300 mg or less, more preferably 30 mg or less. It seems to be preferable to contain it so that it can be ingested in such an amount.
In addition, the food / beverage products of this invention can be used for subjects (for example, mammals including humans) having or possibly having the circadian rhythm disorders listed above or diseases resulting therefrom.

  In the present invention, the circadian rhythm improving action includes the action of adjusting the phase of circadian rhythm controlled by the expression of clock genes such as Per1 gene and Per2 gene, the action of adjusting the period length, and / or the amplitude of the period. It is a circadian rhythm regulating action obtained by the regulating action. In order to confirm these effects, for example, as in the method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 9, a culture into which a reporter gene (such as a luciferase gene) whose expression is controlled by a clock gene promoter (for example, Per2 promoter) has been introduced. This can be confirmed by examining the influence of the candidate substance on the expression cycle of the reporter gene in the cell.

  The terms used in the present specification are used to describe specific embodiments, and are not used with the intention of limiting the present invention.

  In addition, the term “comprising” in the present specification intends that there are items (steps, elements, etc.) described unless there is a case where interpretation should be clearly different from the description in this specification, and It does not exclude the presence of other matters (processes, elements, etc.).

  Moreover, unless otherwise defined, terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in this specification and the related technical field, unless otherwise defined, idealized, or overly formal. It should not be interpreted in a general sense.

  In the following, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the invention can be implemented in various ways and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Example 1 Induction of Per1 mRNA Expression by Cinnamic Acid Brains were removed from embryonic day 14 PER2 :: LUC C57BL / 6J mice (obtained from Jackson Laboratories; see Non-Patent Document 8) and 0.05% trypsin (Sigma) And a PBS solution containing DNase I (1 mg / L, manufactured by Gibco) and heated at 37 ° C. for 10 minutes. Disperse the tissue by pipetting, and after centrifugation, neural stem cells can be transformed into stem cell medium (20ng / ml basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) (R & D Systems), 20ng / ml epidermal growth factor (EGF) (R & D Systems), B27 supplements Suspended in DMEM / F12 medium (Gibco) containing (Gibco)] and seeded on a plate coated with poly-HEMA (Sigma) at a concentration of 5 × 10 ⁵ cells / ml. A neural progenitor cell was formed by forming a neural stem cell mass by culturing after seeding, and the neural progenitor cell was stored frozen until use.
Neural progenitor cells used for the experiments were those thawed from a cryopreserved state. The neural progenitor cells after thawing were cultured in a stem cell medium for 24 hours, and then induced to differentiate for 7 days in a differentiation medium [DMEM / F12 medium containing 2% fetal calf serum and B27 supplements].
The following tests were performed using differentiated neurons. A differentiation medium was newly prepared, and nerve cells were transferred to the differentiation medium. Thereafter, cinnamic acid (purchased from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) was added to the differentiation medium to a final concentration of 2 μM. Neurons were cultured for 2 hours in a differentiation medium supplemented with cinnamic acid. Cells were collected before the addition of cinnamic acid (after 0 hours), 1 hour after the addition, and 2 hours after the addition, using the FastLane Cell cDNA Kit (manufactured by Qiagen) according to the conditions described in the attached document. RNA was extracted. After the extracted total RNA was dissolved in Nuclease-free water (Gibco), to obtain the cDNA, reverse transcribed according to the conditions described in the attached documents with ^{PrimeScript TM RT reagent Kit with gDNA Eraser} ( Takara Bio) Reaction was performed. For labeling and amplification of template cDNA for quantitative real-time PCR, SYBR ^(R) Premix Ex Taq ^™ II (manufactured by Takara Bio Inc.) was used. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed using the Light Cycler system (Roche). The expression level of Per1 mRNA was determined as a relative value when the expression level of GAPDH mRNA, which is a housekeeping gene, was compared as an internal standard.

The primers used were 5'-CCAGATTGGTGGAGGTTACTGAGT-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 1) and 5'-GCGAGAGTCTTCTTGGAGCAGTAG-3' (SEQ ID NO: 2) for Per1, and 5'-ACCCAGAAGACTGTGGATGG-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 3) for GAPDH. 5′-TTCAGCTCTGGGATGACCTT-3 ′ (SEQ ID NO: 4).
The PCR conditions were 45 cycles of 3 steps of 95 ° C for 5 seconds, 57 ° C for 10 seconds and 72 ° C for 10 seconds after heating at 95 ° C for 10 seconds.
Further, as a control group, the expression level of Per1 mRNA in nerve cells when cultured in a differentiation medium not added with cinnamic acid was measured in the same manner.
The result is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, in the neuronal cells 1 hour after the addition of cinnamic acid, it was confirmed that the expression level of Per1 was increased about 5 times compared with the expression level before the addition. On the other hand, the expression level of Per1 in neuronal cells 2 hours after the addition of cinnamic acid dropped to about twice that of the expression level before the addition. The Per1 gene exhibits an acute response to various stimuli that reset light and other biological clocks, and is known to be a gene that has a function of resetting circadian rhythm by this response. (Shigeyoshi Y et al., Cell, Vol. 91, 1043-1053, 1997, Urs Albrecht et al., Cell, Vol. 91, 1055-1064, 1997, and Balsalobre A et al. Curr Biol., 2000, 19; 10 (20): 1291-4). As shown in FIG. 1, it was confirmed that cinnamic acid can induce expression of the Per1 gene transiently. In addition, it is known that the expression of the Per1 gene is important for resetting the body clock as described above (that is, resetting the expression rhythm of the clock gene). It is thought that the reset of the expression rhythm of the clock gene can be induced.

(Example 2) Effect of regulating the period length and amplitude of circadian rhythm phase by cinnamic acid In Example 1 above, the effect of inducing the transient expression of the per1 gene of cinnamic acid was confirmed. The following test was conducted to examine whether the acid compounds can also regulate the expression rhythm of the clock gene itself. Specifically, using the cryopreserved neural progenitor cells described in Example 1 above, the effect of cinnamic acid on the expression rhythm of the Per2 gene was confirmed. After thawing the neural progenitor cells, the cells were cultured in a stem cell medium for 24 hours. Thereafter, neural progenitor cells were transferred to a differentiation medium (DMEM / F12 medium containing 2% fetal calf serum and B27 supplements), and differentiation induction was performed for 7 days.
The following test was performed using the nerve cell which differentiated by the said process. A differentiation medium containing HEPES (10 mM) and the luminescent substrate luciferin (0.1 mM, Wako Pure Chemical Industries), forskolin (final concentration 10 μM, Sigma) and cinnamic acid (final) for synchronizing the body clock Neurons were cultured using a differentiation medium supplemented with a concentration of 10 μM (purchased from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), and chemiluminescence due to luciferase was measured over time with LM2400 (Hamamatsu Photonics). In the control group, the luminescence rhythm in neurons was measured in the same manner when cultured in a differentiation medium not added with cinnamic acid.

  It was found that when neurons were cultured using a differentiation medium supplemented with cinnamic acid, the phase of the luminescence rhythm was reversed. The result is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the group to which cinnamic acid was added, the phase of the luminescence rhythm (that is, the expression rhythm of the Per1 gene) was retreated by about 5 hours compared to the Vehicle group. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in the group to which cinnamic acid was added, the emission peak at 30 to 40 hours of culture increased more than 1.5 times compared to the Vehicle group, and the emission rhythm after that increased in amplitude. Increased more. FIG. 3 shows the average value of the expression cycle of luciferase automatically calculated by LM2400 (Hamamatsu Photonics) in each of the group to which cinnamic acid was added and the vehicle group. As shown in FIG. 3, in the group to which cinnamic acid was added, a shortening of the cycle length of about 1 hour was observed compared to the Vehicle group.

Claims (11)

  A circadian rhythm improving agent comprising cinnamic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.   The circadian rhythm improving agent according to claim 1, wherein the circadian rhythm improving agent has an action of adjusting at least one of a phase, a cycle length, or an amplitude of an expression rhythm of a clock gene. .   The circadian rhythm improving agent according to claim 2, wherein the clock gene is a Per1 gene and / or a Per2 gene. In the circadian rhythm improving agent according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The cinnamic acid is a compound represented by the following formula 1:
Formula 1:

(In Formula 1, R ¹ is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or —C (═O) —R ⁷ , and R ^{2 to} R ⁷ are each independently a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or a lower group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Represents an alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a lower alkenyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, an amino group, an aryl group, or a heteroaryl group bonded via a carbon atom.)   A pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing a circadian rhythm disorder or a disease caused thereby, comprising the circadian rhythm improving agent according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   Food-drinks containing the circadian rhythm improving agent as described in any one of Claims 1-4.   The food or drink according to claim 6, which is used for a subject having or possibly having a circadian rhythm disorder or a disease caused thereby.   An agent for improving the expression rhythm of Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene comprising cinnamic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The agent for improving expression rhythm of Per1 gene and / or Per2 gene according to claim 8, wherein the cinnamic acid is a compound represented by the following formula 1:
Formula 1:

(In Formula 1, R ¹ is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or —C (═O) —R ⁷ , and R ^{2 to} R ⁷ are each independently a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Represents a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, an amino group, an aryl group, or a heteroaryl group bonded via a carbon atom.)   A circadian rhythm improving method (excluding medical practice), comprising a step of orally ingesting a circadian rhythm improving agent containing cinnamic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.   The circadian rhythm improving method according to claim 10, wherein the step of orally ingesting the circadian rhythm improving agent is applied to a subject having or possibly having a circadian rhythm disorder or a disease caused thereby.

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