Porphyran from discolored nori prevents metabolic syndrome through microbiota-bile acid-ceramide pathway
Nori is a component of the traditional Japanese diet. The Japanese have a low prevalence of obesity and cardiovascular disease worldwide, and components of nori may have disease-preventive effects. Here, we focused on porphyran, which is abundant in nori that is discarded due to discoloration, and investigated the effects of nori-derived porphyran on gut microbiota, bile acid composition, and ceramide synthesis. Administration of porphyran to mice prevented obesity, diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This improvement correlates with a decrease in secondary bile acids, a decrease in intestinal farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signaling, and a marked decrease in blood ceramide. Porphyran, abundant in discolored nori, should be the subject of future translational research to prevent diseases with significant unmet medical needs and improve global environmental sustainability.
Authors
- Kazuo Tsubota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8874-7111)
- Johan Auwerx (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5065-5393)
- Tanon Taworntawat
- Tatsuya Tanigaki
- Adrienne Mottis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1404-2845)
- Yoko Takashina
- Yoko Yokoyama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4249-004X)
- Norihiro Suzuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7154-3892)
- Naho Kitamura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6894-3046)
- Teruo Miyazaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9796-3011)
- Jean‐David Morel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7122-9924)
- Shinji Fukuda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5161-9880)
- Hiroki Taoka
- Atsushi Shinjo
- Mitsuhiro Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4500-780X)
- Anna Nakamura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8945-5858)
- Alessia Perino
- Makoto Arita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9902-0463)
- Utana Nagano
- Akira Honda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0902-8272)
- Kenji Ishihara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7027-6243)
- Shoichi Takekawa
Institutions
- University of Tsukuba (JP)
- Kanagawa Institute of Technology (JP)
- Keio University (JP)
- Fujisawa City Hospital (JP)
- Juntendo University (JP)
- Keio University Hospital (JP)
- Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (JP)
- Tokyo Medical University Ibaraki Medical Center (JP)
- Keio University Shonan Fujisawa (JP)
- RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (JP)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- iScience
- Published
- 2025-05-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.112603
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Sphingolipid Metabolism and Signaling
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.22
Funders
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
- Food Science Institute Foundation
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology