TY - JOUR
T1 - Porphyran from discolored nori prevents metabolic syndrome through microbiota-bile acid-ceramide pathway
AU - Yokoyama, Yoko
AU - Takashina, Yoko
AU - Morel, Jean David
AU - Taworntawat, Tanon
AU - Kitamura, Naho
AU - Nagano, Utana
AU - Tanigaki, Tatsuya
AU - Nakamura, Anna
AU - Miyazaki, Teruo
AU - Taoka, Hiroki
AU - Mottis, Adrienne
AU - Perino, Alessia
AU - Shinjo, Atsushi
AU - Suzuki, Norihiro
AU - Takekawa, Setsuo
AU - Fukuda, Shinji
AU - Honda, Akira
AU - Ishihara, Kenji
AU - Arita, Makoto
AU - Tsubota, Kazuo
AU - Auwerx, Johan
AU - Watanabe, Mitsuhiro
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025
PY - 2025/6/20
Y1 - 2025/6/20
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Biological sciences
KW - Endocrinology
KW - Natural sciences
KW - Physiology
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105005430489
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=105005430489&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112603
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112603
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105005430489
SN - 2589-0042
VL - 28
JO - iScience
JF - iScience
IS - 6
M1 - 112603
ER -
