HASHIMOTO Naoto

HASHIMOTO Naoto Associate Professor

ThemeInvestigation of physiological roles of food components in mammales and involvement of vagus nerve in the roles

My DreamTo defeat lifestyle-related diseases by creating techniques utilizing autonomic nerve system.

Field	Food and nutrition, Nutritional biochemistry, Nutritional physiology
Keyword	flavonoids, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), bile acids, vagus nerve, adipokines

Introduction

Flavonoids are water-soluble phytochenimals in foods and can be hardly found in our blood. Thus, physiological activities of flavonoids are often denied. However, we showed that flabonoids can stimulate hepatocytes. On the other hand,as HBVN was involved in the reduction of blood adipokine concentrations in rodents with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, namely NAFLD, we focus hepatic branch of vagus nerve (HBVN) that links the liver to the central nerve system . Now, I hypothesize that HBVN can mediate stimulation to hepatocytes with flavonoid to other organ, and will try to proven the hypothesis in this university.

List of current research topics

To reveal expenditure mechanisms of fatty acids in feeding flavonoids.
To investigate mechanisms of reduction of blood adipokine concentrations in NAFLD rodents induced by bile acids and involvement of HBVN in the reduction.
To investigate mechanisms of expression of flavonoid-metabolizing enzymes regulated by bile acids.

Academic degree	PhD.
Self introduction	As I had investigated physiological functions of crops and vegetabels in rats and mice in NARO for more than 15 years, I will investigate mechanisms of physiological functions of food components using rodents and involvement of nerve system in the mechanisms in this university. Additionally, I sometimes enjoy badminton and fishing. Let's enjoy the Tokachi life.
Room address	General Research Building 3
Room number	Room 606
Mail address	hasshy obihiro.ac.jp