The effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) on obesity were investigated using a murine model (diet-induced obese mice). Diet-induced obese mice were divided into 4 groups: a control group (C group), which was fed a high-fat diet; a low-5-ALA dose (10 mg/kg/day) group (10A group); a moderate-5-ALA dose (30 mg/kg/day) group (30A group); and a high-5-ALA dose (100 mg/kg/day) group (100A group). 5-ALA was administered by mixing the high fat diet for 8 weeks. Body weight increases in the 30A and 100A groups were significantly smaller compared with those of the C group. Body fat measurements by X-ray computed tomography indicated that the 100A group showed a tendency toward low visceral fat quantities during the final week of the study. Visceral fat weights in the 30A and 100A groups were slightly low. The levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total cholesterol (TC) in the 10A group was slightly low, whereas the 30A and 100A groups showed significantly lower ALT and TC values. Liver lipid concentration showed a dose-dependent decrease with ALA. Thus, in this diet-induced obese murine model, administration of 5-ALA had a significantly beneficial impact on the visceral fat, serum ALT and TC, and liver lipid concentration.
A 62-year-old woman showed an abnormal shadow in upper left lung field in chest X-ray. Her sialyl Lewis X (SLX) was 150 U/ml and lung cancer was suspected. Bronchoscopic biopsy was performed and the diagnosis of moderate to well-differentiated adenocarcinoma was obtained. Abdominal CT examination also showed a cystic lesion with a nodule approximately 7 cm in diameter in the lateral segment of the liver. We proceeded treatment of the lung cancer first, and the left upper lobectomy was performed. Curative resection was performed. However, after surgery, SLX elevated to more than 2,000 U/ml. FDG-PET CT examination was ordered, though only physiological accumulation was seen. With the diagnosis of cystic liver tumor, left lateral segmentectomy was performed 3 months after pulmonary resection. The resected specimen showed multilocular cystic lesions with nodules in part, and cystic fluid was mucinous. The SLX of cyst fluid was more than 2,000 U/ml. Histopathologically, the resected cystic lesions were diagnosed as intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB). SLX showed decreased 40 U/ml in about one month after the surgery. We report this rare case of IPNB which showed high serum SLX level.
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