Cha-Koji, comprising green tea leaves fermented with Aspergillus luchuensis var kawachii kitahara, increases regulatory T cell production in mice and humans

• Published in: Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry Vol. 82; no. 5; pp. 885 - 892
• Main Authors: Yamamoto, Bunsei, Suzuki, Yusuke, Yonezu, Takahisa, Mizushima, Nanami, Watanabe, Nobuo, Sato, Takehito, Inoue, Shigeaki, Inokuchi, Sadaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.05.2018
• Subjects: microbiota; regulatory T cell (Treg); short-chain fatty acid (SCFA); (; Green tea leaves fermented with; ); -; Green tea leaves fermented with Aspergillus luchuensis (Cha-Koji); Aspergillus luchuensis
• ISSN: 0916-8451; 1347-6947
• DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2018.1443789

Abstract Green tea leaves fermented with Aspergillus luchuensis var kawachii kitahara (Cha-Koji) are a health food containing live A. luchuensis. In this study, we examined the effects of Cha-Koji on the immune system and the enteric environment. First, we designed a clinical trial; after ingesting Cha-Koji daily for 28 days, blood parameters and the fecal composition of the participants were analyzed. Similarly, mice were administered (oral administration) with Cha-Koji suspension or its vehicle for 14 days. Thereafter, both humans and mice were examined by analyzing their immune cell phenotypes and intestinal microbiota. Regulatory T cell (Treg) numbers were significantly increased after administering Cha-Koji. An increase of Clostridium subcluster XIVa, that were known to be rich in butyrate-producing bacterium, was observed in human feces, but not in mice. These results suggest that Cha-Koji has the ability to increase Treg production in both humans and mice, irrespective of the presence of enteric butyrate. Abstract “Cha-Koji” increases regulatory T cells in mice and humans.