Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals, are highly reactive molecules derived from the metabolism of oxygen. ROS play positive roles in cell physiology, but they may also damage cell membranes and DNA, inducing oxidation that causes membrane lipid peroxidation and decreases membrane fluidity. Soymilk yogurt, which is soymilk fermented using lactic acid bacteria (LAB), is an excellent food item with numerous functional substances with antioxidant effects. In this study, the antioxidative activities of soymilk yogurt were investigated. Sixteen of the 26 tested LAB strains solidified soymilk. In antioxidant capacity tests for bacterial cells, Leuconostoc mesenteroides MYU 60 and Pediococcus pentosaceus MYU 759 showed the highest values in the oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and hydroxyl radical antioxidant capacity (HORAC) tests, respectively. The supernatant of soymilk yogurt made with Lactobacillus gasseri MYU 1 showed the highest ORAC and HORAC values. Leu. mesenteroides MYU 60, Lactobacillus plantarum MYU 74, Lactobacillus reuteri MYU 220, and P. pentosaceus MYU 759 showed significantly high N-acetylcysteine equivalent values compared with the control in a total ROS reducing assay (p<0.05). These strains were selected, and a comet assay was performed, which exhibited decreased values in all selected strains compared with the control, indicating DNA protection. An acidic exopolysaccharide produced by P. pentosaceus MYU 759 showed high antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant substances produced by LAB fermentation may be exopolysaccharides, antioxidant peptides, and isoflavone aglycones. Soymilk yogurt can be used as a functional food useful for various diseases related to oxidation.

Cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) are traditionally known as the Phase II drug-metabolizing or detoxifying enzymes that serve for the detoxification of drugs and other xenobiotics. These enzymes in general catalyze the transfer of a sulfonate group from the active sulfate, 3-phophoadenosine 5-phosphosulfate (PAPS), to low-molecular weight substrate compounds containing hydroxyl or amino group(s). Despite considerable efforts made in recent years, some fundamental aspects of the SULTs, particularly their ontogeny, cell type/tissue/organ-specific distribution, and physiological relevance, particularly their involvement in drug metabolism and detoxification, still remain poorly understood. To better understand these fundamental issues, we have embarked on developing the zebrafish as a model for studies concerning the SULTs. To date, fifteen zebrafish SULTs have been cloned, expressed, purified, and characterized. These zebrafish SULTs, which fall into four major SULT gene families, exhibited differential substrate specificities and distinct patterns of expression at different stages during embryogenesis, through larval development, and on to maturity. The information obtained, as summarized in this review, provides a foundation for further investigation into the physiological and pharmacological involvement of the SULTs using the zebrafish as a model.

A new labdane-type diterpenoid glucoside and two new labdane-type diterpenoids were isolated from the fruit (chasteberry) of Vitex agnus-castus L. (Verbenaceae) along with 14 known compounds comprising seven labdane-type diterpenoids, one halimane-type diterpenoid, two oleanane-type triterpenoids, two ursane-type triterpenoids, one aromadendrane-type sesquiterpenoid, and one flavonoid. Their structures were characterized on the basis of spectroscopic data as well as chemical evidence. Furthermore, the antioxidative activities of the flavonoid were evaluated using five different analyses.