Charting the future of carbonyl research in food and medicine

In this issue, I invited Prof. Yoshikazu Yonei at Anti-Aging Medical Research Center and Glycation Stress Research Center, Doshisha University, Japan, to introduce the recent subjects at his research center. He summarized the concept of glycation stress and the link between glycation stress and tissue dysfunction in aged skin, liver, or ovary. He also described about approaches (the food inhibiting AGE formation or double filtration plasmapheresis) to reduce the glycation stress in vivo.

Many glycation researchers have been focusing on the biological effect of dietary AGEs from food intake in glycation stress-related diseases, such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, or kidney disease. Accumulating evidence demonstrates the pathogenesis of the dietary AGEs, while some reports indicate their beneficial effects. This issue thus publishes three articles, which emphasize the beneficial effects of the dietary AGEs as the good guys. Prof. Tsuyoshi Tsuduki at Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Japan, introduced the studies that prove a profitable effect of dietary AGEs. Dr. Zi Yin and Prof. Hao Jing at China Agricultural University, China, focused on the Maillard reaction products with blue color and their effect on anthocyanin stability as well as antioxidant activity. Dr. Aurea Juliana Trevisan and Prof. Deborah Helena Bastos at Nutrition Department, University of São Paulo, Brazil, summarized the difference of the dietary AGE level in foods and cooking style. They also highlighted the need of the standardized database of AGE contents in foods.

Further, Prof. Yukio Fujiwara at Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, who is a committee member of the Japan Maillard Reaction Society (JMARS), edited the section of Highlights of the glycation literature.

I deeply thank their great contributions to the IMARS Highlights. The IMARS Highlights editors always look forward to submission of your articles, comments to any kinds of issues published in IMARS Highlights and other glycation-related issues in the field of food and medical sciences.

Reiko Inagi, PhD
Division of Nephrology and Endocrinology
University of Tokyo, School of Medicine

email: inagi-npr@umin.ac.jp

• If you are an IMARS Member already registred, go to the Reserved IMARS Highlights Page to download the March Issue and/or the complete collection of the IMARS Highlights
  

• If you are an IMARS Member not yet registred on the website, please, register yourself to the IMARS Website to read it

• If you are not yet an IMARS Member (or your renewal was made more than one year ago), please, take a minute to renew your Membership or to join the Society

IMARS would like to celebrate a happy and successful new year to you. The society will keep moving forward and we expect your continuous contribution to the society. I, as an editor of the IMARS Highlights, promise that this on-line journal will provide you useful and exciting information about glycation in the field of food, nutrition, and medicine.

This issue includes the article of Dr. Lilian M. Were at Chapman University, who is a winner of Young Investigator Award (food science) of the 11th International Symposium on the Maillard Reaction (ISMR). Her article summarizes the beneficial effect of AGEs contained in coffee: antimicrobial activity of Maillard reaction products derived from coffee roasting. It focuses on the good aspect of the certain food AGEs.

Further, I invite Dr. Yukio Fujiwara at Kumamoto University, who is a committee member of the Japan Maillard Reaction Society (JMARS). His article summarizes the update on the natural compounds of herb inhibiting AGE formation. Dr. Takahiro Eitsuka at Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences also contributes to this issue. He introduces his recent paper demonstrating that glycated phosphatidylethanolamine up-regulates telomerase activity. It indicates the link between hyperglycemia and development of cancer.

I deeply thank their great contributions to the IMARS Highlights. The IMARS Highlights editors always look forward to submission of your articles, comments to any kinds of issues published in IMARS Highlights and other glycation-related issues in the field of food and medical sciences.

Reiko Inagi, PhD
Division of Nephrology and Endocrinology
University of Tokyo, School of Medicine

email: inagi-npr@umin.ac.jp

• If you are an IMARS Member already registred, go to the Reserved IMARS Highlights Page to download the July Issue and/or the complete collection of the IMARS Highlights
  

• If you are an IMARS Member not yet registred on the website, please, register yourself to the IMARS Website to read it

• If you are not yet an IMARS Member (or your renewal was made more than one year ago), please, take a minute to renew your Membership or to join the Society

The 11th IMARS meeting as the Centenary Symposium of the Maillard Reaction discovery was held at Nancy in France, the hometown of Prof. Louis Camille Maillard, in September 16-20, 2012. All the attendees enjoyed the insightful meeting very much. The Centenary Symposium may be one small step for Maillard researchers, but we hope it will be one giant leap for mankind!

In this issue, Prof. Inès Birlouez Aragon, Co-chair of the Scientific Committee of the Symposium, provided the meeting report of the 11th IMARS meeting with memorial photos. Further, this issue provides the articles of Dr. Benjamin Szwergold from Dartmouth Medical School, US, describing the anti-glycation strategies in hyperthermophilic archaea. Two committee members of Japan Maillard Reaction Society (JMARS), Prof. Motoko Takahashi from Sapporo Medical University and Prof. Yuich Kaji from Tsukuba University, also contributed to this issue. Prof. Takahashi introduces her recent work regarding the novel function of aldehyde reductase in ascorbic acid biosynthesis. Prof. Kaji described the importance of inhibition of glycation and subsequent breakdown of abnormal protein aggregates in age-related ocular diseases.

I would like to thank their great contributions to the IMARS Highlights. As always, the IMARS Highlights editors always look forward to submission of your articles, comments to any kinds of issues published in IMARS Highlights and other glycation-related issues in the field of food and medical sciences. Please contact us at inagi-npr@umin.ac.jp.

Reiko Inagi, PhD
Division of Nephrology and Endocrinology
University of Tokyo, School of Medicine

email: inagi-npr@umin.ac.jp

• If you are an IMARS Member already registred, go to the Reserved IMARS Highlights Page to download the Last Issue and/or the complete collection of the IMARS Highlights
  

• If you are an IMARS Member not yet registred on the website, please, register yourself to the IMARS Website to read it

• If you are not yet a 2012 IMARS Member, please, take a minute to renew your Membership or to join the Society

Look at some picture of Centenary Symposium of Maillard Reaction (the 11^th IMARS meeting) in Nancy.

CLICK BELOW ON the image below to see the Picture Gallery