Special Water Boosts Immune Defense in Mouth Cells Better Than Virus RNA
- Authors
- Takahiro Gojoubori, Yukina Nishio, Masatake Asano, Tetsuya Nishida, Kazuo Komiyama, Koichi Ito
- Journal
- Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction
- Year
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.3109/10799893.2013.862272
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Oral Infections
- Body System
- Immune System
TL;DR
A study found that a type of water treated with electricity and a by-product of virus replication both trigger the production of a protective protein in mouth cells, but through different biological pathways.
Key Finding
Acid-electrolyzed functional water induced human β-defensin 2 production in oral epithelial cells more efficiently than double-stranded RNA, and through a completely different cellular mechanism that does not depend on the NF-κB signaling pathway.
Summary
This laboratory study examined how two different substances affect oral cells' production of a natural antimicrobial protein called human β-defensin 2 (hBD-2), which helps fight infections. Researchers tested acid-electrolyzed functional water and double-stranded RNA (a molecule produced during viral infections) on human mouth cells grown in a dish. Both substances triggered hBD-2 production, but the functional water was much more effective. Interestingly, they worked through different cellular mechanisms—the functional water did not rely on a key immune signaling pathway (NF-κB) that the RNA did.
Practical Takeaway
This is a laboratory study using cells in a dish, not human testing, so it cannot yet support health claims about functional water and human immunity. The findings suggest functional water may activate immune responses in mouth cells through a novel pathway, but much more research—including animal and human studies—would be needed to determine if this has any practical benefit for oral health or infection prevention.
Abstract
Abstract Defensins, a major family of cationic antimicrobial peptides, play important roles in innate immunity. In the present study, we investigated whether double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a by-product of RNA virus replication, can induce human β-defensins-2 (hBD-2) expression in oral epithelial cells (OECs). We also examined the hBD-2-inducible activity of acid-electrolyzed functional water (FW). The results indicated that both dsRNA- and FW-induced hBD-2 expression in OECs. The induction efficiency was much higher for FW than for dsRNA. FW-induced production of hBD-2 was clearly observed by immunofluorescence staining. A luciferase assay was performed with 1.2 kb of the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the hBD-2 gene. The results indicated that the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)-binding site proximal to the translation initiation site was indispensable for dsRNA-stimulated hBD-2 expression, but not in the case of FW. Moreover, FW-stimulated hBD-2 expression did not depend on NF-κB activity; instead, FW inhibited NF-κB activity. Pretreatment of the cells with specific inhibitors against NF-κB further confirmed NF-κB-independent hBD-2 induction by FW. In analogy to the results for intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), the dsRNA signal, but not FW, was sensed by toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in OECs. These results suggested that hBD-2 expression induced by dsRNA and FW is regulated by distinct mechanisms in OECs.