Hyaluronic acid production promoting agent

Abstract

An agent of the present invention comprising poultry feet or a processed product thereof, preferably a hydrolysate of an extract of poultry feet, promotes hyaluronic acid production, thereby exhibiting excellent effects of preventing or treating a joint disorder, improving skin dryness, wrinkles or skin tension, moisturizing the skin, etc. The agent is thus useful as a medicament, a quasi-drug, a cosmetic product, a food product or an animal feed.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method for alleviating bodily pain by promoting hyaluronic acid production of cartilage or cartilage matrix production in a mammal, the method comprising:
 selecting a mammal that has bodily pain;   administering to said selected mammal a peptide of 20 amino acid residues or less containing the amino acid sequence phenylalanine-hydroxyproline, or a derivative or a salt of said peptide, wherein said peptide of 20 amino acid residues or less containing the amino acid sequence phenylalanine-hydroxyproline, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, alleviates bodily pain by promoting hyaluronic acid production of cartilage or cartilage matrix production, and wherein said mammal has a joint disorder or said bodily pain is knee pain.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a C-terminus of the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, is a carboxy group, a carboxylate, an amide or an ester. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein an N-terminus of the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, is amino or a protected amino. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, comprises a protected side chain substituent or an unprotected side chain substituent. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, is phenylalanine-hydroxyproline dipeptide. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, is acyclic or cyclic. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, is acyclic. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the joint disorder is osteoarthritis, a cartilage defect, a cartilage injury or a meniscus injury. 
     
     
         10 . A method for alleviating bodily pain by promoting hyaluronic acid production of cartilage or cartilage matrix production in a mammal, the method comprising:
 administering phenylalanine-hydroxyproline dipeptide, or a derivative or a salt thereof, to a mammal, wherein said phenylalanine-hydroxyproline dipeptide, or a derivative or a salt thereof, alleviates bodily pain by promoting hyaluronic acid production of cartilage or cartilage matrix production, and wherein said mammal has a joint disorder or said bodily pain is knee pain.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising selecting a mammal in need of an agent that promotes hyaluronic acid production of cartilage. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein a C-terminus of the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, is a carboxy group, a carboxylate, an amide or an ester. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein an N-terminus of the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, is amino or a protected amino. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the peptide, or the derivative or the salt of said peptide, comprises a protected side chain substituent or an unprotected side chain substituent. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the phenylalanine-hydroxyproline dipeptide, or the derivative or the salt thereof, is phenylalanine-hydroxyproline dipeptide shown below. 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the joint disorder is osteoarthritis, a cartilage defect, a cartilage injury or a meniscus injury.