Diagnostic drug, diagnostic method and diagnostic device for permeability of intestinal mucosa

Abstract

Provided is a diagnostic drug for evaluating permeability of intestinal mucosa, including chitin and/or chitosan as a main component. The chitin and/or chitosan to be used preferably has a weight average molecular weight prepared to a range of from 1,000 to 11,600.

1 . A diagnostic drug for evaluating permeability of intestinal mucosa, comprising chitin and/or chitosan as a main component. 
     
     
         2 . A diagnostic drug for evaluating permeability of intestinal mucosa, comprising chitin and/or chitosan as a main component, the diagnostic drug being used by orally administering or enema administering the diagnostic drug to a test subject and measuring a blood concentration thereof after a lapse of a predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         3 . A diagnostic drug according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the chitin and/or chitosan has a weight average molecular weight prepared to a range of from 1,000 to 11,600. 
     
     
         4 . A diagnostic drug according to  claim 2 , wherein a dose of the diagnostic drug is set to a range of from 8.33 mg to 20.83 mg per kg of body weight. 
     
     
         5 . A diagnostic method, comprising:
 orally administering or enema administering chitin and/or chitosan to an animal, the animal being other than a human; and   measuring a concentration of the administered substance in blood after a lapse of a predetermined period of time,   to thereby evaluate permeability of intestinal mucosa of the animal.   
     
     
         6 . A diagnostic method, comprising:
 orally administering or enema administering chitin and/or chitosan to a test subject; and   measuring a concentration of the administered substance in blood after a lapse of a predetermined period of time,   to thereby evaluate permeability of intestinal mucosa of the test subject.   
     
     
         7 . A diagnostic method according to  claim 5  or  6 , wherein the chitin and/or chitosan has a weight average molecular weight prepared to a range of from 1,000 to 11,600. 
     
     
         8 . A diagnostic method according to  claim 6 , wherein a dose of the chitin and/or chitosan is set to a range of from 8.33 mg to 20.83 mg per kg of body weight. 
     
     
         9 . A use of chitin and/or chitosan, for evaluation of permeability of intestinal mucosa through oral administration and blood concentration measurement after a lapse of a predetermined period of time, or through enema administration and blood concentration measurement after a lapse of a predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         10 . A food and drink evaluation method, comprising:
 allowing a test subject to eat and drink a single or a plurality of specific foods and drinks;   allowing the test subject to orally ingest chitin and/or chitosan during the eating and drinking, or before or after the eating and drinking; and   measuring a concentration of the ingested substance in blood after a lapse of a predetermined period of time from the oral ingestion,   to thereby determine whether the foods and drinks have a potential to serve as a factor affecting permeability of intestinal mucosa of the test subject.   
     
     
         11 . A food and drink evaluation drug, comprising chitin and/or chitosan as a main component, the food and drink evaluation drug being used by:
 allowing a test subject to eat and drink a single or a plurality of specific foods and drinks;   allowing the test subject to orally ingest chitin and/or chitosan during the eating and drinking, or before or after the eating and drinking; and   measuring a concentration of the ingested substance in blood after a lapse of a predetermined period of time from the oral ingestion,   to thereby determine whether the foods and drinks have a potential to serve as a factor affecting permeability of intestinal mucosa of the test subject.   
     
     
         12 . An evaluation method, comprising:
 administering a given substance;   separately orally administering or enema administering chitin and/or chitosan; and   measuring blood concentrations of the orally administered substance or the enema administered substance before and after the administration of the given substance,   to thereby evaluate whether the given substance has a normalizing action on permeability of intestinal mucosa, and how strong the normalizing action, when present, is.   
     
     
         13 . An evaluation agent, comprising chitin and/or chitosan as a main component, to be orally administered or enema administered separately from a given substance to be administered, the evaluation agent being used for evaluating whether the given substance has a normalizing action on permeability of intestinal mucosa, and how strong the normalizing action, when present, is, through measurement of blood concentrations of the evaluation agent before and after the administration of the given substance. 
     
     
         14 . A diagnostic device, comprising:
 concentration-measuring means for measuring a concentration of chitin and/or chitosan in blood collected from a test subject; and   evaluation means for evaluating permeability of intestinal mucosa of the test subject on the basis of the concentration measured by the concentration-measuring means.