Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisha

Kagoshima University

Miyazaki Prefecture

Miyazaki Enterprise Promotion Organization

Unkai Shuzo Co., Ltd.

Minami Nippon Dairy Co-Op Co., Ltd.

Miyazaki Prefectural Industrial Support Foundation

Hirofumi Uto

Hirohito Tsubouchi

Masayuki Sudo

Hiroaki Kataoka

Miho Sakai

Ena Akamatsu

Takeshi Okanoue

Yo-ichi Ishida

Takanori Kai

Yuko Sato

Masahiko Takeshita

Hideaki Hirabaru

This invention provides an agent for inhibiting production of hepatitis C virus with notable anti-HCV activity and without side-effects. The agent comprises a proanthocyanidin polymer composition illustrated in the following the general formula (1), 

Agent for inhibiting production of hepatitis C virus and its use

Disclosed are: a marker for the diagnosis of a liver disease, which can determine the disease in a simple manner; an antibody directed against the marker; a diagnostic agent; a diagnosis method; and a method for marker detection in blood or serum. Proteome analysis revealed that quantities of the full-length kininogen and three partial peptides thereof (sequence A: position-440 to position-456, sequence B: position-439 to position-456, and sequence C: position-438 to position-456) in sera of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are significantly different from those in sera of healthy individuals; and a diagnostic agent and a detecting method for the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease that can be conveniently used for medical examination are established. The use of a combination of a kininogen-based marker and a C4-based marker (the full length sequence or partial peptides thereof) enables identification of chronic hepatitis and an asymptomatic virus carrier, as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Biomarker for diagnosis of liver disease

Growing community of inventors

Kagoshima, Japan

Hirofumi Uto