人體的60%至70%的組成成分是水，因此水分子進(jìn)出細(xì)胞之于生命，無疑是非常重要。但這種天然機(jī)制尚存在很多謎團(tuán)，美國(guó)科學(xué)家彼得•阿格雷,，曾因發(fā)現(xiàn)這種蛋白而獲得2003年諾貝爾化學(xué)獎(jiǎng)。
最近又有一篇關(guān)于這種蛋白影響人體健康的論文,，發(fā)表在美國(guó)國(guó)際學(xué)術(shù)雜志BBRC上,，引起外界關(guān)注。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，礦泉水能提高水通道蛋白的通透性,，同時(shí)提高人體內(nèi)一種NK細(xì)胞(自然殺傷細(xì)胞)的活性,，以達(dá)到增強(qiáng)人體免疫力的作用。論文作者之一,，日本秋田縣立大學(xué)名譽(yù)教授北川良親博士介紹論文的研究成果時(shí)稱,，水的物理化性質(zhì)不同，影響到對(duì)水通道蛋白的通透性,。
成年人一般每天身體要流失2.3升水分,，其中1.5升流失的水分靠喝水來補(bǔ)充，剩下的通過飲食來補(bǔ)充,。一種特殊的蛋白Aqua-porin,，學(xué)名“水通道蛋白”，又名“水孔蛋白”或“膜蛋白”,，則存在于一切生物包括細(xì)菌在內(nèi)的細(xì)胞膜內(nèi),，允許水分子經(jīng)由它進(jìn)出細(xì)胞，起“通道”作用,。
北川博士說：“我們的研究?jī)?nèi)容之一,，就是分析不同種類水對(duì)水通道蛋白的通透性，即水分子進(jìn)入細(xì)胞的難易度是否存在差異,。細(xì)胞會(huì)從外部吸收多種物質(zhì)并發(fā)生化學(xué)反應(yīng),，產(chǎn)生能量，合成物質(zhì),，然后排出廢物,。細(xì)胞能起到這一物質(zhì)代謝過程，就證明自身還活著,。水是細(xì)胞的根本成分,，水分子能夠輕松進(jìn)出細(xì)胞，對(duì)于細(xì)胞代謝的活化和功能良好有重要關(guān)系,。”
北川博士等研究者以自來水和市場(chǎng)上普遍銷售的3種礦泉水為測(cè)試對(duì)象,，在發(fā)現(xiàn)水通道蛋白的青蛙卵母細(xì)胞上測(cè)試了這4種水的通透性。結(jié)果顯示,，礦泉水比普通自來水的通透性更強(qiáng),，尤其日田天領(lǐng)水(這是在日本被報(bào)刊、雜志等媒體一致推薦的一種礦泉水,，據(jù)稱是從日本九州島日田市的幾千米地下抽取而來，水質(zhì)中含有豐富的重要元素———“活性水素”ACTIVE HYDROGEN)的通透性更強(qiáng)于其余3種水,，這說明特定的水對(duì)水通道蛋白的通透性絕對(duì)是有影響的,。
論文里提到，研究同時(shí)也調(diào)查了礦泉水對(duì)NK細(xì)胞活性的影響,。NK細(xì)胞是一種淋巴球,，在人體內(nèi)“巡邏”,，攻擊癌細(xì)胞和感染了病毒的細(xì)胞。醫(yī)學(xué)界普遍認(rèn)為,，在免疫系統(tǒng)中NK細(xì)胞發(fā)現(xiàn)異物后的反應(yīng)快,，攻擊力也強(qiáng)。北川博士表示：“我們做的實(shí)驗(yàn),，是讓10名志愿者每天喝2升自來水和日田天領(lǐng)水,，連喝4周。事前事后采集每個(gè)人的血樣,，從中提取出白血球,，拿來和癌細(xì)胞發(fā)生反應(yīng)，然后測(cè)定對(duì)比志愿者喝水前和喝水后身上NK細(xì)胞的活性,。結(jié)果顯示,，喝礦泉水后，NK細(xì)胞的活性顯然增強(qiáng)了,。這說明,，喝礦泉水可能會(huì)改善我們的免疫系統(tǒng)。”（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.04.102
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The influence of natural mineralwater on aquaporin water permeability and human natural killer cell activity
Yoshichika Kitagawa, Chengwei Liu, Xiaodong Ding
Aquaporins are the intrinsic membrane proteins functioning as water channel to transport water and/or mineral nutrients across the biological membrane systems. In this research, we aimed to clarify if the selected mineralwater can affect aquaporin functions in vitro and the assumption of the mineralwater can modify aquaporin expression and activate natural killer cell activity in human body. First, we expressed six human and eight plant aquaporin genes in oocytes and compared the effect of different kinds of natural mineralwater on aquaporin activity. The oocyte assay data show that Hita tenryosui water could promote water permeability of almost all human and plant aquaporins in varying degrees, and freeze-dry and organic solvent extraction could reduce AQP2 activity but pH change and boiling could not. Second, each volunteer in two groups (10 in one group) received an oral Hita tenryosui or tap water load of 1000 ml/day for total four weeks. We found that these two kinds of water did not directly affect the relative expression levels of AQP1 and AQP9 in the blood cells, but intriguingly, the natural killer cell activities of the volunteers drinking Hita tenryosui water were significantly improved, suggesting that Hita tenryosui water has obvious health function, which opens a new and interesting field of investigation related to the link between mineralwater consumption and human health and the therapies for some chronic diseases.
