Japanese researchers have identified promising potential in LPC70, a soybean-derived compound. Earlier research found that LPC70 reduced high blood pressure and cognitive impairment associated with a high-salt diet in mice. New findings offer more insight into how the compound works, showing that it affects important chemical signaling pathways in the brain and kidneys.

How LPC70 may counter the effects of excess salt

The research focuses on prostaglandins, or PGs—signaling molecules made from a fatty acid called arachidonic acid. These substances act much like local hormones and help regulate essential functions throughout the body.

In the cardiovascular system, prostaglandins help control blood pressure by balancing the expansion and contraction of blood vessels. Their effects on the brain are more complex. Depending on which receptors they activate, prostaglandins can trigger signals that protect nerve cells or contribute to harmful processes affecting memory, thinking, and emotional responses.

LPC70 is a type of soybean lysolecithin in which lysophosphatidylcholine accounts for more than 70% of the phospholipids. Previous experiments showed that LPC70 could reduce salt-related hypertension and cognitive impairment, but scientists did not fully understand the underlying mechanisms—particularly its effects on prostaglandin signaling.

To investigate this question, a research team led by Professor Akihiro Mori and Dr. Hisayoshi Kubota, in collaboration with Dr. Kazuhiro Kagotani, examined how LPC70 affects these signaling pathways in mice fed a high-salt diet.

Dr. Kubota, the study’s lead author, assessed blood pressure, monitored behavioral changes, and analyzed molecular activity related to prostaglandins. His work helped reveal how LPC70 produces different effects in organs involved in salt-related cardiovascular and cognitive problems.

Professor Mori and Dr. Kubota are affiliated with the Department of Regulatory Science for Evaluation and Development of Pharmaceuticals and Devices, Graduate School of Medical Science, Fujita Health University, and the International Center for Brain Science at Fujita Health University in Japan. Dr. Kagotani is affiliated with Tsuji Oil Co., Ltd., and the Tsuji Institute of Health and Cosmetic Science at Mie University.

The findings were published online on May 14, 2026, in volume 197 of Neurochemistry International. The issue is dated July 1, 2026.

“We wanted to understand the role of LPC70 in coordinating changes in PG signaling across organ systems,” said Professor Mori. “Our research was born out of a joint research project with Tsuji Oil Co., Ltd., which develops naturally derived food ingredients,” he added.

LPC70 improved blood pressure and memory in mice

As expected, mice that consumed the high-salt diet developed increased blood pressure. However, the effects extended beyond cardiovascular health.

The animals also showed reduced social interaction and had difficulty recognizing objects they had encountered previously, indicating memory problems. No significant changes were observed in their overall movement or anxiety-like behavior.

This pattern suggests that excess salt may not cause widespread behavioral impairment in these mice. Instead, it may selectively disrupt more complex cognitive and social functions.

When researchers supplemented the animals’ diets with LPC70, some of these effects were reduced. The mice had improved blood pressure and performed better on tests measuring social interaction and object-recognition memory.

These findings led the researchers to examine changes in the animals’ kidneys and brains.

Different protective effects in the kidneys and brain

In the kidneys, a high-salt diet increased the expression of cyclooxygenase 2, or COX-2, and the prostaglandin E2 receptor EP3. Both components are involved in prostaglandin signaling and can contribute to high blood pressure associated with excessive salt intake.

LPC70 reduced these salt-related increases, suggesting that the compound may help correct changes in kidney signaling that interfere with normal blood pressure regulation.

The researchers found different effects in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in thinking, memory, and social behavior.

Excess salt reduced the expression of the prostaglandin D2 receptor DP1, which is associated with protective and anti-inflammatory signaling in the brain. LPC70 restored the expression of another receptor, DP2, without altering the receptor itself. DP2 has potentially harmful effects on neurons.

This distinction is important because it suggests that LPC70 does not simply increase or suppress all prostaglandin activity. Instead, it may selectively influence signaling pathways involved in brain protection. This could help explain the improvements in memory and social behavior observed in the mice.

LPC70 changed arachidonic acid and prostaglandin signaling

The researchers also identified unexpected changes involving arachidonic acid, the fatty acid the body uses to produce prostaglandins.

Circulating arachidonic acid levels decreased in mice that consumed excess salt. However, adding LPC70 increased levels of prostaglandins derived from this fatty acid, including PGE2 and PGD2.

This seemingly contradictory result suggests that LPC70 may help the body use available arachidonic acid more efficiently to produce prostaglandins under high-salt conditions.

Taken together, the findings point to a cooperative but highly selective response. In the kidneys, LPC70 appeared to suppress signaling changes associated with hypertension. In the brain, it restored signaling associated with inflammation and protection from injury.

The effects of LPC70 therefore appeared to depend on both the organ involved and the specific prostaglandin receptors affected.

Could soy-based ingredients help reduce the effects of excess salt?

The findings suggest that LPC70 could eventually become a useful functional food ingredient for alleviating some health effects associated with excessive salt intake.

Its ability to improve blood pressure and cognitive performance in mice raises the possibility that it could support cardiovascular and brain health, particularly in people who consume a high-salt diet.

However, this research was conducted in animals. Further clinical studies are needed to determine whether LPC70 produces the same effects in humans.

“Our study elucidates the role of LPC70 in PG signaling and lays the foundation for future clinical research and dietary interventions aimed at attenuating hypertension-associated cognitive decline and promoting healthy aging globally,” Professor Mori concluded.

The study provides a clearer picture of how soybean-derived compounds may influence the body’s response to excess salt and opens new possibilities for nutritional approaches to long-term cardiovascular and brain health.

Research funding and support

This research was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: JSPS 20K07931, 22K07606, 22K11891, and 23H02843.

Additional support was provided by the Fujita Mind-Brain Drug Discovery Innovation Center, or Fujita Mind-BRIDGe, through the Japan Peak Research Universities program and the Japan Science and Technology Agency FOREST program.

The research was funded by Tsuji Oil Co., Ltd. The researchers also received grants and other support from the Fujita Health University Human Disease Model Animal Education and Research Facility, the Tobacco Research Foundation, and the Takeda Science Foundation.