• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2003

Herbicidal activity of $\delta$-aminolevulinic acid(ALA), an intermediate for the biosynthesis of tetrapyrroles such as chlorophyll, heme, bacteriochlorophyll, and vitamin $\textrm{B}_{12}$ analogues, was examined to determine the variation in phytotoxic potential against different plant species as affected by different application methods. Seed-soaking treatment, ALA at low concentrations did not affect shoot and root lengths of test plants while at highest concentration reduced them by 20 to 30%. Alfalfa showed the most tolerant response to ALA in both pre- and post-emergence application, and followed by rice. When applied with pre-emergence, cotyledons of Chinese cabbage were severely bleached with 0.5 mM of ALA at 24 hrs after application, and root growth of rice, barnyard grass, and alfalfa was significantly inhibited with increasing of concentration. With post-emergence application, ALA at 2 to 4 mM reduced shoot and root growths of Chinese cabbage and barnyard grass completely. Herbicidal effects of ALA were more enhanced in the treatment combined with 2,2-dipyridyl sthan single application in barnyard grass and Chinese cabbage. The results suggest that alfalfa was the most tolerant to ALA among the tested plants, and that post-emergence application of ALA exhibited greatest photodynamic activity against tested plants.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.526-533
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• 1991

The effect of dietary selenium on the activity of $\delta$-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) inhibited by the administration of lead were investigated in rats. The levels of dietary lead in the acetate form were 0(contro)200, 1, 000, 2, 000 and 5, 000ppm. Except control group four-level of lead diet groups were again subdivided into two depending on with and without 0.5ppm selenium supplementation. Sixty-three 40-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 141$\pm$5g were distributed into total of nine diet groups according to RCB design and fed ad libidum for 4 weeks. Lead dietary groups did not show any significnat difference in food intake from the control group. Food efficiency and weight gain were lower in 2.000ppm and 5, 000ppm lead groups but not found in selenium supplemented ones. Hemoglobin contents hematocrit values ALAD activities in blood were significantly decreased and urinary aminolevulinic acid(ALA) excretion increa-sed with increasing dietary lead levels but partly restored by selenium supplementation. however only in 200, 1, 000 and 2, 000ppm dietary lead groups. On the other hand the hepatic ALAD activites of all four lead groups were recovered 19-30% from suppression by selenium supplementation. It was concluded that selenium administration alleviated lead toxicity in rats.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 1993

The effect of ${\delta}-aminolevulinic\;acid$ (ALA) biosynthetic precursors and related compounds on the ALA productivity from a strain of Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been examined in vivo and in vitro systems. The relative ratios of ALA productivities by $C_{4}$- pathway to that by $C_{5}$-pathway in vivo and in vitro systems were 0.78 and 1.37, respectively. Although the expression rates of $C_{4}-$ and $C_{5}-pathways$ in cell-free systems prepared after precursors supplemented cultivations were increased 1.35 and 1.52 folds, respectively, the rate increase of $C_{4}-pathway$ was accompanied by the rate decrease of the $C_{5}-pathways$, and vice versa, as that the rates of both $C_{4}-$ and $C_{5}-pathways$ were lowered to be 0.91, 0.83, respectively. The order of cellular uptake rates of ${\gamma}-glutamyl$ derivatives relative to that found with L-glutamic acid were shown to be D-glutamic acid, 0.55: D-glutamine, 0.5: L-glutamine, 0.4: ${\gamma}-L-glutamyl$ ethylester, 0.3: GSH and Glu-pNA, 0. L and D configurations of glutamine were indicated as better substrates in vivo for ALA yields than those of glutamic acid, respectively.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.556-560
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• 1997

The removal efficiency of COD and the production of ${\delta}-aminolevulinic$ acid (ALA) were concurrently investigated for both purifying the soybean curd wastewater of high BOD and utilizing the wastewater as a renewable substrate of ALA production using Rhodobacter capsulatus KK-10. Its wastewater was a favorable media for the growth of photosynthetic bacteria in terms of its environmental characteristics having COD/BOD rate of 0.98, ratio of BOD : N : P=100 : 6 : 4, BOD/N ratio of 17.2, lactic acid of 1,080 ppm. Its COD value wastewater was decreased to 94% and dry cell weight was approached to about 1.2 g/l after cultivation of the photosynthetic bacteria for 4 days. By the addition of 15 mM levulinic acid (LA) into the wastewater at the middle log phase of cell growth, the amount of ALA secreted was 55 mg/l. The ALA production was considerably increased to 114 mg/l under the cultural condition of 15 mM supplementations of glycine and succinate with LA at the same period. Furthermore the maximum ALA production of 120 mg/l and COD removal efficiency of 92% were accomplished in the soybean curd wastewater enriched with one addition of 15 mM LA and three serial additions 15 mM ALA precursors.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.313-318
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• 2015

${\delta}$-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is an endogenous metabolite formed in the mitochondria from succinyl-CoA and glycine, and plays a key role in the living body as an intermediate of the compound in the porphyrin biosynthesis pathway. ALA has been commonly used in photodynamic therapy for several years, because ALA is of interest as a biodegradable mediator, a growth regulator, and an effective agent used in dermatology. Here, we determined which ALA derivatives were the most effective for the inhibition of the cell proliferation and growth of human fibroblast. As a result, we found that the treatment of ALA derivatives including ALA, ALAP (ALA phosphate salt), MAL (Methyl 5-aminolevulinate hydrochloride salt), PBGL (phophobilinogen lactam) and PBGH (phophobilinogen-HCl) could attenuate cell proliferation of human fibroblast cells. Among them, PBGH was the most effective derivative. In addition, PBGH treatment could induce mitochondrial membrane depolarization, leading to cell death of human fibroblast. These results suggest that mitochondrial membrane depolarization induced by ALA and PBGH treatment might be responsible for inhibition of cell proliferation and death. Taken together, our results propose the possibility that PBGH can be used as one of the effective drugs in human skin disease, psoriasis.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.268.1-268
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• 1998

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.223-227
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• 2014

${\delta}$-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a compound which is widely present in the biosphere and plays an important role in the living body as an intermediate of the tetrapyrrole compound biosynthesis pathway that leads to heme in mammals and chlorophyll in plants. ALA is of interest as a biodegradable mediator, a growth regulator, a precursor of heme proteins, and an effective agent used in therapy of cancer. It has been recently reported that ALA is commonly used in dermatology, due to good effects of skin therapy. Although for the last few decades a substantial amount of research has been focused on the elucidation of the mechanism of ALA and the improvement of its therapeutic activity, it's effect on the cell functions and growth was not cleared. Here, we identified that ALA treatment could attenuate cell proliferation of HEK293T and HaCaT cells. In addition, ALA treatement could induce apoptosis of HeLa cells. These results suggest that apoptosis induced by ALA treatment might be responsible for inhibition of cell proliferation. These results propose the possibility of the improved therapeutic strategy making ALA one of the effective drugs used in human cancers.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 1997

The effect of levulinic acid (LA) and biosynthetic precursors of ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on the production of extracellular ALA was examined for the cells of soil derived Rhodospirillum rubrum N-1 belonged to the genus Rhodospirillaceae. The extracellular yield of ALA was increased to 23 fold (45 mg/l) from the basal condition (Lascelles' medium without L-glutamate) by successive addition of LA at initial (10 mM) and mid-log stage (30 mM) of cell cultivation. In addition to initial/mid-log mutual supplementations of LA (10 mM/30 mM) and glutamate (30/30 mM), respectively, by means of alternative feeding 10 mM $C_4$-precursors at mid-log phase of culture the extracellular ALA content was reached to 75 mg/l (40 fold).

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.98-105
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• 1986

Rhizobium meliloti 102 F 51, the symbiotic partner of alfalfa, was mutagenized with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG) and UV-irradiation. Three group of mutants which form white, white-pink and red nodules were selected. The adetylene reduction activity, nodulation activity, amount of heme synthesis during the nodulation, and ${\delta}-aminolevulinic$ acid synthetase (ALAS) and ${\delta}-aminolevulinic$ acid dehydratase (ALAD) activities in free living rhizobia and bacteroid states of the each group of mutants were compared. The mutants forming white nodules showed lower acetylene reduction activity compared to those of red nodule forming mutants. The two key enzymes for the heme synthetic pathway, ALAS and ALAD activities of the mutants forming red nodules was much higher than those of the mutants forming white nodules in bacteroid state, however no significant difference was observed in free living state. In the nodules the ALAS was detected only in bacteroid fraction, while ALAD was detected both in bacteroid and plant fraction. ALAS was dramatically increased with the heme synthesis during the nodulation, while ALAD was decreased in plant fraction but slight increase was observed in bacteroid fraction.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1994

The effects of S-23142{N-(4-chloro-2-fluoro-5-propargyloxyphenyl)-3, 4, 5, 6-tetrahydrophtalimide}, on protoporphyrin IX(PPIX) biosynthesis in Spinacia oleracea L, leaf in vivo and in vitro condition were investigated by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorescence detector. The stroma and the membrane fraction of spinach chloroplast were isolated by osmotic regulation. The conversion of ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid(ALA) to PPIX occured more in the stroma than in the membrane fraction. It suggested that the enzymes that catalyse PPIX biosynthesis from ALA were localized in the stroma. Also, the synthesized PPIX content from ALA was completely inhibited by $10^{-8}M$ of S-23412 or $10^{-7}M$ of acifluorfen in the stroma but not in the membrane fractions. Therefore, these results suggested that the target site of S-23142 and acifluorfen may exist in the stroma fraction of spinach chloroplast.