• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.482-488
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• 2005

Oxidant stress is well-known for a pivotal parameter related to neuro-inflammatory diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). In order to effectively screen for anti-inflammatory agents, we first established the infrastructure of high throughput screening for anti-oxidant agents from medicinal insect library extracted with water, methanol, ethanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide. By the screening system, we found that Tenodera angustipennis Saussure, Pyrocoela rupa Olivier and Papilio maackii Mntris had strong anti-oxidant activity. Moreover, Tenodera angustipennis Saussure and Tenodera aridifolia (Stoll) exhibited protection effects of cellular damage by treatment of an oxidant hydrogen peroxide. Together, the results suggest that some selected hits could be a potential agent against neuro-inflammation, although the in vivo studies should be clearly tested.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.459-465
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• 1995

Acetolactate Synthase (ALS) was partially purified from the yeast and its basic biochemical studies were carried out. Yeast was grown in the minimum media containing 0.5% glucose, 51 mM $K_2HPO_4$, 22 mM $KH_2PO_4$, 8 mM $(NH_4)2SO_4,\;0.4\;m M\;MgSO_4$ for 18 hours at 37 $^{\circ}C$. The cell was ruptured in the buffer (20 mM phosphate buffer pH 7.0, 0.1 mM TPP, 0.5 mM DTT, 1 ${\mu}M$ FAD, and 1 mM MgCl_2$) following an overnight suspension. The supernatant fraction was collected from $10,000{\times}g$ and the enzyme was further purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sephacel chromatography and leucine-agarose chromatography. The enzyme activity was measured under the various conditions by the function of protein concentration, time, temperature, pH, and substrate. The optimum temperature was found to be 50$^{\circ}C$, optimum pH 8.0∼8.5. The kinetic parameters, $K_m\;and\;V_{max}$ were 8.4 mM and 17.9 nmol/mg/min respectively. Stability of the enzyme was studied with ethylene glycol and glycerol added to the enzyme solution. Both ethylene glycol and glycerol improved the enzyme stability up to 50%. The study of feedback inhibition showed that valine was a strong inhibitor while leucine was a weak inhibitor.