• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.21-48
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• 1974

The studies were carried out to disclose the physical and chemical properties of sericin fraction obtained from silk cocoon shells and its characteristics of swelling and solubility. The following results were obtained. 1. The physical and chemical properties of sericin fraction. 1) In contrast to the easy water soluble sericin, the hard soluble sericin contains fewer amino acids include of polar side radical while the hard soluble amino acid sach as alanine and leucine were detected. 2) The easy soluble amino acids were found mainly on the outer part of the fibroin, but the hard soluble amino acids were located in the near parts to the fibroin. 3) The swelling and solubility of the sericin could be hardly assayed by the analysis of the amino acid composition, and could be considered to tee closely related to the compound of the sericin crystal and secondary structure. 4) The X-ray patterns of the cocoon filament were ring shape, but they disappeared by the degumming treatment. 5) The sericin of tussah silkworm (A. pernyi), showed stronger circular patterns in the meridian than the regular silkworm (Bombyx mori). 6) There was no pattern difference between Fraction A and B. 7) X-ray diffraction patterns of the Sericin 1, ll and 111 were similar except interference of 8.85A (side chain spacing). 8) The amino acids above 150 in molecular weight such as Cys. Tyr. Phe. His. and Arg. were not found quantitatively by the 60 minutes-hydrolysis (6N-HCI). 9) The X-ray Pattern of 4.6A had a tendency to disappear with hot-water, ether, and alcohol treatment. 10) The partial hydrolysis of sericin showed a cirucular interference (2A) on the meridian. 11) The sericin pellet after hydrolysis was considered to be peptides composed with specific amino acids. 12) The decomposing temperature of Sericin 111 was higher than that of Sericin I and II. 13) Thermogram of the inner portioned sericin of the cocoon shell had double endothermic peaks at 165$^{\circ}C$, and 245$^{\circ}C$, and its decomposing temperature was higher than that of other portioned sericin. 14) The infrared spectroscopic properties among sericin I, II, III and sericin extracted from each layer portion of the cocoon shell were similar. II. The characteristics of seriein swelling and solubility related with silk processing. 1) Fifteen minutes was required to dehydrate the free moisture of cocoon shells with centrifugal force controlled at 13${\times}$10$^4$ dyne/g at 3,000 R.P.M. B) It took 30 minutes for the sericin to show positive reaction with the Folin-Ciocaltue reagent at room temperature. 3) The measurable wave length of the visible radiation was 500-750m${\mu}$, and the highest absorbance was observed at the wave length of 650m${\mu}$. 4) The colorimetric analysis should be conducted at 650mu for low concentration (10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$), and at 500m${\mu}$ for the higher concentration to obtain an exact analysis. 5) The absorbing curves of sericin and egg albumin at different wave lengths were similar, but the absorbance of the former was slightly higher than that of the latter. 6) The quantity of the sericin measured by the colorimetric analysis, turned out to be less than by the Kjeldahl method. 7) Both temperature and duration in the cocoon cooking process has much effect on the swelling and solubility of the cocoon shells, but the temperature was more influential than the duration of the treatment. 8) The factorial relation between the temperature and the duration of treatment of the cocoon cooking to check for siricin swelling and solubility showed that the treatment duration should be gradually increased to reach optimum swelling and solubility of sericin with low temperature(70$^{\circ}C$) . High temperature, however, showed more sharp increase. 9) The more increased temperature in the drying of fresh cocoons, the less the sericin swelling and solubility were obtained. 10) In a specific cooking duration, the heavier the cocoon shell is, the less the swelling and solubility were obtained. 11) It was considered that there are differences in swelling or solubility between the filaments of each cocoon layer. 12) Sericin swelling or solubility in the cocoon filament was decreased by the wax extraction.. 13) The ionic surface active agent accelerated the swelling and solubility of the sericin at the range of pH 6-7. 14) In the same conditions as above, the cation agent was absorbed into the sericin. 15) In case of the increase of Ca ang Mg in the reeling water, its pH value drifted toward the acidity. 16) A buffering action was observed between the sericin and the water hardness constituents in the reeling water. 17) The effect of calcium on the swelling and solubility of the sericin was more moderate than that of magnecium. 18) The solute of the water hardness constituents increased the electric conductivity in the reeling water.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2020

Sericin has been used for the treatment of burn wound. The purpose of this study was to compare the wound healing between sericin plus 4-hexylresorcinol (4HR) ointment (SE+4HR) and base only ointment. Total 12 mice were included in this study. SE+4HR group showed significantly smaller wound size than base only group at 3 wk (P<0.05). Surface temperature was higher in SE+4HR group. In conclusion, SE+4HR group showed better wound healing than base only group.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.260-260
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• 2006

Sericin was modified by solution blending (10-30 wt%) with 70-90 wt% polyacrylamide (PAM) in water. The reactive sites of sericin such as serine and tyrosine were attached to PAM. Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ($^{1}H-NMR$) and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the modified sericin. The electrospinning conditions i.e. the blend composition and the power supply voltage, at a tip to target distance of 15 cm were studied. The morphology of nanoparticles and nanofibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The average particles size of the nanoparticle obtained was 191 nm and nanofibers was 150-300 nm.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.205-210
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• 1999

Silk nonwoven fabrics are prepared by needle punching and thermal bonding with silk waste. To enhance the carding efficiency, the degumming rate was controlled with sodium hydrogen sulfite solution. The amount of the remained sericin was 3%(S-3), and 6%(S-6). Mixing wool and LMP(Low melting polyester) with the silk, to improve carding efficiency, was also effective. Following items were tested with prepared silk nonwovon fabrics : weight, thickness, compression, tensile strength, heat insulation, water absorption, and deodorization. The results show that the silk nonwoven fabrics could be used for apparels and new biomaterials.

• Polymer Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.577-587
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.24-24
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• 2005

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2005

Biotechnological researches in Central Asian Research Institute of Sericulture were developed since 1981 when laboratory of artificial diets for mulberry silk­worm was created. The researches were directed not only to creation of accessible artificial diets (AD) for off-season mass rearing of economical beneficial insect and for industrialization of sericulture but also to obtaining of easy reproducible source of animal proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, enzymes, enzymes inhibitors and other metabolites - bioresource for manufacture of oriental medicine preparations. Space experiments with silkworms became possible with use of AD. These experiments used mulberry silkworm as high effective board test organism with outstanding developmental, reproductive and transgenic properties having impor­tant significance in future of cosmonautics. Introduction to practice of bioprotective and ecologically pure method of drying and sterilizing of green cocoons and by-products of silk manufacture allows to increase efficiency of cocoons reeling technology as well as to preserve nativity of biological active substances in mulberry silkworm pupae that is unachievable by traditional methods of raw material processing. New spheres of application of two important silk proteins - fibroin and sericin in medicine, cosmetics, for bio- and nanotechnology are opening with use of biotechnological approaches. At present the achievements and experience of R & D in these fields are used in creation of modern pests biocontrol agents. Schemes of efficient processing of cocoon raw material, by-products and wastes of sericulture and cocoon processing are devel- Institute of Physiology and Biophysics, Uzbek Academy of Sciences, I, Niyazov street, 700095, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. oped for obtaining of traditional and new consumer products.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.520-528
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• 2006

Free amino acids in epidermis function as a major component of Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), which maintains the optimal level of water in skin even at the low humidity. In fact, the depletion of free amino acids is reported in the epidermis of atopic dermatitis, the skin condition involving dryness. As an effort searching the dietary source for improving the level of water and free amino acid in epidermis, the dietary effects of silk protein, sericin (S) and fibroin (F) on trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), and plasma and epidermal levels of free amino acids were compared in this study. Thirty of male NC/Nga mice, an animal model of atopic dermatitis, were divided into three groups: group CA as an atopic control with control diet, group S: 1% sericin diet and group F: 1% fibroin diet. Ten of male BALB/c mice were served as group C (control group) with control diet. All mice were fed on diet and water ad libitum for 10weeks. Dry skin condition was established in group CA as TEWL was increased (148.7% of group C). In parallel, epidermal level of glutamate, one of major amino acids functioning as NMF, was dramatically decreased and epidermal levels of methionine and alanine were inversely elevated. Dietary supplementation of sericin (group S) reduced TEWL at the similar level with group C and increased epidermal levels of glutamate as well as serine and glycine, the other major amino acids as NMF. Despite a marked decrease of methionine and alanine, the reduction of TEWL and epidermal levels of glutamate, serine and glycine of group F were less than of group S. Furthermore, in contrast to similar levels of other free amino acids in plasma and epidermis of group S and group C, plasma and epidermal levels of other free amino acids, specifically phenylalanine, isoleucine, cysteine and tyrosine in epidermis of group F, were significantly higher than of group C. Together, our data demonstrate that dietary supplementation of sericin is more effective at improving dry skin condition that paralleled with the normalization of free amino acids in plasma and epidermis of NC/Nga mice.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.58-65
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• 2003

This study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of the soluble sericins after degumming and after hydrolysis of insoluble sericin with various enzymes. Physical and chemical characteristics of the soluble sericins were also studied and pack test was conducted. Electro donating ability of the various sericins became higher as high＞low＞KP＞PP＞PA. In FT-IR analysis, the band of insoluble sericin at 3,285cm$\^$-1/ was shifted to the lower wavelengths in soluble sericins. The intensity of the amide II band was reduced and shifted to lower wavelengths as a result of hydrolysis. In DSC analysis, all sericins showed endothermic peaks around 200$^{\circ}C$ and insoluble sericin showed another peak at 250$^{\circ}C$. The endothermic peak of the insoluble sericin was found at higher temperature compared with those of the soluble sericins which showed at 300$^{\circ}C$. Whiteness of the various sericins became higher as low＞high＞PP＞PA＞PK＞IN and yellowness were PK＞PA＞PP＞low＞high. In pack test, the skin packed with the non-woven fabric treated with the various sericins was more smooth and less oily.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1249-1253
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• 2010

Sericin is a type of high molecular weight water-soluble glycoprotein surrounding fibroin (silk protein) that has been used as a cell culture supplement and accelerates cell proliferation in various serum-free media. The purpose of this study was to investigate the enhancing effect of thyroglobulin (Tg) secretion by sericin in thyrocytes, FRTL-5 cells. While Tg-mRNA expression was not enhanced, a secreted form of Tg was obviously increased by sericin. In this status, expression of both endoplasmic reticulum (ER) molecular chaperones (Bip & calreticulin) and ER membrane proteins (IRE1, PERK & ATF6) was enhanced. The proximal step of IRE1, XBP1 mRNA splicing was slightly detected however, the proximal step of PERK, phosphorylation of $eIF2{\alpha}$, was changeless. In addition, sericin enhanced cell viability by the MTT assay. The above results showing the ability of sericin to promote protein production demonstrated its potential usefulness as a new biomaterial.