• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.723-724
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• 2005

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.501-508
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• 2009

The thermal degradation experiment of sodium salt of poly (${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) (PGGNa) has been carried out in both its solid phase and solution phase at the range of $57{\sim}120^{\circ}C$ and their molecular weight decreasing effect was analyzed as a function of time by means of viscometry and light scattering. Based on the solid phase degradation results, it was supposed that the bond scission rate in a polymer chain kept constant and that the bond scission was occurred on a randomly located position in a polymer chain. For the degradation in solution phase, it was also found that all data at various temperatures were dropped on a single master curve when the reduced time $t/t^*$ was used in the plot of the reciprocal intrinsic viscosity (or molecular weight). This degradation curve in solution phase could be expressed as the sum of a single exponential and a linear equation and especially, the single exponential character appeared only at the beginning stage. The activation energy was measured as $107{\sim}115$ kJ/mol in this study and agreed with the literature values.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.35-41
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• 2014

Poly(g-glutamic acid) (g-PGA) is a very promising biodegradable polymer that is produced by microorganism of Bacillus subtilis. Because g-PGA is water-soluble, anionic, biodegradable, and even edible, its potential applications have been studied from an industrial standpoint. In this study, we fabricated porous g-PGA foams by means of a freeze-solvent extraction method for tissue-engineering applications. Porous g-PGA foams were chemically cross-linked using a hexamethylene diisocyanate solution. An aqueous basic solution was used to neutralize g-PGA foam for cell culturing. During an in vitro cell culture study, it was observed that primary rabbit ear chondrocytes were well at tached and spread over the surface oft hree-dimensional cross-linkedg-PGA foam. From these results, it is concluded that cross-linkedg-PGA foam is aprom is in gmaterial for tissue-engineering applications, especially those pertaining to the regeneration of human cartilage.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.475-479
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• 2011

Chitosan is a natural polymer that has many physicochemical(polycationic, reactive OH and $NH_2$ groups) and biological(bioactive, biocompatible, and biodegradable) properties. In this study, chitosan nanoparticles were prepared using poly-${\gamma}$-glutamic acid(${\gamma}$-PGA) as gelling agent. Nanoparticles were formed by ionic interaction between carboxylic groups in ${\gamma}$-PGA and amino groups in chitosan. Chitosan(0.1~1 g) was dissolved in 100 ml of acetic acid (1% v/v) at room temperature and stirred overnight to ensure a complete solubility. An amount of 0.1 g of ${\gamma}$-PGA was dissolved in 90 ml of distilled water at room temperature. Chitosan solution was dropped through needle into beaker containing ${\gamma}$-PGA solution under gentle stirring at room temperature. The average particle sizes were in the range of 80~300 nm. The prepared chitosan/${\gamma}$-PGA nanoparticles were used to examine their removal of several heavy metal ions($Cd^{2+}$, $Pb^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, and $Ni^{2+}$) as adsorbents in aqueous solution. The heavy metal removal capacity of the nanoparticles was in the order of $Cu^{2+}$ > $Pb^{2+}$ > $Cd^{2+}$ > $Ni^{2+}$ > $Zn^{2+}$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1163-1169
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• 2015

Poly-gamma-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a natural polymer that is synthesized by Bacillus species and has been reported to have antitumor activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of γ-PGA on the treatment of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN). A retrospective observational study on γ-PGA therapy for biopsy-proven VAIN was conducted. The efficacy was assessed by evaluating the results of Pap cytology and the viral load of high-risk HPV at three time points: at enrollment, and at the first and second post-treatment visits. Of 17 patients treated with γ-PGA, only 12 patients who had a high-risk HPV infection were included in the analysis. Histology was VAIN1 in seven patients, VAIN2 in two patients, and VAIN3 in three patients. γ-PGA was administered for newly diagnosed VAIN in five (41.7%) patients and persistent VAIN in seven (58.3%) patients for the mean time of 4.5 months. At the first and second post-treatment visits, cytological regression was observed in five (41.7%) and six (50%) patients, respectively. Regarding the HPV load, the overall response rate was 66.7%, and the mean level was 670.6 ± 292.5 RLU at the first follow-up, which was lower than the initial viral load of 1,494.8 ± 434.5 RLU (p = 0.084). At the second follow-up, the overall response rate was 58.3%, and the mean viral load level was 924.2 ± 493.7 RLU. γ-PGA may be helpful for the cytological regression and reduction of viral load in patients with high-risk HPV-positive VAIN, suggesting that γ-PGA is a promising treatment option for primary or persistent VAIN.

• Polymer Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.440-446
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• 2009

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.49-52
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• 2002

Rod-coil amphiphilic block copolymers, PALG-PEOs, poly(alkyl $\alpha$, L-glutamate-co-ethylene oxide)s, were successfully synthesized in three steps: 1) esterification of L-glutamic acid, 2) synthesis of ${\gamma}$-alkyl L-gultamate N-carboxyanhydride, and 3) polymerization of NCA monomers. These molecules form polymeric micelles with the hydrophobic core and hydrophilic corona in aqueous solution, which were characterized by light scattering and static fluorescence measurement.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.436-436
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• 2005

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.766-775
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• 2011

We investigated the effect of high molecular weight polygamma- glutamic acid (hm ${\gamma}$-PGA) on adiposity and lipid metabolism of rats in the presence of an obesity-inducing diet. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a normal-fat (11.4% kcal fat, NFC) or high-fat (51% kcal fat, HFC) diet. After 5 weeks, half of each diet-fed group was treated with hm ${\gamma}$-PGA (NFP or HFP) for 4 weeks. The HFC group had significantly higher body weight, visceral fat mass, fasting serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and leptin, and lower serum HDL cholesterol level compared with those of the NFC group (p < 0.05). Treatment with hm ${\gamma}$-PGA decreased body weight gain and perirenal fat mass (p<0.05), fasting serum total cholesterol, and mRNA expression of glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), regardless of dietary fat contents (p < 0.01). However, hm ${\gamma}$-PGA increased serum HDL cholesterol in the HFC group (p < 0.05). In vitro, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme-A (HMGCoA) reductase activity was suppressed by the addition of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA. In agreement with observations in animal study, the supplementation of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA (150 mg/day) to 20 female subjects in an 8-week double-blind, placebocontrolled study resulted in a tendency to decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations. We thus conclude that dietary supplementation of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA may act as a hypocholestrolemic agent, secondary to its inhibitor effect on HMG-CoA reductase, and decrease abdominal adiposity by decreasing hepatic lipogenesis. The present study is an important first step in establishing the effect of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA on cholesterol levels in rats and humans.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.168-176
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• 2007

The sub-micron particles of poly ($\gamma-glutamic$ acid) (PGA) containing lysozyme have been prepared using supercritical antisolvent (SAS) precipitation process at various experimental conditions such as pressure, temperature, inner diameter of nozzle, and concentration. As overall results of the application of SAS process to this system, the smaller size powder has been produced as (i) increasing pressure, (ii) decreasing temperature, (iii) decreasing the inner diameter of nozzle, and (iv) decreasing the concentration of PGA and lysozyme. It is found by means of FT-IR analysis that during SAS process, the composition has changed from the original composition of PGA : lysozyme=50 : 50 into PGA : lysozyme=33 : 67 at final product powder. It means that PGA has higher solubility for the mixed solvent of carbon dioxide and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Due to such difference of solubility, this particle forms the core-shell structure of which the core consists mainly of lysozyme. It is also found that the residual DMSO amount of $7.8\times10^{-3}wt%$ exists inside the powder.