• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1779-1784
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• 2013

Although enzyme-hydrolyzed silk fibroin has been reported to enhance cognitive function before, it has been still unknown which peptides can improve memory. Here we report that amino acid sequences of three novel peptides were identified from fibroin hydrolysate. Fibroin hydrolysate was obtained by hydrolysis with protease after partial hydrolysis with 5M $CaCl_2$. Synthesized peptides derived from these sequences improved scopolamine-induced memory impairments in mice. We confirmed this hydrolysate had effects that improved learning and memory abilities by performing the Rey-Kim test. From this hydrolysate of silk fibroin, amino acid sequences of eight peptides were identified by LC-MS/MS. Three peptides (GAGAGTGSSGFGPY, GAGAGSGAGSGAGAGSGAGAGY, and SGAGSGAGAGSGAGAGSGA) were synthesized to investigate whether they could improve memory. Passive avoidance test and Morris water maze test were performed, and all peptides showed memory-enhancing abilities on scopolamine-induced memory impairments in mice. In this study, we identified three novel peptides that could improve memory, and that silk fibroin hydrolysate was a mixture of various active peptides that could enhance memory.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.33 no.4 s.131
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• pp.312-318
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• 2002

Effect of the acid hydrolysate of silk fibroin on obesity was investigated in obese(057BL/KsJ-db/db) mice. After 8 weeks feeding of 1%(w/w) or 3%(w/w) fibroin hydrolysate, the extents of reduction in body weight were significantly higher than that of obese control. The weight reduction in female mice was higher than that in male mice. Plasma leptin in male mice increased up to 1.8-fold higher level than obese control by feeding hydrolysate. In case of female mice, however, it rather decreased with increased feeding concentration of hydrolysate. From the results of high glycine and serine contents of peptide fractions contained in fibroin hydrolysate, it was inferred that fibroin peptides might affect xylosyltransferase(XT) activity on chondroitin sulfate synthesis causing to change susceptibility of adipocytes to hormones such as insulin followed by the reduced leptin synthesis in female mice. The result of the higher lipolysis in hydrolysate-fed group than obese control indicated that the reduction in body weight was due to the increased lipolytic activities in male and female mice in common.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.169-174
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• 2010

Hydrolysate silk fibroin (HSF) is a fibrous protein composed of parallel $\beta$-structures and is made from pure silk elements including 18 amino acids, with glycine, alanine, and serine comprising of over 80% of the amino acids. Numerous studies have documented a range of effects of HSF, including moisturizing, antioxidant activity, nervous system disorders, and many more. We investigated whether HSF has anti-obesity effects in vitro. The effects of HSF inhibition on lipid accumulation and acceleration of lipid degradation in 3T3-L1 cells were studied. Treatment of 3T3-L1 cells with HSF caused significant inhibition of cell viability, an increase in glycerol release, and a decreased in adipocyte differentiation. Moreover HSF stimulated downregulated of adipogenic enzyme expressions (PPAR${\gamma}$ and C/EBP${\alpha}$) and up-regulated of fatty oxidation enzyme expressions (CPT-1 and UCP-2). Based on these results, hydrolysate silk fibroin can be suggested as a potential therapeutic substance as part of a prevention or treatment strategy for obesity.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.33 no.1 s.128
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• pp.21-28
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• 2002

Antidiabetic effects of the acid hydrolysate of silk fibroin were investigated by oral administration to animal models for diabetes mellitus, Fibroin protein was extracted from cocoon and digested to peptides of low-molecular weight range (mainly below 3,000) and amino acids by acid hydrolysis, Feeding of the fibroin hydrolysate resulted in a significant recovering effect on reduction of body weight gain and a lowering effect on blood glucose gain in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague Dawley rats (STZ rats) which were used as an insulin-dependent diabetic animal model. But the body weight and blood glucose level in C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice (db/db mice), an non-insulin-dependent diabetic animal model, were not changed significantly by the feeding, On the other hand, plasma leptin levels increased according to increased feeding amount of the hydrolysate in STZ rats and db/db mice in common, It was concluded from the results that the fibroin hydrolysate might stimulate the insulin secretion by recovering or activating pancreatic ${\beta}$ cells and result in the increased plasma leptin level. It was also deduced that the antidiabetic improvements in body weight and blood glucose gain in STZ were thought to be due to the increased insulin secretion, but in db/db mice of which the diabetic symptoms were caused by insulin resistance, the stimulated secretion of insulin was unlikely to be able to change body weight and blood glucose level significantly.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.142-153
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• 1995

This study is undertaken to investigate proper condition and dissolution method of silk fibroin to use it functional material as powder or membrane. Silk fibroin was dissolved with calcium chloride ethanol aqueous solution and hydrochloric acid. When silk fibron was dissolved with calcium chloride ehanol aqueous solution, main chain of silk fibroin was degradaded and molecular conformation was changed. Silk fibroin powder was made from silk fibroin solution. It showed lower thermal decomposition temperature and crystallinity than those of native silk fibroin. And Its molecular conformation was random coil structure. By acid gydrolysis, main chain of silk fibroin was attacked randomly. Silk fibroin powder from hydrolysate showed high crystallinity and thermal decomposition temprature. $\beta$-form molecular conformation was found by IR and X-ray diffraction. Silk fibroin powder form dissolved part with hydrochloric acid showed low thormal decomposition temperature but high crystallinity. During acid hydrolysis, transition of molecular structure of silk fibroin occurred, and it changed to $\alpha$-helix. Silk fibroin film was achieved by casting silk fibroin solution by ehanol solution or saturated vapor treatment, and its molecular conformation changed to $\beta$structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.53-54
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• 2003

The silk fibroin has been widely used as industrial materials such as cosmetics and food l)-2). In this study, general hydrolysate of B. mori fibroin as a biomaterial, development of functional-cometics included hydrolysate of B. mori fibroin will be discussed. (omitted)

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.74-76
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• 2007

Antheraea yamamai silk fibroin powder was prepared by treatment with HCl. Amino acid contents of the prepared Antheraea yamamai fibroin hydrolysates were composed of Gly, Ala, Glu, and so on. Biological activities of Antheraea yamamai silk fiborin powder were examined. It is showed about 75% of antioxidation activity compared to the reference ascorbic acid. And it lowered blood glucose level down from 550 mg/dl to 300 mg/dl by serving with wild silk protein.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2002

It was found that the peptides originated from the hydrolysates of silk fibroin have in vitro immunostimulating effects in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells. The stimulation effects on nitric oxide (NO) production resulted from treatments of acid or enzymatic hydrolysates were measured. The silk fibroin preparation isolated from cocoon was most efficiently digested by acid hydrolysis. Even though the sole treatment of acid hydrolysate stimulated the NO production in dose-dependent pattern, a part of its activity was found to be caused by the contaminated endotoxin, LPS. When each endotoxin-free hydrolysates obtained by filtering it through an ultrafiltration membrane of molecular weight (MW) cut-off 10,000 to eliminate LPS was used, the peptic hydrolysate with lowest degree of hydrolysis showed the highest activity. The fractions of peptic hydrolysate with MW ranges of 1,000∼10,000, 500∼1,000 and below 500 also showed a higher MW-higher activity correlation. From the analyses of amino acid composition of each hydrolysate, it was found that the contents of arginine, lysine, alanine and glycine residues affected the activity level of hydrolysate. The results of this study showed a possibility of utilizing fibroin as a source for immunostimulating (chemopreventive) functional peptides.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2001

Enzymatic hydrolysis of different forms of silk fibroin (soluble, gel and insoluble forms) by industrial and commercial enzyme preparations to obtain aqueous and powdered silk fibroin in relatively mild conditions was investigated. A mono-enzymatic hydrolysate systems were tested for hydrolysis of water-soluble form of fibroin as most productive form of protein substrate. Insoluble forms of substrate usually were hydrolyzed less effective. In some cases from soluble fibroin substrate gel was formed during hydrolysis process. This hindered intermixing and decreased rates of hydrolysis. Insoluble sediments were formed in enzymatic hydrolysates in other cases. These sediments and also sediment after chemical hydrolysis were purified and tested on amino acids content for comparison. Sediments formation in these conditions are considered as pure tyrosine isolation method. Obtained hydrolysates were characterized by gel-chromatography analysis and other standard biochemical methods. Possibility of application of enzymatic hydrolysis for preparation of silk fibroin hydrolysates is discussed.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.211-215
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• 1999

The pure-separation of calcium chloride-treated fibroin hydrolysates could be carried out using gel filtration chromatography. Also, the effect of its enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated in order to find out the enhancement of their functionality. The average molecular weight(Mw), solubility and free amino acid compositions of three hydrolysates samples (calcium chloride, calcium chloride-flavourzyme and calcium chloride-thermoase)were measured to compare their characteristics. The molecular weight of calcium chloride hydrolysate was about Mw 46,800 and it can be reduced to Mw 12,500 and 1,070 upon the enzymatic hydrolysis by flavourzyme and thermoase, repectively. A solubility of calcium chloride-treated samples shows about 60% while calcium chloride/enzyme-treated samples are perfectly soluble (100% solubility). The total amino acid composition of calcium chloride enzymatic hydrolysates are much higher than that of calcium chloride hydrolysate.