• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.199-203
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• 1999

To evaluate antidental caries activity of polylysine cell growth and acid production of Streptococcus mutans and lactobacillus acidophilus were microbiologically monitored in anaerobic broth system containing various concentration of polylysine. The pH and heat stability of polylysine having antimicrobial activity were also examined. Two tested microbes were fairly well grown in broth containing polylysine 0.1mg/ml however inhibited at 1 and 2mg/ml of polylysine concentration. Especially lag times of Strep-tococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus were prolonged to about hour at 1.0 and 2.0 mg/ml of poly-lysine. acid production of Streptococcus mutans and lactobacillus acidophilus was also decreased by poly-lysine. Antimicrobial activity of polylysine was not affected by the change of pH and the heat treat-ment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.1015-1022
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• 2013

We recently showed that polylysine, the polymer of lysines, retains anti-prion activity. Although the effectiveness of prion inhibition by polylysine was demonstrated with the regimen tolerated in mice, a determination of quantitative polylysine toxicity is necessary to precisely address the in vivo toxicity level of polylysine. In this communication, we report the results of body weight monitoring and hematologic tests performed in CD-1 mice that received two different tolerable dosages of polylysine for an either 5-day or 4-week period. We found that there was no significant alteration in overall serum chemistry, blood cell count, and body weight gain compared with controls. The only notable quantitative change with statistical significance was the decrease of platelet numbers in mice subchronically administered with polylysine. Our results suggest that polylysine is harmless in mice if administered for a short period, but administrations of polylysine in mice may require considerate attention for safety in future investigations as mice chronically receive tolerable doses of polylysine.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.705-710
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• 2004

This study was conducted to investigate the difference of antimicrobial activity between $\varepsilon$-polylysine/grapefruit seed extract mixture and $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture against food-borne pathogens. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the $\varepsilon$-polylysine/grapefruit seed extract mixture was 100 times lower than that of the $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture. In case of the $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture the MIC of Bacillus cereus (0.1 $\mu$L/mL) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (0.1 $\mu$L/mL) were lower than that of Escherishia coli (15 $\mu$L/mL). When rices were cooked with the $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture the number of total microbial cell was decreased during storage at 2$0^{\circ}C$ as concentration of the $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture increased. The antimicrobial activity was the highest against Escherishia coli as the concentration of the $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture increased. Sensory terms such as taste, flavor and texture were not significantly different in cooked rices prepared with 0.5% $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture, but there was significantly different in cooked rices prepared with 1% (p＜0.05) in the overall acceptability, indicating that the cooked rice with 0.5% $\varepsilon$-polylysine/glyceride mixture was recommended.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.323-328
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• 2005

This study were investigated to analyzed an optimum preparation condition of coating film and its antimicrobial activity on pathogenic and deteriorative bacteria to obtain fundamental data for development of active packaging film using antimicrobial peptide, polysine. In the preparation conditions of coating film, antimicrobial activity was depending on the concentration of polylysine and polyamide respectively, and relatively high activity was obtained in the film prepared with more than $1.0\%$ (w/v) of polylysine, $40\%$ (w/v) polyamide, and more than $50\;{\mu}m$ of film thickness. Concentration of polylysine migrated from coated film to distilled water was reached at the maximum concentration, about 20 ppm after 3 days and in equilibrium after 7 days of soaking in sterilized water. An antimicrobial activity of coated film showed bactericidal effect of about $10^5\;CFU/mL$ comparing with the control against Bacillus cereus having $4.8{\times}10^5\;CFU/mL$ of initial viable cell numbers, and of about $10^2\;CFU/mL$ comparing with the control against Klebsiella pneumoniae having $6.8{\times}10^5\;CFU/mL$ of initial viable cell numbers. Consequently, it was revealed that polylysine coating film has a potential of applicable possibility as antimicrobial packaging film.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.753-770
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• 2017

The coagulation or flocculation of cohesive clay suspensions is one of the most widely used treatment technologies for contaminated water. Flocculated clay can transport pollutants and nutrients in ground water. Coagulants are used to accelerate these mechanisms. However, existing coagulants (e.g., polyacrylamide, polyaluminum chloride) are known to have harmful effects in the environment and on human health. As an alternative, eco-friendly coagulant, this study suggests ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$, a cationic biopolymer fermented by Streptomyces. A series of sedimentation experiments for various ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ concentrations were performed, and the efficiency of sedimentation with ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ was estimated by microscopic observation and light absorbance measurements. Two types of sedimentation were observed in the experiments: accumulation sedimentation (at 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25% ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$) and flocculation sedimentation (at 0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$). These sedimentation types occur as a result of the concentration of counter ions. Additionally, the performance of ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ was compared with that of a previously used environmentally friendly coagulant, chitosan. The obtained results indicate that flocculation sedimentation is appropriate for contamination removal and that ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ functions more efficiently for clay removal than chitosan. From the experiments and analysis, this paper finds that polylysine is an alternative eco-friendly coagulant for removing chemical contaminants in groundwater.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1657-1660
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• 2016

Prion diseases are incurable neurodegenerative disorders. Our previous study demonstrated that polylysine was effective in prolonging the incubation period in a rodent model and in alleviating the scrapie prion protein (PrP^Sc) burden in the brain at the terminal stage of the disease. Here, we report that intraperitoneal administration of polylysine suppresses the accumulation of prions in the spleen during the early stages of the disease. This study supports the congruence of PrP^Sc inhibition by polylysine in both the spleen and brain.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.278-283
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• 2003

Addition of ethanol and/or polylysine to kimchi was investigated to improve its microbial hygienic quality and to extend shelf-life. Ethanol was added to kimchi with several concentrations(0.3％, 0.6％, 0.9％) and stored at 10$^{\circ}C$. Addition of 0.6％ and 0.9％ ethanol showed apparent inhibitory effect on growth of microorganism, but any distinct difference was not found between those concentrations. Addition of ethanol was more effective on growth inhibition of coliform and lactic acid bacteria than others. Addition of 0.6％ and 0.9％ ethanol retarded apparently pH decrease and acidity increase. Although addition of 0.6％ ethanol in combination with 0.12％ polylysine showed good retardation of pH decrease and acidity increase, overall organoleptic quality was not good because of off-flavor and taste. Also, addition of 0.6％ ethanol showed good overall organoleptic quality.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.453-464
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• 2019

Soft marine soil has high fine-grained soil content and in-situ water content. Thus, it has low shear strength and bearing capacity and is susceptible to a large settlement, which leads to difficulties with coastal infrastructure construction. Therefore, strength improvement and settlement control are essential considerations for construction on soft marine soil deposits. Biopolymers show their potential for improving soil stability, which can reduce the environmental drawbacks of conventional soil treatment. This study used two biopolymers, an anionic xanthan gum biopolymer and a cationic ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer, as representatives to enhance the geotechnical engineering properties of soft marine soil. Effects of the biopolymers on marine soil were analyzed through a series of experiments considering the Atterberg limits, shear strength at a constant water content, compressive strength in a dry condition, laboratory consolidation, and sedimentation. Xanthan gum treatment affects the Atterberg limits, shear strength, and compressive strength by interparticle bonding and the formation of a viscous hydrogel. However, xanthan gum delays the consolidation procedure and increases the compressibility of soils. While ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ treatment does not affect compressive strength, it shows potential for coagulating soil particles in a suspension state. ${\varepsilon}-Polylysine$ forms bridges between soil particles, showing an increase in settling velocity and final sediment density. The results of this study show various potential applications of biopolymers. Xanthan gum biopolymer was identified as a soil strengthening material, while ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer can be applied as a soil-coagulating material.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.308-314
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• 1997

We investigated biotinylation of nitrocellulose membrane for immuno-filtration capture assay. In order to enhance the efficiency of biotinylation, nitrocellulose membranes were pretreated with several chemicals for the purpose of suitable protein absorption through surface modification. As a signal generating enzyme, urease was used and the concentration of avidin was optimized for the efficient binding kinetics between urease-biotin in liquid phase and biotinylated membrane in solid phase. For effective biotinylation, bovine serum albumin-biotin complexes could be immobilized at a concentration of $370\;{\mu}g$/stick ($4.4\;cm^2$). Among tested chemicals, polylysine (0.25%) showed a significant effect in biotinylation. Polylysine is thought to enhance surface area by extending unbound residues into solution. Time of treatment over 30 min and higher molecular weight of polylysines (58,100 dalton) showed positive effect on the enhancement of biotinylation. The result from this study may be useful for developing a new biosensor and other biofunctional membranes for examining molecular recognition.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2021

This study was attempted to investigate natural materials with antimicrobial activity and to apply as natural preservatives in cosmetics. The disc diffusion method was used to search for nine species of natural antibacterial material for three species of skin pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Candida albicans. As a result of measuring the size of inhibition zone, Rhus Semialata gall (Gallnut) extract, Oak vinegar, and ε-polylysine were showed strongest antibacterial activities (> 10 mm). The Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of gallnut and oak vinegar ranged from 10 to 20 mg/mL and from 20 to 40 mg/mL against five human skin pathogens. The MBC of ε-polylysine ranged from 0.5 to 2 mg/mL in fungus. The synergic effect of gallnut extract/oak vinegar mixture and gallnut extract/ε-polylysine mixture were evaluated by checkerboard test. Compared to when used alone, the MBC of gallnut extract/oak vinegar mixture were at 4 times lower concentration against E. coli, C. albicans, and A. brasiliensis. Also Furthermore, the MBC of gallnut extract/ε-polylysine mixture were at 4 times lower concentration against C. albicans and A. brasiliensis. It was confirmed that the combination of gallnut extract with oak vinegar or ε-polylysine resulted in synergistic antibacterial effect against three human skin pathogens. Thus, it is expected that gallnut extract and natural product mixture can not only demonstrate antibacterial synergies, but also be applied in cosmetics as a natural preservative system with a wide antibacterial spectrum.