• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.129-133
• /
• 2002

Suppression of nitrate accumulation in spinach and lettuce through foliar application of chitosan formula containing micronutrients is related with the increase of the nitrate reductase (NR) activity. If NR in spinach were highly expressed to increase the assimilatory activity, nitrate content could be reduced. For this, NR cDNA was cloned from the isolated mRNAs of spinach using reverse transcriptase-PCR. Nucleotide sequence of cloned spinach NR cDNA showed highly deduced amino acid sequence identity ($71{\sim}82%$) with other known plant NR genes. Only two nucleotide-base differences were observed in the cloned NR cDNA compared with that of the published spinach NR cDNA.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.281-290
• /
• 1993

This experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of degree of unsaturation (Experiment 1) and the chain length of constituent fatty acids of dietary fats (Experiment 2) on-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activities in the liver and small intestine of chicks. Chicks were fed experimental diets for 10 days and then killed for the determination of the HMG-CoA reductase activities in the intestinal epithelial cell and hepatic microsomes. The hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity showed the highest value in chicks fed the tallow-containing diet. Chicks fed diets containing safflower or coconut oil resulted in a significantly lower intestinal HMG-CoA reductase activity in comparison with those fed the olive oil-containing diet. The hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was significantly higher when fat-free and trilaurin were fed than when any other triglycerides were fed. This activity showed the lowest value in the chicks fed the diet containing tristearin. The HMG-CoA reductase activities in the jejunum and ileum were significantly or tended to be higher when trilaurin was fed than when any other triglycerides were fed. Except when trilaurin was fed, the presence of saturated fat in the diet did not have a significant effect on the intestinal HMG-CoA reductase activity, unlike the effect shown when a highly unsaturated fat was added to the diet. There was no significant correlation between the HMG-CoA reductase activities of the liver and intestinal, and the HMG-CoA reductase activity and cholesterol content of the intestinal epithelial cells.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.590-596
• /
• 1997

The NADH reductase component of the steroid 9.alpha.-hydroxylase from Mycobacterium fortuitum was purified to homogeneity. Recovery of the enzyme from the 50-60% ammonium sulfate saturated fraction was 49%, with a purification factor of 100-fold. The NADH reductase has a relative molecular of 60 KDa as determined by SDS-PAGE. The absorption maxima at 410 and 450 nm indicate the presence of iron-sulfur group and flavin. These prosthetic groups seemed to function as redox groups that transfer electrons from NADH to the following protein. The $K_M$ value for NADH as substrate was $68{\mu}M$. The $NH_2$-terminal amino acid sequence of the reductase was determined as Met-Asp-Ala-Ile-Thr-Asn-Val-Pro-Leu-Pro-Ala-Asn-Glu-Pro-Val-His-Asp-Tyr-Ala-Thr. This sequence does not show a homology with the $NH_2$ -terminal sequences reported for the reductase component of other monooxygenases, suggesting that the NADH reductase component of the steroid 9.alpha.-hydroxylase system is novel.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.444-447
• /
• 2008

Trypanothione reductase is an important target enzyme for structure-based drug design against Leishmania. We used homology modeling to construct a three-dimensional structure of the trypanothione reductase (TR) of Leishmania infantum. The structure shows acceptable Ramachandran statistics and a remarkably different active site from glutathione reductase(GR). Thus, a specific inhibitor against TR can be designed without interfering with host (human) GR activity.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.40-43
• /
• 2000

The aromatic dioxygenase system in Sphingomonas yanoikuyae strain Bl consists of three components, an oxygenase, a ferredoxin, and a reductase. The insertional knockout of the bphA4 gene encoding a reductase and subsequent complementation experiments showed that the reductase encoded by bphA4 in S. yanoikuyae strain Bl is associated with multiple dioxygenase components including that of toluate dioxygenase (XyIXY).

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.306-312
• /
• 2002

Aldose reductase, the key enzyme of the polyol pathway, is known to play important roles in the diabetic complication. The inhibitors of aldose reductase, therefore, would be potential agents for the prevention of diabetic complications. To evaluate active principles for the inhibition of aldose reductase from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis, twelve phenolic compounds were isolated and tested for their effects on rat lens aldose reductase. As a result, isoflavones such as tectorigenin, irigenin and their glucosides were found to show a strong aldose reductase inhibition. Tectoridin and tectorigenin, exhibited the highest aldose reductase inhibitory potency, their $IC_{50}$ values, being $1.08{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M{\;}and{\;}1.12{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M$, respectively, for DL-glyceraldehyde as a substrate. Both compounds, when administered orally at 100 mg/kg for 10 consecutive days to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, caused a significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the tissues such as lens, sciatic nerves and red blood cells. Tectorigenin showed a stronger inhibitory activity than tectoridin. From these results, it is suggested that tectorigenin is attributed to be a promising compound for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.52-57
• /
• 2006

For the purpose of production of a novel antihyperlipemial HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor from bacteria, a bacterium which showed the highest HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory activity was isolated from traditional Doenjang. This strain was identified as Bacillus cereus (D-3) based on its microbiological characteristics and 165 rRNA sequence analysis. The maximal HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor production from Bacillus cereus D-3 was obtained by cultivation in a Glucose-CSL broth containing 2% glucose, 0.6% corn steep liquor, $0.04%\;K_{2}HPO_4$ and $0.05%\;KH_{2}PO_4$ at $30^{\circ}C$ for 36 h. The final HMG-CoA reductase inhibitory activity under the above conditions was 39.4%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.318-322
• /
• 2014

5-Alpha reductase II, which converts testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), is a crucial enzyme II in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Inhibitory effects of Curcuma longa L. (CL) extracts on 5-alpha reductase II activity were investigated in rat prostate tissue homogenates as well as LNCaP cells expressing human 5-alpha reductase II. Hot water extract (CL-HW) of Curcuma longa L. significantly inhibited 5-alpha reductase activity by over 80% at a concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$, whereas 20% ethanol extracts (CL-E20) of Curcuma longa L. exhibited significant inhibitory activity from $50{\mu}g/mL$. These results indicated that Curcuma longa L is a potent 5-alpha reductase II inhibitor for benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.112-116
• /
• 2002

Effects of artificial electron donors to deliver reducing power on enzymic denitrification were investigated using nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase obtained from Ochrobactrum antroyi. The activity of nitrite reductase in the soluble portion was almost the same as that in the precipitated portion of the cell extract. Nitrate removal efficiency was higher with benzyl viologen than with methyl viologen or NADH as an artificial electron donor. The turn-over numbers of nitrate and nitrite reductase were 14.1 and 1.9 umol of nitrogen reduced/min$.$mg cell extracts, respectively when benzyl viologen was used as an electron donor.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.263-269
• /
• 2018

This study aims to investigate the biological activities related to hair loss of short anti-oxidant peptides (DK peptides) $5{\alpha}$-reductase inhibition and anti-oxidation. The series of DK peptides were generated amphipathic helical properties using leucines, lysines and tryptophan residues. Cell viability and free radical scavenging activities were performed using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, respectively. The DK peptides were investigated for inhibitory activity against $5{\alpha}$-reductase. Antioxidant activities were determined by means of, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. All peptides could inhibit $5{\alpha}$-reductase in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage. In conclusion, DK peptides was suggested as the most attractive ingredients for improving hair loss, because of the high inhibitory against $5{\alpha}$-reductase inhibition.