• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.51-55
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• 2019

The structure and properties of silk polymers (fibroin and sericin) can be satisfactorily controlled by choosing a suitable silkworm variety and, hence, this parameter (i.e., silkworm variety) has attracted increasing attention. A previous study reported that the crystallinity of white colored silkworm cocoons depends on the silkworm variety. In the present study, sixteen yellow colored silkworm variety cocoons were produced and their molecular conformation and crystallinity were investigated. The conformation of the silkworm cocoons varied with the silkworm variety. Most cocoons exhibited ${\beta}$-sheet conformation, although random coil and ${\beta}$-sheet conformations co-existed in some cocoons (e.g., 21 and D90). The crystallinity of the silkworm cocoons varied with the silkworm variety and the measurement position of the cocoon (i.e., outer surface or inner surface). However, the difference in the crystallinity indices of the outer and inner surfaces comprising the cocoons varied with the silkworm variety, but was <2% for all cocoons, except for MAL.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.487-497
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• 2019

Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is an essential substance added to animal cell culture medium. However, its composition is unclear causing problems such as development of an immune response when cultured cells are transplanted into the human body. In this study, silk sericin, silk fibroin, and hemolymph obtained from silkworms were added to the cell culture medium in order to determine if it can replace FBS. After establishment of the cell culture, cell proliferation and expression levels of cell growth-related genes were compared with those of control cells (cells cultured in the medium with 10% FBS). Results showed that the test group treated with silk fibroin extracted from a Korean silkworm variety, Kumokjam could replace 10% FBS. In addition, expression levels of cell growth related genes such as Fibronectin and TGF-β1 increased significantly in cells cultured using silk fibroin, depending on the concentration used in cell adhesion and cell proliferation [24]. To date, no studies have been conducted to find a replacement for FBS. Thus, this study was carried out to develop a substitute for FBS by using silkworm-derived alternatives such as silkworm hemolymph, silk sericin, and silk fibroin, which are cheap and have various physiological effects, cell promoting effects, and can be mass produced.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.20
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• pp.55-63
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• 2002

This experiment was to know properties of Sericin Jam that development, growth of silkgland, content of sericin and composition of amino acid in hemolymph. The characters of Sericin Jam can he seen form this experiment. Hatching ratio was 85% in Sericin Jam and 95% in Jam 120. Especially hatching period of Sericin Jam was longer than Jam 120 and also hatching of Sericin Jam was ununiform. The larval duration of Sericin Jam was 20 days and 23 hours, and Jaw 120 was 21 days and 22 hours. In Sericin Jam, middle silkgland contain a great p arts in silkgalod and posterior silkgand is short and no curves. The period of mounting to emergence was 12 days in Sericin Jam. The period of pupa was 7day. It is property of Sericin Jam that the period is short. Cocoon was very thin and light in Sericin Jam. Weight of cocoon shell of Sericin Jam is 2.7cg. The sericin protein quantity was 100% in cocoon shell of Sericin Jam, about 28% in cocoon shell of Jam 120, however the sericin ratio per Sericin Jam cocoon was 34.6% compare to cocoon shell of Jaw 120 in sericin protein quantity. The amino acids in hemolymph of Sericin Jaw was much hidtidine, lysine, glut amic acid. And the amount of almost amino acids were increased depends upon development at t he 5th instar.

• 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 Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.2
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• pp.1-31
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• 1962

The purpose of this treatise is to prove the presence of cystine in silk fiber through wide sampling throughout all the sericultural processes of Bombyx mori.; also to show that disulfide cross linkages exist in the silk fiber. The conclusions reached were as follows: 1. Crystalline cystine was obtained from silk fibroin using Folin's Method. 2. Analytical data showing the cystine content of silk fiber and its related materials were obtained using Sullvan's Method as follows: Material Percent Cystine A. Mulberry leaf protein 0.175 B. Silkworm egg 0.33 C. Silkworm Body, matured, fat extracted, without silk gland 0.41 D. Silk gland, matured 1.23 E. Silkworm feces none F. Silkworm pupa, fat extracted 0.30 G. Silkworm moth, fat extracted 0.60 H. Raw Silk 0.22 I. Fibroin 0.175 J. Sericin 0.30 3. The presence of cystine in the silkworm was substantiated the existence of 0.175 % methionine in mulberry leaves and 0.12% methionine in the silk gland. 4. Part of the sulfhydryl compounds in the silk gland is believed to transfer to serine and methionine, with the former being secreted into the liquid silk finally as silk fiber and the latter used for nutritive purposes in the growing of silk gland tissue. 5. The cystine content is variable by mulberry species, silkworm species, sex, breeding process, and other culturing environments. 6. Hybrid silkworms require more nutritive amino acids for effective growth than the original parents, and secrete less of them as silk fiber. 7. From such an observation, the amino acid composition of silk fiber is believed to be fairly flexible. Cystine if included in the amorphous part of the fiber, especially in sericin. 8. The result from enriching the silkworm diet with pure cystine or wool cystine did not result in any advantage, therefore it is believed that the natural cystine and methionine contents in the mulberry leafaregoodenoughforsilkwormnutrition. 9. The disulfide cross linkage in silk fiber was verified by using the Harris Method. Contraction took place following the treatment of the fiber with various salts and acids. Comparisons were made with wool fiber. 10. During these experiments, the fibrious structure of silk fiber and the net-globular liquid form were photographed microscopically. It is believed that the globules of liquid silk are net-formed by the inter attraction of the OH ion of the globular peptide and the H ion of water as shown by the hair cracking behavior of the film. The net-globular protein precipitation from the mulberry protein solution showed that mulberry is a proper diet for the formation of fibrous protein in the silk fiber. 11. The significance of the presence of cystine in silk fiber as emphasized in this paper should result in modification of the general conception that cystine is absent from this fiber. NOTICE: A part of this treatise was presented at the annual Korea Sericultural Society meeting held in 1961.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.92-96
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• 2015

It is known that silk protein supports effectively proliferation of cell such as insect cell and hybridoma cell. Although there are many varieties of Bombyx mori silkworm, the effect of silkworm varieties on cell proliferation has not been considered in detail. We studied that characteristics of silk cocoon obtained from Baegokjam, Kumokjam, Daeseongjam silkworm varieties and whether silk protein affected cell proliferation or not. Silk sericin was prepared under high temperature and high pressure condition. Silk fibroin was prepared using $CaCl_2:H_2O:EtOH$ with different dissolution time. As a result, there are differences in silk cocoon from different silkworm varieties about cell proliferation. The proliferation was accelerated in the presence of Baegokjam silk sericin and Kumokjam silk fibroin with 5hr dissolution time. We expect that silk proteins could be a preferable culture medium supplement for stimulating the proliferation of cell. Then, this results suggest silk as a new material for medium supplement replacing with fetal bovine serum.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.88-94
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• 2023

Sericin is a protein extracted from the cocoon and has many health benefits. This study was conducted to evaluate the anti-wrinkle and anti-inflammatory activity of sericin derived from cocoon as a cosmetic material. The antioxidant activity of sericin was measured by DPPH and ABTS assays. In addition, cell viability was confirmed in Raw 264.7 cells, which are macrophages, and the anti-inflammatory effect of sericin was investigated using the inflammatory response induced using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It shows that sericin has antioxidant activity and can be an excellent material for anti-aging and anti-inflammatory cosmetics.

• 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.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2012

Silk protein has been explored to be used for biomedical applications for several decades. However, it has not been used in this field cause to their irreversible crystallization after dissolving in water. The existing methods of silk protein hydrolysis using silkworm cocoon were used with harmful solvents and through a very complicated process. Therefore, we have developed novel methods for the production of water-soluble hydrolysate using silkworm gland. We manufactured two types of silkworm gland-derived hydrolysate (water-soluble SGH, SSGH; total SGH, TSGH) and compared the characteristics with commercial cocoon-derived sericin hydrolysate (CSH). The molecular weight of SGH ranged from 7 to 50 kDa (SSGH) and 5 to 15 kDa (TSGH) within glycine, alanine, and aspartic acid as a main amino acid composition. In contrast, CSH ranged from 15 to 50 kDa within serine and aspartic acid. The results of FTIR implied that SGH was more soluble form than CSH, as shown by the decrease in the ${\beta}$-sheet structure at $1630cm^{-1}$ on amide I peak. In comparison with 10% fetal bovine serum, 0.1% (1 mg/ml) SSGH had equivalent effect on the proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells. All results of the SSGH made by novel manufacturing process indicate the SSGH is more preferable as a culture medium supplement than cocoon-derived sericin.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.109-113
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• 2008

Realizing the scope of utilizing by-products of silk cocoons by applying appropriate methods is the immediate crave to optimize returns. The nutritive value of pupae suits for human diet, feed for poultry, carps, fish, rabbits, piggery and dogs. The pupal skin, fat, oil, cocoon palade have applications in oleo chemical, soap, glycerin, cosmetic, artificial fibres, membranes and n-triacontanol isolation. The pupal proteins Chitin, Shinki fibroin, Serrapeptidase, glucosamine are latent precursors of post surgical, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammative, anti-bacterial, anti-histaminic, gastric, hepatitis, pancreatitis, leukocytopenia, neurological, ophthalmic, blood pressure, cardiac and diabetic medicines and for preparation of vitamins A, E and K. The silk and its proteins sericin and fibroin are potentially used for wound healing, diabetes, impotence, sinusitis, arthritis, edema, cystitis, epididymitis, tissue regeneration, cancer, post-surgical trauma and used as anti-oxidatives, bio-adhesives, ultra violet screens and bio-active textiles. The waste cocoons can be used in making art crafts like garlands, carpets, overcoats, decoratives and greeting cards. The in-depth research towards utility optimization and make aware this reality to sericulturists, reelers, weavers, traders, entrepreneurs, policy makers etc., is the upright want of the today's Sericulture industry.