• KSBB Journal
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.86-91
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• 2013

To date, various strategies have been studied to increase specific productivity in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures. Also, albumin-fusion platform is being applied to other important bioactive peptides with short half-lives. Here, we investigated the effects of silkworm gland hydrolysate (SGH) on the production of albumin-erythropoietin (Alb-EPO) in transgenic CHO cells. The viable cell density of CHO cells was increased by 13% in the medium containing 1 mg/mL SGH higher than in the control medium without SGH. In addition, the production of Alb-EPO was also 1.26- fold enhanced by reducing the early apoptosis of CHO cells. In conclusion, SGH could be used as a useful supplement for the enhancement of recombinant protein production.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.196-201
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• 2013

Silkworm-derived silk materials which contain 45 to 55% protein (18 amino acids, including 8 essential amino acids) have free radical-scavenging activities. In the present study, we investigated the whitening and anti-aging effects of silkworm gland under various conditions with B16F1 melanoma cells and human dermal fibroblasts. To evaluate the toxicity of soluble gland hydrolysate (SGH), mouse-derived B16F1 melanoma cells were treated with 0.2~5 mg/mL, cytotoxicity was not observed at all concentrations. The tyrosinase and elastase activities were significantly decreased as dosage levels of SGH increased. In addition, cell death was decreased by treated with SGH and antioxidative activity was the most effective in the SGH treatment. These findings suggest that SGH may be used as a potential functional biomaterial in having the skin whitening effect and anti-aging activity by inhibition of tyrosinase and elastase activities.

• 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.