Enzymatic hydrolysis of silkworm pupa and its allergenicity evaluation by animal model with different immunization routes

Silkworm pupa is a nourishing food with high nutritional value,but its consumption has been greatly limited given its allergenicity.Enzyme hydrolytic technique is recognized as an effective method to reduce the allergenicity of protein.In this study,we aimed to investigate the effect of enzymolysis on the allergenicity of silkworm pupa.Crude silkworm pupa protein was extracted through alkali extraction and acid precipitation,which included 5 proteins with the molecular weights ranging from 34 kDa to 76 kDa,and silkworm pupa were then hydrolyzed by alkaline protease.The allergenicity of silkworm pupa protein and its enzymatic hydrolysates was evaluated by establishing BALB/c mice model,and the mice were immunized via intragastric gavage and intraperitoneal injection,respectively.The results indicated that the intraperitoneal inj ection immunization route induced more by detecting with antibodies,histamine and Th2-related cytokines.Moreover,mice treated with silkworm pupa protein peptide displayed no obvious allergic symptoms,indicating that enzyme hydrolytic technique could significantly reduce the allergenicity of silkworm pupa.

Unique characteristics of gut microbiota in black snub-nosed monkeys(Rhinopithecus strykeri) reveal an enzymatic mechanism of adaptation to dietary vegetation

DEAR EDITOR,The Myanmar or black snub-nosed monkey(Rhinopithecus strykeri) is a recently discovered and critically endangered colobus primate with an unknown gut microbiota. Here, we characterized and compared the gut microbiota of R. strykeri with those of two closely related snub-nosed monkey species.

Enzymatic debridement shall not modify the global strategy for mass burn events

We read with interest the letter by Surowiecka et al.[1]about early burn wound excision in mass casualty events.We couldn’t agree more with their statement about the benefit of early burn wound excision.Still,we doubt whether applying this strategy to every patient during a mass burn event could be realistic.Of note,while there is an undisputed consensus that early burn wound excision is the gold standard of burn care,what‘early’actually means is still debated.Depending on the authors,the corresponding time limit typically varies from 24 h to a few days[2,3].

Structural and antioxidative properties of royal jelly protein by partial enzymatic hydrolysis

The objective of this study was to investigate the structural and antioxidative properties of royal jelly protein(RJP)at different degrees of hydrolysis(DH)by partial enzymatic hydrolysis. RJP was hydrolyzed by alcalase for 0 min, 15 min, 1 h, 5 h and 8 h to obtain hydrolysates at DH of 5.34%, 11.65%, 15.19%, 21.38% and 23.91%, respectively. With the increased DH, the RJP hydrolysates showed elevated antioxidative activities. The molecular weight of RJP hydrolysates was significantly decreased but their primary backbone kept unchanged. Analysis of circular dichroism spectra revealed that the enzymolysis reduced the content of α-helix but increased the contents of β-sheet, β-turn and random coil. Meanwhile, the surface hydrophobicity and fluorescence intensity of RJP hydrolysates were decreased and a red shift occurred. As the enzymolysis continued, the surface morphology of RJP was gradually changed from a sheet-like structure into microparticles. Changes in antioxidative activities and structures generally followed a DH-dependent manner, however these changes became insignificant for samples at DH beyond 20%. Taking into consideration of both effectiveness and productivity, the optimum enzymatic duration was determined at 5 h.

Enzymatic preparation of mono-and diacylglycerols:A review

Monoacylglycerols(MAGs) and diacylglycerols(DAGs) are partial glycerides widely used in food industry. They are safe and non-toxic food emulsifiers, especially for MAGs. MAGs account for approximately 75% of the total emulsifiers in food industry worldwide. DAGs are recognized as functional cooking oils, they can suppress body fat accumulation and postprandial serum triacylglycerols(TAGs) level. The traditional production of MAGs and DAGs is based on the chemical method, which requires high reaction temperature usually up to 200–260 ℃. Such high temperature is not suitable for oil containing heat sensitive polyunsaturated fatty acids. Enzymatic approach has been received increasing attentions. Enzymatic production of partial glycerides to replace chemical processes has been in industry, particularly for DAGs production as the products have been claimed as a functional and nutritional oil. Enzyme technology for the processing of oils and fats has been moved to industry step by step and case by case during the last 20 years. More and more applications are particularly moving into bulky oils and fats processing. At the same time, the cost of enzymes as a commercial product is reducing steadily. This review summarized the recent 15 years advances on the the enzymatic preparation of MAGs and DAGs. The critical process parameters under different reaction routes were presented and emphasized. The reaction media not only increased the homogeneity of the reaction system, but also shifted the reaction equilibrium towards the target product generation, and this part was stated in detail. In addition, the patent evaluation was included, and the application of MAGs and DAGs was covered.

Semi-Automated Enzymatic Determination of Ethanol in Beverages: Collaborative Study for RIDA®CUBE Ethanol

Easy and quick methods to quantify ethanol reliably in beverages are always important. In 2022, the EnzytecTM Liquid Ethanol test kit was approved as AOAC Official MethodSM 2017.07 Final Action after a collaborative study was conducted with different beverages such as kombucha, juices, and beer. During set-up of this collaborative test, small sized companies asked to include the RIDA®CUBE Ethanol/RIDA®CUBE SCAN device since it is easy to use, suitable for a few samples only and contains the identical reagents as the EnzytecTM Liquid system. It is applicable to quantify ethanol in diluted kombucha, fruit juices, and alcohol-free beer samples around 0.5% alcohol-by-volume within 12 min. The overall relative reproducibility standard deviation across a wide concentration range for kombucha, was calculated to be 6.29%. Analysis of juices and beer showed an overall higher variation with an estimated overall RSD(R) value by regression of 14.4%. The data obtained by this collaborative study show that the RIDA®CUBE Ethanol in combination with the RIDA®CUBE SCAN device is suitable to quantify ethanol from matrices representing important alcohol-free liquid food categories.

Polyphenols extracted from Aronia melanocarpa by combined enzymatic and ultrasonication and their antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity

The extraction of polyphenols from Aronia melanocarpa was carried out using a combination of enzymatic and ultrasound.After single-factor and orthogonal design and experiment,the optimized polyphenol extraction conditions were 1%enzyme,1:40 material-to-liquid ratio,55℃,60 min ultrasonication,70%ethanol,and the final extraction amount was 88.634 mg/g,which displayed a 25.15%and 34.08%improvement compared with the single ultrasonication and enzymatic extraction methods,respectively.Significant antibacterial effects of polyphenols were shown against Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.Further antioxidation effects were evaluated,and the superoxide anion radical scavenging rate,hydroxyl radical scavenging rate and DPPH free radical scavenging rate reached 45.2%,83.5%and 85.4%,respectively.This combined enzymatic and ultrasonic extraction method exhibited the advantages of high extraction rate,saving solvent consumption and extraction time,but also provided a new method for the development and utilization of natural antimicrobial and antioxidant health products.

Soil enzymatic activities and microbial community structure with different application rates of Cd and Pb

This study focused on the changes of soil microbial diversity and potential inhibitory effects of heavy metals on soil enzymatic activities at different application rates of Cd and/or Pb. The soil used for experiments was collected from Beijing and classified as endoaquepts. Pots containing 500 g of the soil with different Cd and/or Pb application rates were incubated for a period of 0, 2, 9, 12 weeks in a glasshouse and the soil samples were analyzed for individual enzymes, including catalase, alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase, and the changes of microbial community structure. Results showed that heavy metals slightly inhibited the enzymatic activities in all the samples spiked with heavy metals. The extent of inhibition increased significantly with increasing level of heavy metals, and varied with the incubation periods. The soil bacterial community structure, as determined by polymerase chain reaction- denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis techniques, was different in the contaminated samples as compared to the control. The highest community change was observed in the samples amended with high level of Cd. Positive correlations were observed among the three enzymatic activities, but negative correlations were found between the amounts of the heavy metals and the enzymatic activities.

Enzymatic vitrectomy for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema

The aim of this paper is to determine the role of enzymatic vitrectomy performed by intravitreal injection of autologous plasmin enzyme(APE)in the management of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema(DME).Diabetic patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy or DME and evident posterior hyaloid adherence to the retinal surface were included.All cases were treated with an initial intravitreal injection of APE and reevaluated one month later,measuring changes in best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA),macular thickness and the status of the posterior hyaloid.A second APE injection was performed in cases with no evident posterior vitreous detachment(PVD)after the initial treatment.Sixty-three eyes were included in the present review.A complete PVD appeared in 38%of cases(24 eyes)after one injection of plasmin and the total increased to 51%(32 eyes)after the second injection,separated at least by one month.The central macular thickness improved in all cases(100%)and BCVA in89%.Finally,in 50%of eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy,a high reduction of new vessels regression was observed.Enzymatic vitrectomy could be considered a good therapeutic alternative in diabetic retinopathy and macular edema.

Thinning intensity affects microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities associated with litter decomposition in a Chinese fir plantation

Microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities are critical to maintaining material circulation during litter decomposition in forests.Thinning,an important and widely used silvicultural treatment,changes the microclimate and promotes forest renewal.However,how thinning affects microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities during litter decomposition remains poorly understood.We conducted thinning treatments in a Chinese fir plantation in a subtropical region of China with four levels of tree stem removal（0,30,50,and 70%）,each with three replicates,and the effects of thinning on microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities were studied 7 years after treatment by collecting litter samples four times over a 1-year period.Microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities were analyzed using Biolog Ecoplates（Biolog Inc.,Hayward,CA,USA）based on the utilization of 31 carbon substrates.Total microbial abundance during litter decomposition was lower after the thinning treatments than without thinning.Microbial functional diversity did not differ significantly during litter decomposition,but the types of microbial carbon-source utilization did differ significantly with the thinning treatments.Microbial cellulase and invertase activities during litter decomposition were significantly higher under the thinning treatments due to changes in the litter carbon concentration and the ratios of carbon and lignin to nitrogen.The present study demonstrated the important influence of thinning on microbial activities during litter decomposition.Moderate-intensity thinning may maximize vegetation diversity and,in turn,increase the available substrate sources for microbial organisms in litter and promote nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems.

Cloning,expression in Escherichia coli,and enzymatic properties of laccase from Aeromonas hydrophila WL-11

A strain WL-11 with high laccase activity was isolated from activated sludge collected from the effluent treatment plant of a textile and dyeing industry. It was identified as Aeromonas hydrophila by physiological test and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. A gene encoding of laccase from a newly isolated Aeromonas hydrophila WL-11 was cloned and characterized. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed an open reading frame of 1605 bp encoding a polypeptide comprised of 534 amino acids. The primary structure of the enzyme predicted the structural features characteristic of other laccases, including the conserved regions of four histidine-rich copper-binding sites. The predicted amino acid sequence showed a high homology （more than 60%） with bacterial laccases in the genome and protein databases and the highest degree of similarity （61% identity） was observed with the multicopper oxidase of KlebsieUa sp. 601. When expressed in Escherichia coli, the recombinant enzyme was overproduced in the cytoplasm as soluble and active form. The purified enzyme had an optimum pH of 2.6 and 8.0 for ABTS （2,2＇-azino-bis（3-ethylbenzthiazolinesulfonic acid） and DMP （2,6-dimethoxyphenol）, respectively. The kinetic study on ABTS revealed a higher affinity of this enzyme to this substrate than DMP.

Film-mulched continuous ridge-furrow planting improves soil temperature,nutrient content and enzymatic activity in a winter oilseed rape field,Northwest China

Film mulching system is a widely employed agricultural practice worldwide. However, the effects of different planting and mulching patterns on soil nutrient content and enzymatic activity have not been well documented. In this study, we examined the impact of four planting and mulching patterns（including control, flat planting without mulching; M1, flat planting with film mulching; M2, ridge-furrow planting with film mulching on both ridges and furrows; and M3, ridge-furrow planting with film mulching on continuous ridges） on the seed yield of winter oilseed rape, soil moisture, soil temperature, soil organic carbon（SOC） content, soil nutrient content, and soil enzymatic activity over three growing seasons from 2012 to 2015 in a winter oilseed rape field in the semi-arid area of Northwest China. Seed yield of winter oilseed rape, soil moisture, soil temperature, enzymatic activities, and contents of nitrate-nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium were all significantly higher in mulching treatments（M1, M2 and M3） than in control treatment over the three growing seasons, whereas SOC content was significantly lower in mulching treatments than in control treatment during 2013–2014 and 2014–2015. Among the three mulching treatments（M1, M2 and M3）, the M3 treatment showed consistently higher seed yield, SOC content, nutrient contents, and enzymatic activities than the other two treatments. Seed yield of winter oilseed rape was 41.1% and 15.0% higher in M3 than in M1 and M2, respectively. SOC content and soil enzymatic activities in the top 0–20 cm soil layers and nitrate-nitrogen content in the top 0–30 cm soil layers were all significantly higher in M3 than in M1 and M2. Therefore, we advise the ridge-furrow planting with film mulching on continuous ridges（i.e., M3） as an efficient planting and mulching pattern for sustainably improving the seed yield of winter oilseed rape and preserving soil fertility in the semi-arid area of Northwest China.

Structure, composition and enzymatic hydrolysis of steam-exploded lespedeza stalks

Pretreatment of lespedeza stalks by steam explosion has been studied. The results indicate that steam-exploded pretreatment has strong effects on physical features, morphology, crystallinity, and composition of lespedeza stalks as shown by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, infrared （IR）, and X-ray diffraction spectrometry methods. After steam explosion, the cellulose and lignin contents of lespedeza stalks varied only slightly, but the hemicellulose content had decreased from 29.34% to 7.48%. The cellulose obtained by steam-exploded pretreatment had a higher degree of crystallinity than that of the raw material. At the explosion condition of 2.25 MPa and 4 min, lignocellulose is easier to hydrolyze by enzyme than the original lignocellulose. The concentration of reduced sugar in the hydrolyzate liquid increased from 71.77 to 162.84 g·L^-1.

Pretreatment of agricultural residues by supercritical CO_2 at 50–80 °C to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis

Various agricultural crop residues including corn stover,corn cob,and sorghum stalk with a moisture content of 75 wt%were subjected to a long pretreatment(12–60 h)with supercritical CO_2(scCO_2),at low temperature(50–80°C)and a pressure of 17.5–25.0 MPa.The sugar yields from the enzymatic hydrolysis(EH)of the pretreated samples were as much as three-to fourfold greater than those afforded by the raw materials.However,when pretreatment was conducted within a short time(e.g.0.5 h),as previously reported in the literature,only a slight increase in the EH sugar yields was observed.The proposed sc CO_2pretreatment mechanism demonstrated the role of moisture in the system.Wetting,softening,and swelling were observed to mainly affect the lignocellulose when a suitable amount of water was added.Finally,the samples were analysed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy,before and after pretreatment,to investigate the changes in the microscopic structure of the biomass.

Regioselective enzymatic acylation of troxerutin in nonaqueous medium

A series of monosubstituted troxerutin esters have been synthesized by enzyme-catalyzed regioselective acylation of troxerutin in nonaqueous medium.Using divinyl dicarboxylates(CH_2=CH-OOC-(CH_2)_n-COO-CH=CH_2,n = 2,3,4,7,8,11) featuring different chain length as acyl donors and alkaline protease from Bacillus subtilis as catalyst,troxerutin was regioselective acylated at B ethoxyl group.The results indicated that the regioselectivity of the enzyme-catalyzed acylation was not affected by the chain length o...

Enzymatic Synthesis of Agmatine by Immobilized Escherichia coli Cells with Arginine Decarboxylase Activity

A new method for the enzymatic synthesis of agmatine by immobilized Escherichia coli cells with arginine decarboxylase（ADC） activity was established and a series of optimal reaction conditions was set down. The arginine decarboxylase showed the maximum activity when the pyridoxal phosphate（PLP） concentration was 50 mmol/L, pH=7 and 45 °C. The arginine decarboxylase exhibited the maximum production efficiency when the substrate concentration was 100 mmol/L and the reaction time was 15 h. It was also observed that the appropriate concentration of Mg2＋, especially at 0.5 mmol/L promoted the arginine decarboxylase activity; Mn2＋ had little effect on the arginine decarboxylase activity. The inhibition of Cu2＋ and Zn2＋ to the arginine decarboxylase activity was significant. The immobilized cells were continuously used 6 times and the average conversion rate during the six-time usage was 55.6%. The immobilized cells exhibited favourable operational stability. After optimization, the maximally cumulative amount of agmatine could be up to 20 g/L. In addition, this method can also catalyze D,L-arginine to agmatine, leaving the pure optically D-arginine simultaneously. The method has a very important guiding significance to the enzymatic preparation of agmatine.

Extraction process of chlorogenic acid in flos lonicerae by enzymatic treatment

A new method of extracting chlorogenic acid from flos lonicerae, and treating the materials with enzyme before being extracted by ethanol is developed, and the optimum conditions are also investigated in detail. Three important factors, enzyme dosage, treatment time and treatment temperature are adapted to optimize the extraction process. The experimental results show that the extract yield of flos lonicerae and chlorogenic acid can be obviously increased by the cellulase treatment, 61.5 mg chlorogenic acid is obtained from 1.00 g flos lonicerae at most. The optimal temperature of enzymatic treatment is 40 50 ℃. Compared with the use of single cellulase, the combined treatment of cellulase and pectinase increase the extract yield obviously but fail to improve that of chlorogenic acid.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of CYP3A4 Intron 2 and Its Influence on CYP3A4 mRNA Expression and Liver Enzymatic Activity in Human Liver

Summary： In adult liver, CYP3A4 plays an important role in the metabolism of a wide range of en- dogenous and exogenous compounds. To investigate whether there is a single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP） of CYP3A4 intron 2 in the liver and its effects on the mRNA expression and enzymatic activity of CYP3A4, genomic DNA was extracted from 96 liver tissue samples obtained from patients who had undergone liver surgery. An SNP of CYP3A4 intron 2 was identified by polymerase chain reaction （PCR）-single-strand confirmation polymorphism and DNA sequencing. The mRNA expression of CYP3A4 was determined by the fluorescence quantitative PCR technique. The enzymatic activity of CYP3A4 was measured using erythromycin and testosterone as probe substrates. Twelve patients were found to have the SNP/T4127G CYP3A4 within intron 2. The mRNA levels of CYP3A4 in wild-type and SNP/T4127G samples were 2.62±1.09 and 2.79±1.63, respectively （P〉0.05）. Erythromycin N-demethylase activity in wild-type and SNP/T4127G samples were 121.2±32.8 and 124.7±61.6 nmol·mg^-1min^-1, respectively （P〉0.05）. The activity of testosterone 613-hydroxylase was significantly different between wild-type （648±173 pmol·mg^-1·min^-1） and SNP/T4127G samples （540-4-196 pmol.mg-l-minl; P〈0.05）. In conclusion, the SNP/T4127G of CYP3A4 intron 2 exists in the liver. This SNP does not affect the mRNA expression of CYP3A4 but significantly decreases the hepatic micro- somal testosterone 613-hydroxylase activity of CYP3A4. Furthermore, this study indicates that the ap- propriate selection of probe substrates is very important in studying the relationship between the geno- type and phenotype of CYP3A4.

Dynamic changes of peptidome and release of polysaccharide in sea cucumber(Apostichopus japonicus) hydrolysates depending on enzymatic hydrolysis approaches

Enzymatic hydrolysis has been widely used to produce bioactive hydrolysates from sea cucumber body wall.Here,inspired by the clarification of Apostichopus japonicus genome,we investigated the enzymatic hydrolysis of sea cucumber body wall by using the omics strategy.Shared proteins,including major yolk proteins,collagens,extracellular matrix glycoproteins and muscle proteins,were released from the body wall by different hydrolysis condition.A portfolio of 216 shared peptides were detected in the peptidome by papain with different hydrolysis time,while 32 shared peptides were detected in the peptidome by differing proteases.Unshared peptides and the relative abundance distribution profiles of shared peptides changed depending on hydrolysis approaches,indicating dynamic changes of peptidome during hydrolysis.Moreover,release of sulfated fucan and fucosylated chondroitin sulfate changed with the hydrolysis condition.The monitoring of dynamic enzymatic hydrolysis process at a molecular scale would contribute to production and quality control of sea cucumber hydrolysates.

Enzymatic treatment of estrogens and estrogen glucuronide

Natural and synthetic estrogens from sewage treatment systems are suspected to influence the reproductive health of the animals in the rivers. In this article, we investigated the enzymatic treatment of three estrogens （estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethynyletstradiol） by a fungal laccase which oxidize phenolic compounds with dissolved oxygen. The elimination of the estrogenic activities by enzymatic oxidation was demonstrated by medaka vitellogenin assay. In addition, we developed an enzymatic treatment system comprised of β-D-glucuronidase and the laccase for 17β-estradiol 3-（β-D-glucuronide） degradation. The two enzymes eliminated 17β-estradiol 3-（β- D-glucuronide） and the intermediate, 17β-estradiol, efficiently.