Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Peptides in Goat Milk Fermented by Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Fermented Food and Breast Milk.

In this study, angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activity was evaluated in fermented goat milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from fermented foods and breast milk. Furthermore, the potential for ACEI peptides was identified in fermented goat milk with the highest ACEI activity. The proteolytic specificity of LAB was also evaluated. The 2% isolate was inoculated into reconstituted goat milk (11%, w/v), then incubated at 37°C until pH 4.6 was reached. The supernatant produced by centrifugation was analyzed for ACEI activity and total peptide. Viable cell counts of LAB and titratable acidity were also evaluated after fermentation. Peptide identification was carried out using nano liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and potential as an ACEI peptide was carried out based on a literature review. The result revealed that ACEI activity was produced in all samples (20.44%-60.33%). Fermented goat milk of Lc. lactis ssp. lactis BD17 produced the highest ACEI activity (60.33%; IC50 0.297±0.10 mg/mL) after 48 h incubation, viable cell counts >8 Log CFU/mL, and peptide content of 4.037±0.27/mL. A total of 261 peptides were released, predominantly derived from casein (93%). The proteolytic specificity of Lc. lactis ssp. lactis BD17 through cleavage on the amino acid tyrosine, leucine, glutamic acid, and proline. A total of 21 peptides were identified as ACEI peptides. This study showed that one of the isolates from fermented food, namely Lc. lactis ssp. lactis BD17, has the potential as a starter culture for the production of fermented goat milk which has functional properties as a source of antihypertensive peptides.

Diversity of Adenostemma lavenia, multi-potential herbs, and its kaurenoic acid composition between Japan and Taiwan.

Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze (Asteraceae) is widely distributed in tropical regions of East Asia, and both A. lavenia and A. madurense (DC) are distributed in Japan. In China and Taiwan, A. lavenia is used as a folk medicine for treating lung congestion, pneumonia, and hepatitis. However, neither phylogenic nor biochemical analysis of this plants has been performed to date. We have reported that the aqueous extract of Japanese A. lavenia contained high levels of ent-11α-hydroxy-15-oxo-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (11αOH-KA; a kaurenoic acid), which is a potent anti-melanogenic compound. Comparison of chloroplast DNA sequences suggested that A. lavenia is originated from A. madurense. Analyses of kaurenoic acids revealed that Japanese A. lavenia and A. madurense contained high levels of 11αOH-KA and moderate levels of 11α,15OH-KA, while Taiwanese A. lavenia mainly contained 9,11αOH-KA. The diverse biological activities (downregulation of Tyr, tyrosinase, gene expression [anti-melanogenic] and iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase, gene expression [anti-inflammatory], and upregulation of HO-1, heme-oxygenase, gene expression [anti-oxidative]) were associated with 11αOH-KA and 9,11αOH-KA but not with 11α,15OH-KA. Additionally, 11αOH-KA and 9,11αOH-KA decreased Keap1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1) protein levels, which was accompanied by upregulation of protein level and transcriptional activity of Nrf2 (NF-E2-related factor-2) followed by HO-1 gene expression. 11αOH-KA and 9,11αOH-KA differ from 11α,15OH-KA in terms of the presence of a ketone (αß-unsaturated carbonyl group, a thiol modulator) at the 15th position; therefore, thiol moieties on the target proteins, including Keap1, may be important for the biological activities of 11αOH-KA and 9,11αOH-KA and A. lavenia extract.

Sensitive Simultaneous Determinations of 1,2-Dihydroxynaphthalene and Catechol by an Amperometric Biosensor.

An amperometric biosensor for 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) and catechol (Cat) has been developed in order to monitor the biodegradaton of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). DHN is a common intermediary metabolite in naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation, while Cat is produced by further degradation. These compounds were detected by a biosensor modified with pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH). The biosensor was based on signal amplification by enzyme-catalyzed redox cycling and was able to detect DHN and Cat at very low concentrations down to 10-9 M. Since the anodic waves of DHN and Cat were well separated, simultaneous determinations of these compounds were possible. Although the current signal for DHN was reduced in repeated measurements due to the oxidative polymerization of DHN, it can be avoided when the concentration of DHN was sufficiently low (<1 µM).

Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides in milk fermented by indigenous lactic acid bacteria.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Fermented milk can be used to produce antihypertensive peptides. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with its proteolytic system hydrolyze milk protein during fermentation to produce several peptides, which include antihypertensive bioactive peptides. This study aimed to investigate the ability of indigenous LAB for the production of angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACE-I) peptides in fermented milk and to characterize the ACEI peptides. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Reconstituted milk (11%) inoculated with ten LAB isolates, and then incubated at 37°C until it reaches pH 4.6. The evaluation was carried out for LAB count, lactic acid concentration, peptide content, and ACE-I activity. The low molecular weight (MW) peptides (<3 kDa) were identified using Nano LC Ultimate 3000 series system Tandem Q Exactive Plus Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The result showed that the ten LAB isolates were able to produce ACE-I in fermented milk with the activities in the range of 22.78±2.55-57.36±5.40%. The activity of ACE-I above 50% produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii BD7, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis BD17, and Lactobacillus kefiri YK4 and JK17, with the highest activity of ACE-I produced by L. kefiri YK4 (IC50 0.261 mg/mL) and L. kefiri JK17 (IC50 0.308 mg/mL). Results of peptide identification showed that L. kefiri YK 4 could release as many as 1329, while L. kefiri JK 17 could release 174 peptides. The peptides produced were 95% derived from casein. The other peptides were from ά-lactalbumin, ß-lactoglobulin, and serum amyloid A. The peptides produced consisted of 6-19 amino acid residues, with MWs of 634-2079 Dalton and detected at 317-1093 m/z. A total of 30 peptides have been recognized based on literature searches as ACE-I peptides (sequence similarity: 100%). CONCLUSION: L. kefiri YK4 and JK17 are the potential to be used as starter cultures to produce the bioactive peptide as ACE-I in fermented milk.

Activity and stability of uricase from Lactobacillus plantarum immobilizated on natural zeolite for uric acid biosensor.

Determination of uric acid concentration in human urine and blood is needed to diagnose several diseases, especially the occurrence of kidney disease in gout patients. Therefore, it is needed to develop a simple and inexpensive method for uric acid detection. The purpose of the research was to observe the use of Indonesian microbe that was immobilized on natural zeolite as a source of uricase for uric acid biosensor. Selection of mediators and determination of optimum condition measurement, the stability and kinetic properties of L. plantarum uricase were performed using carbon paste electrode. Cyclic voltammetry was employed to investigate the catalytic behavior of the biosensor. The result indicated that the best mediator for measurement of L. plantarum uricase activity was Qo (2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4 benzoquinone). Optimum conditions for immobilization of L. plantarum uricase on zeolite were obtained at pH 7.6, with temperature of 28 degrees C, using uric acid concentration of 0.015 mM and zeolite mass at 135 mg K(M) and V(Max) of L. plantarum uricase obtained from Lineweaver-burk equation for the immobilization uricase on zeolite were 8.6728 x 10(-4) mM and 6.3052 mM, respectively. K(M) value of L. plantarum uricase directly immobilized onto the electrode surface was smaller than K(M) value of L. plantarum uricase immobilized on zeolite. The smaller K(M) value shows the higher affinity toward the substrate. The Electrode when kept at 10 degrees C was stable until 6 days, however the immobilized electrode on zeolite was stable until 18 days. Therefore, Indonesian L. plantarum could be used as a uric acid biosensor.

Characteristics, efficacy and safety testing of standardized extract of Croton tiglium seed from Indonesia as laxative material.

Identification and taxonomy analysis conducted at Herbarium Bogoriense at Research Centre for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences Bogor. The name of the plant was C. tiglium L. The result of analysis on C. tiglium, ethanol extract as laxative material using the intestinal transit method showed treatment group that received dosage 0.06 mL/30 g b.wt. (72.5%) was significantly different compared to negative control (48.4%) or positive control (50.6%) which showed the weak effect as laxative at the dosage of 0.75 mL/30 g b.wt. It showed that ethanol extract of C. tiglium seed at dosage 0.06 mL/30 g is effective as laxative. The test result of the treatment using dosage 0.06, 0.04, 0.026 and 0.07 mL/28 g of body weight showed the mice population response 100, 60, 40 and 40% consecutively. The Thompson and Weil analysis result showed the ED50 was at 0.027 mL or equal to 639,5 g kg(-1) b.wt. The LD50 was at 0.0707 equals with 1674,5 mg kg(-1) b.wt. Safety limit is the range of dosage that cause the lethal effect and the dosage that gives the intended effect. The safety limit is represented by the comparison of LD50/ED50. Calculation result that the extract safety limit was LD50/ED50 = 0.0707/0.027 = 2.7.