• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.229-240
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• 2008

Animal mucins have structural characteristics similar to human salivary mucins. Animal mucins have been regarded as suitable substances for saliva substitutes. Since animal mucin molecules in saliva substitutes and host-derived antimicrobial salivary molecules exist simultaneously in whole saliva and the pellicles of patients with dry mouth, interactions may occur between these molecules. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of animal mucins on peroxidase activity in solution and on the surface of hydroxyapatite(HA) surfaces. The effects of animal mucins on peroxidase activity were examined by incubating porcine gastric mucin(PGM) or bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) with either bovine lactoperoxidase(bLPO) or saliva samples. For solid-phase assays, immobilized animal mucins or peroxidase on three different HA surfaces(HA beads, HA disc, and bovine tooth) were used. Peroxidase activity was determined with an NbsSCN assay. The obtained results were as follows: 1. PGM enhanced the enzymatic activity of bLPO in solution phase. PGM did not affect the enzymatic activity of peroxidase in saliva sample(POS). 2. BSM did not affect the enzymatic activities of both bLPO and POS in solution phase. 3. HA-adsorbed PGM increased subsequent bLPO adsorption in all three HA phases. The activity of POS was increased on both the HA beads and bovine tooth. 4. The peroxidase activities on the HA beads and disc were increased when the HA surfaces were exposed to a mixture of bLPO and PGM. 5. The binding affinity of bLPO to PGM was greater than that of bLPO to BSM. Collectively, our results suggest that animal mucins affects the enzymatic activity of peroxidase on the HA surfaces as well as in solution. Saliva substitutes containing animal mucins may affect the function of antimicrobial components in natural saliva and saliva substitutes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.345-348
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• 2002

A rapid spectrophotometric method for detecting the mucinase complex was developed. Bovine submaxillary mucin is cleaved by commercial mucinase between the oligosaccharide chain and the side chain of peptide linkage, thereby liberating the N-acetyl neuraminic acid (NANA). The release of NANA resulted in an increase of absorbance at 280 nm. The susceptibility to NANA by the new method was found to be at least 10-fold more sensitive than the thiobarbituric acid method. Moreover, the quantification of NANA released from mucin by commercial neuraminidase and partially purified Vibrio parahaemolyticus mucinase showed a good linear correlation in proportion to the concentration of the enzyme used. These results demonstrate that the rapid identification of mucin degradation can be determined by a spectrophotometric assay, thereby providing a new, fast, and sensitive method for assaying the bacterial mucinase complex.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.166-171
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• 2006

A calcium-dependent sialic acid-binding lectin has been isolated by thyroglobulin-affinity chromatography from the coastal crab Macrophthalmus Japonicus. This lectin, Macrophthalmus Japonicus lectin (MJL), was eluted with 50mM Tris-HCl, 0.3 M NaCl, 10 mM EDTA, and the recovery yield from the crude protein extract was about 5.6%. The molecular weight of MJL was estimated as 65 kDa in SDS-PAGE both under reducing and non-reducing conditions. MJL induced an agglutination reaction in rabbit, rat, and mouse erythrocytes, but not in human ABO types. This activity was effectively inhibited by sialoglycoproteins such as fetuin, bovine submaxillary mucin, and thyroglobulin.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.304-309
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• 1999

Two Lectins, designated FVL-1 and FVL-2, were isolated and purified from the fruiting bodies of edible mushroom Flammulina veluripes using ammonium sulfate fractionation, ethanol treatment, DEAE-TOYPEARL ion-exchange column chromatography, and TSK-Gel HW-55F column chromatography. Specific activity increased 18 folds for FVL-1 and 7.9 folds for FVL-2 from ethanol treated sample. SDS-PAGE of FVL-1 and FVL-2 gave apparent molecular mass of 10.6 kDa and 37 kDa, respectively. FVL-2 agglutinated all type of human erythrocytes (A, B, AB, and O). However, FVL-1 agglutinated more human erythrocyte type O than type A, B, and AB. The hemagglutination activities of the FVL-1 were effectively inhibited by bovine submaxillary and porcine stomach mucins(BSM and PSM), fetuin, asialofetuin and cations, such as $Cu^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$ and $Fe^{2+}$. However, FVL-2 was not inhibited by any cations. The hemagglutination activities of the two lectins were not inhibited by the sugar, such as lactose, galactose and sugar derivatives. FVL-1 and FVL-2 were stable at pH $5{\sim}11$ and pH $4{\sim}7$, respectively. FVL-1 was stable below $55^{\circ}C$ and FVL-2 was below $45^{\circ}C$.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.247-255
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• 2014

Charged polymer chains, i.e., polyelectrolytes, are known to show superior aqueous lubricating properties compared to those of neutral polymer chains, especially in brush conformation. This is primarily because of the incorporation of a large amount of counterions within the polymer layers and the consequently increased osmotic pressure. However, this effect is active only when the polymer chains remain immobilized even under tribostress, which is not realistic for high-contact pressure tribological applications, especially when they are irreversibly immobilized on tribopair surfaces. In contrast, with free polymers, which can be included as surface-active additives in the base lubricant (water), long-term lubricating performance based on "self-healing" properties is readily expected. In order to assess whether the superior aqueous lubricating properties of polyelectrolyte chains are valid for free polymers too, this study reviews recent studies on the tribological properties of many charged biopolymer and synthetic copolymers at a nonpolar, hydrophobic interface. In contrast to the irreversibly immobilized polyelectrolyte chains, free polyelectrolyte chains show inferior aqueous lubricating properties compared to their neutral counterparts owing to charge accumulation and the consequently impeded surface adsorption on the nonpolar surface. Nevertheless, bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM), a representative biopolymer, shows a sufficiently effective surface adsorption and aqueous lubricating capabilities even at neutral pH without losing the polyanionic characteristics.