BACKGROUND The digestion of dietary starch in humans is initiated by salivary α-amylase, an endo-enzyme that hydrolyzes starch into maltose, maltotriose and larger oligosaccharides. Salivary amylase accounts for 40 to 50% of protein in human saliva and rapidly alters the physical properties of starch. Importantly, the quantity and enzymatic activity of salivary amylase show significant individu...

bilberry [vaccinium myrtillus linn. (ericaceae)] fruit (vmf) has been traditionally used for treatment of bladder stones, biliary disorders, scurvy, coughs, and lung tuberculosis. vmf may have some pharmaceutical properties owing to these uses, but in vivo and in vitro studies are limited for clarification of medicinal activity and its antidiabetic and antioxidant properties are not investigate...

The enzymatic activity of salivary amylase bound to the surface of several species of oral streptococci was determined by the production of acid from starch and by the degradation of maltotetraose to glucose in a coupled, spectrophotometric assay. Most strains able to bind amylase exhibited functional enzyme on their surface and produced acid from the products of amylolytic degradation. These s...

Amylase activity in several tissue and body fluid compartments in the rat changed markedly when the secretion of digestive enzyme was augmented over a 3-hr period with a cholinergic agonist. As a result of stimulation, the pancreas was depleted of about one-third of its amylase activity and accounted for only 75% of the amount recovered from the animal, compared to 92% in the fasted state. Desp...

Amylases are an important family of enzymes involved in insect carbohydrate metabolism that are required for the survival of insect larvae. For this reason, enzymes from starch-dependent insects are targets for insecticidal control. PF2 (Olneya tesota) is a lectin that is toxic to Zabrotes subfasciatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) larvae. In this study, we evaluated recognition of the PF2 lectin to ...

Amylase was found in high activity (193 international units per milligram protein) in the tap root of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Sonora). The activity was separated by gel filtration chromatography into two fractions with molecular weights of 65,700 (heavy amylase) and 41,700 (light amylase). Activity staining of electrophoretic gels indicated the presence of one isozyme in the heavy amyla...

We developed a kinetic procedure for determination of amylase activity in serum by use of nephelometric measurements. Light scattering from the substrate, a stable suspension of starch, is decreased as amylase hydrolyzes the starch to soluble fragments. Values obtained for serum amylase correlate closely with those determined by a method in which a starch-dye complex is used. Precision of the n...

Production and purification of alpha-amylase by probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC 1407 has been investigated under submerged fermentation using Mann Rogassa Sharpe medium containing (1%) soluble starch in lieu of glucose (2%) as carbon source. Response Surface Methodology was used to evaluate the effect of main variables, i.e. incubation period, pH and temperature on enzyme production. A f...

Midgut α-amylase is an important digestive enzyme involved in larval energy metabolism and carbohydrate assimilation. In this article, the properties of midgut α-amylase from the Oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), larvae were characterized, and its in vitro responses to chemical inhibitors were also determined. The kinetic parameters Km and Vmax of midgut α-amylase w...

α-amylase inhibitors play a critical role in the control of diabetes and many of medicinal plants have been found to act as α-amylase inhibitors. swertia genus, belonging to the family gentianaceae, comprises different species most of which have been used in traditional medicine of several cultures as antidiabetic, anti-pyretic, analgesic, liver and gastrointestinal tonic. swertia longifolia bo...