It is now believed that the inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes (CHEs) in the digestive tract can significantly prolong the overall carbohydrate digestion time and decrease the postprandial hyperglycemia after a meal. Therefore, inhibitors of CHEs can be useful therapeutic approaches in the management of diabetes mellitus, especially in the type 2, and complications associated with t...

?-Amylase inhibitory activities of ethanol extracts from six selected Iranian Salvia species (S. hydrangea DC., S. hypoleuca Benth., S. officinalis L., S. reuterana Boiss., S. verticillata L. and S. virgata Jacq.) were examined, using in vitro model. In addition, antioxidant capacities (DPPH• radical scavenging) and total flavonoid cotents of the extracts were also determined. The results showe...

The secretion of salivary α-amylase is influenced by adrenergic regulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; thus, exercise affects the levels of salivary α-amylase. Granger et al published a review in 2007 that focused attention on salivary α-amylase. In addition, a portable system for monitoring salivary α-amylase activity was launched in Japan at ...

Amylase plays an important role in biotechnology industries, and Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is a major host to produce heterogeneous α-amylases. However, the secretion stress limits the high yield of α-amylase in B. subtilis although huge efforts have been made to address this secretion bottleneck. In this question-oriented review, every effort is made to answer the following que...

The physiological and molecular bases for contrasting [alpha]-amylase phenotypes were examined in germinating seeds of two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars, Morex and Steptoe. Morex is a high-quality malting barley that develops high [alpha]-amylase activity soon after germination. Steptoe is a feed barley that develops only low [alpha]-amylase activity levels during this period. The expre...

We describe a simple, direct kinetic method for determination of salivary a-amylase (1,4 a-o-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1). The assay makes use of a well-defined substrate, p-nitrophenyl a-maltoside, which is hydrolyzed by a-amylase to a chromogenic product, p-nitrophenol. Activity is determined by directly monitoring the increase in absorbance of the reaction mixture. Amylase activity...

Addition of 2 mg of Pb2+/g of soil concident with or after amendment with starch or maltose resulted in 75 and 50% decreases in net synthesis of amylase and alpha-glucosidase, respectively. Invertase synthesis in sucrose-amended soil was transiently reduced after Pb2+ addition. Amylase activity was several times less sensitive to Pb2+ inhibition than was enzyme synthesis. In most cases, the rat...

Geobacillus stearothermophilus SR74 is a locally isolated thermophilic bacteria producing thermostable and thermoactive α-amylase. Increased production and commercialization of thermostable α-amylase strongly warrant the need of a suitable expression system. In this study, the gene encoding the thermostable α-amylase in G. stearothermophilus SR74 was amplified, sequenced, and subcloned into P. ...

The effects of the cholinergic and adrenergic nerve stimulations on amylase release from the segment isolated from the rat parotid gland were investigated, employing the combined techniques of electrical field stimulation (FS) and tyramine application with automated fluorescence method for measuring amylase. The maximum amylase release in response to FS for a short period (1 min) was attained a...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS α-Amylase in grass caryopses (seeds) is usually expressed upon commencement of germination and is rarely seen in dry, mature seeds. A heat-stable α-amylase activity was unexpectedly selected for expression in dry annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) seeds during targeted selection for low primary dormancy. The aim of this study was to characterize this constitutive activity bioc...