Enhanced alcohol degradation and hepatic protective effects of an Acetobacter Pasteurianus-derived product, CureZyme-ACE, in an acute intoxication rat model.

Excessive alcohol consumption induces acute intoxication and various hepatic diseases. In this study, we investigated the effect of the CureZyme-ACE (CA), Acetobacter Pasteurianus (AP)-derived product, in acute intoxication rats. The ethanol and acetaldehyde levels of serum were lower in rats treated with CA than those who only treated ethanol. The activities of alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase also recovered faster in the CA group than only-ethanol group. The transaminase levels (AST, ALT) in the CA group were significantly lower than only-ethanol group. In addition, Hepatic histological analyses and stomach wall were demonstrated that the CA-treated group recovered faster than only-ethanol group. With regard to most characteristics, we found that CA had dose-dependent effects. At high concentrations of CA, there were no differences in the tested parameters compared to those of normal rats. These findings indicate that CA reduces the serum alcohol concentration and some of the hepatic damage caused by alcohol intoxication.

Antiobesity Effects of Short-Chain Chitosan in Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Dietary chitosan is known for its antiobesity effects by combining with bile acid and lipid droplets. When the chitosan structure is broken into short chains, the fat-binding capacity increases. The aim of this study was to compare long-chain chitosan (LC) with short-chain chitosan (SC) for their antiobesity effects in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese C57BL/6J mice for 12 weeks. The body weights of mice in both chitosan groups were decreased, especially in the SC group compared with the LC group. Total white adipose tissue and visceral fat weights were also decreased in mice of the SC group more than those of the HFD group. Moreover, SC supplementation lowered plasma triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol levels, whereas LC only lowered plasma free fatty acid level. Fecal lipids were increased in mice of both LC and SC groups, and hepatic TG and cholesterol levels were decreased in both groups. SC lowered phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity and elevated ß-oxidation in the liver. Furthermore, SC decreased the expression of the hepatic lipid-regulating genes, including fatty acid synthase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ1, and PPARγ2; and increased the expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC)1α genes. In conclusion, we demonstrated that long-term supplementation of SC can ameliorate body weight and lipid levels by increasing lipid excretion and regulating lipid metabolism, including some enzyme activities and gene expression levels, in HFD-induced obese mice.

Determination of process-related impurities in N-acetylglucosamine prepared by chemical and enzymatic methods: structural elucidation and quantification.

ß-N-acetylglucosamine (ß-AG) is a monosaccharide distributed widely in living organisms with various pivotal roles. The presence of particulates and impurities can affect the safety and efficacy of a product for its intended duration of use. Thus, the current study was carried out to identify and quantify the potentially-harmful process related impurities; namely α-N,6-diacetylglucosamine (α-DAG) and α-N-acetylglucosamine (α-AG), derived from the chemical and enzymatic synthesis of ß-AG. The impurities were characterized using a high resolution mass spectrometry, a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The developed method showed a good linearity (R (2) ≥ 0.998), satisfactory precision (≤6.1 % relative standard deviation), intra- and inter-day accuracy (88.20-97.50 %), extraction recovery (89.30-110.50 %), matrix effect (89.70-105.20 %), and stability (92.70-101.60 %). The method was successfully applied to determine the level of α-DAG that was 3.04 and 0.07 % of the total ß-AG, following chemical and enzymatic methods, respectively. It can be concluded that the enzymatic rather than the chemical method is more efficient for the synthesis of ß-AG. Characterization of impurities heeds the signal for acquiring and evaluating data that establishes biological safety.