[Flavonoids as effective protectors of urease from ultrasonic inactivation in solutions].

Inactivation of soybean urease in aqueous solution at pH 5.4, 36 degrees C, and high-frequency sonication (2.64 MHz, 1.0 W/cm2) is substantially reduced in the presence of seven structurally different flavonoids. A comparative kinetic study of the effect of these flavonoids on the effective first-order rate constants that characterize the total (thermal and ultrasonic) inactivation k(i), thermal inactivation k(i)*, and ultrasonic inactivation k(i)(US) of 25 nM enzyme solution was carried out. The dependences of the three inactivation rate constants of the urease on the concentrations of flavonoids within the range from 10(-11) to 10(-4) M were obtained. The following order of the efficiency of the flavonoids used in respect of the urease protection from ultrasonic inactivation was found: astragalin > silybin > naringin > hesperidin > quercetin > kaempferol > morin. The results confirm a significant role in the inactivation of the urease of HO* and HO2*, free radicals, which are formed in the ultrasonic cavitation field.

Photocontrol of urease-collagen membrane activity.

(1) Urease (EC 3.5.1.5.) was modified with beta-1-[3,3-dimethyl-6'-nitrospiro-(indoline-2,2'-2H-benzopyrene)] propionic anhydride. Three amino acid residues of urease were modified by the anhydride at a molar ratio of 2000. (2) The activity of modified urease was decreased with ultraviolet irradiation and then restored to the initial activity with visible light irradiation. (3) Modified urease was used to prepare a urease-collagen membrane. The apparent Michaelis constant (Km) of the modified urease-collagen membrane ultraviolet light was identical to that of the membrane under visible light. (4) The optimum pH of the modified urease-collagen membrane was displaced toward lower pH values with ultraviolet irradiation. At higher ionic strength, the pH activity curve of the membrane was displaced toward higher pH values. (5) The thermostability of urease was increased with its modification.

Preparation of polymeric urease discs by an electron beam irradiation technique.

A preparation method of immobilized urease discs by an electron beam irradiation technique was developed, and the relationship between enzyme activity and preparation conditions was investigated. The immobilized urease disc was a thin circular film (200 microm, 5 mm phi) that is useful for biomedical applications. The activity of urease irradiated with 1 Mrad at room temperature was protected by the presence of cysteine. The activity of the immobilized urease discs was studied as a function of monomer concentration (80-90%) and the thicker disc gave a high activity. The durability of the immobilized urease discs gave a high activity. The durability of the immobilized urease discs was evaluated by repeated batch enzyme reactions, and a high activity yield (80-85%) was obtained.

Photo-oxidation of Jack bean urease in the presence of methylene blue.

Photo-oxidation of Jack bean urease was performed in the presence of a low concentration of methylene blue, which led to the complete loss of the enzymatic activity. The inactivation was more remarkable in an alkaline region than in an acidic region and prevented by the addition of histidine or methionine. Amino acid analysis of the oxidized enzyme revealed that the number of histidine residues had decreased to 73% that of the native enzyme, but the numbers of other amino acid residues were not significantly affected. Benzohydroxamic acid, a specific urease inhibitor, protected the active site of the enzyme against photo-oxidation. On the other hand, oxidation of the enzyme decreased its binding ability with caprylo- and benzohydroxamic acid to one-third. These results suggest that histidine residues are modified by photo-oxidation and are essential to both the enzymatic activity and the binding ability with hydroxamic acid.

[The study of photochemical immobilization of urease on polyether sulfone film surface].

A new method of using photoactivable ester with azido group was described to immobilize urease on polyether sulfone(PES) film surface. The effects of photoactive enzyme concentration, temperature, pH, irradiation time on the activity of immobilized urease were investigated. Reused times and storage stability were also studied. The results showed that the surface concentration of urease immobilized on PES surface was about 0.33 mg/cm2. When the irradiation time was 5 minutes, the relative activity of immobilized urease was the highest and the activity increased with the increase of the concentration of photoactive urease solution. The optimum pH and temperature of immobilized urease were 7 and 50 degrees C respectively. The relative activity of immobilized urease was stable (50%) after 12 times reused at 50 degrees C.

Radiation-target molecular weights of urease and of L-glutamate dehydrogenase, and their relevance to the size of the functional subunits.

Activities of the oligomeric enzymes urease and l-glutamate dehydrogenase were measured after exposure as dry preparations to various doses of electron radiation. Inactivation curves were exponential. ;Target sizes' deduced from these were small compared with the molecular weights of the whole enzyme molecules, but accorded well with independent estimates of the sizes of functional subunits. It was concluded that, when these were in associated from, there could be no transfer of absorbed energy between subunits.

Degradation of biochemical activity in soil sterilized by dry heat and gamma radiation.

The activities of three enzymes present in soil, phosphatases, urease, and decarboxylase, were monitered as indicators of the loss of biochemical information occurring when soil was sterilized by dry heat (0.08% relative humidity), gamma radiation, or a combination of both. More enzymatic activity was retained in soil sterilized by a long exposure to dry heat at relatively low temperature (8 weeks at 100.5 degrees C) than by a shorter exposure to a higher temperature (2 weeks at 124.5 degrees C). No enzymatic activity was detectable in soil sterilized by an even higher temperature (4 days at 148.5 degrees C). Soil sterilized with 7.5 Mrads of radiation retained much higher enzymatic activity than with heat sterilization. Combining sublethal doses of heat radiation effectively sterilized the soil and yielded enzymatic activities higher than those of soil sterilized by dry heat alone but lower than those of soil sterilized by radiation.

Appearance of high enzyme activity in immobilized urease disc by electron beam irradiation technique.

A new preparation method of immobilized urease discs for biomedical applications, which was a thin circular film (200 microns, 50mm phi), was developed. The method was achieved by electron beam irradiation of polyethyleneglycol diacrylate monomers in the addition of paper disc and bean powder as protective substance for irradiation by which a denaturation of the enzyme by irradiation was effectively prevented. The immobilized enzyme disc with a high enzyme activity (remaining activity yield), about 90%, was obtained. The enzyme activity was varied by the preparation conditions such as the thickness of paper disc, monomer concentration etc. The enzymes were trapped near the surface of the disc to be easily reacted with substrate. The trapped state of the enzymes appeared to be affected by a hydrophilicity of the polymers.

The Comorosan effect: single- and double-blind studies on the urea/urease system.

Characteristic alterations of enzymatic reaction rates by irradiation of the crystalline substrates for fixed periods with an Hg vapor lamp were reported by Comorosan in 1969. Results of single- and double-blind studies reported here support the validity of the key features of this striking and potentially important phenomenon.

In vitro inhibition of Helicobacter pylori urease: biochemical and ultrastructural analysis.

Inhibition of H. pylori urease was studied by means of electron-microscopy and electrophoretic methods using different urease inhibitors, such as acetohydroxamic-acid (AHA), L-ascorbic acid (AsA), copper ions, a combination of L-ascorbic acid with copper ions and UV light. AHA in two different concentrations and AsA at a concentration of 0.1 mg ml-1 showed incomplete inhibition of H. pylori urease activity in our electrophoretic experiments. Only membrane-bound activity was inhibited with AHA but not the activity localized within the cytoplasma as demonstrated by electron-microscopy. AsA at a concentration of 0.5 mg ml-1 and the combination of copper ions (1 microgram ml-1) with AsA completely inhibited the urease activity as demonstrated by electron-microscopy and electrophoretic experiments. Cu2+ ions in high concentrations (100 micrograms ml-1) and UV light exposure for more than 4 h induced a complete disintegration of H. pylori. Electrophoresis showed no active protein after UV light exposure of 2 h. Different urease inhibitors tested in this study showed dose-dependent inhibitory effects on H. pylori urease in vitro.

[Optimization of the conditions of immobilization of enzymes in a photopolymeric membrane]. / Optimizatsiia uslovii immobilizatsii fermentov v fotopolimernoi membrane.

The residual activity of enzymes immobilized in the membrane on the basis on 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone as photopolymerizable composition is studied. It is established, that under conditions of the immobilization at 20 degrees C the residual activity glucoseoxidase is about 35% from a initial level, horseredish peroxidase and urease from Jeack beans--42% and 20%, respectively. In case of an immobilization of beta-glucoseoxidase -50 degrees C it reaches almost 50% from a initial level. It was investigated the influence of different sources of UV-radiation and different substances on stability of the enzymes in the composition and in the immobilization matrix at storage. Dynamic of changes of enzyme activity at the photoimmobilization was characterized, and also the requirements for providing of its maximal storage was selected.