[Decomposition of human blood cholesterol by the enzyme from Actinomyces lavendulae]. / Razlozhenie kholesterina, soderzhashchegosia v krovi cheloveka, fermentnym preparatom iz Actinomyces Lavendulae.

In vitro experiments with enzymic decomposition of cholesterol contained in the human blood were carried out. The enzyme was obtained from the mycelium of Actinomyces lavendulae. As a result of incubation of blood samples in the presence of the enzyme at 37 degrees, the cholesterol content decreased and reached 30--43% of the initial value within 2 hours. The enzyme showed its specific effect only upon free cholesterol but not on its esters.

[Cholesterol breakdown by enzyme preparations extracted from Streptomyces lavendulae]. / Razlezhenie kholesterina fermentnymi preparatami, poluchennymi iz Streptomyces lavendulae

Cholesterol was decomposed by 75-90% during two hours by enzyme preparations from the disintegrated mycelium of Streptomyces lavendulae. The effect of concentrations of cholesterol and protein on the decomposition of cholesterol by the enzyme was studied; the higher the content of protein in a sample, the more rapidly cholesterol is decomposed; the rate of cholesterol decomposition increases with a decrease of its concentration. The optimum pH is 7.5-9.0. After dialysis and lyophilization, the activity of the enzyme preparations remains the same during two weeks, and then decreases by a factor of 1.5-2 in the course of the following thirty days.

[Activity of microorganisms decomposing cholesterol]. / Ob aktivnosti mikroorganizmov, razlagaiushchikh kholesterin

The rates of cholesterol decomposition was compared among cell suspensions of different microorganisms. Fifty seven cultures were studied: 2 strains of actinomycetes, 23 strains of proactinomycetes, 22 strains of mycobacteria, and 10 strains of bacteria. During four hours of incubation, 11 strains virtually did not decompose cholesterol at all, 10 strains decomposed it by up to 20 per cent, 21 strains by 20 to 70 per cent, and 15 strains by 70 to 100 per cent. The highest activity was displayed by Mycobacterium rubrum 297 and Mycobacterium sp. 2B, which decomposed all cholesterol in the sample within 4 hours. The high activity was also displayed by Proactinomyces sp. 2006, Nocardia opaca JMET 7030, and Nacardia erythropolis JMET 7252.

[Decomposition of cholesterol by Achromobacter candicans]. / Razlozhenie kholesterina Achromobacter candicans

The decomposition of cholesterol by the cell suspensions of Achromobacter candicans 42 and by the cell-free extracts of this bacterium was studied. The decomposition of cholesterol in the presence of the wet biomass during four hours of the incubation was 72.5 percent, and with the cells that were preliminarily lyophilized or treated by acetone 49.8 and 23.0 percent, respectively. The activity decreased from 70.0 to 50.0 percent if the biomass was kept at minus 3 degrees C during 70 days. The decomposition of cholesterol by the cell-free preparations (supernatant and protein after precipitation with ammonium sulphate to 0.7 saturation) constituted 40.0 percent of the cholesterol contained in a sample. One of the intermediate products of cholesterol decomposition was delta4-cholesten-3-one.