The solubilities of benzylalkyldimethylammonium salts (BADAX) in benzene were characterized by the
specific Krafft boundaries, depending on their molecular structures. BADAX affords not only the Krafft
boundary but also the immiscibility gap in water or aqueous electrolyte solutions. BADAX formed aggregates
in aqueous solution or in benzene when its concentration was above the critical solubility concentration
(csc) of the Krafft boundary. It is assumed that the aggregate structure varies successively with the change
in electrolyte concentration or oil−water ratio. The phase behavior of the mixture of BADAX, benzene,
water, and electrolyte was examined as a function of temperature or a function of component composition.
The conditions under which a microemulsion phase appears or coexists with other phases are clarified,
and the change in aggregate structure is discussed, on the basis of the solubility and immiscibility gap.
An enzyme from Aspergillus oryzae KSK-3, isolated from commercial rice-koji for miso brewing, showed fibrinolytic activity in liquefied rice culture and was analyzed. A culture filtrate of A. oryzae KSK-3 was concentrated by ultrafiltration and subsequently purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be approximately 30 kDa by SDS-PAGE and high-performance liquid chromatography-size exclusion chromatography. Its maximum fibrinolytic activity was observed at pH 6 and 50°C. The purified protease was stable between pH 4 and 9, at temperatures of up to 50°C. The activity of the enzyme was highest with S-2238 and was considerably inhibited by phenylmethylsufonyl fluoride and pefabloc SC. These results indicate that the enzyme is a serine protease. Moreover, the enzyme is edible and exhibited very high productivity (2,960 U urokinase per milliliter of culture broth). Taken together, the findings of this study indicate that the A. oryzae KSK-3 enzyme may be used as a natural agent for oral fibrinolytic therapy and nutraceutical applications.
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