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PubMed1977

Transport of alpha-amylase across the basolateral membrane of the pancreatic acinar cell.

The flux of alpha-amylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.1) across the basolateral membrane of the acinar cell was measured in the cell-to-bath direction using the whole rabbit pancreas in organ culture. This in vitro preparation is polarized so that apical and basolateral secretions can be collected separately. The unstimulated amylase flux from cell to bath was substantial at the initial rate (approximately three times the concurrent apical flux). With time, bath amylase approached a steady-state concentration, suggesting an equilbrating process. During the same time interval, ductal amylase secretion remained constant. At the steady state, the amylase concentration in the bath was at least an order of magnitude less than its ductal concentration. Hourly replacement of bathing medium reproduced the initial rate of amylase release into the bath for five consecutive hours. Pancreozymin (cholecystokinin), a peptide hormone, did not alter the steady-state bath amylase content, although it greatly augmented ductal amylase secretion. In contrast, a cholinergic agonist greatly increased both the flux from the cell to bath and the ductal secretion of amylase. Taken together, these results indicate a natural bidirectional permeability of the basolateral membrane to digestive enzyme and support evidence previously obtained suggesting that such a permeability might exist.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1985

Regulation and genetic enhancement of beta-amylase production in Clostridium thermosulfurogenes.

We studied the general mechanism for regulation of beta-amylase synthesis in Clostridium thermosulfurogenes. beta-Amylase was expressed at high levels only when the organism was grown on maltose or other carbohydrates containing maltose units. Three kinds of mutants altered in beta-amylase production were isolated by using nitrosoguanidine treatment, enrichment on 2-deoxyglucose, and selection of colonies with large clear zones on iodine-stained starch-glucose agar plates. beta-Amylase was produced only when maltose was added to cells growing on sucrose in wild-type and catabolite repression-resistant mutant strains, but the differential rate of enzyme synthesis in constitutive mutants was constant regardless of the presence of maltose. In carbon-limited chemostats of wild-type and catabolite repression-resistant mutant stains, beta-amylase was expressed on maltose but not on glucose or sucrose. beta-Amylase synthesis was immediately repressed by the addition of glucose. Therefore, we concluded that beta-amylase synthesis in C. thermosulfurogenes was inducible and subject to catabolite repression. The addition of cAMP did not eliminate the repressive effect of glucose. The mutants were generally characterized in terms of beta-amylase production, growth properties, fermentation product formation, and alterations in glucose isomerase and glucoamylase activities. A hyperproductive mutant produced eightfold more beta-amylase on starch medium than the wild type and more rapidly fermented starch to ethanol.

Amylases↗

PubMed1987

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the gene coding for enzymatically active fragments of the Bacillus polymyxa beta-amylase.

The gene encoding beta-amylase was cloned from Bacillus polymyxa 72 into Escherichia coli HB101 by inserting HindIII-generated DNA fragments into the HindIII site of pBR322. The 4.8-kilobase insert was shown to direct the synthesis of beta-amylase. A 1.8-kilobase AccI-AccI fragment of the donor strain DNA was sufficient for the beta-amylase synthesis. Homologous DNA was found by Southern blot analysis to be present only in B. polymyxa 72 and not in other bacteria such as E. coli or B. subtilis. B. polymyxa, as well as E. coli harboring the cloned DNA, was found to produce enzymatically active fragments of beta-amylases (70,000, 56,000, or 58,000, and 42,000 daltons), which were detected in situ by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned 3.1-kilobase DNA revealed that it contains one open reading frame of 2,808 nucleotides without a translational stop codon. The deduced amino acid sequence for these 2,808 nucleotides encoding a secretory precursor of the beta-amylase protein is 936 amino acids including a signal peptide of 33 or 35 residues at its amino-terminal end. The existence of a beta-amylase of larger than 100,000 daltons, which was predicted on the basis of the results of nucleotide sequence analysis of the gene, was confirmed by examining culture supernatants after various cultivation periods. It existed only transiently during cultivation, but the multiform beta-amylases described above existed for a long time. The large beta-amylase (approximately 160,000 daltons) existed for longer in the presence of a protease inhibitor such as chymostatin, suggesting that proteolytic cleavage is the cause of the formation of multiform beta-amylases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1981

Amylase-producing lung cancer: case report and review of the literature.

A case of hyperamylasemia with lung cancer is described. Macroamylasemia was excluded by a normal amylase/creatinine clearance ratio and by a sedimentation constant obtained by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Positive immunofluorescent staining of tumor cells with a specific antibody against human salivary amylase and significant amylase activity in the primary tumor and metastases support the hypothesis of independent production of amylase by the lung tumor. Cellulose--acetate membrane electrophoresis demonstrated three bands of amylase activity. The major component corresponded to normal salivary amylase in electrophoretic mobility, isoelectric point and molecular size. The minor bands, one of which occupied about 10% of the total amylase activity in serum, urine and tissue homogenates, demonstrated a lower electrophoretic mobility and a more acidic isoelectric point. Gel filtration and electrophoresis disclosed that these minor bands were derived from an amylase isozyme with a larger molecular size than that of normal salivary amylase. The results suggest ectopic tumor production of heterogenous amylase isozymes, with the larger form being secreted into the circulation.

Adenocarcinoma, Papillary↗

PubMed1984

Regulation of amylase messenger RNA concentration in rat pancreas by food content.

Regulation of the expression of pancreatic amylase genes was studied by comparing groups of rats fed diets with high (75%), intermediate (20%) and low (11%) carbohydrate content. Animals on the high carbohydrate diet had nine times as much amylase mRNA as those on low carbohydrate diet, and twice as much as the intermediate group, as determined by filter hybridization of equal amounts of total pancreatic RNA to an excess of a cloned rat amylase cDNA probe. Parallel results were obtained when levels of translatable amylase RNA were compared by means of an RNA-dependent rabbit reticulocyte cell-free system. Amylase mRNA-directed synthesis represented 35% of the total in the high carbohydrate group, 4% in the low group and 14% in the intermediate group. Relative rates of amylase synthesis, determined 30 min after [3H]phenylalanine injection, followed the same pattern. While 37% of total was incorporated into amylase in the high carbohydrate group, only 8% was incorporated in the low carbohydrate group, as compared with 22% in the intermediate group. These data indicate that modifications of diet composition alter the expression of pancreatic amylase genes as a consequence of changing the level of their transcript, and that pancreatic amylase production is mostly regulated at the pre-translational level.

Amylases↗

PubMed2003

Cloning and characterization of a second alpha-amylase gene (LKA2) from Lipomyces kononenkoae IGC4052B and its expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Lipomyces kononenkoae secretes a battery of highly effective amylases (i.e. alpha-amylase, glucoamylase, isoamylase and cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase activities) and is therefore considered as one of the most efficient raw starch-degrading yeasts known. Previously, we have cloned and characterized genomic and cDNA copies of the LKA1 alpha-amylase gene from L. kononenkoae IGC4052B (CBS5608T) and expressed them in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here we report on the cloning and characterization of the genomic and cDNA copies of a second alpha-amylase gene (LKA2) from the same strain of L. kononenkoae. LKA2 was cloned initially as a 1663 bp cDNA harbouring an open reading frame (ORF) of 1496 nucleotides. Sequence analysis of LKA2 revealed that this ORF encodes a protein (Lka2p) of 499 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight of 55,307 Da. The LKA2-encoded alpha-amylase showed significant homology to several bacterial cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferases and also to the alpha-amylases of Aspergillus nidulans, Debaryomyces occidentalis, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and Sz. pombe. When LKA2 was expressed under the control of the phosphoglycerate kinase gene promoter (PGK1(p)) in S. cerevisiae, it was found that the genomic copy contained a 55 bp intron that impaired the production of biologically active Lka2p in the heterologous host. In contrast to the genomic copy, the expression of the cDNA construct of PGK1p-LKA2 in S. cerevisiae resulted in the production of biologically active alpha-amylase. The LKA2-encoded alpha-amylase produced by S. cerevisiae exhibited a high specificity towards substrates containing alpha-1,4 glucosidic linkages. The optimum pH of Lka2p was found to be 3.5 and the optimum temperature was 60 degrees C. Besides LKA1, LKA2 is only the second L. kononenkoae gene ever cloned and expressed in S. cerevisiae. The cloning, characterization and co-expression of these two genes encoding these highly efficient alpha-amylases form an important part of an extensive research programme aimed at the development of amylolytic strains of S. cerevisiae for the efficient bioconversion of starch into commercially important commodities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Cloning and expression of an amylase gene from Streptococcus bovis in Escherichia coli.

An amylase gene was identified in a Streptococcus bovis 033 lambda gtWES lambda B genomic library. Using a starch overlay and a Congo red-iodine staining procedure, amylase positive clones could be identified by zones of clearing. Ten amylase positive clones were identified using this procedure. The clone chosen for further study, lambda SBA105, contained an insert of approximately 7.5 kb. The insert was mapped, and subcloning localized the amylase gene to a region of approximately 3.1 kb. Cloning of the 3.1 kb amylase fragment into pUC18 in both orientations revealed that the amylase gene was transcribed from its own promoter. Amylase activity was expressed by the Escherichia coli subclones and was found to be largely associated with the cytoplasmic fraction. Southern hybridization of genomic DNA from the amylolytic strains, S. bovis 033, S. bovis 077, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens 194 and 195 revealed a single hybridizing band in S. bovis 033 DNA only. This indicates that the amylase gene from S. bovis may differ from the amylases of these other amylolytic bacteria.

Amylases↗

PubMed1985

The structure of two distinct pancreatic amylase genes in mouse strain YBR.

The amylase complex on mouse chromosome 3 encodes both salivary and pancreatic amylase. It appears that one active gene is present for salivary amylase, whereas pancreatic amylase in some strains is coded by at least 4, and perhaps by more than 10, genes. Strain YBR is different from other strains in that it produces twice as much salivary amylase. Pancreatic amylase in YBR is present as two different protein forms, A beta and B beta, the sum of which amounts to only one-third of that in, for instance, strain A/J. YBR chromosomal DNA was cloned in phage gamma, followed by restriction and heteroduplex analysis of recombinant phages carrying amylase genes. Among 32 phage isolates, 5 carried parts of the salivary amylase sequence. The remaining phage isolates contained pancreatic amylase-like sequences and represented three nonoverlapping genomic regions, i.e., one of 34 kb containing a complete gene, PAN-II beta; another of 41 kb with a complete but different gene, PAN-I beta, plus a truncated gene, PAN-psi 1; and finally, one of 23 kb with another truncated gene, PAN-psi 2. Parts of the amino acid sequence of A beta and B beta have previously been determined, and we report here the sequencing of a 4-kb DNA fragment from Pan-II beta which establishes that this gene codes for B beta.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1982

Localization of amylase and mucins in the major salivary glands of the mouse.

Antibodies against murine submandibular and sublingual mucins have been raised in rabbits. Both antisera appeared to be specific. Using these antibodies, the mucins were localized in the acinar cells of the submandibular and sublingual glands respectively. The dyed amylopectin method was used to estimate the activity of amylase in the salivary glands. The enzyme was localized either by a starch-substrate film method or with antibodies against purified parotid amylase. The activity of amylase in parotid homogenates is about 1000-fold higher than that in homogenates of either submandibular or sublingual glands, in which the activity was comparable. Amylase was localized in the acinar cells of the parotid gland with both localization techniques. In the sublingual gland, amylase was found predominantly in the stroma around the acini, and there was some evidence that amylase was present in the demilune cells as well. In the submandibular gland, contradictory results were obtained with both techniques. With the starch-substrate film method, amylase activity was found in the granular convoluted tubular cells, whereas immuno-reactive amylase could only be demonstrated in the acinar cells of this gland. It is concluded that in the submandibular gland amylase and mucin are present in the same cell type.

Amylases↗

PubMed1977

Serum amylase isozymes in patients with chronic pancreatitis with hyperamylasemia.

In order to clarify the relationship between hyperamylasemia and clinical states in chronic pancreatitis, serum amylase isozymes were studied in 39 cases of chronic pancreatitis including 13 cases of alcoholic pancreatitis. Hyperamylasemia in chronic pancreatitis is generally due to high pancreatic type isoamylase (P-amylase) activity in acute exacerbation, sometimes accompanied by a transient elevation in salivary type isoamylase (S-amylase). On remission, however, hyperamylasemia due to high S-amylase activity has been found. These were cases of advanced alcoholic pancreatitis, which exhibited a characteristic pattern of low serum P-amylase and high serum S-amylase activities while the clearance ratio (Cam/Ccr) was normal despite high S-amylase activity. It should be noted that hyperamylasemia in chronic pancreatitis may be caused by high S-amylase activity in addition to high P-amylase activity, especially in alcoholic pancreatitis.

Amylases↗

PubMed2002

Cyclic AMP has distinct effects from Ca(2+) in evoking priming and fusion/exocytosis in parotid amylase secretion.

Rat parotid acinar cells were perfused in small quartz columns to examine the role of cAMP and Ca(2+) in the priming and fusion/exocytosis of amylase secretion. Carbachol (CCh) evoked a biphasic response of amylase secretion with an initial rapidly occurring large peak and a subsequent sustained plateau. Isoproterenol produced slowly increasing amylase secretion that reached the plateau greater than that induced by CCh. Combined stimulation with isoproterenol and CCh greatly potentiated amylase secretion. The rise and decay of amylase secretion induced by the combined stimulation was similar to those induced by CCh but not by isoproterenol, suggesting that the potentiation is caused by isoproterenol-induced modification of the CCh effect. Concentration-dependent responses of CCh-induced amylase secretion with and without isoproterenol showed that isoproterenol greatly enhances both the sensitivity and maximum effect of CCh. Similar potentiation was observed when the Ca(2+) effect was directly examined in cells permeabilized to Ca(2+) with ionomycin instead of CCh. In a Ca(2+)-free medium, CCh evoked an initial peak but did not produce a sustained plateau. Isoproterenol did not enhance the effect of CCh on [Ca(2+)](i). 2,4-Dintrophenol and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone did not decrease the CCh-induced initial peak of amylase secretion but markedly decreased the sustained responses induced by isoproterenol and CCh. These results suggest that CCh, via Ca(2+), has two distinct effects on amylase secretion: triggering of fusion/exocytosis and the priming of secretory granules. Isoproterenol, via cyclic AMP, also has two distinct effects: direct stimulation of priming and enhancement of the sensitivity to the Ca(2+)effects. Thus, isoproterenol stimulates amylase secretion by increasing the primed pools of secretory granules, whereas CCh increases the flux of secretory granules into/from the primed pools, which is greatly enhanced by isoproterenol.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

PubMed1996

Interactions of streptococcal glucosyltransferases with alpha-amylase and starch on the surface of saliva-coated hydroxyapatite.

The salivary pellicle consists of various proteins and glycoproteins which may interact with one another. Experiments were performed to elucidate the interactions of streptococcal glucosyltransferase (Gtf) enzymes with human salivary alpha-amylase in solution and on the surface of saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (SHA) beads. The Gtf enzymes -B, -C and -D, when immobilized on to SHA beads, reduced the activity of adsorbed amylase; GtfD showed the highest inhibition of salivary amylase activity. The presence of glucan produced by immobilized GtfD did not further reduce amylase activity. The amount of amylase adsorbed on to hydroxyapatite beads was reduced when salivary amylase was added simultaneously with any of the Gtf enzymes, suggesting that amylase and Gtfs may compete with each other for binding sites on hydroxyapatite. Starch hydrolysates produced by SHA-surface-bound salivary amylase were tested for their effect on glucan production from sucrose by Gtf enzymes in solution and on SHA beads; glucan production by SHA-immobilized GtfB was stimulated in the presence of starch hydrolysates. Glucan synthesized by SHA-immobilized GtfB in the presence of starch hydrolysates was less susceptible to hydrolysis by the fungal enzyme mutanase than was glucan made by SHA-immobilized GtfB in the absence of starch hydrolysates. Glucan production by GtfB associated with streptococci immobilized on to SHA was also enhanced in the presence of starch hydrolysates. The adhesion of oral micro-organisms to SHA coated with glucan made in the presence and absence of starch hydrolysates was investigated, and some bacteria displayed higher adhesion activities for the glucan made in the presence of the hydrolysates. Therefore, the interaction of amylase and Gtf enzymes on a SHA surface may modulate the formation of glucan and the adherence of oral micro-organisms.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1976

Further characterization studies of the alpha-amylase protein inhibitor of gel electrophoretic mobility 0.19 from the wheat kernel.

A highly purified amylase protein inhibitor from the kernels of hexaplois wheat, designated 0.19 according to its gel electrophoretic mobility, has been characterized according to its circular dichroism spectra determined at different pH values and in the presence or absence of dissociating and reducing agents. The 0.19 albumin has also been characterized according to the specificity with which it inhibits 21 alpha-amylases from different origins and according to its sensitivity to a number of chemical and enzymatic treatments of its inhibitory action on human saliva and Tenebrio molitor L. larval midgut alpha-amylases. Inhibitory activity of 0.19 toward human saliva amylase significantly increased when the inhibitor was incubated with the enzyme before the addition of starch, but it was not affected by the preincubation of 0.19 with starch. Maltose reversed the inhibition of human saliva by 0.19 and showed some inhibitory activity toward the enzyme. However, maltose concentrations that only slightly affected amylase activity were very effective in restoring the amylase activity inhibited by 0.19. The inhibitory action of 0.19 on human saliva and T. molitor L. amylases were equally resistant to trypsin and thermal treatments, but 0.19 was readily inactivated by incubation with pepsin or by reduction of disulfide bonds. The inhibition of the mammalian amylase by 0.19 was adversely affected by a treatment with CNBr (1:100 ratio of methionine residues to CNBr) whereas the inhibition of the insect amylase was not. As shown by circular dichroism measurements in the far ultraviolet, 0.19 is a protein with about 50% of ordered structure. Significant and largely reversible changes have been observed in the aromatic CD spectrum of 0.19 at alkaline pH values or in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. These changes, which were associated with a partial loss of inhibitory activity, indicate that ionizable tyrosine groups contribute significantly to the ellipticity bands of 0.19 in the near ultraviolet.

Amylases↗

PubMed1989

Mechanism of action of nicotine on amylase release by isolated pancreatic acini.

The effects of nicotine on the pH of acinar suspension, amylase release and on amylase response stimulated by carbachol were examined in isolated rat pancreatic acini. Additions of nicotine at concentrations ranging from 10 microM to 30 mM caused dose-dependent increases in pH of acinar suspension with simultaneous amylase release (p less than 0.05). There was no increase in amylase release when acinar cells were incubated with nicotine adjusted to pH 7.40. Carbachol alone released amylase whereas nicotine (pH 7.40) at a concentration of 10 mM caused a significant and nonparallel inhibition of amylase release in response to graded doses of carbachol. At concentrations ranges between 3 microM and 10 mM, nicotine at pH 7.40 inhibited amylase release stimulated by 1 microM carbachol, with a half maximal inhibition at 0.8 +/- 0.2 mM. These results indicate that in isolated rat pancreatic acini nicotine at pH 7.40 has no effect on basal nonstimulated amylase release but it inhibits carbachol-stimulated amylase response in a noncompetitive manner. These observations may have direct implications in underlying mechanism of pancreatic disorders.

Amylases↗

PubMed2004

Characterization of the seabass pancreatic alpha-amylase gene and promoter.

Seabass (Lates calcarifer) pancreatic alpha-amylase gene was cloned and characterized. The alpha-amylase cDNA has 1620 bp and the deduced polypeptide has 522 amino acids. Southern blot indicated that there are two gene copies in the seabass genome. Sequence analysis showed that except for the loss of an intron in seabass, the coding region and the exon/intron boundaries are highly homologous to those of mammalian amylases. However, the promoter regions are distinctively divergent. To investigate the seabass amylase promoter, a series of deletion mutants was generated and fused to the luciferase reporter gene, followed by studies of their functional activity in rat AR42J cell line. Besides identifying several potential regulatory elements that have been previously identified in the human and mouse pancreatic amylase promoter, we have identified a glucocorticoid response element (GRE). However, while the human and mouse pancreatic amylase promoters are highly homologous between nucleotide -160 and transcription start site where GRE is located, the 5' promoter deletion mutants revealed that the GRE of the seabass amylase promoter was located far upstream -947 to -776 bp of the promoter. Site-directed mutagenesis of the putative GRE and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) confirmed that this region was responsible for dexamethasone induction. However, no functional PTF-1 binding site, which is responsible for pancreas-specific transcription in higher vertebrates, was identified in seabass amylase promoter. Instead a Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3 binding site was found to modulate the amylase promoter expression. The evolutionary significance of this divergence in promoter regulation between seabass and mammals requires further studies.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Related dipeptide and characteristic dipeptide of optimal pH in alpha-amylase.

Alpha-amylase is an enzyme of great significance to industry, but most alpha-amylases are unstable at lower pH. In this paper, we have studied the related dipeptide and characteristic dipeptide of optimal pH in alpha-amylase. On analysis, it gives the explicit results as follows: (1) Ten dipeptides are associated with alpha-amylase's optimal pH. AH, DV, EH, HR, and YV are of positive correlation, AM, IC, NG, NL, and PS are of negative correlation. (2) GE, RE, GS, and KS are higher pH alpha-amylase characteristic dipeptides; AS, GS, DY, and GI are high pH alpha-amylase characteristic dipeptides; TE, VR, DS, and ET are middle pH alpha-amylase characteristic dipeptides; DK, NT, PT, and RV are low pH alpha-amylase characteristic dipeptides; AT, DS, GR, and SR are lower pH alpha-amylase characteristic dipeptides.

Dipeptides↗

PubMed2001

Development and evaluation of assays for the determination of total and pancreatic amylase at 37 degrees C according to the principle recommended by the IFCC.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was a) to optimize assays for measurement of total (T-) and pancreatic (P-)amylase at 37 degrees C based on the principle recommended by the IFCC at 30 degrees C, b) to evaluate the analytical performance of these assays in a multicentric study and c) to establish reference intervals for serum and urine for either method. METHODS: Optimized conditions for 37 degrees C were elaborated with regard to substrate concentration, pH, inorganic additives and glucosidase activity. The cleavage pattern of the EPS substrate was studied by HPLC. Liquid ready-to-use reagents for T- and P-amylase were provided to six European laboratories. RESULTS: The assays showed good performance characteristics (median intraassay CVs 1.0% for T- and 1.3% for P-amylase, median interassay CVs 3.0% for either assay, dynamic range 15-fold URL for T- and 30-fold for P-amylase), high correlation with the previous EPS methods (r > 0.996, slope 0.43, intercept < 5 U/L) in serum, heparin plasma and urine and good analytical specificity of the P-amylase assay (residual S-amylase activity 2.4%). Serum reference ranges were found to be 28 to 100 U/L for T- and 13 to 53 U/L for P-amylase (n = 775); URLs in urine were estimated as 490 U/L or 280 U/g creatinine for males and 450 U/L or 380 U/g creatinine for females with total amylase. CONCLUSION: We believe that these assays based on the 30 degrees C IFCC recommendation represent a further improvement in amylase methodology at 37 degrees C and merit broad application in clinical routine.

Amylases↗

PubMed1989

Effect of chemicals on fungal alpha-amylase activity.

The effect of 8 growth regulators at concentrations of 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 ppm on the activity of fungal (Aspergillus flavus var. columnaris) alpha-amylase was studied. Indol acetic acid (IAA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) inhibited alpha-amylase activity by 2% and 7% at 1,000 ppm. The other 6 growth regulators, indol butyric acid (IBA), gibberellic acid, cumarin, cycocel (CCC), atonik-G and kylar, did not inhibit but stimulated alpha-amylase activity (0 to 9%) at 1,000 ppm. All growth regulators studied inhibited alpha-amylase activity at 5,000 and 10,000 ppm concentration except kylar. The effect of organic acids and formaldehyde at 0.01, 0.005, and 0.001 M was studied. Acetic acid stimulated alpha-amylase at all concentrations, but formic acid, oxalic acid, lactic acid and citric acid inhibited alpha-amylase activity by 91, 100, 100 and 79%, respectively, at a concentration of 0.01 M, while by 31, 100, 15 and 20%, respectively, at 0.005 M. Formaldehyde induced 7, 3 and 2% inhibition at 0.01, 0.005 and 0.001 M, respectively. At 0.01 M either sorbitol or fructose inhibited alpha-amylase by 8%, Maltose 7%, sucrose 6%, phenol, glucose and galactose each by 5%, ethanol, glycerol, arabinose and sodium benzoate each by 4%, isopropanol and mannitol 1%, but methanol and ammonium citrate dibasic did not inhibit alpha-amylase. The results indicate that CuCl2, SnCl2, AgNO3 and Fe2(SO4)3 were the strongest inhibitors, followed by Cd(C2H3O2), HgCl2, Na2-EDTA, Na2HPO4, and CaCl2 in decreasing order. NaCl, NaBr and Mn SO4 did not inhibit alpha-amylase at concentrations from 10 mM to 0.01 mM.

Alcohols↗