Soon-Duck Hong

A novel flocculant biopolymer produced by Pestalotiopsis SP. KCTC 8637P

SummaryA white rot fungus was isolated from rotted leaves and identified as Pestalotiopsis sp. KCTC 8637P. It produced a flocculant biopolymer. A flocculant was partially purified from the culture broth by series of precipitations with 95% ethanol and named as Pestan. The components of Pestan were consisted of glucose : glucosamine : glucuronic acid : rhamnose with a approximately molar ratio of 100:3.5:1.6:1.3.In kaolin suspension(final concentration was 4,800 mg/l), the highest flocculating activity was attained at the biopolymer flocculant concentration of 1 mg/l . The flocculating activity was observed most highest by the addition of cationic solutions, especially 8mM CaCl2 · 2H2O or 8mM FeCl3. The thermal stability of Pestan was sustained up to 70 °C.

Inhibition of DNA topoisomerase I by dihydrotanshinone I, components of a medicinal herb Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge

Dihydrotanshinone I induced topoisomerase I-mediated DNA cleavage in vitro as strongly as camptothecin, but topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage was not affected. In a DNA relaxation assay using calf thymus DNA topoisomerase I and supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA, dihydrotanshinone I reduced topoisomerase I-mediated DNA relaxation in a dose-dependent manner. Heat treatment (65°C) of the reaction mixture containing dihydrotanshinone I and topoisomerase I resulted in a substantial reduction in DNA cleavage, suggesting topoisomerase I and dihydrotanshinone I may form a reversible cleavable complex to induce DNA damage. A DNA unwinding assay using T4 DNA ligase showed that dihydrotanshinone I is a very weak DNA intercalator. These results suggest that dihydrotanshinone I inhibits the catalytic activity of topoisomerase I by the formation of a cleavable complex and at least in part through the intercalation into DNA.

Rheological properties of extracellular polysaccharide, Pestan, produced by Pestalotiopsis sp.

SummaryThe fluid behaviour of Pestan produced from Pestalotiopsis sp. KCTC 8637P was as a non-Newtonian fluid. The rheological behaviour of Pestan solution was examined by Power-law model, Herschel-Bulkley model and Arrhenius equation. As the result, Pestan solution was pseudoplastic behaviour with yield stress. According to increase of Pestan concentration, its flow index was decreased. Thus, low concentrations of Pestan solution were well exposed pseudoplastic property. Apparent viscosity of 0.2 % Pestan solution was 268.2 cP at 14.3 sec−1 and was higher about 2.8 times than that of Xanthan gum solution. Apparent viscosity of Pestan solution was stable over a wide pH and was maximum at pH 8. Also, consistency index of Pestan solution was very stable over wide temperature than that of Xanthan gum solution.