Enzymatic Resolution of Racemic Amino Acids

Part VII. Availability of the Acyl Derivatives of Lysine for the Growth of Rats

Abstract

The present paper is concerned with the availability of the acyl derivatives of lysine for the growth of young rats in the course of studying the enzymatic resolution of DL-lysine with mold acylase. The enzymatic resolution of DL-lysine to optically-active L and D-isomers was carried out in either of the following two ways, namely, the asymmetric hydrolysis of diacetyl-DL-lysine or that of e-benzoyl-a-acetyl-DL-lysine.
The oral administration of ε-acetyl-L-lysine to rats fed on the lysine-deficient diet supported the growth of young rats at a rate approximately two-thirds of that observed when L-lysine was supplied. ε-Benzoyl-L-lysine proved to be quite ineffective while diacetyl lysine showed a slight but insignificant increase in body weight.