In five acidic glycerophospholipids (phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, cardiolipin and two N-acyl phospholipids containing ethanolamine) from grains of japonica and indica rices, phosphatidylglycerol had commonly the lowest unsaturation index and cardiolipin had the highest. The order of unasaturation index in each lipid did not depend on the variety of rice. It was assumed that unsaturation index of the lipids changed with temperature during grain ripening except for cardiolipin. Cardiolipin usually had a high level of linoleic acid and a low level of palmitic acid compared with other lipids.

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From electromotive force measurements with surfactant and halide ion-selective electrodes, we obtained the degree of counterion binding (β) of dodecylpyridinium bromide (DPB) and iodide (DPI) and tetradecylpyridinium bromide (TPB) micelles in aqueous sodium halide solutions with concentrations of 0 - 20 mM. Under a geometrical consideration the micelle shapes and the surface densities of head group (s^-1) of these micelles were deduced from aggregation numbers evaluated from their relationships to the added salt concentration previously reported. The spherical micelles of TPB having the shape of an oblate ellipsoid had a constant β, 0.76, independently of s^-1. In the case of the spherical micelles of DPB, β was found to be 0.79 for sphere-shaped micelles and 0.82 for ellipsoidal ones. For DPI we obtained β values of 0.84 and 0.99 for the spherical micelles with the shape of an oblate ellipsoid and the rodlike micelles, respectively. From these dependences of β on micelle shape and s^-1, we conclude that β of micelles investigated increases in the order of sphere-shaped < oblately ellipsoidal < rodlike micelles but is independent of the micelle size unless the micelle shape changes.

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Cationic liposomes composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dialkyldimethylammonium bromides (DLAB, DMAB, DPAB or DSAB) were prepared by the Bangham method, and the effect of the alkyl chain length of dialkyldimethylammonium bromide on the membrane properties of the liposomes was examined in terms of the trapping efficiency, liposomal shape and phase transition temperature. Furthermore, the effect of stearylamine (SA) on the liposomal membrane properties was also investigated. Large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) with a diameter of approximately 1.0∼1.5 μm were formed by mixing small amounts of cationic substances, not only dialkyldimethylammonium bromides, but also SA. The trapping efficiency of the mixed liposomes was greater than that of the DPPC liposomes since the DPPC liposomes were multilamellar vesicles. The maximum trapping efficiency of the mixed liposomes was obtained at 0.05 mole fractions of the cationic substances. Furthermore, dialkyldimethylammmonium bromides with longer alkyl chains, DSAB, DPAB and DMAB, formed cationic substance-rich liposomes with DPPC, and they had the second maximum trapping efficiency at 0.75∼0.9 mole fractions of cationic substance.

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Some of proteases are added in detergent compounds for removing soil effectively. We focused our attention on bacteriolytic activity of detergent proteases, and found out the superior protease. Its bacteriolytic activity proved to be enhanced with alkaline and calcium binding agents. We thought that it remove microorganisms on garments as well as soil and prevent these microbial metabolism like malodor generation.

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Japan experienced food poisonings caused by degradation of fats and oils in instant noodle about 40 years ago. In those food poisonings, many peoples suffered from acute symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, emesis, abdominal pain, feeling of weariness and headache, but no one died. Therefore, the toxicity of oxidized fats and oils extracted from instant noodle was evaluated by acute toxicity test with rats and acute symptoms which relate to central nerve system like diarrhea, piloerection, crouching position and hypoactivity were observed in this experiment. As the results, appearance-numbers of diarrehea, piloerection and crouching position did not increase with the oxidation period of fats and oils and there was no significant correlation between these symptoms and factors such as peroxide value, acid value and p-anisidine value under the maximum non-effective does. However, there was a significant relation (P=0.005) between oxidation period of fats and oils and appearance-numbers for hypoactivity under the maximum non-effective dose. These results would indicate that deteriorated fats and oils affects central nerve system. This would be the first time to show the possibility that oxidized fats and oils has neurotoxicity.

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One bacterial strain was isolated from soyphospholipid enriched media of pseudomonas group and cultured in peptone, yeast extract and beef extract containing media. The kinds of enzyme from the bacteria appeared to have both lipase and phospholipase activity and specificity as evident from their mode of action on triacylglyceride and phospholipid as well.

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Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase catalize the elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as a superoxide anion radical (O₂^-·). But enzyme activity decreases in diseases in which ROS attacks DNA, lipid and blood vessels. Recent studies on SOD mimics indicate that manganese porphyrin (MnT2MePyP) express high SOD activity. But the half-life of MnT2MePyP in the blood is usually very short. In the present study, a novel reconstituted polymerized hemoglobin containing manganese porphyrins (MnT2MePyP-PolyHb) was synthesized. SOD activity of MnT2MePyP-PolyHb (IC₅₀ = 1.1 μM, k_cat = 7.3 × 10⁶ M^-1s^-1) was found to be somewhat less than that of MnT2MePyP (IC₅₀ = 0.23 μM, k_cat = 60 × 10⁶ M^-1s^-1). MnT2MePyP-PolyHb half-life in H₂O₂ (t_1/2 = 1070 s) was found to be as much as four times that of MnT2MePyP (t_1/2 = 250 s). MnT2MePyP-PolyHb may thus be a valid SOD model for effectively maintaining and prolonging blood circulation.

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