From the series of the forced feeding experiment on rats of the amino acid imbalanced diets, it was observed that the liver tryptophan pyrrolase (TPase) and tyrosine-α-ketoglutarate transaminase (TKase) activities were markedly increased 3 hours after feeding the threonine-, lysine-free amino acid diet, but not much increased in the rats fed the complete amino acid diet. The ratio of the liver TPase (on the fifth day of the forced feeding) of the one essential amino acid-free diet (except tryptophan) group to that of the complete amino acid group and the ratio of the urinary N-methylnicotinamide (MNA) in the two groups (on the last two days) were correlated in the series of the experiment. This observation indicated that tryptophan, which could not be utilized for the protein synthesis in rats fed the essential amino acid-free diet induced TPase activity, metabolised to NAD, and excreted as MNA.
It was proved from the experiment done by the adrenal ectomized and intact rats that the mechanism of the induction of TPase was the substrate induction combined with adrenal, but that of TKase was mainly affected with the adrenal hormon.
The reason of decrease of the food intake by rats fed ad libitum the amino acid imbalanced diet was discussed.

View full abstract

Determinations of minerals were made on the samples of human milk and of commercial modified milk powder in Japan, in order to elucidate problems for improvement of milk powder.
Following ten elements, namely, K, Na, Ca, Mg, P, Cl, Fe, Cu, Mo and Zn were determined, and their “standard contents” were 50mg, 15mg, 26mg, 4mg, 14mg, 38mg, 76μg, 27μg, 0.2μg and 201μg, respectively, which were represented as mean value from the samples which had been obtained from Japanese women during the period of 2 to 4 months after parturition.
All the samples of modified milk powder under investigation had been those on the market in Japan since 1953, and problems on the improvement for humanization in respect of minerals were considered.
Discussions were based rather on general balance of minerals than on individual element in milk, although relatively higher content of Zn in milk powder was noted.

View full abstract

One anthocyanin (cyanidin 3-monoglucoside) had been isolated from the seed coat of black soybean by Kuroda and Wada. But according to the paper chromatographic test on crude seed coat extract of black soybean, it was found that the dark red color was due to two kinds of anthocyanins. For the identification of these anthocyanin pigments, the seed coat of black soybean was treated as follows.
From seed coat extract with 1% cold methanolic hydrochloric acid the pigment was precipitated with basic lead acetate solution. The lead salts were then converted into chloride by treatment with 5% methanolic hydrochloric acid. After concentration under reduced pressure, two pigments were separated from each other by mass paper chromatographic method. After purification on polyamide columns by elution with methanol, each pigment (A and B) was crystallized from 1% methanolic HCl.
Rf value of each pigment was determined by using the authenic specimens (cyanidin, chrysanthemin, delphinidin, delphinidin 3-monoglucoside etc). By acid hydrolysis of crystalline pigmints, one pigment produced glucose and cyanidin, the other glucose and delphinidin. By means of elementary analysis, partial acid hydrolysis, absorption spectra and other chemical properties, it was found that these pigments were cyanidin 3-monoglucoside (chrysanthemin) and delphinidin 3-monoglucoside.

View full abstract

Free sugar contents of wheat and naked barley of various ripening stages were determined by the application of paper chromatograms, micro-Bertrand and glucose oxidase methods.
Throughout the whole ripening period of these seeds, glucose, sucrose and maltose continued to exist, while raffinose appeared in the later stage.
Sucrose and glucose occupied the greatest part of all the free sugar contents in the seeds of wheat and naked barley at the early stage of ripening, and at the last stage of ripeness the sucrose and raffinose contents in these cereal seeds were the greatest part of all the free sugars.
The content of raffinose in these seeds increased in the later part of the ripening period.
The glucose content of seeds of these cereals gave maximum values at the unripe stage of seeds and gave minimum values at the last stage.

View full abstract

The effect of chlorophyll a, its decomposition products and the metal derivatives on the activity of trypsin was studied and the following results were obtained.
The chlorophyll a and the chlorophyllin, an alkaline decomposition product of chlorophyll, inactivated the enzyme, while the pheophytin, an acid decomposition product of chlorophyll, had no influence on the activity of enzyme.
The action of chlorophyll on this enzyme was inhibited by the presence of calcium ion.
The changes in the fluorescence spectra of the enzyme (the quenching of the fluorescence) occured after the incubation of this with Cu-chlorophyllin and Fe-chlorophyllin.

View full abstract

The effect of L-ascorbic acid on the chlorophyll a in the presence of free radical producing system during its autoxidation was studied and the following results were obtained.
1. Chlorophyll was decomposed by the presence of L-ascorbic acid and this decomposition was greatly accelerated by the presence of ascorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide together.
2. Ferrous and ferric ions promoted the decomposition of chlorophyll by ascorbic acid.
3. The fenton's system (hydrogen peroxide plus ferrous ion) and ferrous-EDTA system greatly promoted the decomposition of chlorophyll by ascorbic acid.
4. Thiourea could protect the decomposition of chlorophyll by ascorbic acid and also by the ascorbic acid-hydrogen peroxide system.

View full abstract

Rats fed on thiamine-deficient diet showed a slight increase in body weight for the first two weeks but the weight began to decrease thereafter and the weight was lower than the initial weight after 31 days. The body weight recovered by the oral administration of thiamine.
Wet weight of the liver from rats fed on thiamine-deficient diet showed a slight increase for the first 18 days but not thereafter.
Majority of thiamine in liver cells was present in the cytoplasm and showed a rapid decrease with continuation of thiamine-deficient diet.
Ribosomal pattern of the post-mitochondrial supernatant fraction showed decrease in heavy polysomes and increase in light polysomes after 18 days on thiamine-deficient diet, and this tendency appeared more markedly after 25 to 31 days of thiamine deficiency, but recovered rapidly by the administration of thiamine.
In the purified ribosomal pattern, heavy polysomes tended to increase after 7 days of thiamine deficiency and incorporation of [³H] orotic acid into the polysomal RNA increased in the polymer portion above trimers. After 25 to 31 days of thiamine deficiency, heavy polysomes decreased and light polysomes increased markedly, and incorporation of [³H] orotic acid also decreased markedly. Ratio of polysomes of aver hexamers to total polysome showed transitory increase after 7 days of thiamine deficiency but decreased thereafter.
Specific activity of the incorporation of [³H] orotic acid into the polysomal RNA in vivo and that of the incorporation of [¹⁴C]-leucine into the polysomal RNA in vitro showed a transitory increase after7 days of thiamine deficiency and then decreased day by day. Specific activity af the incorporation of [³H] orotic acid into nuclear RNA in vivo increased slightly over that of the control after 7 days of thiamine deficiency but there was no great difference and the activity decreased after 18 days of deficiency. Both recovered rapidly by the administration of thiamine.

View full abstract

In an attempt to analyse factors affecting adaptative change of basal metabolism, experiments were designed to be performed with groups of rats which were acclimated in cold (5°C), control (20°C) and hot (30°C) chamhers respectively. Each temperature groups was subdivided into different food groups, ie. high fat, high carbohydrate (CHO) and high protein group. Results obtained are as follows:
1) The thyroid activity was demonstrated to be accelerated significantly in the high fat subgroup in heat as well as cold acclimation, while the high CHO subgroup showed a lower thyroid activity in heat acclimation as compared to that in cold acclimation.
2) The resting O₂ consumption was reduced in heat acclimation, while increased in cold acclimation. The reduction rate of O₂ consumption in heat acclimation was striking in high CHO subgroup, while less in high fat subgroup. The O₂ consumption of high fat subgroup in control temperature was also higher than that of CHO subgroup.
3) From these experimental results, it may be concluded that the reduction of oxygen consumption in heat acclimation is due to the reduction of thyroid activity. The effect of heat acclimation is strik3 ing in high CHO feeding, while less remarkable in high fat feeding. These dietary effect on difference of metabolism in heat acclimation may be a factor initiating the difference of seasonal variation of basal metabolism between Japanese and Western people whose dietary composition is quite different.
4) By feeding the food containing 0.1% propyl-thiouracil to block the thyroxine formation, the effect of food composition upon the thyroid function did not disappear, while the effects were diminished by hypophysectomy. Thus T. S. H. seems to play a role in the mechanism of dietary effect.
5) From above experimental results, it may be concluded that the high fat diet accelerates the cold acclimation, while high CHO diet promotes the heat acclimation.

View full abstract

1. Experiments were designed to be carried out with dog's intestine to study amino acid absorption. Similar experiments were designed to study the fate of amino acids after administration of 14C-labelled amino acids to rats. Results of experiments are follows: Two thirds of amino acids, disappeared from the intestinal lumen in 30 minutes after administration, were found to be retained in the wall of intestine, mainly as a bound form, i. e. protein. The remaining amount, 1/3 of the amino acid absorbed from the intestinal lumen, appeared in the portal blood. One half or two thirds of the amino acids absorbed in the portal blood are retained in liver to be utilized for protein synthesis or for other physiological need. The remaining of the amino acid not retained and passed through the liver are utilized in the other tissues. Thus the amino acid taken in the total circulating blood is only one thirds- or one nineth of the amino acids absorbed from the intestinal lumen in 30 minutes after administratron. The amino acid thus retained in the intestinal wall and liver was found to be transported by the blood in a bound form, probably in a form of protein to various tissues in the body. Thus the protein which bounds the absorbed amino acids in the intestinal wall and liver seems to play a role as a functional reserve protein.
2. Nutritional efficiency of amino acid mixture of various composition was examined with the human subjects by measuring the amino acid concentration in serum after administration of various kinds of amino acid mixture. The results were confirmed with rats by measuring the growth curve, protein efficiency ratio and net protein utilization. Experimental results revealed that the utilization efficiency is the best with the amino acid mixture which contains the same amounts of the non essential amino acid with that of the essential amino acids of FAO pattern. The E/T ratio of the mixture is about 4.0.

View full abstract

The protective effects of mucin and chondroitin sulfate (Ch-S) on the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AsA) were studied. The results obtained are summarized as follows:
(1) AsA in 0.1M phosphate buffer (pH 6.4 and 7.4) was protected from oxidation by the addition of more than 0.05% of Ch-S and 0.01% of mucin at 37°C, but not in 0.1M veronal buffer (pH 8.6).
(2) Similar results were also observed in the presence of 500γ% of Fe⁺⁺⁺ and 50γ % of Cu⁺⁺ in the AsA solutions containing mucin and Ch-S, and mucin was more effective than Ch-S.
(3) Iron chondroitin sulfate and copper chondroitin sulfate prepared by the reaction of Ch-S with FeSO₄ and CuSO₄ did not show the protective effect.
(4) At 60° and 80°, the AsA oxidation was slightly protected by the addition of 0.1-1.0% of mucin and Ch-S at pH 6.4, but not at pH 7.4.
(5) d-Glucuronic acid and sulfuric acid, the constituents of mucin and Ch-S, showed a slight protective effect on the AsA oxidation, whereas N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine didn't.
A mechanism of protective action shown by means of mucin and Ch-S on the oxidation of AsA was also discussed.

View full abstract

The effects of myo-inosite on the growth of young rats (Sprauge-Dawley strain) were observed for 54 days.
When the animals fed with basal diet were administered myo-inosite at a level of 0.5 to 2.0mg per day, it was shown a marked increase of body weight as compared with that of the control fed only with basal diet.
The administration of myo-inosite to the animals resulted in the increase of protein and total lipid levels and the decrease of non-protein N and cholesterol levels in the blood serum.
The enzymic activities involved in the synthesis of myo-inosite in liver, kidney and testicle, were not influenced markedly by the administration of myo-inosite to the animals.

View full abstract