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The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different varieties, year and location of growing, and their interactions, on wheat starch and flour properties, and to analyze the relationship between these attributes. The set of 92 wheat samples chosen to cover wide ranges in the parameters commonly used for the assessment of wheat flour and starch properties was reduced to a representative set of 27 samples. The obtained results showed that wheat variety and year significantly affected maximum viscosity (MV), alpha–amylase activity (AA), amylose content (AM), volume proportion of A-, B- and C-starch granules, as well as gelatinization temperatures, while the year and location by year interaction had a significant effect on the falling number (FN). In this work, a number of significant correlations were observed among analyzed starch and flour properties. AA was mostly influenced by the changes in packing of starch granules and granule size distribution, while gelatinization temperatures were affected by particle size distribution. Additionally, when testing the suitability of the parameters for the estimation of alpha–amylase activity, it was determined that Amylograph was more reliable in predicting alpha–amylase than FN because it provided a better description of the state of flour starch complex.

Seeds with high vigor have greater capacity for hydrolysis and mobilization of stored reserves, which results in the formation of vigorous seedlings, and this behavior is observed under abiotic stress conditions. This study proposes to investigate the relationship of the enzyme alpha-amylase in lots of common-bean seeds with contrasting vigor, when subjected to the absence and presence of salt stress, aiming to identify the relationship of this enzyme with the vigor of the seed lot under these conditions. Seven common-bean cultivars were used. Physiological quality was determined by germination, vigor index and seedling length. The mobilization of reserves was evaluated under absence and presence of salt stress simulated with a NaCl solution with a concentration of 50 mmol L-1. The analyzed variables regarding reserve mobilization were reserve reduction, reserve reduction rate, seedling dry weight, reserve mobilization rate, starch, starch reduction rate and alpha-amylase activity. Results showed that the stress condition negatively affected all the evaluated variables; however, the cultivars classified as having greater vigor showed better physiological performance under stress. Salt stress in common-bean seeds affects seedling performance and reduces alpha-amylase activity during germination, and high-vigor seed lots exhibited higher enzyme activity in the no-stress condition.

Aims Stress is known to be a potential contributor to the development of diabetes and hypertension. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the association between cardiometabolic risk markers and the biological stress response have not yet been determined. Therefore, we examined salivary alpha-amylase and heart rate variability in relation to cardiometabolic status in a sample of healthy Japanese men and women. Methods Participants (473 men and 1,029 women aged 30-84) underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test after a 10-hr fast. The homeostasis model assessment index for insulin resistance was based on fasting and 2-hr postload glucose and insulin concentrations. Sitting blood pressure was measured twice after rest. A saliva sample was collected in the morning and salivary alpha-amylase was assayed. A 5-min heart rate variability recording was evaluated using time-domain indices of standard deviations of normal-to-normal intervals and root mean square of successive differences. Multivariate linear regression models were used to estimate associations between salivary alpha-amylase and each outcome measure. Results Salivary alpha-amylase was associated with fasting glucose (β=0.008; 95% CI=0.002, 0.014), 2-hr postload glucose (β=0.023; 95% CI=0.004, 0.041), homeostasis model assessment index for insulin resistance (β=0.032; 95%CI=0.000, 0.064), systolic (β=1.603; 95% CI=0.479, 2.726) and diastolic (β=0.906; 95% CI=0.212, 1.600) blood pressures among women. These associations remained significant after further adjustment for heart rate variability measures. Conclusions The elevation of salivary alpha-amylase may reflect a dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system associated with cardiometabolic abnormalities in women.

Background Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity is thought to be an indicator of mental stress. However, the relationship between sAA activity and mental stress in patients undergoing dental implant treatment has not been investigated. The present study aimed to examine the correlation between sAA activity and changes in the patient’s vital signs during dental implant surgery. Results sAA activity was higher after surgery compared to the pre-surgical measurements. A significant positive correlation was observed between sAA activity and heart rate (HR) (rs=0.434, p=0.007), as well as the peripheral blood oxygen (SpO2) (rs=0.392, p=0.016). Conclusion sAA activity and the patient’s stress levels tended to increase after the surgical procedure. A positive correlation was observed between SpO2 and sAA activity. A significant positive correlation was also observed between the between the HR and sAA activity, although there was no correlation between blood pressure and sAA activity. Thus, sAA may be a valuable indicator of the stress and anxiety accumulated during dental implant surgery.

Purpose High-fidelity simulation calls heavily upon cognitive capacities and generates stress and anxiety. The objective of this prospective, observational study was to evaluate the degree of stress in medical students by measuring hormone levels during critical care classes. Methods Overall, 55 students (senior years of medical faculty) of both sexes were divided into 5-person teams. Demographic data and information on diagnosed diseases, stimulants used, and previous experience in the field of medical simulation were collected with a personal questionnaire. Before starting the scenario (T0), after the end of the scenario (T1), and 120 min thereafter (T2), stress level was measured. For this purpose, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure, heart rate and blood oxygen saturation were evaluated. In addition, saliva was collected to determine alpha-amylase activity and the concentrations of secretory immunoglobulin class A, cortisol, and testosterone. Results Among hemodynamic parameters, systolic and mean blood pressure and heart rate were significantly higher in T1 than in T0 and T2 time points (p p p Conclusions High-fidelity simulation is a useful education method in medical subjects, especially in cases where a mistake could produce serious or irreversible consequences. It can increase stress hormone concentrations and thus can be assumed effective as a learning aid even in senior-year students of medical faculty.

The growing demand and application of industrially important enzyme necessitate the need to explore new sources with diverse enzymes ranging in their specificity and activities. Enzymes are safe alternatives to chemical synthesis due to minimum side effect and ease of manufacturing. Solid state fermentation (SSF) is a cost-effective alternative to submerged fermentation with agro-residues or waste, often being used as substrate for growing diverse organisms for production of metabolites. Current study is one of the scarce report on exploring alpha amylase and cellulase production ability Aspergillus ochraceus (MTCC 1877) using wheat bran as substrate at relative humidity of 90% and at 30 ºC, for 7 days. Result showed the potential of Aspergillus ochraceus (MTCC 1877), as potential source of the two enzymes. Results revealed comparatively higher alpha amylase activity in the SSF extract of Aspergillus ochraceus (MTCC 1877) in comparison to Trichoderma longibrachiatum (ITCC 7839). On the contrary, comparatively higher cellulase activity was observed in the SSF extract of Trichoderma longibrachiatum (ITCC 7839). The results showed the potential of Aspergillus ochraceus (MTCC 1877) as a source of the two enzymes. Variation in enzymes activity may be attributed to the experimental culture conditions and may be further optimized to enhance the enzymes yield.

Introduction: Pregnancy demands various physiological changes to be adapted by the body for growing fetus. Stress of pregnancy gives rise to altered hormonal release from hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) and sympatho-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis. Present study aimed to estimate salivary amylase activity in pregnant and non- pregnant females. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study we have selected 65 pregnant females and compared with 22 non- pregnant females. Pregnant females were grouped into three according to trimesters. Non stimulated saliva sample was collected from study participants. Salivary amylase activity was measured by coupled enzymatic assay. Results: Significant increase in salivary amylase in pregnant as compared to non-pregnant females was observed (p=0.019). There was significant difference in salivary amylase between groups of pregnant females (pp=0.08). Conclusion: Increased salivary amylase in pregnancy can be due to increased physical and physiological stress in pregnancy. Salivary amylase was studied as a marker of stress. Stress leads to increased sympathetic activity which in turn leads to increased salivary amylase. Saliva collection is non- invasive technique, easy to perform, less skillful and can be done repeatedly so it can be easily used for monitoring increased sympathetic activity. Keywords: Salivary alpha amylase, Pregnancy, Non- pregnant, Stress, Sympathetic nervous system.

Objective: To carry out the preliminary phytochemical analysis and to perform the in-vitro anti diabetic activity for the ayurvedic poly herbal formulation. Material and Methods: Preliminary phytochemical analysis was performed as per the standard procedures. In-vitro anti-diabetic activity was done by two methods namely alpha amylase inhibitory assay and alpha glucosidase inhibitory assay by taking acarbose as a standard drug for the ayurvedic formulation. Statistical analysis is carried out by means of graphpad prism software version 6. Results and conclusion: Preliminary phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, phytosterols, phenols, flavonoids and terpenoids in the formulation. The poly herbal tablet produced 32.2% inhibition of alpha amylase activity at a concentration of 125 µg/ml and 80.8% inhibition of alpha glucosidase activity at a concentration of 62.5 µg/ml. The present study shows that the selected ayurvedic poly herbal tablets has an anti-diabetic activity comparable with that of allopathic drug - acarbose tablet.

Ogi, a popular breakfast cereal and weaning food in West Africa was produced from maize, acha and sorghum. Ogi was produced from the three cereals and the gruels obtained were subjected to fermentation. The total starch content and alpha amylase activity during the period of fermentation of the ogi slurries were evaluated using standard methods. Total starch content was determined at 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h and α-amylase activity was also determined at 10 oC, 20 oC, 30 oC, 40 oC at 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h. The outcome of the research showed that α-amylase activity increased with increase in temperature and was highest in maize ogi (1.507 – 4.458 E. U) while acha ogi (0.497 – 3.219 E. U) had the lowest α-amylase activity . The starch content decreased with increase in time of fermentation time and was highest in maize ogi while acha ogi had the lowest. This shows that the higher the temperature of fermentation and longer fermentation time can increase the breakdown of starch by α-amylase in ogi slurry. The result of the Principal component analysis (PCA) showed distinct similarity in maize and acha. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering grouped acha into two groups (groups one and two) but grouped all maize and sorghum ogi samples together into group three. Due to the low starch content and low α-amylase activity observed in acha, it could be utilized in the production of gluten-free ogi with low glycemic index especially for vulnerable groups.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). There is evidence for a blunted HPA axis reactivity to psychosocial stress. Less is known about how the SNS reacts to psychosocial stress. Here, we compared the HPA axis and SNS responses to psychosocial stress and a non-stressful condition in patients with PTSD and in healthy individuals. Twenty-one women with PTSD and 32 healthy women participated in the Trier social stress test (TSST) and placebo TSST (P-TSST). We measured salivary cortisol, alpha amylase activity and blood pressure before and after the tests. Subjective perceived stress response was also assessed. We found a blunted cortisol response to the TSST in patients with PTSD compared with healthy participants 10 min (t (51) = −2.58, p = .01) and 25 min (t (51) = −2.16, p = .04) after TSST. We found no evidence for an increased SNS reactivity after psychosocial stress in patients with PTSD (all p > .05). Patients with PTSD, but not healthy participants, reported more dissociative symptoms (t (20) = −2.31, p = .03) and being more tired (t (20) = 2.90, p = .01) directly after TSST compared with the placebo condition. Our results suggest a blunted HPA stress reactivity and an increased subjective perceived stress response in female patients with PTSD. Longitudinal studies could test if these altered stress responses constitute a predisposition to or a cause of PTSD. Future studies should investigate whether these results are transferable to men.

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) present with dry mouth, polydipsia and taste impairment due to salivary secretion disorder. However, the underlying functional mechanism of T2DM remains unknown. The present study found that T2DM rats had significantly lower salivary flow rate and salivary alpha amylase activity, and attenuated salivary secretion responses to acid stimulation compared with control rats. Histopathological observation found that T2DM rats had inflammatory cell infiltration with increased expressions of IL-6 and TNF-α, oxidative stress, including decreased total superoxide dismutase activity and increased malondialdehyde content, and decreased expressions of β1 adrenergic receptor, cholinergic receptor, aquaporin-5 and protein kinase A in salivary glands, in particular the parotid gland. These results indicated that parotid gland impairment was more severe compared with submandibular gland impairment. Reduced salivary secretion may be associated with histopathological lesions and decreased regulation in secretory pathways in salivary glands.

The current study analyses the evolution of different human stress markers during an 8 h exposure to a Mediterranean Holm oak forest. We conducted a pre-post study with thirty-one subjects in which saliva samples were collected before the exposure (baseline) and after 1, 2, 4 and 8 h. Our results show: (A) a significant decrease in cortisol saliva concentrations from the second hour until the end compared to basal time, (B) a significant increase in alpha amylase activity after the first hour of exposure compared to basal time that remained elevated during the rest of the study, (C) a significant decrease in IgA from the fourth hour of exposure compared to the basal time. These findings indicate an effect of forest exposure in salivary biomarkers of stress and provide relevant data for the scientific and healthcare community encouraging further research in the field.

Pre- harvest sprouting (PHS) is one of the major constraint to wheat crop in areas experiencing high rainfall during the late maturity stages affecting both crop yields and quality of harvest in the world and north Eastern parts in India. This trait is polygenic and is affected by number of environmental factors. The available diversity for the trait is very limited and for improving tolerance newer sources of tolerance needs to be identified. The main cause of pre-harvest sprouting is the breakdown or lacking seed dormancy under humid and wet conditions and the starch in the germinated seeds is damaged due to alpha amylase activity. This review describes the factors affecting the pre-harvest sprouting tolerance, genes associated with PHS, physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanism involved in pre-harvest sprouting, screening for PHS and breeding approaches to develop improved tolerant genotypes.

In our current study thirteen new dinitrophenyl hydrazone derivatives ndash were evaluated for alpha amylase activity The molecular docking results indicate that compounds potentially bind in the catalytic site of the enzyme with excellent result Molecular Operating Environment MOE software was used for docking study dinitrophenyl hydrazone ndash were obtained under reflux conditions by reacting dinitrophenyl hydrazine in methanol with different aromatic as well as aliphatic aldehydes using acetic acid act as a catalyst Our results has shown that compounds IC micro g mL IC micro g mL and IC micro g mL were found to be the more potential alpha amylase inhibitors as compared to the standard acarbose IC micro g mL These compounds may lead better for alpha amylase inhibitor and further assessment of these compounds provide great help in the discovery of new anti diabetic drugs

Flour steam treatment is an effective industrial process that aims to modify the functional properties of flours. Its effects depend on both the setting parameters of the application and the intrinsic properties of the native flour used. In order to control the effect of these parameters, wheat flours presenting high and low initial alpha-amylase activities were subjected to various steam injection volumes on a pilot-scale level. All the processed wheat flours showed a higher gelatinization temperature, higher pasting profiles, higher water absorption indexes and lower solubility indexes. Changes induced by this treatment seem closely dependent on injected steam volume. Three main mechanisms appear to be involved in these modifications: endogenous alpha-amylase activity reduction, partial starch gelatinization and protein denaturation. Steaming can be used to normalize harvested wheat lots with initial amylase activities considered as excessive.

Background and Objective: Sudden death is the main cause of mortality and disability in patients with coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity level of salivary alpha-amylase to predict malignant ventricular arrhythmias in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Materials and Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 42 patients with STEMI who referred to Imam Reza Hospital participated. First, salivary amylase was taken from all STEMI patients and then these patients were divided into two groups of patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmia or without malignant ventricular arrhythmia during 72 hours. Results: A total of 42 patients were included in the study out of which 30 (71.4%) were females and 12 (28.6%) males. The average salivary amylase in patients was 118/41 ± 96/87. There was no significant difference in the frequency of diabetes, blood pressure, blood lipids, ischemic heart disease, and involvement severity in both groups with arrhythmia and lack of arrhythmias (P> 0.05). Also there was no significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, blood glucose, temperature and severity of infarction (P> 0.05). However, the two groups were different in terms of salivary amylase levels. Salivary amylase levels were significantly higher in arrhythmic group than in the non-arrhythmic group (P< 0.001). Conclusions: Our result shows that there is a difference in the concentrations of salivary Alpha-amylase activity level in with and without ventricular arrhythmias groups.

BACKGROUND: Salivary biomarkers could be useful to objectively evaluate critical illness and prognosis for survival in horses with acute abdominal disease. OBJECTIVES: To compare salivary alpha‐amylase (sAA) activity and concentration in healthy horses and horses with acute abdominal disease, and evaluate the association between sAA activity and concentration with disease severity and outcome. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort. METHODS: sAA activity, measured using a colorimetric commercial kit, and concentration, measured using a Time‐resolved immunofluorometric assay, in 25 healthy horses and in 33 horses with acute abdominal disease was compared using an ANOVA. Associations between survival to discharge and sAA activity and concentration and other clinical parameters were examined using univariable logistic regression and Spearman correlation. RESULTS: sAA activity and concentration were different between healthy (median = 4.3 [2.6–11.2] IU/L and 58.4 [53.4–80.6] ng/mL, respectively) and diseased (median = 29.8 [14.2–168.9] IU/L and 388.3 [189.1–675.8] ng/mL, respectively) (P

WOS:000734854500016 Aim of study: Improvement of barley cultivars for malting traits suffers from narrow genetic pool in barley for these traits. Landraces are resources that could be used for this purpose. The present study was conducted to determine the variation for malting quality traits within a Turkish barley landrace. Area of study: The study was undertaken in Tokat, a province in Black Sea Region of Turkey. Material and methods: Twenty-five diverse lines, out of 42 unique genotypes previously identified in ‘Tokak’ landrace (PI 470281) based on DNA markers, were evaluated for malting quality traits along with the malting barley cv. ‘Tokak 157/37’ in four field trials. Thousand-seed weight, test weight, grain yield, lodging, malt extract percentage, diastatic power, alpha amylase and malt beta glucanase activities, malt protein and starch contents were determined. Main results: Principal component analysis of malting quality traits revealed that thousand-seed weight, alpha amylase activity, beta glucanase activity and diastatic power were the most discriminatory traits for the lines. As the average of four trials, 15 of the 25 lines evaluated had higher grain yields and 10 of 25 lines had higher malt extract percentages than the standard cultivar ‘Tokak 157/37’. Malt extract was highest in Line 59 in all environments, and this line also had the highest values for beta glucanase activity and starch content. Line 215 had highest values for alpha amylase activity. Lines 59 and 215 clearly had superior malting quality. Research highlights: These lines could harbor novel alleles for these traits to be used in malting barley improvement.

For the measurement of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity, saliva samples first have to be diluted. There is some evidence for instability, that is, a decline of sAA activity in diluted samples. It is not clear which factors during dilution may contribute to this phenomenon and how quickly this decline of sAA activity occurs. Several experiments were conducted to investigate whether and how the material of the container (polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), glass; experiment 1) and the diluent (saline (NaCl) solution, phosphate buffer saline (PBS), ultra-pure water; experiment 2) may affect sAA stability in diluted samples over a broad time window of up to 5 h. To study the velocity of the phenomenon in a fine-grained temporal resolution, sAA activity during the dilution process was studied (experiment 3). The results suggest that the (in)stability of sAA activity in diluted samples is determined by the interaction of material, diluent, and time. The sAA activity was relatively stable if saliva samples were diluted with a NaCl solution or PBS in glass tubes. However, sAA activity in diluted samples decreased in plastic containers (PS, PP), or if ultra-pure water was used as the diluent. There was a clear time effect on this decline. However, the decline appears to require some time to evolve and may not occur immediately during the dilution process. To conclude, the dilution of saliva samples should preferably be conducted with NaCl solution or PBS in glass containers. If glass containers are not available, PS and PP containers can be used if the dilution is processed quickly (within 25 min) and the measurement is initiated immediately upon dilution.

Recent focus is on analysis of biological activities of extracts from plant species. Zygophyllaceae is exceedingly important angiosperm family with many taxa being used in folk medicines widely dispersed in arid and semi-arid zones of Balochistan, Pakistan. Only a small proportion of them have been scientifically analyzed and many species are nearly facing extinction. Therefore present investigation explores the biochemical and bioactive potential of fourteen folk medicinal plants usually used for treatments of different ailments. Fresh aerial parts of nine taxa and two fruit samples were collected from plants growing in arid and semi-arid zones of Balochistan and analyzed for enzymatic, non-enzymatic and other biochemical activities. Higher phytochemical activities were detected in the aerial parts. Superoxide dismutase was detected maximum in Fagonia indica, (184.7±5.17 units/g), ascorbate peroxidase in Tribulus longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (947.5±12.5 Units/g), catalase and peroxidase was higher in Peganum harmala (555.0±5.0 and 2597.8±0.4 units/g respectively). Maximum esterase and alpha amylase activity was found in Zygophyllum fabago (14.3±0.44 and 140±18.8 mg/g respectively). Flavonoid content was high in T. longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (666.1±49 μg/ml). The highest total phenolic content and tannin was revealed in F. olivieri (72125±425 and 37050±1900 μM/g. respectively). Highest value of ascorbic acid was depicted in F. bruguieri var. rechingeri (448±1.5 μg/g). Total soluble Proteins and reducing sugars were detected higher in P. harmala (372.3±54 and 5.9±0.1 mg/g respectively). Maximum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was depicted in Z. simplex (16.9±0.01 μM/g). Pigment analysis exhibited the high value of lycopene and total carotenoids in T. terrestris (7.44±0.2 and 35.5±0.0 mg/g respectively). Chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content was found maximum in T. longipetalus subsp. pterophorus (549.1±9.9, 154.3±10 and 703.4±20.2 ug/g respectively). All taxa exhibited anti-inflammatory activity as well as anti-diabetic inhibitory potential. Seed extracts of Zygophyllum eurypterum (96%) exhibited highest inhibitory potential, along with twelve other taxa of Zygophyllaceae indicated (96-76%) activity when compared with the standard drug diclofenac sodium (79%). Seeds of T. longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (85%) exhibited the highest anti-diabetic activity; other eleven taxa also exhibited inhibitory activity of α-amylase ranging from (85-69%) compared with Metformin (67%) standard drug. Phytochemical screening revealed that selected taxa proved to be the potential source of natural antioxidants and could further be explored for in-vivo studies and utilized in pharmaceutical industries as potent therapeutic agents validating their ethno-pharmacological uses.

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) and late maturity alpha-amylase (LMA) result from increased alpha-amylase (AA) activity in wheat, rice, barley, rye, and maize grain prior to harvest leading to undesirable degradation of seed starch. The starch degradation can reduce grain quality and thus crop values by up to 30% and in severe cases make them unfit for human consumption and usable only as animal feed. Specific environmental conditions of temperature and rain occurring at or near seed maturity lead to the onset of PHS or LMA. While environmental effects cannot be controlled in the field, genetic resistance/tolerance is possible. Genetic control of PHS and LMA is complicated by the numerous factors involved in modulating AA which ultimately leads to starch degradation. This includes multiple enzymatic pathways, multiple plant hormones, a complex signaling pathway, several physical factors, and potential protein inhibitors that have been found to mitigate AA. Here we review how AA activity is measured; what environmental, physical, chemical, and genetic factors influence it; and perspective on how PHS and LMA can be best mitigated with changes in climate favoring an increase in their occurrence in cereal crops, which form the bulk of calories consumed worldwide.

Background Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is considered a non-invasive biomarker of acute stress that can be evaluated by changes in activity and concentration, and also by changes in its isoforms, although this last way of evaluation has never been used in veterinary medicine. This research evaluated the changes of sAA by three different ways in which sAA can be evaluated in an experimental acute stress model in six pigs based in a technique of temporarily restraining. These ways of evaluation were 1) activity by a spectrophotometric assay, 2) concentration by a fluorometric assay, and 3) isoforms of the enzyme by a Western blot. Results Although salivary cortisol significantly increased due to the stimulus of stress and all the pigs manifested signs of stress by high-pitched vocalization, sAA activity showed an increase of different degree in the six pigs after the stress stimulus, while sAA concentration showed decreases in four of the six pigs. sAA activity did not correlate with sAA concentration or salivary cortisol, and a low correlation was observed between sAA concentration and salivary cortisol (r = 0.48, p = 0.003). The inter-individual variability was higher in sAA activity than in sAA concentration and salivary cortisol. Finally, three possible isoforms of sAA at 154–160 kDa, 65–66 kDa and 59–60 kDa were observed that showed different dynamics after the stress induction. Conclusions Although this pilot study’s results should be taken with caution due to the low sample size, it reveals a different behavior between sAA activity and concentration in pig after an acute stressful stimulus leading to evident external signs of stress by high-pitched vocalization, and opens a new field for the evaluation of possible selected isoforms of sAA as potential biomarkers of stress. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-018-1581-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To investigate the usefulness of the enzyme salivary alpha amylase as a biochemical marker of sleep deprivation in human subjects. Total 168 healthy school-going adolescents studying in 9th grade were selected randomly from morning shift (n = 84) and dayshift (n = 84) schools. The study was undertaken longitudinally for a period of 2 years. Study encompassed administration of questionnaire and collection of saliva samples from the participants. Activity of salivary alpha amylase (sAA) activity was estimated spectrophotometrically and statistical analysis was performed to determine the association between sAA activity and sleep duration. Excessive daytime sleepiness among students was also studied in association with sAA activity. sAA activity of students was found to have a negative correlation with the duration of sleep and a positive correlation with their level of sleepiness. Morning shift students were found to have significantly less sleep and correspondingly higher sAA activity as compared to dayshift students. A significant increase in the sAA activity was noticed in the second year as the students progressed from 9th to 10th grade. Higher amylase activity was also observed in sleep deprived students suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness irrespective of school timings. Salivary alpha amylase activity increases in saliva in response to sleep deprivation. School timings may modulate sleep duration of students. Present finding reveals that sAA could be an appropriate non-invasive biochemical marker for the objective assessment of sleep deprivation among individuals as well as at population level.

Despite being widely used, there is no standard protocol for α-amylase activity measurement with starch azure substrate. Boiling pre-treatment of starch azure suspension increased the reaction rate of hydrolysis catalysed by human salivary α-amylase (HSA) or porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA) and the sensitivity of spectrophotometric activity measurement has been improved. Kinetic constants, KM, and vmax, obtained from parallel isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) measurements on natural and starch azure revealed, that the blue starch derivative does not differ significantly from its natural counterpart from kinetic point of view. Interestingly, substrate inhibition was observed in starch azure hydrolysis characterised by dissociation constants 49 mg/mL and 16.4 mg/mL for HSA and PPA, respectively. In this work a new protocol has been suggested for α-amylase activity measurement using boiled insoluble starch azure as substrate at 5 mg/mL concentration.

The effect of cooking (boiling) on the starch digestibility, polyphenol contents and in vitro α-amylase inhibitory properties of two varieties of cocoyam: Colocassia esculenta (taro) and Xanthosoma mafafa (Tania) were investigated. The total starch contents of the raw and cooked tubers ranged from 25.3 to 35.6 g 100 g−1; resistant starch ranged from 9.7 to 20.9 g 100 g−1; digestible starch ranged from 11.7 to 24.2 g 100 g−1. The starch digestibility of the raw and cooked tubers ranged from 35.89 to 71.38% while their rapidly digestible starch values (expressed as g 100 g−1 of total starch) ranged from 20 to 32 g 100 g−1. The raw tubers contained considerable amounts of phenols and flavonoids and boiling of the tubers retained their phenolic and flavonoid contents. The aqueous extracts of the raw and cooked tubers demonstrated considerable α-amylase inhibition properties (32.47–46.62% over a concentration range of 10–50 mg mL−1) under in vitro conditions but which were lower than that of the antidiabetic drug—acarbose that had 69.08% inhibition of alpha amylase activity over a range of concentration of 2–10 mg mL−1. The study showed that the raw and cooked forms of the cocoyam varieties had low digestibility of their starches and exerted considerable inhibition of α-amylase activity under in vitro conditions which suggests the potential usefulness of the boiled forms of these cocoyam varieties as functional foods for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Tension-type headache is the most common type of headache across the world. Saliva as a non-invasive medium is used to detect a wide range of diseases. Salivary Alpha-Amylase (SAA) levels has been suggested as a potential indirect marker for detecting Sympathoadrenal Medullary (SAM) activity, which is activated by pain. Significant correlation was found between SAA levels and pain scale in patients with chronic pain. The purpose of the present study was to measure SAA activity in Frequent Episodic Tension-Type Headache (FETTH). In addition to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), we intend to assess intensity and various aspects of pain by McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). Methods:.A total of 45 females with FETTH (case group) and 45 healthy voluntary females (control group) were enrolled in our case-control study. Unstimulated saliva by spitting method was taken from each participant. Results: SAA levels were significantly higher in patients with FETTH (P

This paper describes the ability of a powerful antioxidant dihydroquercetin (DHQ) as a new inhibitor of the alpha-amylase. The enzyme activity was estimated in presence of different concentration of DHQ. The IC50 of this compound is close to 9 mM. Competitive kinetic mechanism of inhibition was demonstrated. Inhibition constant was estimated as 2.25 ± 0.22 mM (684 ± 66 ppm). It indicates a high affinity of dihydroquercetin to enzyme. The effect of dihydroquercetin as starch hydrolysis inhibitor was confirmed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae biological model. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated binding of DHQ through hydrogen bonding with Tyr 193, Trp 263, and His 327 of the alpha-amylase. These interactions cause the competitive enzyme inhibition. DHQ constitutes a promise in the development of new drugs for the control of diabetes mellitus.

A high molecular weight EPS of glucomannan nature was recovered and purified to get an yield of 2.8±0.5g/L from Lb. plantarum BR2 and it displayed potent antioxidant activity with 29.8% radical scavenging activity and 19% total antioxidant capacity. At 100µg/ml concentration, it is capable of inhibiting the alpha amylase activity by 10% and at 300µg/ml, it drastically inhibited the alpha-glucosidase activity by 67% which indicates its antidiabetic potential. More interestingly, at a concentration level of 0.1%, it reduced the cholesterol level by a margin of 45% in an in vitro assay. The sample didn't reveal any cytotoxicity against H9C2 normal cells indicating its potential for safe use as a food additive.

In order to evaluate the efficiency of the pasteurization process in liquid whole eggs, an UV/visible spectrophotometric method was developed and validated for the assessment of alpha-amylase activity. Samples were collected from 30 lots of raw eggs (n = 30) and divided into three groups: one was reserved for analysis of the raw eggs, the second group was pasteurized at 61.1°C for 3.5 minutes (n = 30), and the third group was pasteurized at 64.4°C for 2.5 minutes (n = 30). In addition to assessing alpha-amylase activity, the microbiological quality of the samples was also evaluated by counting total and thermotolerant coliforms, mesophilic aerobic microorganisms, Staphylococcus spp., and Salmonella spp. The validated spectrophotometric method demonstrated linearity, with a coefficient of determination (R2) greater than 0.99, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.48 mg kg-1 and 1.16 mg kg-1, respectively, and acceptable precision and accuracy with relative standard deviation (RSD) values of less than 10% and recovery rates between 98.81% and 105.40%. The results for alpha-amylase activity in the raw egg samples showed high enzyme activity due to near-complete hydrolysis of the starch, while in the eggs pasteurized at 61.1°C, partial inactivation of the enzyme was observed. In the samples of whole eggs pasteurized at 64.4°C, starch hydrolysis did not occur due to enzyme inactivation. The results of the microbiological analyses showed a decrease (P < 0.0001) in the counts for all the studied microorganisms and in the frequency of Salmonella spp. in the pasteurized egg samples according to the two binomials under investigation, compared to the raw egg samples, which showed high rates of contamination (P < 0.0001). After pasteurization, only one sample (3.33%) was positive for Salmonella spp., indicating failure in the pasteurization process, which was confirmed by the alpha-amylase test. It was concluded that the validated methodology for testing alpha-amylase activity is adequate for assessing the efficiency of the pasteurization process, and that the time-temperature binomial used in this study is suitable to produce pasteurized eggs with high microbiological quality.

The seeds of wheat variety UP 2565 were invigorated with static magnetic fields of 100- and 200-mT intensities for 1 h and hydropriming for 16 h. Seedling vigour and enzyme activities of all invigorated seeds along with untreated control were conducted in the laboratory. Seedling vigour parameters were significantly higher in invigorated seeds than that of untreated seeds. Among invigorated seeds, hydroprimed seeds took minimum time to emerge than magnetically treated seeds. Similarly root length, shoot length, seedling vigour index were also significantly higher in hydroprimed seeds than magnetically treated seeds. The magnetic treatments led to a significant increase in shoot length, root length, seedling dry weight, vigour index and enzyme activity in comparison with untreated seeds. Alpha amylase activity was also 2.7, 1.8 and 1.3 times higher in hydroprimed, 100- and 200-mT static magnetic field treatments, respectively, over untreated seeds. Electrical conductivity of seed leachate was significantly reduced by hydropriming and static magnetic field treatments. At higher magnetic field, seedling vigour and enzyme activity were reduced.

This study was designed to evaluate increasing dietary doses of an Aspergillus oryzae extract with alpha-amylase activity on nutrient intake and total tract digestion, sorting index, ruminal fermentation, milk yield and composition, blood metabolites and nitrogen utilization of mid- to late lactating dairy cows. Twenty-four multiparous Holstein cows (162.3 ± 107.9 days in milk, 636 ± 62 kg of live weight, and 31.6 ± 6.5 kg/d of milk yield) were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment. Eight cows used in the experiment had rumen cannulas to assess ruminal fermentation variables. Periods had 21 days, in which 14 days were allowed for treatment adaptation and 7 days for sampling. Cows were randomly assigned to the following treatments: control (A0), and Aspergillus oryzae extract to supply 150,300 or 450 FAU/kg DM. One FAU (fungal amylase unit) is the amount of enzyme which will dextrinize soluble starch at the rate of 1-mg per minute at 30 °C and pH 4.8. Treatments did not affect DM and nutrient intake, as well as the sorting index of cows. Alpha-amylase supplementation linearly increased (P = 0.031) crude protein digestibility and tended to linearly increase (P = 0.060) DM digestibility. Treatments did not affect ruminal pH, acetate, butyrate, propionate and total branched-chain fatty acids. Alpha-amylase linearly increased (P = 0.023) isovalerate production and tended to quadratically affect (P = 0.065) ammonia nitrogen concentration in rumen. Milk yield and composition, and efficiency of milk production were not affected (P ≥ 0.275) by alpha-amylase supplementation. Treatments tended to linearly decrease (P = 0.061) N excreted in feces. Treatments linearly increased (P ≤ 0.039) live weight and body condition score of cows. Finally, alpha-amylase supplementation did not affect (P ≥ 0.234) serum glucose, urea, and hepatic enzymes concentration. Increasing doses of an Aspergillus oryzae extract up to 450 FAU/kg DM did not alter starch digestibility, ruminal propionate production, microbial protein synthesis, and milk yield and composition of mid-lactating cows.