Glucaric acid (GA) is derived from glucose and commonly used in chemical industry. It is also considered as one of the "Top value-added chemicals from biomass" as carbohydrate monomers to produce various synthetic polymers and bioenergy. The demand for GA in food manufacture is increasing. GA has also attracted public attentions due to its therapeutic uses such as regulating hormones, increasing the immune function and reducing the risks of cancers. Currently GA is produced by chemical oxidation. Research on production of GA via microbial synthesis is still at preliminary stage. We reviewed the advances of glucaric acid applications, preparation and quantification methods. The prospects on production of GA by microbial fermentation were also discussed.
Biomass ; Chemical Industry ; Fermentation ; Glucaric Acid ; chemistry ; Glucose ; Polymers

Glucaric acid (GA), a top value-added chemical from biomass, has been widely used for prevention and control of diseases and the production of polymer materials. In GA biosynthesis pathway, the conversion of inositol to glucuronic acid that catalyzed by myo-inositol oxygenase is the limiting step. It is necessary to improve MIOX activity. In the present study, we constructed a high-throughput screening system through combing the concentration of GA with the green fluorescent protein fluorescence intensity. By applying this screening system, three positive variants (K59V/R60A, R171S and D276A) screened from the mutant library. In comparison, the recombinant strain Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)/MU-R171S accumulated more GA, 136.5% of that of the parent strain.
Biosensing Techniques ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Escherichia coli ; Glucaric Acid ; chemistry ; Inositol Oxygenase ; chemistry

Iron deficiency anemia is still a common pediatric hematologic disease in the world. First line treatment for iron deficiency anemia is oral iron supplementation. However, some children need parenteral iron therapy either because they cannot receive oral iron or because they do not respond to it. We used intravenous iron sucrose for three children with iron deficiency anemia who did not respond to oral iron. All were successfully treated without any significant adverse effects. Since studies about effects and adverse effects of intravenous iron sucrose on pediatric patients with iron deficiency anemia are limited, further studies are needed.
Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Child ; Ferric Compounds ; Glucaric Acid ; Hematologic Diseases ; Humans ; Iron ; Sucrose

As an important dicarboxylic acids existing in nature, glucaric acid has been widely used in medical, health, and polymer materials industry, therefore it is considered as one of the "top value-added chemicals from biomass". In this study, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a chassis microorganism, the effects of overexpression of myo-inositol transporter Itr1, fusional expression of inositol oxygenase MIOX4 and uronate dehydrogenase Udh, and down-expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene ZWF1 on the glucaric acid production were investigated. The results showed that the yield of glucaric acid was increased by 26% compared with the original strain Bga-3 under shake flask fermentation after overexpressing myo-inositol transporter Itr1. The yield of glucaric acid was increased by 40% compared with Bga-3 strain by expressing the MIOX4-Udh fusion protein. On these basis, the production of glucaric acid reached 5.5 g/L, which was 60% higher than that of Bga-3 strain. In a 5 L fermenter, the highest yield of glucaric acid was 10.85 g/L, which was increased 80% compared with that of Bga-3 strain. The application of the above metabolic engineering strategy improved the pathway efficiency and the yield of glucaric acid, which may serve as a reference for engineering S. cerevisiae to produce other chemicals.
Fermentation ; Glucaric Acid/metabolism* ; Inositol Oxygenase/genetics* ; Metabolic Engineering ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism*

PURPOSE: Many patients suffer with anemia after gastrectomy. Iron deficiency due to a decreased oral intake and malabsoption is the most common cause of anemia in gastrectomized patients. This study evaluated the efficacy of administering intravenous iron sucrose for treating patients with anemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2007 to October 2007 at Yonsei University Severance Hospital, we reviewed 47 outpatients whose hemoglobin levels were below 11 g/dl after gastrectomy. Iron sucrose was used for iron supplementation. To determine the difference between before and after the treatment (at 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after treatment), we prospectively examined such anemia parameters as the hemoglobin level (Hgb), the hematocrit (Hct), serum iron, TIBC, ferritin and transferin. RESULTS: Out of the 47 patients, only 36 completed their treatment. Eleven were male and 25 were female. The Hgb levels, which indicate anemia, were elevated 0.6, 0.8, 1.3, 2.1 and 2.2 g/dl after 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after administration, respectively (P<0.001). The changes from 1 week to 3 months were statistically significant, but those from 3 to 6 months were not. The Hgb levels of 26 patients, which accounted for 72% of all the patients, elevated up to 12 g/dl or more. No side effects or complications were found, but there was one case of temporary nausea. CONCLUSION: Anemia after gastrectomy is safely treated in a relatively short time with administering iron sucrose. The patients' Hgb levels are expected to increase in a week and keep increasing up to 3 months.
Anemia ; Female ; Ferric Compounds ; Ferritins ; Gastrectomy ; Glucaric Acid ; Hematocrit ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Iron ; Male ; Outpatients ; Prospective Studies ; Sucrose

PURPOSE: Limited information is available on experiences of intravenous iron treatment in children. In this study, iron sucrose was administered intravenously to determine its effect, the factors predicting outcome, and safety in children on chronic dialysis. METHODS: Twenty-one children whose serum ferritin levels were less than 100 ng/mL or transferrin saturations (TSAT) were less than 20% were enrolled. In 12 children on peritoneal dialysis (PD), the drug was infused intravenously as 200 mg/m2 (< or =200 mg) at week 0, 2, 4, and 6. In 9 children on hemodialysis (HD), it was given intravenously as 8 weekly doses of 3 mg/kg (< or =100 mg) through week 0-7. RESULTS: After treatment, serum ferritin levels increased significantly in both groups, and TSAT rose significantly in PD group. However, hemoglobin level did not rise significantly in both groups. Children with baseline hemoglobin less than 10 g/dL or baseline TSAT less than 20% showed significantly higher rise of hemoglobin after intravenous iron treatment. To the contrary, those with higher baseline hemoglobin and TSAT levels displayed higher rise in serum ferritin after the treatment. Although no serious adverse event occurred, TSAT levels exceeding 50% were noted in 6 patients in PD group. CONCLUSION: This suggests that 3 mg/kg/week of intravenous iron sucrose can be used safely in children on chronic HD, but 200 mg/m2 every other week may incur excessive TSAT level in some patients on chronic PD.
Child ; Dialysis ; Ferric Compounds ; Ferritins ; Glucaric Acid ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Iron ; Morpholines ; Oxazolidinones ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Renal Dialysis ; Sucrose ; Transferrin

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative parenteral iron sucrose therapy in patients with postoperative anemia following total knee arthroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 30 patients who had postoperative anemia and who had undergone total knee arthroplasty from March 2008 to November 2008. Those patients agreed on treatment with preoperative parenteral iron sucrose therapy. The other 30 patients without iron sucrose administration were selected as a control group from January 2007 to February 2008. In this study, age, gender, the preoperative and postoperative values of hemoglobin, the operation time, the amount of bleeding, the amount of transfusion, the frequency of transfusion, postoperative infection and the length of the hospital stay were evaluated and statistically compared. Postoperative complications were also assessed. RESULTS: Ant complications due to the administration of iron sucrose were not observed. At 48 hours postoperatively, the mean hemoglobin of iron sucrose administration group was 9.4 g/dL and that of the control group was 8.7 g/dL (p=0.008). Homogenous transfusion was done for 17 cases in the iron sucrose administration group and for 22 cases in the non-iron sucrose administration group, but among these groups, the results were statistically insignificant. The amount of homogenous transfusion for each patient who underwent iron sucrose administration is 1.3 units and this was 1.7 units for each patient who underwent non-iron sucrose administration. No statistical differences were observed between the groups in this study. CONCLUSION: Parenteral iron sucrose administration in patients following total knee arthroplasty was not efficacious for preventing immediate postoperative anemia.
Anemia ; Ants ; Arthroplasty ; Ferric Compounds ; Glucaric Acid ; Hemoglobins ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Iron ; Knee ; Length of Stay ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Sucrose

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of of intravenous iron sucrose (Venoferrum(R)) for treating the perioperative anemic gastrectomy patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From September 2006 to February 2007 at Seoul National University Hospital, the gastrectomy patients who displayed perioperative anemia (7.0 g/dl < or = hemoglobin levels (Hb) < 11.0 g/dl) and who were admitted or visited the outpatient clinic of the Department of surgery, were divided into two groups. The preoperative (< or = 2~3 weeks before gastrectomy) or postoperative (> or = 1 month after gastrectomy) patients without evidence of acute bleeding were included into Group 1. The immediate postoperative (< 1 month after gastrectomy) patients with stable vital signs were included into Group 2. The age, gender, diagnosis, Hb, hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), serum ferritin (SF), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), serum iron and reticulocyte counts (RC) were evaluated before and after intravenous iron sucrose administration. The adverse effects of drugs were investigated. RESULTS: The number of patients of group 1 and group 2 was 79 and 46, respectively. In group 1, there was a statistically significant difference in the Hb, Hct, MCV, SF, RC and TIBC with each mean change of 1.3 g/dl, 4.1%, 3.1fl, 195 ng/ml, 0.2% and -86.4 ug/dl, respectively. In group 2, there was a statistically significant difference in the Hb, Hct, MCV, SF and RC with each mean change of 1.8 g/dl, 6.1%, 3.4fl, 260 ng/ml and 0.3%, respectively. Two patients (1.6%) suffered local thrombophlebitis as an adverse effect. CONCLUSION: Intravenous iron sucrose for the perioperative anemia of gastrectomy patients was efficacious in the short period without significant adverse effects.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anemia ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Ferric Compounds ; Ferritins ; Gastrectomy ; Glucaric Acid ; Hematocrit ; Hemoglobins ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Iron ; Reticulocyte Count ; Sucrose ; Thrombophlebitis ; Vital Signs

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) frequently occurs in infants and adolescents. IDA is the result of an interplay between increased host requirements, limited external supply, and increased blood loss. In outpatient clinics, we often see children with iron deficiency anemia. Most cases in children are caused by incomplete nutrient supplements and growth spurts. However, we can occasionally see patients with poor response despite iron supplementation. Failure of iron therapy occurs when a child does not receive the prescribed medication, when iron is given in a form that is poorly absorbed, or when there is a continuing unrecognized blood loss such as intestinal or pulmonary loss, or loss with menstrual periods. In addition, the therapeutic failure of iron medication may indicate that the original diagnosis of nutritional iron deficiency was incorrect. In this situation, we have to evaluate other etiologies of anemia. Recently, many cases relating H.pylori infection to iron deficiency anemia have been described in the literature and H.pylori infection has emerged as a cause of refractory iron deficiency anemia that is unresponsive to oral iron therapy. Also, iron deficiency anemia induced by athletics in adolescent females has been reported several times. In this article, the author reviews various etiologies of childhood iron deficiency anemia. The most important consideration in treatment of iron deficiency anemia is disclosure of the underlying cause and its recovery. Dietary habits should also be corrected. To supplement iron, 6 mg/kg of oral iron supplements (elemental iron) is recommended in ferrous salt form. If oral administration is not feasible, intravenous supplementation is recommended using forms such as iron dextran, iron gluconate, or iron sucrose.
Administration, Oral ; Adolescent ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Child ; Dextrans ; Disclosure ; Female ; Ferric Compounds ; Food Habits ; Glucaric Acid ; Gluconates ; Humans ; Infant ; Iron ; Sports ; Sucrose

OBJECTIVECalcium Glucarate (Cag), Ca salt of D-glucaric acid is a naturally occurring non-toxic compound present in fruits, vegetables and seeds of some plants, and suppress tumor growth in different models. Due to lack of knowledge about its mode of action its uses are limited in cancer chemotherapy thus the objective of the study was to study the mechanism of action of Cag on mouse skin tumorigenesis.

METHODSWe have estimated effect of Cag on DMBA induced mouse skin tumor development following complete carcinogenesis protocol. We measured, epidermal transglutaminase activity (TG), a marker of cell differentiation after DMBA and/or Cag treatment and [3H] thymidine incorporation into DNA as a marker for cell proliferation.

RESULTSTopical application of Cag suppressed the DMBA induced mouse skin tumor development. Topical application of Cag significantly modifies the critical events of proliferation and differentiation TG activity was found to be reduced after DMBA treatment. Reduction of the TG activity was dependent on the dose of DMBA and duration of DMBA exposure. Topical application of Cag significantly alleviated DMBA induced inhibition of TG. DMBA also caused stimulation of DNA synthesis in epidermis, which was inhibited by Cag.

CONCLUSIONCag inhibits DMBA induced mouse skin tumor development. Since stimulation of DNA synthesis reflects proliferation and induction of TG represents differentiation, the antitumorigenic effect of Cag is considered to be possibly due to stimulation of differentiation and suppression of proliferation.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene ; toxicity ; Administration, Topical ; Animals ; Anticarcinogenic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Carcinogens ; toxicity ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; DNA ; biosynthesis ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; toxicity ; Female ; Glucaric Acid ; therapeutic use ; Mice ; Skin Neoplasms ; chemically induced ; enzymology ; prevention & control ; Thymidine ; metabolism ; Transglutaminases ; metabolism