Exogenous lipase administration alters gut microbiota composition and ameliorates Alzheimer's disease-like pathology in APP/PS1 mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents the most common form of dementia in the elderly with no available disease modifying treatments. Altered gut microbial composition has been widely acknowledged as a common feature of AD, which potentially contributes to progression or onset of AD. To assess the hypothesis that Candida rugosa lipase (CRL), which has been shown to enhance gut microbiome and metabolite composition, can rebalance the gut microbiome composition and reduce AD pathology, the treatment effects in APPswe/PS1de9 (APP/PS1) mice were investigated.

Novel, natural allosteric inhibitors and enhancers of Candida rugosa lipase activity.

Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) is an enzyme commonly used in medicinal and biotechnological applications. Allosteric modulators of CRL could aid in modifying lipase-related diseases as well as improving biotechnological processes. Thus, a combinatorial approach of computational in-silico and high-throughput in-vitro screening was used to identify allosteric modulators of CRL.

Candida rugosa lipase alters the gastrointestinal environment in wild-type mice.

Diet and commercially available supplements can significantly impact the gut microbial composition; however, the effects of supplements often lack scientific data demonstrating the effects on healthy and diseased individuals. Hence, it was investigated, whether a frequently used supplement in humans, Candida rugosa lipase (CRL), gets delivered active beyond the stomach in the intestinal tract of C57BL/6 J mice and its impact on the gut microbial community and environment. We showed for the first time the movement of CRL in an active state through the mouse digestive tract by determination of intestinal CRL activity and free fatty acids concentrations.

A fast, miniaturised assay developed for quantification of lipase enzyme activity.

The discovery of allosteric modulators is a multi-disciplinary approach, which is time- and cost-intensive. High-throughput screening combined with novel computational tools can reduce these factors. Thus, we developed an enzyme activity assay, which can be included in the drug discovery work-flow subsequent to the library screening.

Oxytocin analysis from human serum, urine, and saliva by orbitrap liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Oxytocin (OT) is a neurohormone that has gained interest recently due to its emerging role in cognition and social/emotional behaviors, including possibly depression and autism. OT is commonly measured using enzyme- or radio-based immunoassays (RIA, ELISA), which lack specificity or are complicated to perform and involve hazardous radioactive material. We have developed a high resolution accurate-mass (HRAM) liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method that separates interferences and selectively and accurately quantitates native OT from human serum, urine, and saliva after solid phase extraction.