Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc.

Sagami Chemical Research Center

Shimadzu Corporation

Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Ministry of International Trade & Industry

Director-general of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Mitbushi Gas Chemical Company, Inc.

Teizi Urakami

Mitsunori Oda

Chieko Itoh

Kiyosi Kondo

Shigeki Imagawa

Tomoko Tsuji

Kazuhiro Sugamura

Kohji Yamaguchi

Hisao Kobayashi

Toshio Nagai

Hiroshi Maeda

Eiichi Ozeki

Masahiro Harada

Yutaka Tokiwa

Takaaki Akaike

Akira Iwamoto

Tsuneo Yamane

Torakazu Tahara

Yoshiharu Tokunaga

Shunsaku Ueda

Hiroyuki Iesaka

Hideo Nishigoori

Chieko Yoshida

Jun Nagata

Reiko Michimi

Kenzo Tonomura

Nerve growth factor production accelerating agents containing oxazopyrroloquinolines, pyrroquinolinequinones and/or their esters as active ingredient are provided. As the oxazopyrroloquinolines and their esters exhibit such production accelerating activity, they are suitably utilized for preventing and treating functional disorders of central nervous system, particularly, Alzheimer's dementia, cerebral ischemia and spinal trauma, as well as for functional disorders of peripheral nervous system, particularly, peripheral nervous system trauma and diabetic neurosis. As the pyrroquinolinequinones and their esters exhibit strong nerve growth factor production accelerating activity, they are suitably utilized for preventing and treating functional disorders of peripheral nervous system, particularly, peripheral nervous system trauma, diabetic neurosis, etc.

Nerve growth factor production accelerators and compositions for

Biodegradable polymer blends comprising of a polylactic acid or a copolymer containing lactic acid as the main constituent, and a polyhydroxyalkanoate or a copolymer containing two or more hydroxyalkanoic acids as the constituents; methods for controlling the rate of biodegradation of a polylactic acid or a copolymer containing lactic acid as the main constituent, by blending as above; methods for manufacturing such aliphatic polyester polymer blends; and methods for molding such polymer blends; are provided. The aliphatic polyester polymer blends obtained in the invention are colorless and clear, and have excellent biodegradabilities, as well as excellent mechanical strengths. The blends can be molded similarly as in conventional thermoplastic resins, so that they can be utilized in many industries, without problems in the waste product treatment after the use. Furthermore, molded products with excellent qualities are obtained from the blends, because of their improved moldabilities.

Aliphatic polyester polymer blends, methods for manufacturing the same,

Nerve growth factor production accelerating agents containing oxazopyrroloquinolines, pyrroquinolinequinones and/or their esters as active ingredient are provided. As the oxazopyrroloquinolines and their esters exhibit such production accelerating activity, they are suitably utilized for preventing and treating functional disorders of central nervous system, particularly, Alzheimer's dementia, cerebral ischemia and spinal trauma, as well as for functional disorders of Peripheral nervous system, particularly, peripheral nervous system trauma and diabetic neurosis. As the pyrroquinolineguinones and their esters exhibit strong nerve growth factor production accelerating activity, they are suitably utilized for preventing and treating functional disorders of peripheral nervous system, particularly, peripheral nervous system trauma, diabetic neuropathy, etc.

The present invention provides a process for producing oxazopyrroloquinolines which comprises culturing microorganisms to produce pyrroloquinolinequinone and adding .alpha.-amino acids or monomethylamine to the resulting culture broth which contains the pyrroloquinolinequinone and from which cells of microorganisms are not separated, thereby to convert the pyrroloquinolinequinone to the corresponding oxazopyrroloquinolines. The thus obtained oxazopyrroloquinolines include novel compounds. The present invention further provides aldose reductase inhibitors, diabetic combined disease curing agents, immunopotentiating agents and liver disease inhibiting agents which contain as active ingredient these oxazopyrroloquinolines having excellent physiological activity.

Process for producing oxazopyrroloquinolines, novel

A biodegradable plastic composition for forming biodegradable shaped bodies which includes a poly-.beta.-hydroxybutyrate having a viscosity of n.sub.A at 185.degree. C. and a polycaprolactone having a viscosity of n.sub.B at 185.degree. C., wherein the poly-.beta.-hydroxybutyrate is present in an amount C.sub.A of 10-45 or 55-85% by weight based on the total weight of the poly-.beta.-hydroxybutyrate and the polycaprolactone, and wherein n.sub.A, n.sub.B and C.sub.A satisfy the following condition:

Biodegradable plastic composition and biodegradable plastic shaped body

Pyrrolo quinoline esters, oxazopyrrolo quinolines and esters of oxazopyrrolo quinolines are effective at treating cataracts through their active oxygen scavenging activity.

Method of treating cataracts caused by active oxygen

Pyrrolo-quinoline quinone (PQQ) is microbiologically produced by culturing a bacterium in a medium containing methanol, methylamine or a mixture thereof as a carbon source and recovering PQQ from the culture medium. The bacteria are strains of Methylobacterium, Ancylobacter, Hyphomicrobium, Xanthobacter, Thiobacillus, Microcyclus and Achromobacter.

Process for the preparation of pyrrolo-quinoline quinone

Oxazopyrroloquinolines and use of oxazopyrroloquinolines

Disclosed is a process for the preparation of a copolymer, which comprises propagating cells of a bacterium having a capacity of producing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate mainly at a former stage, synthesizing and accumulating in the cells a copolymer comprising D-3-hydroxybutyrate and D-3-hydroxyvalerate by contacting the bacterium with a mixture of a carbon source utilizable by the bacterium and a primary alcohol having 3 to 7 carbon atoms, or with a primary alcohol having 3 to 7 carbon atoms, at a latter stage, and recovering the copolymer from the cells. According to this process, a copolymer comprising D-3-hydroxybutyrate and D-3-hydroxyvalerate can be manufactured in a large quantity at a low cost.

Process for preparation of copolymer

Disclosed is a method of curing liver diseases by administration of pyrrolo quinoline quinon triesters (PQQ triesters). The PQQ triesters include PQQ triallyl ester and PQQ tribenzyl ester which are novel. The PQQ triesters being ester form, they have no toxicity and can be orally adminstered.

Method of curing liver diseases by using pyrrolo quinoline quinone

A process for culturing methanol-utilizing yeasts, wherein a methanol-utilizing yeast is cultured in a medium containing methanol as a main carbon source, using as seeds yeast cells obtained by culturing the yeast in a culture liquor containing methanol at a concentration higher than 0.1 wt. % and not more than 6 wt. %.

Process for culturing methanol-utilizing yeasts

A process for producing yeast cells by culturing in a culture liquor containing methanol and/or ethanol as main carbon sources a yeast belonging to the species Pichia aganobii and capable of assimilating methanol and/or ethanol, and separating the cells of said yeast from the culture liquor.

Process for producing yeast cells

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Teizi Urakami