title: Degradation of human epidermal keratin by fish pepsin.
abstract: Stomach extract of Atlantic herring Clupea harengus, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, cod Gadus morhua, redfish Sebastes marinus, and plaice Pleuronectes platessa, degraded human epidermal keratin effectively in vitro. The keratin-degrading activity of all extracts showed a pH optimum around 3.3-3.4, and sheets of plantar callus were degraded with about the same efficacy as keratin. Pepstatin sensitivity, heat lability, and the acidic pH optimum demonstrated that the keratin-degrading activity was pepsin. The keratin-degrading activity of cod stomach extract had a temperature optimum of around 42 degrees C at optimal pH, and showed a similar pH dependency with collagen as with keratin as substrate. The keratin-degrading activity of pepsin I and pepsin II purified from cod showed a pH optimum of 3.7 and 3.1, respectively, similar to that obtained with hemoglobin as substrate. Pig pepsin showed a pH optimum of about 2 with keratin, hemoglobin, and collagen as substrates. The present investigation demonstrates that fish pepsin is effective in degrading human epidermal keratin in vitro, and in a contemporary study the same was shown with fish trypsin. This may suggest a possible mechanism for the development of irritative hand eczema caused by exposure to fish and acidified fish material.
authors: Institute of Fisheries, University of Tromsø, Norway.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Bjelland
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Gildberg
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Volden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002364:Caseins / Q000378:metabolism; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010434:Pepsin A / Q000378:metabolism*; D013270:Stomach / Q000201:enzymology; D013552:Swine; D013696:Temperature; D014020:Tissue Extracts
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D006454:Hemoglobins; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D007633:Keratins; D010434:Pepsin A