INHIBITION OF LIPASES FROM CHROMOBACTERIUM-VISCOSUM AND RHIZOPUS-ORYZAE BY TETRAHYDROLIPSTATIN

Tetrahydrolipstatin is known as an inhibitor for pancreatic lipase but not for microbial lipases. In this paper we demonstrate that in the p resence of water-insoluble substrates like tributyrin or olive oil, te trahydrolipstatin inhibits the lipases of Chromobacterium viscosum and Rhizopus oryzae, although with different potency. In contrast to porc ine pancreatic lipase, which forms an irreversible and covalent enzyme -inhibitor complex with tetrahydrolipstatin, the inhibition of the mic robial lipases is reversible as the inhibitor can be removed from the enzyme-inhibitor complex by solvent extraction. Moreover, after inhibi tion of Chromobacterium viscosum lipase tetrahydrolipstatin remains ch emically unchanged. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.