In this study conducted at Food Science Australia (FSA) and Berlin University of Technology (BUT), the effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, a novel non-thermal processing technology on bovine milk microflora and native enzymes and on the rheological and textural properties of rennet-induced milk gels was investigated. The PEF treatments were conducted at field intensities of 25-37 kV cm-1 (up to 50 kV cm-1)and temperature range of 30°C to 75ºC. Native milk enzymes selected for the study included alkaline phosphatase, lipase, xanthine oxidase and plasminand microbiological study included determining Total Plate Count (TPC) and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts in skim milk. At 30ºC PEF treatment at maximum field intensity inactivated AlP by 42% while at 60oC inactivation was higher (67%). Under these treatment conditions less than1 log reduction in TPC and Pseudomonas count and 2.1 logs reduction in the Enterobacteriaceae count was achieved at 30oC while at 60ºC TPC dropped by 2.4 logs and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts were reduced by 5.9 and 2.1 logs, respectively to below the detection limit of 1 CFU mL-1. Combining PEF treatment with heat increased the inactivation level of all enzymes which showed an increasing trend with increasing field intensity and temperature. Treatment time (4.8, 9.6, 19.2, 28.8 and 38.4 µs) was controlled by either changing the pulse frequencies (100-400 Hz) or product flow rate (30-240 mL min-1) at a constant field intensity of 31 kV cm-1 and it was found that changing the flow rate was a more effective way of enzyme inactivation than changing the frequency due to longer exposure time of enzymes to heat and field intensity. The size of casein micelles and fat globules was not affected by PEF treatment while severe heating of milk at 97oC for 10 min decreased both micelle and fat globule sizes marginally. The coagulation time of rennet-induced gels made from PEF-treated (35 to 50 kV cm-1) milks (whole and skim) increased as the treatment intensity increased, but remained shorter than gels made from pasteurised milk. The PEF treatment of milk at various field intensities and temperatures adversely affected the G′, G′′ and firmness of gels, but the effects were less pronounced than in gels made from pasteurised milks. This study concludes that for successful application in milk processing the PEF treatment needs to be combined with mild heat treatment. This approach could achieve safer milk with less damage to milk functionality. However, the quest for a suitable quality assurance indicator enzyme will need more extensive studies.

The PEF treatments were conducted at field intensities of 25-37 kV cm-1 (up to 50 kV cm-1)and temperature range of 30°C to 75ºC. Native milk enzymes selected for the study included alkaline phosphatase, lipase, xanthine oxidase and plasminand microbiological study included determining Total Plate Count (TPC) and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts in skim milk. At 30ºC PEF treatment at maximum field intensity inactivated AlP by 42% while at 60oC inactivation was higher (67%). Under these treatment conditions less than1 log reduction in TPC and Pseudomonas count and 2.1 logs reduction in the Enterobacteriaceae count was achieved at 30oC while at 60ºC TPC dropped by 2.4 logs and Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae counts were reduced by 5.9 and 2.1 logs, respectively to below the detection limit of 1 CFU mL-1. Combining PEF treatment with heat increased the inactivation level of all enzymes which showed an increasing trend with increasing field intensity and temperature. Treatment time (4.8, 9.6, 19.2, 28.8 and 38.4 µs) was controlled by either changing the pulse frequencies (100-400 Hz) or product flow rate (30-240 mL min-1) at a constant field intensity of 31 kV cm-1 and it was found that changing the flow rate was a more effective way of enzyme inactivation than changing the frequency due to longer exposure time of enzymes to heat and field intensity. The size of casein micelles and fat globules was not affected by PEF treatment while severe heating of milk at 97oC for 10 min decreased both micelle and fat globule sizes marginally. The coagulation time of rennet-induced gels made from PEF-treated (35 to 50 kV cm-1) milks (whole and skim) increased as the treatment intensity increased, but remained shorter than gels made from pasteurised milk. The PEF treatment of milk at various field intensities and temperatures adversely affected the G′, G′′ and firmness of gels, but the effects were less pronounced than in gels made from pasteurised milks. This study concludes that for successful application in milk processing the PEF treatment needs to be combined with mild heat treatment. This approach could achieve safer milk with less damage to milk functionality. However, the quest for a suitable quality assurance indicator enzyme will need more extensive studies.

Choline oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis is a flavin-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of choline to betaine aldehyde through two sequential hydride-transfer steps. The study of this enzyme is of importance to the understanding of glycine betaine biosynthesis found in pathogenic bacterial or economic relevant crop plants as a response to temperature and salt stress in adverse environment. In this study, chemical modification of choline oxidase using two irreversible inhibitors, tetranitromethane and phenylhydrazine, was performed in order to gain insights into the active site structure of the enzyme. Choline oxidase can also be inactivated irreversibly by freezing in 20 mM sodium phosphate and 20 mM sodium pyrophosphate at pH 6 and -20 oC. The results showed that enzyme inactivation was due to a localized conformational change associated with the ionization of a group in close proximity to the flavin cofactor and led to a complete lost of catalytic activity.

O Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) é uma planta que pertence à família Asteraceae, é originário das montanhas dos Andes e no Brasil seu cultivo iniciou-se em 1991. Possui carboidratos solúveis tais como frutose, glicose, sacarose e frutooligossacarídeos (FOS), sendo que os FOS não podem ser metabolizados pelo trato digestivo humano, tendo dessa forma atividade prebiótica. Este trabalho visou estudar o efeito do branqueamento no yacon e posterior secagem mediante ar quente. As raízes foram limpas e selecionadas considerando a ausência de injúrias visuais e infecções. A seguir foram descascadas e cortadas em forma de rodelas (espessuras de 1,75 ± 0,35 mm) e cubos (1,00 ± 0,01cm3). Foi verificada a ocorrência da solubilização dos açúcares durante o branqueamento, onde foram avaliadas as perdas de inulina, glicose e frutose em diferentes condições de tempo e temperatura. Foi observada a maior solubilização nas amostras em rodelas que em cubos na maioria dos tratamentos estudados. O teste de Tukey indicou que no branqueamento do yacon em forma de rodelas e cubos, o tempo, a temperatura e a interação entre eles foi significativa na solubilização dos açúcares, exceto na frutose (nas amostras em rodelas) e na inulina (nas amostras em cubos) onde somente foi significativo o tempo e a temperatura. Os resultados obtidos da superfície de resposta permitiram obter modelos estatísticos para estimar a perda de açúcares no branqueamento das amostras em rodelas, estimando as condições de maior solubilização. Devido a essas perdas, estudou-se o branqueamento a vapor em amostras em rodelas, que foram colocadas dentro de uma autoclave gerando vapor a 100oC nos tempos de 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 e 10 minutos, sendo a melhor condição a 4 minutos, onde foi possível reduzir a atividade enzimática da PER e PPO em 84,6% e 83,7%, correspondendo a perdas de inulina, glicose e frutose de 30,6, 39,4 e 15,8% respectivamente. A seguir foi realizada a secagem nas amostras de yacon, nas temperaturas de 50, 60 e 70°C por 5 horas e 30 minutos sem e com branqueamento, onde verificou-se o efeito do pré-tratamento e da temperatura sobre a redução da umidade e da atividade de água, revelando que o menor tempo de secagem foi obtido a 70°C em amostras com branqueamento. Também foi observado que após 5 horas de secagem a concentração de inulina diminuiu, enquanto que as concentrações de glicose e frutose aumentaram, sendo que os teores desses componentes no final da secagem não diferiram com a temperatura, tanto nas amostras que sofreram ou não branqueamento. No entanto, houve conversão dos FOS em açúcares redutores. O aumento na concentração dos açúcares redutores pode ser devido à presença de atividade enzimática da inulinase. / Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is a plant belonging to the Asteraceae family and originated in the Andes Mountains, having been cultivated in Brazil since 1991. It contains soluble carbohydrates such as fructose, glucose, sucrose and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), the latter not being metabolized in the human digestive tract and thus presenting prebiotic activity. This work aimed to study the effect of blanching and subsequent hot air drying on yacon. The roots were cleaned and selected considering the absence of visual injury and infections. They were then peeled and cut into slices (1.75 ± 0.35 mm thick) and cubes (1.00 ± 0.01cm2). The sugars were shown to dissolve during blanching, and the losses of inulin, glucose and fructose were determined under different conditions of time and temperature. For the majority of conditions studied, greater dissolution was observed with the slices than with the cubes. Tukey's test indicated that both the time and the temperature and the interaction between them were significant with respect to the dissolution of sugars in the blanching of yacon in the form of both slices and cubes, with the exception of fructose (for the sliced samples) and inulin (for the samples in cubes), where only the time and temperature were significant. The results obtained from the response surface allowed for the production of statistical models to estimate the loss of sugars during blanching for the samples in slices, estimating the conditions for greatest dissolution. Due to these losses, steam blanching of the slices was studied, placing the slices inside an autoclave generating steam at 100ºC for times of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes, the best condition being that of 4 minutes where it was possible to reduce the PER and PPO activities by 84.6% and 83.7%, respectively, with losses of inulin, glucose and fructose of 30.6, 39.4 and 15.8%, respectively. Drying of the yacon samples at temperatures of 50, 60 and 70ºC for 5 hours and 30 minutes, with and without blanching, was then carried out, verifying the effect of the pre-treatment and of the drying temperature on the reduction in moisture content and water activity. The shortest drying time was obtained at 70ºC with blanched samples. It was also observed that after 5 hours of drying the concentration of inulin decreased, whereas the concetrations of glucose and fructose increased, the contents of these components at the end of the drying period not varying according to the drying temperature, for either the blanched or non-blanched samples. Thus the FOS were converted into reducing sugars, and the increase in reducing sugars could have been due to the presence of inulinase activity.

O Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) é uma planta que pertence à família Asteraceae, é originário das montanhas dos Andes e no Brasil seu cultivo iniciou-se em 1991. Possui carboidratos solúveis tais como frutose, glicose, sacarose e frutooligossacarídeos (FOS), sendo que os FOS não podem ser metabolizados pelo trato digestivo humano, tendo dessa forma atividade prebiótica. Este trabalho visou estudar o efeito do branqueamento no yacon e posterior secagem mediante ar quente. As raízes foram limpas e selecionadas considerando a ausência de injúrias visuais e infecções. A seguir foram descascadas e cortadas em forma de rodelas (espessuras de 1,75 ± 0,35 mm) e cubos (1,00 ± 0,01cm3). Foi verificada a ocorrência da solubilização dos açúcares durante o branqueamento, onde foram avaliadas as perdas de inulina, glicose e frutose em diferentes condições de tempo e temperatura. Foi observada a maior solubilização nas amostras em rodelas que em cubos na maioria dos tratamentos estudados. O teste de Tukey indicou que no branqueamento do yacon em forma de rodelas e cubos, o tempo, a temperatura e a interação entre eles foi significativa na solubilização dos açúcares, exceto na frutose (nas amostras em rodelas) e na inulina (nas amostras em cubos) onde somente foi significativo o tempo e a temperatura. Os resultados obtidos da superfície de resposta permitiram obter modelos estatísticos para estimar a perda de açúcares no branqueamento das amostras em rodelas, estimando as condições de maior solubilização. Devido a essas perdas, estudou-se o branqueamento a vapor em amostras em rodelas, que foram colocadas dentro de uma autoclave gerando vapor a 100oC nos tempos de 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 e 10 minutos, sendo a melhor condição a 4 minutos, onde foi possível reduzir a atividade enzimática da PER e PPO em 84,6% e 83,7%, correspondendo a perdas de inulina, glicose e frutose de 30,6, 39,4 e 15,8% respectivamente. A seguir foi realizada a secagem nas amostras de yacon, nas temperaturas de 50, 60 e 70°C por 5 horas e 30 minutos sem e com branqueamento, onde verificou-se o efeito do pré-tratamento e da temperatura sobre a redução da umidade e da atividade de água, revelando que o menor tempo de secagem foi obtido a 70°C em amostras com branqueamento. Também foi observado que após 5 horas de secagem a concentração de inulina diminuiu, enquanto que as concentrações de glicose e frutose aumentaram, sendo que os teores desses componentes no final da secagem não diferiram com a temperatura, tanto nas amostras que sofreram ou não branqueamento. No entanto, houve conversão dos FOS em açúcares redutores. O aumento na concentração dos açúcares redutores pode ser devido à presença de atividade enzimática da inulinase. / Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is a plant belonging to the Asteraceae family and originated in the Andes Mountains, having been cultivated in Brazil since 1991. It contains soluble carbohydrates such as fructose, glucose, sucrose and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), the latter not being metabolized in the human digestive tract and thus presenting prebiotic activity. This work aimed to study the effect of blanching and subsequent hot air drying on yacon. The roots were cleaned and selected considering the absence of visual injury and infections. They were then peeled and cut into slices (1.75 ± 0.35 mm thick) and cubes (1.00 ± 0.01cm2). The sugars were shown to dissolve during blanching, and the losses of inulin, glucose and fructose were determined under different conditions of time and temperature. For the majority of conditions studied, greater dissolution was observed with the slices than with the cubes. Tukey's test indicated that both the time and the temperature and the interaction between them were significant with respect to the dissolution of sugars in the blanching of yacon in the form of both slices and cubes, with the exception of fructose (for the sliced samples) and inulin (for the samples in cubes), where only the time and temperature were significant. The results obtained from the response surface allowed for the production of statistical models to estimate the loss of sugars during blanching for the samples in slices, estimating the conditions for greatest dissolution. Due to these losses, steam blanching of the slices was studied, placing the slices inside an autoclave generating steam at 100ºC for times of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes, the best condition being that of 4 minutes where it was possible to reduce the PER and PPO activities by 84.6% and 83.7%, respectively, with losses of inulin, glucose and fructose of 30.6, 39.4 and 15.8%, respectively. Drying of the yacon samples at temperatures of 50, 60 and 70ºC for 5 hours and 30 minutes, with and without blanching, was then carried out, verifying the effect of the pre-treatment and of the drying temperature on the reduction in moisture content and water activity. The shortest drying time was obtained at 70ºC with blanched samples. It was also observed that after 5 hours of drying the concentration of inulin decreased, whereas the concetrations of glucose and fructose increased, the contents of these components at the end of the drying period not varying according to the drying temperature, for either the blanched or non-blanched samples. Thus the FOS were converted into reducing sugars, and the increase in reducing sugars could have been due to the presence of inulinase activity.

O Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) é uma planta que pertence à família Asteraceae, é originário das montanhas dos Andes e no Brasil seu cultivo iniciou-se em 1991. Possui carboidratos solúveis tais como frutose, glicose, sacarose e frutooligossacarídeos (FOS), sendo que os FOS não podem ser metabolizados pelo trato digestivo humano, tendo dessa forma atividade prebiótica. Este trabalho visou estudar o efeito do branqueamento no yacon e posterior secagem mediante ar quente. As raízes foram limpas e selecionadas considerando a ausência de injúrias visuais e infecções. A seguir foram descascadas e cortadas em forma de rodelas (espessuras de 1,75 ± 0,35 mm) e cubos (1,00 ± 0,01cm3). Foi verificada a ocorrência da solubilização dos açúcares durante o branqueamento, onde foram avaliadas as perdas de inulina, glicose e frutose em diferentes condições de tempo e temperatura. Foi observada a maior solubilização nas amostras em rodelas que em cubos na maioria dos tratamentos estudados. O teste de Tukey indicou que no branqueamento do yacon em forma de rodelas e cubos, o tempo, a temperatura e a interação entre eles foi significativa na solubilização dos açúcares, exceto na frutose (nas amostras em rodelas) e na inulina (nas amostras em cubos) onde somente foi significativo o tempo e a temperatura. Os resultados obtidos da superfície de resposta permitiram obter modelos estatísticos para estimar a perda de açúcares no branqueamento das amostras em rodelas, estimando as condições de maior solubilização. Devido a essas perdas, estudou-se o branqueamento a vapor em amostras em rodelas, que foram colocadas dentro de uma autoclave gerando vapor a 100oC nos tempos de 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 e 10 minutos, sendo a melhor condição a 4 minutos, onde foi possível reduzir a atividade enzimática da PER e PPO em 84,6% e 83,7%, correspondendo a perdas de inulina, glicose e frutose de 30,6, 39,4 e 15,8% respectivamente. A seguir foi realizada a secagem nas amostras de yacon, nas temperaturas de 50, 60 e 70°C por 5 horas e 30 minutos sem e com branqueamento, onde verificou-se o efeito do pré-tratamento e da temperatura sobre a redução da umidade e da atividade de água, revelando que o menor tempo de secagem foi obtido a 70°C em amostras com branqueamento. Também foi observado que após 5 horas de secagem a concentração de inulina diminuiu, enquanto que as concentrações de glicose e frutose aumentaram, sendo que os teores desses componentes no final da secagem não diferiram com a temperatura, tanto nas amostras que sofreram ou não branqueamento. No entanto, houve conversão dos FOS em açúcares redutores. O aumento na concentração dos açúcares redutores pode ser devido à presença de atividade enzimática da inulinase. / Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is a plant belonging to the Asteraceae family and originated in the Andes Mountains, having been cultivated in Brazil since 1991. It contains soluble carbohydrates such as fructose, glucose, sucrose and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), the latter not being metabolized in the human digestive tract and thus presenting prebiotic activity. This work aimed to study the effect of blanching and subsequent hot air drying on yacon. The roots were cleaned and selected considering the absence of visual injury and infections. They were then peeled and cut into slices (1.75 ± 0.35 mm thick) and cubes (1.00 ± 0.01cm2). The sugars were shown to dissolve during blanching, and the losses of inulin, glucose and fructose were determined under different conditions of time and temperature. For the majority of conditions studied, greater dissolution was observed with the slices than with the cubes. Tukey's test indicated that both the time and the temperature and the interaction between them were significant with respect to the dissolution of sugars in the blanching of yacon in the form of both slices and cubes, with the exception of fructose (for the sliced samples) and inulin (for the samples in cubes), where only the time and temperature were significant. The results obtained from the response surface allowed for the production of statistical models to estimate the loss of sugars during blanching for the samples in slices, estimating the conditions for greatest dissolution. Due to these losses, steam blanching of the slices was studied, placing the slices inside an autoclave generating steam at 100ºC for times of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes, the best condition being that of 4 minutes where it was possible to reduce the PER and PPO activities by 84.6% and 83.7%, respectively, with losses of inulin, glucose and fructose of 30.6, 39.4 and 15.8%, respectively. Drying of the yacon samples at temperatures of 50, 60 and 70ºC for 5 hours and 30 minutes, with and without blanching, was then carried out, verifying the effect of the pre-treatment and of the drying temperature on the reduction in moisture content and water activity. The shortest drying time was obtained at 70ºC with blanched samples. It was also observed that after 5 hours of drying the concentration of inulin decreased, whereas the concetrations of glucose and fructose increased, the contents of these components at the end of the drying period not varying according to the drying temperature, for either the blanched or non-blanched samples. Thus the FOS were converted into reducing sugars, and the increase in reducing sugars could have been due to the presence of inulinase activity.

The kinase interaction motif (KIM) family of protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) includes hematopoietic protein-tyrosine phosphatase (HePTP), striatal-enriched protein-tyrosine phosphatase (STEP), and protein-tyrosine phosphatase receptor type R (PTPRR). KIM-PTPs bind and dephosphorylate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and thereby critically modulate cell proliferation and differentiation. PTP activity can readily be diminished by reactive oxygen species (ROS), e.g. H2O2, which oxidize the catalytically indispensable active-site cysteine. This initial oxidation generates an unstable sulfenic acid intermediate that is quickly converted into either a sulfinic/sulfonic acid (catalytically dead and irreversible inactivation) or a stable sulfenamide or disulfide bond intermediate (reversible inactivation). Critically, our understanding of ROS-mediated PTP oxidation is not yet sufficient to predict the molecular responses of PTPs to oxidative stress. However, identifying distinct responses will enable novel routes for PTP-selective drug design, important for managing diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, we performed a detailed biochemical and molecular study of all KIM-PTP family members to determine their H2O2 oxidation profiles and identify their reversible inactivation mechanism(s). We show that despite having nearly identical 3D structures and sequences, each KIM-PTP family member has a unique oxidation profile. Furthermore, we also show that whereas STEP and PTPRR stabilize their reversibly oxidized state by forming an intramolecular disulfide bond, HePTP uses an unexpected mechanism, namely, formation of a reversible intermolecular disulfide bond. In summary, despite being closely related, KIM-PTPs significantly differ in oxidation profiles. These findings highlight that oxidation protection is critical when analyzing PTPs, for example, in drug screening.

No description available.

Ce travail vise à étudier l'intérêt duchauffage micro-ondes pour l'inactivation desenzymes dans les jus de fruit, à travers desapproches numériques et aussi expérimentales.En premier lieu, une étude sur les propriétésdiélectriques des jus de fruits modèles est menée,démontrant leur forte sensibilité à la température,à la fréquence et à la composition du produit. Dansune seconde partie, l'inactivation de la peroxydaseest étudiée par chauffage conventionnel et lesdonnées sont ajustées par un modèle cinétique dupremier ordre. Dans la troisième et principalepartie de ce travail, un modèle tridimensionnel,résolu par éléments finis, est proposé pour simulerle chauffage par micro-ondes du jus, en couplantélectromagnétisme, transfert de chaleur etécoulement, avec la cinétique d'inactivation de laperoxydase précédemment déterminée.Cette simulation permet de prédire la distributionspatiale de la température, le profil d’écoulementet l'inactivation de la peroxydase. L’accord entre lemodèle et les expériences est très satisfaisant, cequi confirme la pertinence de l’approche. Dans ladernière partie, les réactivations de la peroxydaseaprès chauffage conventionnel et micro-ondessont évaluées et comparées. Enfin, l’éventuelleexistence d’effets non thermiques des microondesest discutée via des expériencesadditionnelles. En conclusion, ces travauxmontrent tout l’intérêt de la simulation numériquecomme outil de compréhension du processusmultiphysique du chauffage par micro-ondes pourl’inactivation des enzymes, ce qui peut êtreparticulièrement intéressant pour la conception etl’optimisation de traitements micro-ondes. / This work aims at studying the use ofmicrowave heating for enzyme inactivation in fruitjuices by means of numerical and experimentalapproaches. In the first part, a study on thedielectric properties of model fruit juices isconducted, evidencing their high dependence onthe temperature, frequency and composition of theproduct. Then in the second part, the inactivation ofperoxidase is studied using conventional heatingand the data are fitted by a first order kinetic model.In the third and main part of this work, a threedimensionalfinite element model is developed tosimulate the microwave heating of juices, couplingelectromagnetics, heat transfer and fluid flow aswell as the peroxidase inactivation kineticspreviously determined.As a result, spatial temperature distribution, flowpattern and peroxidase inactivation are obtained.The model is experimentally validated and goodagreement is observed, confirming the relevanceof the approach. Finally, in the last part, thepotential peroxidase reactivations afterconventional and microwave heating areassessed and compared. Also, the possibleexistence of non-thermal effects of microwaves isdiscussed thanks to additional experimentations.In conclusion, this work shows the large interest ofcomputer simulation as a tool for understandingthe multiphysics process of microwave heating forenzyme inactivation, which can be particularlyinteresting for further design of optimizedmicrowave processing.

Individuals with high levels of plasma triglycerides are at high risk to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), currently one of the major causes of death worldwide. Recent epidemiological studies show that loss-of-function mutations in the APOC3 gene lower plasma triglyceride levels and reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease. The APOC3 gene encodes for apolipoprotein (APO) C3, known as an inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity. Similarly, a common gain-of-function mutation in the LPL gene is associated with reduced risk for CVD. LPL is central for the metabolism of lipids in blood. The enzyme acts at the endothelial surface of the capillary bed where it hydrolyzes triglycerides in circulating triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) and thereby allows uptake of fatty acids in adjacent tissues. LPL activity has to be rapidly modulated to adapt to the metabolic demands of different tissues. The current view is that LPL is constitutively expressed and that the rapid modulation of the enzymatic activity occurs by some different controller proteins. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) is one of the main candidates for control of LPL activity. ANGPTL4 causes irreversible inactivation through dissociation of the active LPL dimer to inactive monomers. Other proteins that have effects on LPL activity are the APOCs which are surface components of the substrate TRLs. APOC2 is a well-known LPL co-factor, whereas APOC1 and APOC3 independently inhibit LPL activity. Given the important role of LPL for triglyceride homeostasis in blood, the aim of this thesis was to find small molecules that could increase LPL activity and serve as lead compounds in future drug discovery efforts. Another aim was to investigate the molecular mechanisms for how APOC1 and APOC3 inhibit LPL activity. Using a small molecule screening library we have identified small molecules that can protect LPL from inactivation by ANGPTL4 during incubations in vitro. Following a structure-activity relationship study we have synthesized lead compounds that more efficiently protect LPL from inactivation by ANGPTL4 in vitro and also have dramatic triglyceride-lowering properties in vivo. In a separate study we show that low concentrations of fatty acids possess the ability to prevent inactivation of LPL by ANGPTL4 under in vitro conditions. With regard to APOC1 and APOC3 we demonstrate that when bound to TRLs, these apolipoproteins prevent binding of LPL to the lipid/water interface. This results in decreased lipolysis and in an increased susceptibility of LPL to inactivation by ANGPTL4. We demonstrate that hydrophobic amino acid residues that are centrally located in the APOC3 molecule are critical for attachment of this protein to lipid emulsion particles and consequently for inhibition of LPL activity. In summary, this work has identified a lead compound that protects LPL from inactivation by ANGPTL4 in vitro and lowers triglycerides in vivo. In addition, we propose a molecular mechanism for inhibition of LPL activity by APOC1 and APOC3.