KIMURA Michio, Ph.D. / Associate Professor

The Center for Liberal Arts Education

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Research Topics

1. Search of a protein in the brain which relates depressingly.

2. Characterization of respiration mutant of Candida albicans.

3. The antifungal activity of Phellodendron extract to Candida albicans in the presence of azole antifungal drug.

We showed possibility of the combination of azole-based antifungal agent and tetracycline-based antimicrobial agent as new chemotherapy for Candida. Cell membrane permeability of C. albicans might be changed with decrease of sterol and a specific chemical substance was able to penetrate a cell membrane. In such a state the chemical substance might work for an antifungus in a cell. We also showed antifungal action of berberine which was the chief ingredient of the Amur cork by penetration of cell membrane which decrease ergosterol synthesis. Currently, we are searching for berberine-binding molecules in cells and aiming to elucidate the mechanism of cell growth inhibition.

Representative Publications

1. Yamamoto H., Sawaguchi Y., Kimura M., The Determination of Protease Specificity in Mouse Tissue Extracts by MALDITOF Mass Spectrometry: Manipulating PH to Cause Specificity Changes., J Vis Exp. 135, doi: 10.3791/57469. (2018).

2. Yamamoto H., Saito S., Sawaguchi Y., Kimura M., Identification of Protease Specificity Using Biotin-Labeled Substrates.,Open Biochem J. 11, 27-35 (2017).

3. Kimura M.,Eto T., Izumo N., Mizushima Y. , Sustained Neutrophilic Effects of a Novel G-CSF Preparation: Protein-Zinc Carbonate/Complexes., The Annual Report of Nihon Pharmaceutical University 2, 53-63 (2016).