Distribution of Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Activity of Korean Sorghum Lines.

The angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE, dipeptidyl carboxy peptidase, EC3.4.15.1), a component of the renin-angiotensin system, plays a key role in the homeostatic mechanism of mammals. It contributes to the maintenance of the normal blood pressure and for the electrolyte balance, being involved in the regulation and control of the arterial pressure. We confirmed ACE inhibitory activity in 45 sorghum lines harvested in 2006. Among them, there are ACE inhibitory activities of 0-5% in 14 lines, 5-10% in 23 lines and more than 10% in 10 lines. To investigate the amount of protein-activity relationships, we extracted sorghum storage protein, kafirin, and compared its ACE inhibitory activity with ACE inhibitory activity of total sorghum protein. As result, there was correlation between kafirin and total protein on ACE inhibitory activity. With these results, we confirmed that there are various ACE inhibitory activities in sorghum lines and kafirin is the main factor to inhibit ACE.