Avoidable childhood death: Exploring the potential of marine bioactive products of halophilic bacteria in cancer treatment

Abstract

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze (i.e., increase the rates of) chemical reactions. The manufacture of an enzyme for use as a drug is an important facet of today’s pharmaceutical industry. Microbial L-Asparaginase (L-Asparaginase amido hydrolase) has been widely used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of certain human cancers, mainly in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Halophilic bacteria can be grown in minimal media with metabolic rates and growth yields comparable to those of mesophilic bacteria. L-asparaginase perform essential role in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphosarcoma and in many other clinical experiments relating to tumor therapy in combination with chemotherapy. Bacterial isolates were isolated from soil samples collected from different regions of the Nizampatnam mangrove, using nutrient agar medium by serial dilution method. The inoculated agar plates were incubated at 37˚C for 24-48 hours. It was found out that among the forty six isolates nine showed significant production of L-Asparaginase. One IU of L-Asparaginase is the amount of enzyme which liberates 1μmol of ammonia per minute per ml [μmole/ml/min]. From this work we conclude that more than 80% of the bacterial strains from marine soil sample had the ability to produce the enzyme L-Asparaginase. In the present study one of the potential Pseudomonas strain was selected and identified as Bacillus cereusAVP12 by 16s rRNA partial sequence. Effect of pH, temperature, carbon source, salt tolerance including various inducers and enhancers was studied for growth optimization and maximum production of enzyme.