Silica-based supported ionic liquid-like phase materials for L-asparaginase purification

Abstract

L-asparaginase (ASNase) is an aminohydrolase enzyme that can be applied as a biopharmaceutical on the treatment of lymphoproliferative disorders, as an agent for acrylamide reduction in starch-rich foods cooked at high temperatures, in addition to detection and monitoring of L-asparagine levels. Although widely distributed in nature, e.g., plants, animals, tissues and microorganisms, most commercial ASNase are from recombinant microorganisms. While its production can be performed through fermentation, downstream processing of ASNase accounts for up to 80% of total production cost. Hence, a novel cost-effective upstream/downstream method is of emerging concern to allow its use by a widespread population. This work aims the development of a cost-effective process for ASNase purification from recombinant Bacillus subtilis cell lysates obtained via ultrasound sonication. Silica-based supported ionic liquid-like phase materials were investigated as cost-effective ASNase purification supports through a simple adsorption method. The effect of specific experimental conditions, e.g., medium pH and material/cell lysate ratio, in the purity of ASNase were optimized. Through this strategy, process costs, energy consumption, and waste produced, might be significantly decreased, leading to ASNase price decrease, thereby enabling its wider application.