Changes in the kinetic properties of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase and arylsulfatase A upon immobilization on concanavalin A

Nanodevices for the immobilization of therapeutic enzymes

Therapeutic enzymes are one of the most promising applications of this century in the field of pharmaceutics. Biocatalyst properties can be improved by enzyme immobilization on nano-objects, thereby increasing stability and reusability and also enhancing the targeting to specific tissues and cells. Therapeutic biocatalyst-nanodevice complexes will provide new tools for the diagnosis and treatment of old and newly emerging pathologies. Among the advantages of this approach are the wide span and diverse range of possible materials and biocatalysts that promise to make the matrix-enzyme combination a unique modality for therapeutic delivery. This review focuses on the most significant techniques and nanomaterials used for enzyme immobilization such as metallic superparamagnetic, silica, and polymeric and single-enzyme nanoparticles. Finally, a review of the application of these nanodevices to different pathologies and modes of administration is presented. In short, since therapeutic enzymes constitute a highly promising alternative for treating a variety of pathologies more effectively, this review is aimed at providing the comprehensive summary needed to understand and improve this burgeoning area.

GLICOSIDASES E SULFATASES NO MOLUSCO MARINHO APLYSIA CERVINA

RESUMO Glicosaminoglicanos (GAGs) são carboidratos presentes em todos os organismos que apresentam organização tissular. Glicosidases e sulfatases são as enzimas envolvidas na degradação destes compostos em vertebrados e invertebrados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar a presença destas enzimas em diferentes tecidos do molusco Aplysiacervina. O molusco foi dissecado em esôfago, fígado, moela e músculo e homogeneizados separadamente. Após centrifugação os sobrenadantes (extratos brutos) foram fracionados com sulfato de amônio nas concentrações de 0-30% (F-I), 30-50% (FII) e 50-80% (FIII). Foi identificada a presença de sulfatase, β-glucuronidase, β-D-N-acetilgalactosaminidase e α-glucosaminidase nos extratos brutos de todos os tecidos investigados. A enzima α-fucosidase não foi detectada em esôfago, nos extratos brutos e F-I de moela, mas sim nas frações de fígado e músculo. A sulfatase apresentou-se mais ativa na F-III de fígado e moela com atividades específicas de 3,0 e 4,8, respectivamente. A α-glucosaminidase foi mais ativa nas frações F-III de esôfago e músculo apresentando atividades específicas de 3,9 e 2,0, respectivamente. Estes resultados indicam a existência de atividade catabólica sobre os GAGs neste invertebrado marinho.

Comparison of arylsulphatases from Eimeria tenella (parasite) and chicken caecum (host)

Chicken caecal arylsulphatase was purified 700-fold by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, concanavalin A-Sepharose and cyclic AMP-Sepharose chromatographies. The purified enzyme was a glycoprotein of Mr 97,000. It hydrolysed p-nitrocatechol sulphate, cerebroside 3-sulphate and ascorbic acid 2-sulphate and was strongly inhibited by Na2SO4 (Ki = 50 microM) and Na3PO4 (Ki = 20 microM). Arylsulphatase from Eimeria tenella sporozoites was purified 28-fold by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation. Arylsulphatase of E. tenella sporozoites was not a glycoprotein. It had an Mr of 49,000. It was inhibited by Na2SO4 (Ki = 300 microM), sodium phosphate (Ki = 90 microM) and heparin. It hydrolysed ascorbic acid 2-sulphate, but cerebroside 3-sulphate was not desulphated. The kinetic parameters of chicken caecal arylsulphatase were different from those of the E. tenella enzyme.

Isolation and characterization of the pig endometrial arylsulphatase A

The pig endometrial arylsulphatase A was purified 3322-fold to a specific activity of 150 mumol/min per mg. The purification involved (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose and DEAE-Sepharose, gel filtrations on Sephadex G-200 at pH 7.4 and 5, and a new preparative gel-electrophoresis technique. The homogeneous enzyme is a glycoprotein containing 20% carbohydrate. The purified enzyme has Mr about 120 000 and it contains subunits of Mr 63 000. The pig endometrial arylsulphatase A shows many properties in common with those of arylsulphatases A purified from other sources. The similarities include their low isoelectric points, the anomalous time-activity relationships, multi-pH optima, inhibition by SO3(2-), SO4(2-), phosphate ions, metal ions and nucleoside phosphates, pH- and ionic-strength-dependent polymerization and amino acid composition.