EXTRACTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF L-ARGINASE PRODUCED BY ALCALIGENES FAECALIS

L-arginase is one of the enzymes that have been used as therapy for cancer treatment. L-arginase catabolise L-arginine and reduce tumour growth by making them susceptible to other anti-cancer drugs. Previous works have focused on the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic cells. However, both radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been reported to have severe side effects. This necessitates the development of other agents such as enzymes with minimal side effects. This study therefore examined the production of L-arginase and determination of the optimum fermentation conditions. Isolated bacteria were screened using rapid plate assay in order to determine their ability to produce L-arginase. Medium component includes L-arginine and relevant salts. Enzyme activity was determined using calorimetric assay. The promising isolate was selected and primed for identification using molecular technique. The highest zone of colour change was produced by Alcaligenes faecalis. The optimum incubation period was 60 hours. Optimum agitation rate was 150 revolution per minute. Enzyme yield was 163±0.78 U/mL when optimum fermentation conditions were used for enzyme production. The molecular weight of L-arginase determined was 120 kilodalton. Alcaligenes faecalis isolated during this work can be taken as a promising isolate for the large-scale production of L-arginase. There should be further search for other microorganisms with the potential to produce other industrially important enzymes.