Abstract & Overview
Enzymes as therapeutics have advantages over non-enzymatic drugs. Production of L-asparaginase and L-glutaminase using microbial sources is vital biotechnology because of their antileukemic properties. The cost of manufacture and the immunogenicity linked to enzyme medicines are frequently major setbacks to their development. Searching for new microbial sources and maximising enzyme production are the targeted goals for safe enzyme availability and cost reduction. Therefore, this study focused on screening the ability of 189 fungal isolates related to 9 genera and 27 species to generate L-asparaginase and L-glutaminase. On agar medium, L-asparaginase and L-glutaminase activities were high in 30 and 26 of the positive isolates, comprising 17.85 and 16.25%, respectively. According to the results of the submerged fermentation experiment, the most productive strains for the production of L-asparaginase and L-glutaminase were Penicillium brevicompactum AUMC 13014 and Aspergillus nidulans AUMC 11446, producing 1086.1 and 438.9 U/mL, respectively. L-asparaginase activity reached its peak (2589.6±250 U/mL) after 5 days of incubation at pH 7.0 and 35 ºC using yeast extract as nitrogen supply. L-glutaminase activity peaked (1364.35±130 U/mL) after 6 days of incubation at pH 6.0 and 20 ºC using ammonium chloride as the nitrogen source. The current study's findings demonstrated the enormous potential of P. brevicompactum AUMC 13014 and A. nidulans AUMC 11446 as producers of extracellular L-asparaginase and L-glutaminase using submerged fermentation.