Journal of Environmental Biology

Partial purification and anti-leukemic activity of L-asparaginase enzyme of the actinomycete strain LA-29 isolated from the estuarine fish,

Mugil cephalus (Linn.)

Maloy Kumar Sahu¹, E. Poorani², K. Sivakumar*¹, T. Thangaradjou¹ and L. Kannan³

*aurosiva@yahoo.co.uk

¹Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai - 608 502, India

²Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore-614 729, India

³Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore-632 004, India

(Received: July 20, 2005 ; Revised received: November 05, 2005 ; Accepted: January 17, 2006)

Abstract: The actinomycete strain LA-29 isolated from the gut contents of the fish, Mugil cephalus of the Vellar estuary showed excellent L-asparaginase activity. The enzyme was purified 18-fold and the final recovery of protein was 1.9%, which exhibited an activity of 13.57 IU/mg protein. The partially purified L-asparaginase inhibited the growth of leukemia cells in male wistar rats. Average survival period of the rats was more in an optimum enzyme dose of 100 units and the survival period was less when the dosages were increased and at the same time the enzyme became less effective when the dosages were decreased. Higher survival of 17.2 days was recorded when 100 units of the enzyme was given in three intermittent doses (50/25/25 units) at the interval of 24 hr. Analysis of cell components of the strain LA-29 has revealed the wall type - I which is the characteristic of the genus Streptomyces. Further, the morphological, physiological and biochemical features along with the micromorphological results obtained for the strain LA-29 were compared with that of the Streptomyces species found in Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology and the strain LA-29 has been tentatively identified as Streptomyces canus.

Key words:    Estuarine fish, Actinomycetes, L-asparaginase, Anti-leukemic activity

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