Liquid phase enzyme reactor, a new bioreactor principle

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Enzyme Engineering
• Biochemical Engineering

Background:

• Solid phase enzyme reactors often suffer from reduced substrate affinity, indicated by increased Km app values.
• This limitation hinders their efficiency in various biochemical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a liquid phase enzyme reactor system to overcome the substrate affinity limitations of solid phase systems.
• To assess the efficacy of immobilizing biotin-labeled L-Tryptophan side chain oxidase (TSO) within a plasmapheresis circuit.

Main Methods:

• A liquid phase enzyme reactor system was developed using biotin-labeled L-Tryptophan side chain oxidase (TSO).
• The enzyme was directly injected into the plasma circuit of a filter plasmapheresis system in rabbits.
• The enzyme was adsorbed onto an Avidin column before re-entering the animal's circulation.

Main Results:

• Total L-Tryptophan depletion was observed within the plasma circuit over a 60-minute experimental period.
• Complete readsorption of the enzyme to the Avidin column was achieved, indicating successful enzyme retention and recovery.
• The liquid phase system demonstrated effective substrate depletion without the typical affinity loss seen in solid phase reactors.

Conclusions:

• The developed liquid phase enzyme reactor system effectively addresses the substrate affinity drawbacks of solid phase systems.
• This approach allows for efficient enzyme utilization and recovery in a biological milieu, such as a plasma circuit.
• The system shows promise for applications requiring controlled enzymatic activity within circulating systems.