Fibrin Membrane Endowed With Biological Function: Immobilization Of Enzymes And Living Cells

Abstract

Fibrin membrane formed from fibrinogen with thrombin and blood coagulation factor XIII was a superior matrix for preparing immobilized enzymes and living cells. Enzymes such as asparaginase, chloroplast ATPase or catalase and living cells such as Chlorella cells or sea urchin eggs were embedded in fibrin membrane without imparing their functions. The enzymes participating in degradation of purine bases(uric acid), uricase, allantoinase and allantoicase together with catalase were embedded simultaneously in matrices of fibrin molecules. The multienzyme complex thus prepared had an ability to degrade urate to glyoxylic acid and urea via allantoin and allantoic acid. Four enzymes in urea cycle, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinate lyase and orginase together with inorganic pyrophosphatase, were immobilized into matrices of fibrin molecules. The immobilized multienzyme system not only had an ability to carry out urea cycle continuously at least over several hours, but also had a greately improved efficiency over the corresponding soluble system. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report to show an immobilization of efficient cyclic enzyme system.