Screening of proteases produced by Aspergillus micromycetes active against proteins of the hemostasis system.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: For these intents, proteases cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death; hence, accurate diagnosis and treatment are urgently required are regarded as prospective agents . High substrate specificity is needed for an effective enzyme, which makes Aspergillus micromycetes, known for producing proteases with precise action, biotechnologically promising. This study mainly aimed to look at the possibilities of Aspergillus species, which had never been mentioned in terms of general proteolytics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Every species was cultivated in two-stage submerged conditions with two different nitrogen sources; whereupon, proteolytic activity in culture fluid was determined. Chromogenic peptide substrates and fibrin plates were used to evaluate the thrombin, plasmin, factor Xa, urokinase, protein C-like, activating activities towards hemostasis proteins, as well as fibrinolytic and plasminogen-activating activities of these species.

RESULTS: It was found that A. aureolatus and A. tennesseensis are active proteolytics exhibiting plasmin-like activities (116.17 and 87.09 U×10-3 , respectively), factor Xa-like activity (76.27 and 77.92 U×10-3 , respectively) and urokinase activity (85.99 and 59.91 U×10-3 , respectively). The thrombin-like activity was found for A. tabacinus (50.37 U×10-3 ), and protein C-like activity was noticeable for A. creber , A. jensenii , A. protuberus , and A. ruber (62.90, 65.51, 73.37, and 111.85 U×10-3 , respectively). Additionally, more than half of species had the ability to directly activate plasminogen or operate as fibrinolytics.

CONCLUSION: New proteolytic strains were discovered, offering hope for the therapy of cardiovascular disorders. The high specificity and activity of fungal enzymes make them useful in a variety of fields, including medicine and diagnostics.