TY - JOUR AB - The demand for L‑asparaginase is predicted to increase several fold in the future due to its potential clinical applications in the treatment of lymphoid system malignancies and leukemia. Thus identifying suitable sources of production should be considered high priority. Fungi are valuable organisms as they are able to convert what would be considered ‘useless’ materials into materials that have potential value. The present study provides a proof of concept of production of a new hyperactive L‑asparaginase producer (Rhizopus oryzae AM16), which was successfully isolated and sequentially optimized using a semi solid‑state fermentation method with a simple and cheap medium produced from wheat bran (WB). The fungus was able to produce an appreciable amount of the enzyme (2,875.9 U) after 8 days of incubation under 85.7% moisture, in the presence of magnesium nitrate (5.0 mg N/mg nitrogen per gram of dry WB) at pH 5.8. Testing the anticancer activity confirmed the ability of the resultant enzyme to inhibit the growth of various types of cancer cells (HepG2, MCF‑7, HCT and A549). The IC50 values of the dialyzed enzyme were lower than that of the crude product. Thus, this newly identified and purified L‑asparaginase may be a promising anticancer drug. AD - Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia The Regional Center of Mycology and Biotechnology, Al‑Azhar University, Cairo 11765, Egypt Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35511, Egypt Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni‑Suef University, Beni‑Suef 62511, Egypt Microbial Activity Unit, Department of Microbiology, Soils, Water and Environment Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt AU - Othman,Sarah,I. AU - Mekawey,Amal,A.I. AU - El‑Metwally,Mohammad,M. AU - Gabr,Sami,A. AU - Alwaele,Maha,Abdulla AU - Al Fassam,Haifa AU - Abo‑Eleneen,Rasha AU - Allam,Ahmed,A. AU - Saber,Wesameldin,I.A. DA - 2022/03/01 DO - 10.3892/br.2022.1498 IS - 3 JO - Biomed Rep KW - fermentation fungi tumor leukemia cancer cell PY - 2022 SN - 2049-9434 2049-9442 SP - 15 ST - Rhizopus oryzae AM16; a new hyperactive L‑asparaginase producer: Semi solid‑state production and anticancer activity of the partially purified protein T2 - Biomedical Reports TI - Rhizopus oryzae AM16; a new hyperactive L‑asparaginase producer: Semi solid‑state production and anticancer activity of the partially purified protein UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2022.1498 VL - 16 ER -