Abstract
Enzymes have been used in many practical applications, particularly in biomedical and biotechnological fields, through immobilization on a variety of supports. In this study, we evaluate the biological importance of immobilized urease enzyme over the free urease. The alginate was used as a support material for urease immobilization. Generally, the immobilization of urease in alginate gel showed a marked increase in K-m and V-max. However, the thermal stability of the immobilized urease was much higher than that of the free enzyme. The rate of thermal inactivation of the immobilized enzyme decreased due to entrapment in gel matrix.
In addition, the activity of the immobilized urease was more stable in retention than that of the free enzyme during the storage in solution. Even though the activity of the immobilized enzyme was lower in comparison with the free enzyme, the enhancement of thermal and storage stability highlights the value of alginate gel as a support for enzyme immobilization. A stable immobilized system and long storage life are convenient for applications that would not be feasible with a soluble enzyme system. These results highlight the technical and biochemical benefits of immobilized urease over the free enzyme.