l-Asparaginase Immobilized on Nanographene Oxide as an Efficient Nanobiocatalytic Tool for Asparagine Depletion in Leukemia Cells.

l-Asparaginase (l-ASNase) catalyzes the hydrolysis of l-asparagine, leading to its depletion and subsequent effects on the cellular proliferation and survival. In contrast to normal cells, malignant cells that lack asparagine synthase are extremely susceptible to asparagine deficiency. l-ASNase has been successfully employed in treating pediatric leukemias and non-Hodgkin lymphomas; however, its usage in adult patients and other types of cancer is limited due to significant side effects and drug resistance.

Determination of Graphene Oxide Adsorption Space by Lysozyme Uptake─Mechanistic Studies.

The interaction between graphene oxide (GO) and lysozyme (LYZ) in aqueous solution was investigated for GO specific surface area determination and for the thermodynamic description of the process. It was experimentally proved that LYZ is a much better adsorbate than the most common methylene blue, allowing the determination of genuine GO surface area. Our fluorescence spectroscopy results indicate that LYZ molecules interact with GO at high- and low-affinity sites depending on the surface coverage, reflecting the protein mono- and multilayer formation, respectively.