What is the function of L-asparaginase?

L-Asparaginase (L-ASNase) catalyses the hydrolysis of the non-essential amino acid L-asparagine to L-aspartate and ammonia. L-ASNase is widely used for the treatment of haemopoietic diseases such as ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia).

Is L-asparaginase toxic?

Toxicities associated with asparaginase use include hypersensitivity (clinical and subclinical), pancreatitis, thrombosis, encephalopathy, and liver dysfunction. Depending on the nature and severity of the toxicity, asparaginase therapy may be altered or discontinued in some patients.

How does asparaginase work to treat leukemia?

Asparaginase is used to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). It works by starving tumor cells of needed nutrients and slowing tumor cell growth.

What is the mechanism of action of asparaginase?

Asparaginase works by breaking down the amino acid known as asparagine without which the cancer cells cannot make protein.

Why is asparaginase used in food?

The purpose of using asparaginase in foods is to reduce the levels of acrylamide that form in certain carbohydrate-rich foods during cooking.

How much does asparaginase cost?

The mean total drug costs for Erwinia asparaginase were $126,831, which corresponds with 149 vials of Erwinia asparaginase. The costs of the drug asparaginase itself accounted for 44.1%, 74.5%, and 19.2% of the total treatment costs of the intensification phase for the three groups, respectively.

What foods contain asparaginase?

Foods rich in asparagine include dairy, whey, beef, poultry, eggs, fish, seafood, asparagus, potatoes, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy and whole grains.

Why is asparaginase used as a drug in the treatment of Leukaemia?

The rationale behind asparaginase is that it takes advantage of the fact that acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells and some other suspected tumor cells are unable to synthesize the non-essential amino acid asparagine, whereas normal cells are able to make their own asparagine; thus leukemic cells require high amount of …