Stress-Based Production, and Characterization of Glutathione Peroxidase and Glutathione S-Transferase Enzymes From Lactobacillus plantarum

More attention has been recently directed toward glutathione peroxidase and s-transferase enzymes because of the great importance they hold with respect to their applications in the pharmaceutical field. This work was conducted to optimize the production and characterize glutathione peroxidase and glutathione s-transferase produced by Lactobacillus plantarum KU720558 using Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken statistical designs. To assess the impact of the culture conditions on the microbial production of the enzymes, colorimetric methods were used. Following data analysis, the optimum conditions that enhanced the s-transferase yield were the De Man-Rogosa-Sharp (MRS) broth as a basal medium supplemented with 0.1% urea, 0.075% H2O2, 0.5% 1-butanol, 0.0125% amino acids, and 0.05% SDS at pH 6.0 and anaerobically incubated for 24 h at 40°C. The optimum s-transferase specific activity was 1789.5 U/mg of protein, which was approximately 12 times the activity of the basal medium. For peroxidase, the best medium composition was 0.17% urea, 0.025% bile salt, 7.5% Na Cl, 0.05% H2O2, 0.05% SDS, and 2% ethanol added to the MRS broth at pH 6.0 and anaerobically incubated for 24 h at 40 °C. Furthermore, the optimum peroxidase specific activity was 612.5 U/mg of protein, indicating that its activity was 22 times higher than the activity recorded in the basal medium. After SDS-PAGE analysis, GST and GPx showed a single protein band of 25 and 18 kDa, respectively. They were able to retain their activities at an optimal temperature of 40oC for an hour and pH range 4-7. The 3D model of both enzymes was constructed showing helical structures, sheet and loops. Protein cavities were also detected to define druggable sites. GST model had 2 large pockets; 185A3 and 71 A3 with druggability score 0.5-0.8. For GPx, the pockets were relatively smaller, 71 A3 and 32 A3 with druggability score (0.65-0.66). Therefore, the present study showed that the consortium components as well as the stress-based conditions used could express both enzymes with enhanced productivity, recommending their application based on the obtained results.