New Process For Making Human Enzyme With Emerging Medical Uses

Demand for extracellular superoxide dismutase (ECSOD), the form of SOD that exists in blood and other body fluids, may increase in the future if further research confirms its potential value.

Researchers in Taiwan now are reporting development of a method for producing large amounts of high-quality purified human ECSOD from genetically engineered yeast.

"This is the first paper to express human ECSOD in P. pastoris yeast culture system," Chuan-Mu Chen and colleagues report in the November 1 issue of the biweekly ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

"The potential demand for ECSOD in human health care is great," the scientists add. "Therefore, large-scale production of biologically active ECSOD is necessary."

Chen and colleagues note that ECSOD has been proposed for use in the prevention of cancer, reduction of toxic effects of anti-cancer drugs, and prevention of tissue damage in heart attack and stroke patients.