Abstract

NOTES ON UREA HYDROLYSIS BY UREASE

Michele Vitolo*

ABSTRACT

Urease (EC 3.5.1.5), one of the oldest identified enzymes and the first to be crystallized, decomposes urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Urease occurs widely in nature and is fundamental to plant nitrogen metabolism. It is also responsible for the survival of ureolytic microorganisms in inhospitable environments such as the stomach of terrestrial vertebrates. Urease has application in chemical and clinical chemistry, alcoholic beverage production, and biocalcification. Moreover, urease present in soil and in the microbiota of terrestrial vertebrates is a target for inhibitors. The use of urease in hemodialyzers is an important biomedical application. The most successful urease cartridge employed in hemodialyzers consists of contiguous layers of activated charcoal, immobilized urease, ion- exchangers, and zirconium oxide. Cartridges consisting of layers of activated charcoal, ion-exchangers, and nano-particulate sorbent (for example, tri-p-aniline amine-covalent organic framework; TPA- COF) are currently under development. The aim is to integrate these cartridges into the so-called wearable artificial kidney, a compact apparatus that would allow uremic patients to perform hemodialysis at home.

Keywords: Hydrolysis, urea, urease.