Isolation of L-Asparaginase from Cannabis Sativa and Development of Biosensor for Detection of Asparagine in Leukemic Serum Samples

Cannabis sativa Linnaeus (Cannabaceae) is a widely used plant of therapeutic and industrial importance. It produces two pigments: cannabinoids and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), THC is responsible for its psychoactive properties which make its use important in medical field. The main objective of present work was to construct a biosensor using L-asparaginase extracted from C. sativa, the biosensor will be used for the measurement of asparagine levels in leukemic serum samples. Different immobilizing techniques such as Whatman filter paper, gelatin, agarose, agar, calcium alginate and hydrosol gel on nylon membrane were applied to develop a biosensor. Phenol red indicator was co immobilized with the enzyme and the change in color was noted which gave the indication of asparagine level. Hydrosol gel technique was the most suitable one with the fastest response time of 6–10 seconds, the detection range was 10⁻¹ M to 10⁻¹⁰ M. The response time for the developed biosensor was lesser as compared to the earlier works. The biosensor fabricated from C. sativa is an efficient one as it gives fast response and a higher detection range.