What is Neutral Protease?
Neutral protease is a gentle, rapid-acting metalloprotease (usually from Bacillus polymyxa or Bacillus subtilis) that works optimally at pH 5.9–7.5 to hydrolyze non-polar amino acid residues. It is heavily used for cell isolation and tissue dissociation, efficiently separating epidermis from dermis while maintaining cell membrane integrity.
Everything You Need to Know
What is neutral protease?
Neutral Protease (Dispase) dissociates fibroblast-like cells more efficiently than epithelial-like cells so it has also been used for differential isolation and culture applications. Other advantages are its non-mammalian (bacterial) source and its ability to be inhibited by EDTA.
Who should not take protease?
Some may cause allergic reactions. See specific proteolytic enzymes for more detailed safety information. Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if proteolytic enzymes are safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
What does protease do to your body?
Thus, proteases regulate the fate, localization, and activity of many proteins, modulate protein-protein interactions, create new bioactive molecules, contribute to the processing of cellular information, and generate, transduce, and amplify molecular signals.
What are the side effects of protease?
Common side effects of protease inhibitors
Abdominal pain.
Nausea and vomiting.
Diarrhea.
Rash.
Cough.
Fatigue.
Kidney stones.
Redistribution of fat on your body (lipodystrophy).
Main Details:
Action: It is an amino-endopeptidase that degrades components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), such as fibronectin and collagen IV, without damaging the cells themselves.
Cell Culture Use: Highly favored in primary cell culture and tissue dissociation because it offers a "gentle" release of cells.
Tissue Dissociation: Frequently paired with collagenase to improve the efficiency of releasing specific cells, such as hepatocytes or pancreatic islets.
Other Uses: In addition to research, neutral proteases are utilized in the food industry for meat tenderization, bakery, and dairy processing (e.g., cheese production) due to their ability to break down proteins and improve texture.
Inhibitors: Its activity is dependent on zinc and calcium ions and is inhibited by EDTA or EGTA.
Neutral Protease (Dispase) is a bacterial enzyme produced by Bacillus polymyxa that hydrolyses N-terminal peptide bonds of non-polar amino acid residues and is classified as an amino-endopeptidase. Its mild proteolytic action makes the enzyme especially useful for the isolation of primary and secondary (subcultivation) cells since it maintains cell membrane integrity.
Neutral Protease (Dispase) is also frequently used as a secondary enzyme in conjunction with collagenase and/or other proteases in many primary cell isolation and tissue dissociation applications. Neutral Protease (Dispase) dissociates fibroblast-like cells more efficiently than epithelial-like cells so it has also been used for differential isolation and culture applications. Other advantages are its non-mammalian (bacterial) source and its ability to be inhibited by EDTA.
ANALYTICAL RESULTS
| Test Item | Method / Ref. | Specification | Result | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identification | In-house ID / label claim | Neutral Protease (EC 3.4.24.24) | Conforms | Pass |
| Appearance | Visual | Off-white to light yellow powder | Conforms | Pass |
| Enzyme Activity | AOAC or in-house assay | NLT 1,000 U/g | 1,200 U/g | Pass |
| pH (1% solution) | pH meter | 6.0 – 8.0 | 6.5 | Pass |
| Moisture | Gravimetric / USP 731 | ≤ 6.0% | 4.5% | Pass |
| Ash | Gravimetric / USP 281 | ≤ 5.0% | 3.2% | Pass |
| Protein Content | Kjeldahl Method | ≥ 40% | 42.3% | Pass |
| Total Plate Count | Plate count | ≤ 10,000 CFU/g | 4,300 CFU/g | Pass |
| Yeast & Mold | Plate count | ≤ 100 CFU/g | <10 CFU/g | Pass |
| Coliforms | Plate count | ≤ 30 CFU/g | <10 CFU/g | Pass |
| E. coli | Absence Test | Negative / 25g | Not Detected | Pass |
| Salmonella | Absence Test | Negative / 25g | Not Detected | Pass |
| Lead (Pb) | ICP-MS / ICP-OES | ≤ 5 mg/kg | 0.18 mg/kg | Pass |
| Arsenic (As) | ICP-MS / ICP-OES | ≤ 3 mg/kg | 0.12 mg/kg | Pass |
Production Process
