Elucidating the degradation pathway of Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is at the top of the World Health Organizations listing of essential medicines. As such, Ibuprofen is commonly consumed in nearly all countries. Considering Ibuprofen is poorly degraded by the human metabolism, wastewater tends to be a significant source of Ibuprofen in the environment. Concern has arisen over the past decade due to Ibuprofens endocrine disruption capabilities on fish and potential toxicity. To understand how Ibuprofen is degraded, the ipfFABDE proteins thought to be involved in its degradation need to be purified. This will be achieved by producing large amounts of the enzymes in a suitable host such as E. coli. Pilot studies can then be conducted to determine what factors are needed for the activity of these enzymes. Knowing what enzymes are used, how fast they act and what genes make these proteins allows governments to monitor environmental areas more closely for the effects of Ibuprofen contamination.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jonathan Van Hamme

Student:

Partner:

Universidad de Granada;Estacion Experimental Del Zaidin

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Biotechnology; Environmental Science and Technology

University:

Thompson Rivers University

Program: