Isolation and Characterization of Lipoxygenase from Sponge Gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca)
Lipoxygenase (Linoleate: oxygen oxidoreductase EC.1. 13. 11. 12), a dioxygenase catalyzing the hydroperoxidation of fatty acids containing a cis,cis- 1,4-pentadiene structure was isolated from defatted whole and dehulled seeds of Luffa aegyptiaca ,a local plant found growing wildly in waste lands and rubbish dumps. Several properties of the enzyme including effect of pH, substrate concentration and heat treatment were investigated and lipoxygenase activity was determined spectrophotometrically at 234nm.