title: Enzymes as useful tools for environmental purposes.
abstract: In the environment enzymes may play important and different roles at least in three cases: as main agents (as isolated, cell-bound or immobilized enzymes) in charge of either the transformation and/or degradation of compounds polluting the environment and the restoration of the polluted environment; as reliable and sensitive tools to detect and measure the amount and concentration of pollutants before, during and after the restoration process; as reliable, easy and sensitive indicators of quality and health status of the environment subjected to the restoration process. To our knowledge papers or reviews integrating findings on these three functions of enzymes are missing in literature. Therefore the main scope of the present paper is to briefly encompass general and specific concepts about roles of enzymes as decontaminating agents, pollutant assaying agents and indicators of environment safety. Examples chosen among those published very recently, supporting and confirming peculiarities, features, and performance of enzymatic agents will be illustrated.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Agraria, Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Napoli, Italy. Electronic address: mariarao@unina.it.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Agraria, Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scelza
authors.affiliation: Centre of Food Biotechnology and Bioseparations, BIOREN, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Acevedo
authors.affiliation: Environmental Biotechnology Center, BIOREN, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Diez
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Agraria, Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gianfreda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D004798:Enzymes
keywords: Bioindicators; Biosensors; Degradation; Enzymes; Pollutants