Within the scope of improving the efficiency of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy in cystic fibrosis, the feasibility of shifting the pH-activity profile of pancreatic lipase toward acidic values was investigated by site specific mutagenesis in different regions of the catalytic cavity. We have shown that introducing a negative charge close to the catalytic histidine induced a shift of the pH optimum toward acidic values but strongly reduced the lipase activity. On the other hand, a negative charge in the entrance of the catalytic cleft gives rise to a lipase with improved properties and twice more active than the native enzyme at acidic. pH. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.