One-pot synthesis of protein-embedded metal-organic frameworks with enhanced biological activities

Design of Laccase-Metal Organic Framework-Based Bioelectrodes for Biocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Laccase in combination with 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) as a mediator is a well-known bioelectrocatalyst for the 4-electron oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). The present work deals with the first exploitation of mesoporous iron(III) trimesate-based metal organic frameworks (MOF) MIL-100(Fe) (MIL stands for materials from Institut Lavoisier) as a new and efficient immobilization matrix of laccase for the building up of biocathodes for ORR. First, the immobilization of ABTS in the pores of the MOF was studied by combining micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and N2 porosimetry. The ABTS-MIL-100(Fe)-based modified electrode presents excellent properties in terms of charge transfer kinetics and ionic conductivity as well as a very stable and reproducible electrochemical response, showing that MIL-100(Fe) provides a suitable and stabilizing microenvironment for electroactive ABTS molecules. In a second step, laccase was further immobilized on the MIL-100(Fe)-ABTS matrix. The Lac-ABTS-MIL-100(Fe)-CIE bioelectrode presents a high electrocatalytic current density of oxygen reduction and a reproducible electrochemical response characterized by a high stability over a long period of time (3 weeks). These results constitute a significant advance in the field of laccase-based bioelectrocatalysts for ORR. According to our work, it appears that the high catalytic efficiency of Lac-ABTS-MIL-100(Fe) for ORR may result from a synergy of chemical and catalytic properties of MIL-100(Fe) and laccase.

Template-Directed Synthesis of Porous and Protective Core-Shell Bionanoparticles

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising high surface area coordination polymers with tunable pore structures and functionality; however, a lack of good size and morphological control over the as-prepared MOFs has persisted as an issue in their application. Herein, we show how a robust protein template, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), can be used to regulate the size and shape of as-fabricated MOF materials. We were able to obtain discrete rod-shaped TMV@MOF core-shell hybrids with good uniformity, and their diameters could be tuned by adjusting the synthetic conditions, which can also significantly impact the stability of the core-shell composite. More interestingly, the virus particle underneath the MOF shell can be chemically modified using a standard bioconjugation reaction, showing mass transportation within the MOF shell.

Controlled Fabrication of Silk Protein Sericin Mediated Hierarchical Hybrid Flowers and Their Excellent Adsorption Capability of Heavy Metal Ions of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II)

Fabrication of protein-inorganic hybrid materials of innumerable hierarchical patterns plays a major role in the development of multifunctional advanced materials with their improved features in synergistic way. However, effective fabrication and applications of the hybrid structures is limited due to the difficulty in control and production cost. Here, we report the controlled fabrication of complex hybrid flowers with hierarchical porosity through a green and facile coprecipitation method by using industrial waste natural silk protein sericin. The large surface areas and porosity of the microsize hybrid flowers enable water purification through adsorption of different heavy metal ions. The high adsorption capacity depends on their morphology, which is changed largely by sericin concentration in their fabrication. Superior adsorption and greater selectivity of the Pb(II) ions have been confirmed by the characteristic growth of needle-shaped nanowires on the hierarchical surface of the hybrid flowers. These hybrid flowers show excellent thermal stability even after complete evaporation of the protein molecules, significantly increasing the porosity of the flower petals. A simple, cost-effective and environmental friendly fabrication method of the porous flowers will lead to a new solution to water pollution required in the modern industrial society.

One-pot Synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks with Encapsulated Target Molecules and Their Applications for Controlled Drug Delivery

Many medical and chemical applications require target molecules to be delivered in a controlled manner at precise locations. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have high porosity, large surface area, and tunable functionality and are promising carriers for such purposes. Current approaches for incorporating target molecules are based on multistep postfunctionalization. Here, we report a novel approach that combines MOF synthesis and molecule encapsulation in a one-pot process. We demonstrate that large drug and dye molecules can be encapsulated in zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) crystals. The molecules are homogeneously distributed within the crystals, and their loadings can be tuned. We show that ZIF-8 crystals loaded with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) are efficient drug delivery vehicles in cancer therapy using pH-responsive release. Their efficacy on breast cancer cell lines is higher than that of free DOX. Our one-pot process opens new possibilities to construct multifunctional delivery systems for a wide range of applications.

Inactivation of immobilized trypsin under dissimilar conditions produces trypsin molecules with different structures

Bovine trypsin immobilized on glyoxyl agarose and submitted to different inactivation conditions produce different conformations.

Metal organic frameworks mimicking natural enzymes: a structural and functional analogy

In this review, we have portrayed the structure, synthesis and applications of a variety of biomimetic MOFs from an unprecedented angle.

Synthesis of Au@UiO-66(NH2) structures by small molecule-assisted nucleation for plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic activity

Au@UiO-66(NH₂) core/shell heterostructures were synthesized via an acetic acid/carbon dioxide-assisted solution-encapsulation process. Excited electrons, produced by photo-adsorption of UiO-66(NH₂) and plasmonic sensitization with Au NPs, at the LUMO level with a localized electronic state were transferred to O₂ for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of alcohol oxidation.

Stabilization of β-Gal-3 ATCC 31382 on agarose gels: synthesis of β-(1→3) galactosides under sustainable conditions

β-Gal-3 was immobilized by multipoint covalent attachment on an agarose support. The derivative was characterized and usefully applied as a recoverable and reusable biocatalyst for the synthesis of β-(1 → 3) galactosides under sustainable conditions.

Emerging applications of metal–organic frameworks

Metal–organic frameworks are highly crystalline porous materials which present emerging opportunities in biotechnology, catalysis, microelectronics and photonics.

Prussian blue nanoparticles encapsulated inside a metal–organic framework via in situ growth as promising peroxidase mimetics for enzyme inhibitor screening

Metal–organic framework-based peroxidase mimetics for enzyme-inhibitor screening.

Improved power density of an enzymatic biofuel cell with fibrous supports of high curvature

We developed and characterized two separate enzymatic biofuel cell systems attributing improved performance to electrode support morphological characteristics.

Molecular simulation of low temperature argon adsorption in several models of IRMOF-1 with defects and structural disorder

Low temperature adsorption of argon in several conceptual models of IRMOF-1 featuring various types of defects and inclusions has been investigated.

Surface functionalized natural inorganic nanorod for highly efficient cellulase immobilization

Immobilization of cellulase on attapulgite@chitosan nanocomposite support.

Preparation of light core/shell magnetic composite microspheres and their application for lipase immobilization

Fe₃O₄@P(GMA-DVB-MAA) magnetic composite microspheres were prepared by facile one-pot distillation–precipitation polymerization and were modified with amino groups for the immobilization of lipase.

Manganese dioxide-core–shell hyperbranched chitosan (MnO2–HBCs) nano-structured screen printed electrode for enzymatic glucose biosensors

In this study, the synthesis, characterization and testing of new polymeric–metal oxide nanocomposites for enzymatic glucose biosensors were performed.

Facile fabrication of silk protein sericin-mediated hierarchical hydroxyapatite-based bio-hybrid architectures: excellent adsorption of toxic heavy metals and hazardous dye from wastewater

Facilely fabricated silk protein sericin-mediated hierarchical hydroxyapatite hybrid architectures show excellent adsorption of toxic heavy metal ions of Pb(ii), Cd(ii) and Hg(ii) and a hazardous dye, Congo red (CR), from wastewater.

Enzyme encapsulation in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks: a comparison between controlled co-precipitation and biomimetic mineralisation

Recent studies have demonstrated that metal–organic frameworks can be employed as protective coatings for enzymes.

Candida rugosa lipase immobilization on magnetic silica aerogel nanodispersion

C. rugosalipase was successfully immobilized on hydrophobic magnetic silica aerogel nanodispersion by simple physical adsorption.

Preparation and characterization of a Combi-CLEAs from pectinases and cellulases: a potential biocatalyst for grape juice clarification

Combi-CLEAs of pectinases and cellulases were prepared for grape juice clarification.

Carrier-free co-immobilization of xylanase, cellulase and β-1,3-glucanase as combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (combi-CLEAs) for one-pot saccharification of sugarcane bagasse

Combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (combi-CLEAs) of xylanase, cellulase and β-1,3-glucanase.

BODIPY-containing nanoscale metal–organic frameworks for photodynamic therapy

BODIPY-immobilized metal–organic frameworks for photodynamic therapy were developed through solvent-assisted ligand exchange.

Polydopamine tethered enzyme/metal-organic framework composites with high stability and reusability

An enzyme/metal-organic framework (MOF) composite with both highly stable and easily reusable features was prepared via tethering enzyme/MOF nanocrystals with polydopamine (PDA). The micrometer-sized PDA tethered enzyme/MOF composite can be easily repeatedly used without obvious activity loss, promising for efficient enzymatic catalysis at low cost with long-term operational stability under harsh conditions.

Biomimetic Replication of Microscopic Metal-Organic Framework Patterns Using Printed Protein Patterns

It is demonstrated that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be replicated in a biomimetic fashion from protein patterns. Bendable, fluorescent MOF patterns are formed with micrometer resolution under ambient conditions. Furthermore, this technique is used to grow MOF patterns from fingerprint residue in 30 s with high fidelity. This technique is not only relevant for crime-scene investigation, but also for biomedical applications.

Facile synthesis of enzyme-embedded magnetic metal-organic frameworks as a reusable mimic multi-enzyme system: mimetic peroxidase properties and colorimetric sensor

This work reports a facile and easily-achieved approach for enzyme immobilization by embedding glucose oxidase (GOx) in magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (mZIF-8) via a de novo approach. As a demonstration of the power of such materials, the resulting GOx embedded mZIF-8 (mZIF-8@GOx) was utilized as a colorimetric sensor for rapid detection of glucose. This method was constructed on the basis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which possessed very fascinating peroxidase-like properties, and the cascade reaction for the visual detection of glucose was combined into one step through the mZIF-8@GOx based mimic multi-enzyme system. After characterization by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry, the as-prepared mZIF-8@GOx was confirmed with the robust core-shell structure, the monodisperse nanoparticle had an average diameter of about 200 nm and displayed superparamagnetism with a saturation magnetization value of 40.5 emu g(-1), it also exhibited a large surface area of 396.10 m(2) g(-1). As a peroxidase mimic, mZIF-8 was verified to be highly stable and of low cost, and showed a strong affinity towards H2O2. Meanwhile, the mZIF-8 embedded GOx also exhibited improved activity, stability and greatly enhanced selectivity in glucose detection. Moreover, the mZIF-8@GOx had excellent recyclability with high activity (88.7% residual activity after 12 times reuse).

Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet@metal-organic framework core-shell nanoparticles for photo-chemo combination therapy

Recently, nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) have started to be developed as a promising platform for bioimaging and drug delivery. On the other hand, combination therapies using multiple approaches are demonstrated to achieve much enhanced efficacy. Herein, we report, for the first time, core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) agent and a MOF shell while simultaneously carrying a chemotherapeutic drug for effective combination therapy. In this work, core-shell nanoparticles of zeolitic-imadazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) as shell embedded with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets as core are fabricated by growing ZIF-8 in the presence of g-C3N4 nanosheets. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is then loaded into the ZIF-8 shell of the core-shell nanoparticles. The combination of the chemotherapeutic effects of DOX and the PDT effect of g-C3N4 nanosheets can lead to considerably enhanced efficacy. Furthermore, the red fluorescence of DOX and the blue fluorescence of g-C3N4 nanosheets provide the additional function of dual-color imaging for monitoring the drug release process.

Metal-Organic Framework-Based Nanomedicine Platforms for Drug Delivery and Molecular Imaging

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are a unique class of hybrid porous materials built from metal ions and organic linkers, have attracted significant research interest in recent years. Compared with conventional porous materials, MOFs exhibit a variety of advantages, including a large surface area, a tunable pore size and shape, an adjustable composition and structure, biodegradability, and versatile functionalities, which enable MOFs to perform as promising platforms for drug delivery, molecular imaging, and theranostic applications. In this article, the recent research progress related to nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) is summarized with a focus on synthesis strategies and drug delivery, molecular imaging, and theranostic applications. The future challenges and opportunities of NMOFs are also discussed in the context of translational medical research. More effort is warranted to develop clinically translatable NMOFs for various applications in nanomedicine.

Visible-Light-Induced Effects of Au Nanoparticle on Laccase Catalytic Activity

A deep understanding of the interaction between the nanoparticle and enzyme is important for biocatalyst design. Here, we report the in situ synthesis of laccase-Au NP (laccase-Au) hybrids and its catalytic activity modulation by visible light. In the present hybrid system, the activity of laccase was significantly improved (increased by 91.2% vs free laccase) by Au NPs. With a short time visible light illumination (λ > 420 nm, within 3 min), the activity of laccase-Au hybrids decreased by 8.1% (vs laccase-Au hybrid without light), which can be restored to its initial one when the illumination is removed. However, after a long time illumination (λ > 420 nm, over 10 min), the catalytic activity of laccase-Au hybrids consecutively decreases and is not reversible even after removing the illumination. Our experiments also suggested that the local surface plasma resonance effect of Au NPs causes the structure change of laccase and local high temperature near the Au NPs. Those changes eventually affect the transportation of electrons in laccase, which further results in the declined activity of laccase.

Interfacial Polymerization of Dopamine in a Pickering Emulsion: Synthesis of Cross-Linkable Colloidosomes and Enzyme Immobilization at Oil/Water Interfaces

Colloidosomes are promising carriers for immobilizing enzyme for catalytic purposes in aqueous/organic media. However, they often suffer from one or more problems regarding catalytic performance, stability, and recyclability. Here, we report a novel approach for the synthesis of cross-linkable colloidosomes by the selective polymerization of dopamine at oil/water interfaces in a Pickering emulsion. An efficient enzyme immobilization method was further developed by covalently bonding enzymes to the polydopamine (PDA) layer along with the formation of such colloidosomes with lipase as a model enzyme. In this enzyme system, the PDA layer served as a cross-linking layer and enzyme support for simultaneously enhancing the colloidosomes' stability and improving surface availability of the enzymes for catalytic reaction. It was found that the specific activity of lipases immobilized on the colloidosome shells was 8 and 1.4 times higher than that of free lipase and encapsulated lipase positioned in the aqueous cores of colloidosomes, respectively. Moreover, the immobilized lipases demonstrated excellent operational stability and recyclability, retaining 86.6% of enzyme activity after 15 cycles. It is therefore reasonable to expect that this novel approach for enzyme immobilization has great potential to serve as an important technique for the construction of biocatalytic systems.

Biomimetic mineralization of metal-organic frameworks as protective coatings for biomacromolecules

Enhancing the robustness of functional biomacromolecules is a critical challenge in biotechnology, which if addressed would enhance their use in pharmaceuticals, chemical processing and biostorage. Here we report a novel method, inspired by natural biomineralization processes, which provides unprecedented protection of biomacromolecules by encapsulating them within a class of porous materials termed metal-organic frameworks. We show that proteins, enzymes and DNA rapidly induce the formation of protective metal-organic framework coatings under physiological conditions by concentrating the framework building blocks and facilitating crystallization around the biomacromolecules. The resulting biocomposite is stable under conditions that would normally decompose many biological macromolecules. For example, urease and horseradish peroxidase protected within a metal-organic framework shell are found to retain bioactivity after being treated at 80 °C and boiled in dimethylformamide (153 °C), respectively. This rapid, low-cost biomimetic mineralization process gives rise to new possibilities for the exploitation of biomacromolecules.

Self-assembled enzyme-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers and their application to enzyme purification

We report a novel method to synthesize organic-inorganic nanoflowers for crude soybean peroxidase (SBP) purification. A hierarchical flower-like spherical structure with hundreds of nanopetals was self-assembled by using crude SBP as the organic component and Cu3(PO4)2·3H2O as the inorganic component. The structure of the hybrid nanoflowers was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and the enzymatic activity of SBP embedded in the hybrid nanoflowers was evaluated using guaiacol as substrate. Compared with free crude SBP in solution, SBP embedded in hybrid nanoflowers exhibited enhanced enzymatic activity (∼446%). The hybrid nanoflowers also exhibited excellent reusability and reproducibility during cycle analysis. These results demonstrate that synthesis of hybrid nanoflowers is an effective enzyme purification strategy.

Facile synthesis of multiple enzyme-containing metal–organic frameworks in a biomolecule-friendly environment

A facile and simple method was proposed for the synthesis of multi-enzyme-containing metal–organic frameworks.

Kinetic enhancement of the diffusion-limited enzyme beta-galactosidase when displayed with quantum dots

Schematic of a tetrameric β-galactosidase enzyme attached to and displaying 625 nm emitting QDs coated with a CL4 ligand via each of the 4 pendent His₆ tags.

Design of metal organic framework–enzyme based bioelectrodes as a novel and highly sensitive biosensing platform

The mesoporous iron(iii) trimesate MIL-100(Fe) based biosensor presents very interesting electrocatalytic performances for glucose detection.

Metal–organic frameworks and inorganic nanoflowers: a type of emerging inorganic crystal nanocarrier for enzyme immobilization

By the methods of physical adsorption, covalent conjugation and self-assembly, enzymes can be immobilized on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and inorganic crystal nanoflowers with the great promise of enhancing enzyme stability, activity and even selectivity.

Synthesis of enzyme-embedded metal–organic framework nanocrystals in reverse micelles

Reverse micelles were utilized to prepare enzyme-incorporated metal–organic framework (MOF) nanocrystals with ultrahigh enzymatic activity.

A general method for synthesizing enzyme–polymer conjugates in reverse emulsions using Pluronic as a reactive surfactant

A general method was proposed for synthesizing enzyme–Pluronic nanoconjugates and microgels in reverse emulsions formed by using aldehyde-functionalized Pluronic F-127 as a reactive surfactant.