Enzyme catalysis in organic solvents: influence of water content, solvent composition and temperature on Candida rugosa lipase catalyzed transesterification

Conformation and catalytic properties studies of Candida rugosa Lip7 via enantioselective esterification of ibuprofen in organic solvents and ionic liquids

Enantioselective esterification of ibuprofen was conducted to evaluate the enzyme activity and ees of lipase from Candida rugosa (CRL7) in ten conventional organic solvents and three ionic liquids. Different alcohols were tested for selecting the most suitable acyl acceptor due to the fact that the structure of alcohols (branch and length of carbon chains; location of -OH functional group) could affect the enzyme activity and ees. The results of alcohol and solvent selection revealed that 1-isooctanol and isooctane were the best substrate and reaction medium, respectively, because of the highest enzyme activity and ees. Compared with the control, conformational studies via FT-IR indicate that the variations of CRL7's secondary structure elements are probably responsible for the differences of enzyme activity and ees in the organic solvents and ionic liquids. Moreover, the effects of reaction parameters, such as molar ratio, water content, temperature, and reaction time, in the selected reaction medium, were also examined.

Improving activity and enantioselectivity of lipase via immobilization on macroporous resin for resolution of racemic 1- phenylethanol in non-aqueous medium

Background

Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL) has been proved to be capable of resolution reactions. However, its free form usually exhibits low stability, bad resistance and no reusability, which restrict its further industrial applications. Therefore, it is of great importance to improve the catalytic performance of free lipase in non-aqueous medium.

Results

In this work, macroporous resin NKA (MPR-NKA) was utilized as support for lipase immobilization. Racemic transesterification of 1-phenylethanol with vinyl acetate was chosen as model reaction. Compared with its free form, the enzyme activity and enantioselectivity (ee_s) of the immobilized lipase have been significantly enhanced. The immobilized BCL exhibited a satisfactory thermostability over a wide range of temperature (from 10 to 65°C) and an excellent catalytic efficiency. After being used for more than 30 successive batches, the immobilized lipase still kept most of its activity. In comparison with other immobilized lipases, the immobilized BCL also exhibits better catalytic efficiency, which indicates a significant potential in industrial applications.

Conclusion

The results of this study have proved that MPR-NKA was an excellent support for immobilization of lipase via the methods of N₂ adsorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The improvement of enzyme activity and ee_s for the immobilized lipase was closely correlated with the alteration of its secondary structure. This information may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of immobilization and enzymatic biotransformation in non-aqueous medium.

A novel chemoenzymatic synthesis of propyl caffeate using lipase-catalyzed transesterification in ionic liquid

Propyl caffeate has the highest antioxidant capacity in the caffeate alkyl esters family, but industrial production of propyl caffeate is hindered by low yields using either the chemical or enzymatic catalysis method. To set up a high-yield process for obtaining propyl caffeate, a novel chemoenzymatic synthesis method using lipase-catalyzed transesterification of an intermediate methyl caffeate or ethyl caffeate and 1-propanol in ionic liquid was established. The maximum propyl caffeate yield of 98.5% was obtained using lipase-catalyzed transesterification under the following optimal conditions: Novozym 435 as a biocatalyst, [Bmim][CF3SO3] as a medium, a molar ratio of methyl caffeate to 1-propanol of 1:5, a mass ratio of methyl caffeate to lipase of 1:20, and a reaction temperature of 60°C. The two-step conversion of caffeic acid to propyl caffeate via methyl caffeate is an efficient way to prepare propyl caffeate with an overall yield of 82.7%.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis and biological evaluation of enantiomerically enriched 1-(β-hydroxypropyl)imidazolium- and triazolium-based ionic liquids

Racemic 1-(β-hydroxypropyl)azoles were prepared by solvent-free direct regioselective ring opening of 1,2-propylene oxide with imidazole or 1,2,4-triazole. Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of alcohols with vinyl acetate resulted in kinetic enantiomers resolution. Separated (S)-enantiomers of (+)-1-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol and (+)-1-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol were quaternized with alkyl bromides or iodides, yielding novel optically active ionic liquids. Racemic salts were tested against a wide range of microorganisms.