Enzyme stabilization by nano/microsized hybrid materials

Multi-point enzyme immobilization, surface chemistry, and novel platforms: a paradigm shift in biocatalyst design

Engineering enzymes with improved catalytic properties in non-natural environments have been concerned with their diverse industrial and biotechnological applications. Immobilization represents a promising but straightforward route, and immobilized biocatalysts often display higher activities and stabilities compared to free enzymes. Owing to their unique physicochemical characteristics, including the high-specific surface area, exceptional chemical, electrical, and mechanical properties, efficient enzyme loading, and multivalent functionalization, nano-based materials are postulated as suitable carriers for biomolecules or enzyme immobilization. Enzymes immobilized on nanomaterial-based supports are more robust, stable, and recoverable than their pristine counterparts, and are even used for continuous catalytic processes. Furthermore, the unique intrinsic properties of nanomaterials, particularly nanoparticles, also confer the immobilized enzymes to be used for their broader applications. Herein, an effort has been made to present novel potentialities of multi-point enzyme immobilization in the current biotechnological sector. Various nano-based platforms for enzyme/biomolecule immobilization are discussed in the second part of the review. In summary, recent developments in the use of nanomaterials as new carriers to construct robust nano-biocatalytic systems are reviewed, and future trends are pointed out in this article.

CALB Immobilized onto Magnetic Nanoparticles for Efficient Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Secondary Alcohols: Long-Term Stability and Reusability

In this study, an immobilization strategy for magnetic cross-linking enzyme aggregates of lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB) was developed and investigated. Magnetic particles were prepared by conventional co-precipitation. The magnetic nanoparticles were modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to obtain surface amino-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (APTES⁻Fe₃O₄) as immobilization materials. Glutaraldehyde was used as a crosslinker to covalently bind CALB to APTES⁻Fe₃O₄. The optimal conditions of immobilization of lipase and resolution of racemic 1-phenylethanol were investigated. Under optimal conditions, esters could be obtained with conversion of 50%, enantiomeric excess of product (ee_p) > 99%, enantiomeric excess of substrate (ee_s) > 99%, and enantiomeric ratio (E) > 1000. The magnetic CALB CLEAs were successfully used for enzymatic kinetic resolution of fifteen secondary alcohols. Compared with Novozym 435, the magnetic CALB CLEAs exhibited a better enantioselectivity for most substrates. The conversion was still greater than 49% after the magnetic CALB CLEAs had been reused 10 times in a 48 h reaction cycle; both ee_s and ee_p were close to 99%. Furthermore, there was little decrease in catalytic activity and enantioselectivity after being stored at -20 °C for 90 days.

Biocatalytic transamination in a monolithic flow reactor: improving enzyme grafting for enhanced performance

Transaminases were immobilized onto macrocellular silica monoliths and used for carrying a continuous flow mode transamination reaction. Monoliths were prepared via an emulsion-templated sol–gel method and functionalised by amino-moieties (3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane, APTES) in order to covalently immobilize the enzymes, using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent. In order to obtain higher performance and improved reproducibility, we investigate the key parameters of APTES functionalisation and of enzyme grafting. Four functionalisation protocols were studied. We show that enhancing the homogeneity of the APTES grafting and controlling the moisture level during functionalisation led to a 3-fold increase in activity as compared to the previously reported data, and greatly improved the reproducibility. Additionally, we report a strong beneficial effect of running the enzyme immobilisation at room temperature instead of 4 °C, further enhancing the obtained activity. Finally, the popular method which consists of stabilizing the covalent attachment of the enzyme by reducing the imine bonds formed between the enzyme and the functionalised surface was investigated. We highlight a strong enzyme deactivation caused by cyanoborohydride, making this strategy irrelevant in this case. The improvements presented here led to more active macrocellular monoliths, of general interest for continuous flow mode biocatalysis.

Higher performance can be obtained in flow biocatalytic transamination reactions if the key parameters of support functionalization and of enzyme grafting are controlled.

Enzyme immobilized millimeter-sized polyHIPE beads with easy separability and recyclability

Enzyme immobilized reusable millimeter-sized beads were prepared through covalently immobilizing Candida antarctica lipase B onto emulsion-templated porous beads.

Immobilization ofl-methioninase on a zirconium-based metal–organic framework as an anticancer agent

A new composite (METase@UiO-66) was prepared froml-methioninase and UiO-66-(COOH), which exhibited enhanced thermostability, pH and storage lifetime compared tol-methioninase. Moreover,in vivoexperiments showed that the drug inhibited tumor growth in mice.

Characterization of immobilized tyrosinase - an enzyme that is stable in organic solvent at 100 °C

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing enzyme present in plant and animal tissues, which catalyzes the production of melanin and other pigments. In organic solvent, tyrosinase can convert N-acetyl-l-tyrosine ethyl ester (insoluble in aqueous) to a derivative of l-dopamine (a drug used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease). Thus, the performances of tyrosinase in organic solvent have attracted scientific attention since 1980. In this work, we investigated the stability of immobilized tyrosinase at high temperature in anhydrous organic solvent. Triethylaminoethyl cellulose (TEAE-Cellulose) performed the best out of six immobilization platforms. The dry immobilized tyrosinase became extremely thermostable in organic solvent, and the half-life of the dry immobilized tyrosinase in organic solvent is strongly related to the polarity of the organic solvent than their log P value. The immobilized tyrosinase loses its activity instantaneously in aqueous solution at 100 °C, but it keeps enzymatic activity within 10 min in hydrophilic methanol and over one month in hydrophobic hexane (log P: 4.66, non-polar) even incubating at 100 °C. This research provides valuable information for the design of new biocatalysts.

Immobilized tyrosinase in hexane can withstand 100 °C over one week, and the half-life of the dry immobilized tyrosinase in organic solvent is strongly related to the polarity of the organic solvent.

"Smart" chemistry and its application in peroxidase immobilization using different support materials

In the past few decades, the enzyme immobilization technology has been exploited a lot and thus became a matter of rational design. Immobilization is an alternative approach to bio-catalysis with the added benefits, adaptability to automation and high-throughput applications. Immobilization-based approaches represent simple but effective routes for engineering enzyme catalysts with higher activities than wild-type or pristine counterparts. From the chemistry viewpoint, the concept of stabilization via manipulation of functional entities, the enzyme surfaces have been an important driving force for immobilizing purposes. In addition, the unique physiochemical and structural functionalities of pristine or engineered cues, or insoluble support matrices (carrier) such as mean particle diameter, swelling behavior, mechanical strength, and compression behavior are of supreme interest and importance for the performance of the immobilized systems. Immobilization of peroxidases into/onto insoluble support matrices is advantageous for practical applications due to convenience in handling, ease separation of enzymes from a reaction mixture and the reusability. A plethora of literature is available explaining individual immobilization system. However, current literature lacks the chemistry viewpoint of immobilization. This review work presents state-of-the-art "Smart" chemistry of immobilization and novel potentialities of several materials-based cues with different geometries including microspheres, hydrogels and polymeric membranes, nanoparticles, nanofibers, composite and hybrid or blended support materials. The involvement of various functional groups including amino, thiol, carboxylic, hydroxyl, and epoxy groups via "click" chemistry, amine chemistry, thiol chemistry, carboxyl chemistry, and epoxy chemistry over the protein surfaces is discussed.

Transforming food waste: how immobilized enzymes can valorize waste streams into revenue streams

Food processing generates byproduct and waste streams rich in lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, which contribute to its negative environmental impact. However, these compounds hold significant economic potential if transformed into revenue streams such as biofuels and ingredients. Indeed, the high protein, sugar, and fat content of many food waste streams makes them ideal feedstocks for enzymatic valorization. Compared to synthetic catalysts, enzymes have higher specificity, lower energy requirement, and improved environmental sustainability in performing chemical transformations, yet their poor stability and recovery limits their performance in their native state. This review article surveys the current state-of-the-art in enzyme stabilization & immobilization technologies, summarizes opportunities in enzyme-catalyzed valorization of waste streams with emphasis on streams rich in mono- and disaccharides, polysaccharides, lipids, and proteins, and highlights challenges and opportunities in designing commercially translatable immobilized enzyme systems towards the ultimate goals of sustainable food production and reduced food waste.

Synthesis of alginate-silica hybrid hydrogel for biocatalytic conversion by β-glucosidase in microreactor

The organic-inorganic hybrid materials have been used in different fields to immobilize biomolecules since they offer many advantages. The aim of this study was to optimize and characterize the alginate-silica hybrid hydrogel as a stable and injectable form for microfluidic systems using internal gelation method and increase the stability and activity of immobilized enzyme for biocatalytic conversions as well. Characterization was carried out by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy/mapping, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Barrett-Joyner-Halenda, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses, and the shrinkages of monoliths were evaluated. Subsequent to optimizing the enzyme concentration (40 μg), hydrolytic conversion of 4-nitrophenyl β-d-glucopyranoside (pNPG) was performed to understand the behavior of the bioconversion in the microfluidic system. The yield was 94% which reached the equilibrium at 24 h indicating that the alginate-silica gel derived microsystem overcome some drawbacks of monolithic systems. Additionally, bioconversion of Ruscus aculeatus saponins was carried out at the same setup in order to obtain aglycon part, which has pharmaceutical significance. Although pure aglycon could not be achieved, an intermediate compound was obtained based on the HPLC analysis. The developed formulation can be utilized for various life science applications.

Combined Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregates as Biocatalysts

Enzymes are efficient biocatalysts providing an important tool in many industrial biocatalytic processes. Currently, the immobilized enzymes prepared by the cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) have drawn much attention due to their simple preparation and high catalytic efficiency. Combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (combi-CLEAs) including multiple enzymes have significant advantages for practical applications. In this review, the conditions or factors for the preparation of combi-CLEAs such as the proportion of enzymes, the type of cross-linker, and coupling temperature were discussed based on the reaction mechanism. The recent applications of combi-CLEAs were also reviewed.

Immobilization of Cholesterol Oxidase: An Overview

Background:

Cholesterol oxidases are bacterial oxidases widely used commercially for their application in the detection of cholesterol in blood serum, clinical or food samples. Additionally, these enzymes find potential applications as an insecticide, synthesis of anti-fungal antibiotics and a biocatalyst to transform a number of sterol and non-sterol compounds. However, the soluble form of cholesterol oxidases are found to be less stable when applied at higher temperatures, broader pH range, and incur higher costs. These disadvantages can be overcome by immobilization on carrier matrices.

Methods:

This review focuses on the immobilization of cholesterol oxidases on various macro/micro matrices as well as nanoparticles and their potential applications. Selection of appropriate support matrix in enzyme immobilization is of extreme importance. Recently, nanomaterials have been used as a matrix for immobilization of enzyme due to their large surface area and small size. The bio-compatible length scales and surface chemistry of nanoparticles provide reusability, stability and enhanced performance characteristics for the enzyme-nanoconjugates.

Conclusion:

In this review, immobilization of cholesterol oxidase on nanomaterials and other matrices are discussed. Immobilization on nanomatrices has been observed to increase the stability and activity of enzymes. This enhances the applicability of cholesterol oxidases for various industrial and clinical applications such as in biosensors.

Facile fabrication of a recyclable nanobiocatalyst: immobilization of Burkholderia cepacia lipase on carbon nanofibers for the kinetic resolution of a racemic atenolol intermediate

Immobilization of surfactant treated Burkholderia cepacia lipase on the surface of carbon nanofibers was performed via two different methods: adsorption and covalent attachment. Simple adsorption of lipase on carbon nanofibers turned out to be a poor strategy, exhibiting an immobilization efficiency of 36%, while covalent coupling using 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl] carbodiimide (EDC)/N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) showed better immobilization efficiency (56%). The nanobioconjugate fabricated using the latter method showed an eleven-fold increase in enzyme activity towards the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl palmitate and enhanced dispersion in organic solvents. At 80 °C, the half-life of lipase in the nanobioconjugate was almost 20 fold higher than that of free lipase, demonstrating its thermal stability. The as-prepared nanobioconjugate was reused for nine consecutive reaction cycles achieving 100% yield in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenol palmitate but losing almost 50% of the initial activity after seven operational cycles. Finally, this heterogeneous nanobioconjugate was more active and enantioselective [C = 47.8, eep = 97.0 and E = 194] than free lipase [C = 35.4, eep = 97.1 and E = 88] towards the kinetic resolution of a racemic intermediate of atenolol yielding the S enantiomer, which signifies its importance as a nanobiocatalyst.

Magnetic Microreactors with Immobilized Enzymes—From Assemblage to Contemporary Applications

Microfluidics, as the technology for continuous flow processing in microscale, is being increasingly elaborated on in enzyme biotechnology and biocatalysis. Enzymatic microreactors are a precious tool for the investigation of catalytic properties and optimization of reaction parameters in a thriving and high-yielding way. The utilization of magnetic forces in the overall microfluidic system has reinforced enzymatic processes, paving the way for novel applications in a variety of research fields. In this review, we hold a discussion on how different magnetic particles combined with the appropriate biocatalyst under the proper system configuration may constitute a powerful microsystem and provide a highly explorable scope.

Novel amphiphilic polyvinylpyrrolidone functionalized silicone particles as carrier for low-cost lipase immobilization

The high catalytic activity, specificity and stability of immobilized lipase have been attracting great interest. How to reduce the cost of support materials has always been a hot topic in this field. Herein, for the development of low-cost immobilized lipase, we demonstrate an amphiphilic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) grafted on silicone particle (SP) surface materials (SP-PVP) with a rational design based on interfacial activation and solution polymerization. Meanwhile, hydrophilic pristine SP and hydrophobic polystyrene-corded silicone particles (SP-Pst) were also prepared for lipase immobilization. SP-PVP was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. Our results indicated that the lipase loading amount on the SP-PVP composites was about 215 mg of protein per gram. In the activity assay, the immobilized lipase SP-PVP@CRL exhibited higher catalysis activity and better thermostability and reusability than SP@CRL and SP-Pst@CRL. The immobilized lipase retained more than 54% of its initial activity after 10 times of re-use and approximately trended to a steady rate in the following cycles. By introducing the interesting amphiphilic polymer to this cheap and easily obtained SP surface, the relative performance of the immobilized lipase can be significantly improved, facilitating interactions between the low-cost support materials and lipase.

Influence of Three Commercial Graphene Derivatives on the Catalytic Properties of a Lactobacillus plantarum α-l-Rhamnosidase When Used as Immobilization Matrices

The modification of carbon nanomaterials with biological molecules paves the way toward their use in biomedical and biotechnological applications, such as next-generation biocatalytic processes, development of biosensors, implantable electronic devices, or drug delivery. In this study, different commercial graphene derivatives, namely, monolayer graphene oxide (GO), graphene oxide nanocolloids (GOCs), and polycarboxylate-functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (GNs), were compared as biomolecule carrier matrices. Detailed spectroscopic analyses showed that GO and GOC were similar in composition and functional group content and very different from GN, whereas divergent morphological characteristics were observed for each nanomaterial through microscopy analyses. The commercial α-l-rhamnosidase RhaB1 from the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum, selected as a model biomolecule for its relevant role in the pharma and food industries, was directly immobilized on the different materials. The binding efficiency and biochemical properties of RhaB1-GO, RhaB1-GOC, and RhaB1-GN composites were analyzed. RhaB1-GO and RhaB1-GOC showed high binding efficiency, whereas the enzyme loading on GN, not tested in previous enzyme immobilization studies, was low. The enzyme showed contrasting changes when immobilized on the different material supports. The effect of pH on the activity of the three RhaB1-immobilized versions was similar to that observed for the free enzyme, whereas the activity-temperature profiles and the response to the presence of inhibitors varied significantly between the RhaB1 versions. In addition, the apparent K_m for the immobilized and soluble enzymes did not change. Finally, the free RhaB1 and the immobilized enzyme in GOC showed the best storage and reutilization stability, keeping most of their initial activity after 8 weeks of storage at 4 °C and 10 reutilization cycles, respectively. This study shows, for the first time, that distinct commercial graphene derivatives can influence differently the catalytic properties of an enzyme during its immobilization.

Hierarchical ZIF-8 toward Immobilizing Burkholderia cepacia Lipase for Application in Biodiesel Preparation

A hierarchical mesoporous zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) was processed based on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a morphological regulating agent and amino acid (l-histidine) as assisting template agent. Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL) was successfully immobilized by ZIF-8 as the carrier via an adsorption method (BCL-ZIF-8). The immobilized lipase (BCL) showed utmost activity recovery up to 1279%, a 12-fold boost in its free counterpart. BCL-ZIF-8 was used as a biocatalyst in the transesterification reaction for the production of biodiesel with 93.4% yield. There was no significant lowering of conversion yield relative to original activity for BCL-ZIF-8 when continuously reused for eight cycles. This work provides a new outlook for biotechnological importance by immobilizing lipase on the hybrid catalyst (ZIF-8) and opens the door for its uses in the industrial field.

Stabilization of Lipase in Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsions

Candida antarctica lipase B is stabilized in a porous, high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) of polydicyclopentadiene to enable biocatalytic waste stream upcycling. The immobilized lipase is subjected to thorough washing conditions and tested for stability in extreme environments and reusability. A porous internal microstructure is revealed through scanning electron microscopy. After preparation, lipase activity increased to 139 ± 9.7% of its original activity. After 10 cycles of reuse, immobilized lipase retains over 50% activity. Immobilized lipase retains activity after 24 h of exposure to temperatures ranging from 20 to 60 °C and pH values of 3, 7, and 10. In the most extreme environments tested, lipase retained 42.8 ± 21% relative activity after exposure to 60 °C and 49.4 ± 16% relative activity after exposure to pH 3. Polymerized HIPEs stabilize lipase and, thus, extend its working range. Further synthesis optimization has the potential to increase enzyme stability, immobilization efficiency, and uniformity. The reported hierarchical stabilization technique shows promise for use of immobilized lipase in non-ideal, industrially relevant conditions.

Preparation of porous hollow Fe3O4/P(GMA-DVB-St) microspheres and application for lipase immobilization

Functional porous hollow microspheres with superparamagnetism, Fe₃O₄/P(GMA-DVB-St) microspheres, were prepared via a dispersion polymerization based on hollow Fe₃O₄ microspheres. The resulting hollow microspheres were characterized by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) gas sorptometry, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It is verified that the resulting hollow microspheres are porous and have high saturation magnetization. For further application, candida rugosa lipase (CRL) was immobilized onto the hollow microshperes, the loading amount of lipase was 143.88 mg CRL/g support and the activity recovery of the obtained immobilized lipase reached 73.25%. Besides, the resulting immobilized CRL (ICRL) were found to have better pH endurance and temperature endurance than the free ones, which showed the optimal catalytic activity with pH of 9.0 and temperature of 60 °C. The ICRL displayed excellent reusability as well.

Nano-Immobilized Biocatalysts for Biodiesel Production from Renewable and Sustainable Resources

The cost of biodiesel production relies on feedstock cost. Edible oil is unfavorable as a biodiesel feedstock because of its expensive price. Thus, non-edible crop oil, waste oil, and microalgae oil have been considered as alternative resources. Non-edible crop oil and waste cooking oil are more suitable for enzymatic transesterification because they include a large amount of free fatty acids. Recently, enzymes have been integrated with nanomaterials as immobilization carriers. Nanomaterials can increase biocatalytic efficiency. The development of a nano-immobilized enzyme is one of the key factors for cost-effective biodiesel production. This paper presents the technology development of nanomaterials, including nanoparticles (magnetic and non-magnetic), carbon nanotubes, and nanofibers, and their application to the nano-immobilization of biocatalysts. The current status of biodiesel production using a variety of nano-immobilized lipase is also discussed.

Immobilization of laccase onto porous polyvinyl alcohol/halloysite hybrid beads for dye removal

Laccase was immobilized in polyvinyl alcohol beads containing halloysite nanotubes (PVA/HNTs) to improve the stability and reusability of enzyme. The porous structure of PVA/HNTs beads facilitates the entrapment of enzyme and prevents the leaching of immobilized laccase as well. Halloysite nanotubes act as bridge to connect the adjacent pores, facilitating the electron transfer and enhancing the mechanical properties. PVA/HNTs beads have high laccase immobilization capacity (237.02 mg/g) and activity recovery yield (79.15%), indicating it can be used as potential support for laccase immobilization. Compared with free laccase, the immobilized laccase on hybrid beads exhibits enhanced pH tolerance (even at pH 8.0), good thermal stability (57.5% of the initial activity can be maintained at 75 °C), and excellent storage stability (81.17% of enzyme activity could be retained after storage at 4 °C for 5 weeks compared with that for free enzyme of 60%). Also, the removal efficiency for reactive blue can reach as high as 93.41% in the presence of redox mediator 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate), in which adsorption and degradation exist simultaneously. The remarkable pH tolerance, thermal and storage stability, and reuse ability imply potential application of porous PVA/HNTs immobilized enzyme in environmental fields.

Penaeus vannamei protease stabilizing process of ZnS nanoparticles

The protease enzyme purified from the Penaeus vannamei shrimp has unique properties, so improving the stability of this enzyme can improve their practical applications. In this study, ZnS nanoparticles, which have special properties for enzyme immobilization, were synthesized using a chemical precipitation method, and Penaeus vannamei protease was successfully immobilized on them. The size, structure, and morphology of the ZnS nanoparticles, and the immobilization of the protease were studied, using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis. We show that the immobilized enzyme has improved functionality at high temperatures, extreme pH conditions (pH3 and 12), and during storage. Immobilization increased the optimum temperature range of the enzyme, but did not change the pH optimum, which remained at pH7. Immobilization of P. vannamei protease enzyme increased the K_m and decreased k_cat/K_m. These results indicate that P. vannamei protease immobilized on ZnS nanoparticles, has improved properties due to its high stability and unique properties, can be used for biotechnology applications.

Burkholderia cepacia lipase immobilized on heterofunctional magnetic nanoparticles and its application in biodiesel synthesis

Biodiesel production using immobilized lipase as a biocatalyst is a promising process. The performance of immobilized lipase is mainly determined by supporting materials and immobilization method. To avoid the shortcomings of adsorption and covalent bonding methods, in this study, we developed a novel heterofunctional carrier of being strengthened anion exchange and weakened covalent binding to avoid activity loss and improve operational stability of the immobilized lipase. 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride with epoxy and quaternary ammonium group and glutaraldehyde were grafted onto aminated magnetic nanoparticles (AMNPs) to generate a new matrix, named GEAMNP. Then Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL) was immobilized on GEAMNP via anion exchange and covalent bonding. The transesterification between soybean oil and methanol was used to test the activities. Activity recovery of the immobilized BCL was up to 147.4% and the corresponding transesterification activity was 1.5-fold than that of BCL powder. The immobilized lipase was further used for biodiesel production to confirm its feasibility. The fatty acid methyl esters conversion yield could reach 96.8% in the first 12 h. Furthermore, the immobilized lipase, BCL-GEAMNP showed markedly improved operational stability, better reusability and higher esters than BCL-GAMNP, where MNPs were only modified with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane and glutaraldehyde.