Protein refolding in reversed micelles

Efficient lipase purification using reverse micellar extraction

Reverse micellar extraction (RME) of enzyme provides an attractive option for conventional method with the potential to achieve purification and concentration in a single step with high yield. This study presents a methodology for optimization of RME with Pseudomonas lipase as model system. Fold-purification, percent recovery and extraction time were the objective functions while the type and concentration of surfactant, contact time, pH, ionic strength, and the ratio of organic to aqueous phase were the decision variables. Under optimized conditions, the AOT (Aerosol OT (bis 2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate)-isooctane system gave a 15-fold purification, 80% recovery and 2.5-fold concentration of the Pseudomonas lipase with process time of 45 min.

Imidazolium bromide-based ionic liquid assisted improved activity of trypsin in cationic reverse micelles

The present work reports the imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) assisted enhancement in activity of water-pool solubilized enzyme trypsin in cationic reverse micelles of CTAB. A set of imidazolium ILs (1-alkyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromides) were prepared with varying lengths of their side arm which results in the differential location of these organic salts in the reverse micelles. The different ILs offered varied activating effects on the biocatalyst. The activity of trypsin improved approximately 30-300% in the presence of 0.1-10 mM of different ILs in reverse micelles of CTAB. Trypsin showed approximately 300% (4-fold) increment in its activity in the presence of IL 2 (1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide, EMIMBr) compared to that observed in the absence of IL in CTAB reverse micelles. The imidazolium moiety of the IL, resembling the histidine amino acid component of the catalytic triad of hydrolases and its Br(-) counterion, presumably increases the nucleophilicity of water in the vicinity of the enzyme by forming a hydrogen bond that facilitates the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of the ester. However, the ILs with increasing amphiphilic character had little to no effect on the activity of trypsin due to their increased distance from the biocatalyst, as they tend to get localized toward the interfacial region of the aggregates. Dynamic light scattering experimentation was carried out in the presence of ILs to find a possible correlation between the trypsin activity and the size of the aggregates. In concurrence with the observed highest activity in the presence of IL 2, the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum of trypsin in CTAB reverse micelles doped with IL 2 exhibited the lowest mean residue ellipticity (MRE), which is closest to that of the native protein in aqueous buffer.

Block copolymer micelles as nanocontainers for controlled release of proteins from biocompatible oil phases

Biocompatible oils are used in a variety of medical applications ranging from vaccine adjuvants to vehicles for oral drug delivery. To enable such nonpolar organic phases to serve as reservoirs for delivery of hydrophilic compounds, we explored the ability of block copolymer micelles in organic solvents to sequester proteins for sustained release across an oil-water interface. Self-assembly of the block copolymer, poly(-caprolactone)-block-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PCL-b-P2VP), was investigated in toluene and oleic acid, a biocompatible naturally occurring fatty acid. Micelle formation in toluene was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of micelles cast onto silicon substrates. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy confirmed a spherical morphology in oleic acid. Studies of homopolymer solubility implied that micelles in oleic acid consist of a P2VP corona and a PCL core, while P2VP formed the core of micelles assembled in toluene. The loading of two model proteins (ovalbumin (ova) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)) into micelles was demonstrated with loadings as high as 7.8% wt of protein per wt of P2VP in oleic acid. Characterization of block copolymer morphology in the two solvents after protein loading revealed spherical particles with similar size distributions to the as-assembled micelles. Release of ova from micelles in oleic acid was sustained for 12-30 h upon placing the oil phase in contact with an aqueous bath. Unique to the situation of micelle assembly in an oily phase, the data suggest protein is sequestered in the P2VP corona block of PCL-b-P2VP micelles in oleic acid. More conventionally, protein loading occurs in the P2VP core of micelles assembled in toluene.