Application of Convective Interaction Media disks with immobilised glucose oxidase for on-line glucose measurements

Flow-through enzymatic reactors using polymer monoliths: From motivation to application

The application of monolithic materials as carriers for enzymes has rapidly expanded to the realization of flow-through analysis and bioconversion processes. This expansion is partly attributed to the absence from diffusion limitation in many monoliths-based enzyme reactors. Particularly, the relatively ease of introducing functional groups renders polymer monoliths attractive as enzyme carriers. After summarizing the motivation to develop enzymatic reactors using polymer monoliths, this review reports the most recent applications of such reactors. Besides, the present review focuses on the crucial characteristics of polymer monoliths affecting the immobilization of enzymes and the processing parameters dictating the performance of the resulting enzymatic reactors. This review is intended to provide a guideline for designing and applying flow-through enzymatic reactors using polymer monoliths.

Production of glucose oxidase and catalase by Aspergillus niger free and immobilized in alginate-polyvinyl alcohol beads

The production of glucose oxidase (GOX) and catalase (CAT) by submerged fermentation of the free and immobilized xerophytic fungus Aspergillus niger under equal conditions was compared. To immobilize fungal spores, entrapment in PVA/alginate beads treated with NaNO3/CaCl2 was performed. The yield of immobilization in the beads with a diameter less than 1mm was equal to 100%. Fungus growth and substrate consumption were evaluated in both fermentation systems, demonstrating the lag-period presence in the case of the first cycle of immobilized fungus use. The enzyme production by immobilized fungus reuse was carried out. In these cases, greater enzymatic GOX activity was detected, while CAT activity decreased. SEM micrographs for the beads with immobilized fungus applied in the first and second fermentation cycles were obtained, presenting fungus spreading inside the sphere, spore presence and branching hyphae. Immobilization of A. niger on PVA/alginate beads is effective for GOX and CAT production at least on 2-3 repeated fermentative cycles. Thus, immobilization enables repeated use of microbial cells.

Glucose oxidase--an overview

Glucose oxidase (beta-D-glucose:oxygen 1-oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.2.3.4) catalyzes the oxidation of beta-D-glucose to gluconic acid, by utilizing molecular oxygen as an electron acceptor with simultaneous production of hydrogen peroxide. Microbial glucose oxidase is currently receiving much attention due to its wide applications in chemical, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, clinical chemistry, biotechnology and other industries. Novel applications of glucose oxidase in biosensors have increased the demand in recent years. Present review discusses the production, recovery, characterization, immobilization and applications of glucose oxidase. Production of glucose oxidase by fermentation is detailed, along with recombinant methods. Various purification techniques for higher recovery of glucose oxidase are described here. Issues of enzyme kinetics, stability studies and characterization are addressed. Immobilized preparations of glucose oxidase are also discussed. Applications of glucose oxidase in various industries and as analytical enzymes are having an increasing impact on bioprocessing.

New monolithic enzymatic micro-reactor for the fast production and purification of oligogalacturonides

Fast production and purification of alpha-(1,4)-oligogalacturonides was investigated using a new enzymatic reactor composed of a monolithic matrix. Pectin lyase from Aspergillus japonicus (Sigma) was immobilized on CIM-disk epoxy monolith. Studies were performed on free pectin lyase and immobilized pectin lyase to compare the optimum temperature, optimum pH, and thermal stability. It was determined that optimum temperature for free pectin lyase and immobilized pectin lyase on monolithic support is 30 degrees C, and optimum pH is 5. Monolithic CIM-disk chromatography is one of the fastest liquid chromatographic method used for separation and purification of biomolecules due to high mass transfer rate. In this context, online one step production and purification of oligogalacturonides was investigated associating CIM-disk pectin lyase and CIM-disk DEAE. This efficient enzymatic bioreactor production of uronic oligosaccharides from polygalacturonic acid (PGA) constitutes an original fast process to generate bioactive oligouronides.

Trypsin immobilization on three monolithic disks for on-line protein digestion

The preparation and characterization of three trypsin-based monolithic immobilized enzyme reactors (IMERs) developed to perform rapid on-line protein digestion and peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) are described. Trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) was covalently immobilized on epoxy, carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) and ethylenediamine (EDA) Convective Interaction Media (CIM) monolithic disks. The amount of immobilized enzyme, determined by spectrophotometric measurements at 280nm, was comprised between 0.9 and 1.5mg per disk. Apparent kinetic parameters Km* and Vmax*, as well as apparent immobilized trypsin BAEE-units, were estimated in flow-through conditions using N-alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (BAEE) as a low molecular mass substrate. The on-line digestion of five proteins (cytochrome c, myoglobin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, ovalbumin and albumin) was evaluated by inserting the IMERs into a liquid chromatography system coupled to an electrospray ionization ion-trap mass spectrometer (LC-ESI-MS/MS) through a switching valve. Results were compared to the in-solution digestion in terms of obtained scores, number of matched queries and sequence coverages. The most efficient IMER was obtained by immobilizing trypsin on a CIM EDA disk previously derivatized with glutaraldehyde, as a spacer moiety. The proteins were recognized by the database with satisfactory sequence coverage using a digestion time of only 5min. The repeatability of the digestion (R.S.D. of 5.4% on consecutive injections of myoglobin 12microM) and the long-term stability of this IMER were satisfactory since no loss of activity was observed after 250 injections.

Sequential injection affinity chromatography utilizing an albumin immobilized monolithic column to study drug–protein interactions

In this study, sequential injection affinity chromatography was used for drug-protein interactions studies. The analytical system used consisted of a sequential injection analysis (SIA) manifold directly connected with convective interaction media (CIM) monolithic epoxy disks modified by ligand-immobilization of protein. A non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen (NAP) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were selected as model drug and protein, respectively. The SIA system was used for sampling, introduction and propulsion of drug towards to the monolithic column. Association equilibrium constants, binding capacity at various temperatures and thermodynamic parameters (free energy DeltaG, enthalpy DeltaH) of the binding reaction of naproxen are calculated by using frontal analysis mathematics. The variation of incubation time and its effect in on-line binding mode was also studied. The results indicated that naproxen had an association equilibrium constant of 2.90 x 10(6)M(-1) at pH 7.4 and 39 degrees C for a single binding site. The associated change in enthalpy (DeltaH) was -27.36 kcal mol(-1) and the change in entropy (DeltaS) was -73 cal mol(-1)K(-1) for a single type of binding sites. The location of the binding region was examined by competitive binding experiments using a biphosphonate drug, alendronate (ALD), as a competitor agent. It was found that the two drugs occupy the same class of binding sites on BSA. All measurements were performed with fluorescence (lambda(ext)=230 nm, lambda(em)=350 nm) and spectrophotometric detection (lambda=280 nm).

Isolation, purification and characterization of a novel glucose oxidase from Penicillium sp. CBS 120262 optimally active at neutral pH

A novel glucose oxidase (GOX), a flavoenzyme, from Penicillium sp. was isolated, purified and partially characterised. Maximum activities of 1.08U mg(-1)dry weight intracellular and 6.9U ml(-1) extracellular GOX were obtained. Isoelectric focussing revealed two isoenzymes present in both intra- and extracellular fractions, having pI's of 4.30 and 4.67. GOX from Penicillium sp. was shown to be dimeric with a molecular weight of 148kDa, consisting of two equal subunits with molecular weight of 70k Da. The enzyme displayed a temperature optimum between 25 and 30 degrees C, and an optimum pH range of 6-8 for the oxidation of beta-d-glucose. The enzyme was stable at 25 degrees C for a minimum of 10h, with a half-life of approximately 30 min at 37 degrees C without any prior stabilisation. The lyophilized enzyme was stable at -20 degrees C for a minimum of 6 months. GOX from Penicillium sp. Tt42 displayed the following kinetic characteristics: Vmax, 240.5U mg(-1); Km, 18.4mM; kcat, 741 s(-1) and kcat/Km, 40 s(-1)mM(-1). Stability at room temperature, good shelf-life without stabilisation and the neutral range for the pH optimum of this GOX contribute to its usefulness in current GOX-based biosensor applications.

Characterization of a monolithic immobilized trypsin microreactor with on-line coupling to ESI-MS

The preparation and characterization of a miniaturized trypsin reactor using on-line coupling with an ESI-TOF mass spectrometer are described. L-1-Tosylamido-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone-trypsin was covalently immobilized on poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith prepared in a 75 microm ID fused silica capillary resulting in a bioreactor with high local concentration of the proteolytic enzyme. Covalent immobilization of trypsin on this support was performed using the epoxide functional groups in either a one- or a multistep reaction. For on-line protein digestion-MS analysis the bioreactor was coupled with the mass spectrometer using a liquid junction microelectrospray interface. The performance of the reactor was tested using an on-line flow through the system with flow rates of 50-300 nL/min. The resulting protein consumption was in the atto- to low femtomole range. Proteolytic activity was characterized in a wide range of conditions with respect to the flow rate, pH, and temperature. Complete protein digestion was achieved in less than 30 s at 25 degrees C with the sequence coverage of 80% (cytochrome c), which is comparable to 3 h digestion in solution at 37 degrees C. Besides the good performance at laboratory temperature, the immobilized trypsin in the bioreactor also performed well at lower pH compared to the standard in-solution protocols.

Incorporation of a monolithic column into sequential injection system for drug-protein binding studies

A sequential injection analysis (SIA) manifold was incorporated with a monolithic strong anion-exchanger disk for on-line drug-protein interaction studies. The antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CF) was selected as a model drug compound. The separation principle was based on the strong retention of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the monolithic strong anion-exchanger and the liberation/release of the free form of the drug. Elution of the retained BSA was easily achieved by delivering a different mobile phase via the SIA manifold. The type of functional group of the monolithic support, the breakthrough volume and the injected volumes of CF and BSA were studied and optimized. The influence of the variation of incubation time was studied in on-line binding assays. Scatchard plot was employed to obtain the number of binding sites and the equilibrium binding constants. For the off-line study of the CF-BSA binding, two binding classes were determined with constants of (3.16+/-0.21)x10(6)M(-1) and (1.27+/-0.48)x10(4)M(-1) and 6.1+/-1.3 and 17.8+/-3.9 binding sites per class, respectively. In non-equilibrium binding experiments the binding rate constant was k(1)=785 M(-1)min(-1). All measurements were monitored with fluorescence (lambda(ext)=300 nm, lambda(em)=460 nm) and spectrophotometric detection (lambda=280 nm). To evaluate the accuracy of the developed method the obtained results were compared versus ultrafiltration experiments and were found in good agreement.

Application of immobilized enzyme reactor in on-line high performance liquid chromatography: A review

This review summarizes all the research efforts in the last decade (1994-2003) that have been spent to the various application of immobilized enzyme reactor (IMER) in on-line high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All immobilization procedures including supports, kind of assembly into chromatographic system and methods are described. The effect of immobilization on enzymatic properties and stability of biocatalysts is considered. A brief survey of the main applications of IMER both as pre-column, post-column or column in the chemical, pharmaceutical, clinical and commodities fields is also reported.

Affinity processes realized on high-flow-through methacrylate-based macroporous monoliths

The technology for preparation of rigid macroporous polymers suggested in the late 1980s has become a powerful instrument for the development of a novel scientific and practical field. At present, monolithic stationary phases are widely used in the processes of bioseparation (chromatography), bioconversion (enzyme reactors) as well as in other processes based on interphase mass distribution (for example, solid phase peptide and oligonucleotide synthesis). Bioaffinity modes of suggested dynamic methods are very promising for their use in different analytical processes (immunological, ecological, medical and other types of analytical monitoring), preparative isolation of blood proteins such as myoglobin, hemoglobin, immunoglobulins, etc. and also recombinant products directly from cell supernatants or lysates. For the first time, it has been shown that bioaffinity pairing with participation of immobilized on carefully designed rigid supports is very fast and the whole process of affinity separation can be realized within second time scale. The principle of bioaffinity recognition is generaly at the construction of biological reactors (for example, enzyme reactors). Improved kinetics of biocatalized reactions is explained by a minimal influence on the surface of the used sorbent. Very perspective field is the use of discussed monoliths for solid phase chemical synthesis of fragments of biological macromolecules (peptides and oligonucleotides). Several examples of these applications will be presented and discussed.

Convective Interaction Media (CIM)--short layer monolithic chromatographic stationary phases

Modern downstream processing requires fast and highly effective methods to obtain large quantities of highly pure substances. Commonly applied method for this purpose is chromatography. However, its main drawback is its throughput since purification, especially of large molecules, requires long process time. To overcome this problem several new stationary phases were introduced, among which short layer monoliths show superior properties for many applications. The purpose of this review is to give an overview about short methacrylate monolithic columns commercialised under the trademark Convective Interaction Media (CIM). Their unique properties are described from different perspectives, explaining reasons for their application on various areas. Approaches to prepare large volume methacrylate monolithic column are discussed and optimal solutions are given. Different examples of CIM monolithic column implementation are summarised in the last part of the article to give the reader an idea about their advantages.

Monoliths for fast bioseparation and bioconversion and their applications in biotechnology

Monoliths have consolidated their position in bioseparation. More than 200 different applications have been reported in the past two decades and their advantages compared to conventional chromatography demonstrated. These include the high mass transfer efficiency due to the convective flow enabled by the macroporous character of the matrix. Recently plasmid DNA and viruses were separated with high efficiency and cryogels and monolithic superporous agarose were developed for capture of proteins from crude homogenates and separation of microorganisms or lymphocytes. Currently four companies manufacture monoliths mainly for analytical applications although monoliths with a volume of 0.8 liter are commercially available and 8 L are available as prototypes. A book entitled "Monolithic materials: preparation, properties and applications" was published in 2003 and became standard reference of the status of this area. This review focuses on the progress in monoliths that goes beyond the scope of this reference book. Less progress has been made in the field of bioconversions in spite of the fact that monolithic supports exhibit better performance than beads in enzymatic processing of macromolecules. It appears that the scientific community has not yet realized that supports for these applications are readily available. In addition, monoliths will further substantially advance bioseparations of both small and large molecules in the future.

Monolithic micro-immobilized-enzyme reactor with human recombinant acetylcholinesterase for on-line inhibition studies

The development and characterization of a human recombinant acetylcholinesterase (hrAChE) micro-immobilized-enzyme reactor (IMER), prepared by using an in situ immobilization procedure is reported. hrAChE was covalently immobilized on an ethylenediamine (EDA) monolithic convective interaction media (CIM) disk (12 mm x 3 mm i.d.), previously derivatized with glutaraldehyde. The optimal conditions for the immobilization were: 12 microg of enzyme dissolved in 800 microl of phosphate buffer (50 mM, pH 6.0). The mixture was gently agitated overnight at 4 degrees C. The resulting Schiff bases were reduced by cyanoborohydride and the remaining aldehydic groups were condensed with monoethanolamine. Under these conditions, 0.22 U of hrAChE were immobilized with retention of 3.0% of the initial enzymatic activity. The activity of the immobilized hrAChE was stable for over 60 days. The activity and kinetic parameters of the hrAChE micro-IMER were investigated by inserting the micro-IMER in a HPLC system and it was demonstrated that the enzyme retained its activity. The micro-IMER was characterized in terms of units of immobilized enzyme and best conditions for immobilization yield. IMERs were compared for their relative enzyme stability, immobilized units, yield and aspecific matrix interactions. The effect of AChE inhibitors was evaluated by the simultaneous injection of each inhibitor with the substrate. The relative IC50 values were found in agreement with those derived by the conventional kinetic spectrophotometric method. In comparison with previously developed AChE-based IMERs, AChE monolithic micro-IMER showed advantages in terms of reduction of analysis time (2 min), lower aspecific matrix interactions and lower backpressure. Included in a HPLC system, it can be used for the rapid screening of new compounds' inhibitory potency. The advantages over the conventional methods are the increased enzyme stability and system automation which allows a large number of compounds to be analyzed in continuous.

Characterization of CIM monoliths as enzyme reactors

The immobilization of the enzymes citrate lyase, malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase to CIM monolithic supports was performed. The long-term stability, reproducibility, and linear response range of the immobilized enzyme reactors were investigated along with the determination of the kinetic behavior of the enzymes immobilized on the CIM monoliths. The Michaelis-Menten constant K(m) and the turnover number k(3) of the immobilized enzymes were found to be flow-unaffected. Furthermore, the K(m) values of the soluble and immobilized enzyme were found to be comparable. Both facts indicate the absence of a diffusional limitation in immobilized CIM enzyme reactors.

Enzymatic microreactor-on-a-chip: protein mapping using trypsin immobilized on porous polymer monoliths molded in channels of microfluidic devices

Enzymatic microreactors have been prepared in capillaries and on microfluidic chips by immobilizing trypsin on porous polymer monoliths consisting of 2-vinyl-4,4-dimethylazlactone, ethylene dimethacrylate, and acrylamide or 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The azlactone functionalities react readily with amine and thiol groups of the enzyme to form stable covalent bonds. The optimized porous properties of the monoliths lead to very low back pressures enabling the use of simple mechanical pumping to carry out both the immobilization of the enzyme from its solution and the subsequent analyses of substrate solutions. The Michealis-Menten kinetic characteristics of the reactors were probed using a low molecular weight substrate: N-alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester. The effects of immobilization variables such as the concentration of trypsin in solution and percentage of azlactone functionalities in the monolith, as well as the effect of reaction time on the enzymatic activity, and of process variables such as substrate flow velocity and residence time in the reactor, were studied in detail. The proteolytic activity of the enzymatic microreactor on chip was demonstrated at different flow rates with the cleavage of fluorescently labeled casein used as a substrate. The excellent performance of the monolithic microreactor was also demonstrated with the digestion of myoglobin at the fast flow rate of 0.5 microL/min, which affords a residence time of only 11.7 s. The digest was then characterized using MALDI-TOF MS, and 102 out of 153 possible peptide fragments were identified giving a sequence coverage of 67%.

Chromatographic reactors based on biological activity

In the last decade there were many papers published on the study of enzyme catalyzed reactions performed in so-called chromatographic reactors. The attractive feature of such systems is that during the course of the reaction the compounds are already separated, which can drive the reaction beyond the thermodynamic equilibrium as well as remove putative inhibitors. In this chapter, an overview of such chromatographic bioreactor systems is given. Besides, some immobilization techniques to improve enzyme activity are discussed together with modern chromatographic supports with improved hydrodynamic characteristics to be used in this context.

Short monolithic columns as stationary phases for biochromatography

Monolithic supports represent a novel type of stationary phases for liquid and gas chromatography, for capillary electrochromatography, and as supports for bioconversion and solid phase synthesis. As opposed to individual particles packed into chromatographic columns, monolithic supports are cast as continuous homogeneous phases. They represent an approach that provides high rates of mass transfer at lower pressure drops as well as high efficiencies even at elevated flow rates. Therefore, much faster separations are possible and the productivity of chromatographic processes can be increased by at least one order of magnitude as compared to traditional chromatographic columns packed with porous particles. Besides the speed, the nature of the pores allows easy access even in the case of large molecules, which make monolithic supports a method of choice for the separation of nanoparticles like pDNA and viruses. Finally, for the optimal purification of larger biomolecules, the chromatographic column needs to be short. This enhances the speed of the separation process and reduces backpressure, unspecific binding, product degradation and minor changes in the structure of the biomolecule, without sacrificing resolution. Short Monolithic Columns (SMC) were engineered to combine both features and have the potential of becoming the method of choice for the purification of larger biomolecules and nanopartides on the semi-preparative scale.

Direct synthesis of peptides on convective interaction media monolithic columns for affinity chromatography

Solid-phase peptide synthesis was performed on glycidyle methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate monoliths using Fmoc chemistry. The native epoxy groups were amino-functionalized by reaction with ethylenediamine or ammonia ions. A peptide directed against human blood coagulation factor VIII was synthesized as a model peptide. Amino acid analysis revealed the correct amino acid ratio as present in the sequence. The ligand density of 5 micromol/mL was equal to that achieved with conventional peptide immobilization via epoxy groups. These supports were directly used as peptide affinity chromatography matrixes. The functionality of the CIM monolithic supports was proven by affinity chromatography of factor VIII. The ammonia-functionalized support performed with low hydrophobicity and did not show unspecific adsorption of proteins.

Application of monoliths as supports for affinity chromatography and fast enzymatic conversion

Monoliths are useful chromatographic supports, as their structure allows improved mass transport. This results in fast separation. Once the ligand of interest has been immobilized, chromatographic separation can also be accomplished in affinity mode. Ligands with low molecular mass have been shown to be the easiest to immobilize. Nowadays, ligands with low molecular mass are often designed by combinatorial chemical techniques. In addition, many applications have been described where ligands with high molecular mass, such as Proteins A and G, antibodies, lectins and receptors are used. The immobilization of an enzyme on the monolithic support creates a flow-through reactor. Small proteins, such as carbonic anhydrase, can be directly immobilized on the support. However, in the case of large molecules, the active center of the enzyme is no longer accessible at all or only to a limited degree. An improvement can be achieved by introducing a spacer, which allows maximum enzymatic conversion. Fast conversion of substrates with high molecular mass has been investigated with immobilized trypsin. It was shown that in case of high-molecular-mass substrates, the conversion rate depends very much on the flow-rate. Most applications described have been performed on an analytical or semi-preparative scale. However, the technical problems of up-scaling are close to being definitely solved, enabling enzymatic conversion on a preparative scale in the future.

Monoliths as stationary phases for separation of proteins and polynucleotides and enzymatic conversion

Monoliths are considered as a novel generation of stationary phases. They were applied for capillary electrochromatography and liquid chromatography exploiting every action principle such as ion-exchange, affinity recognition, reversed-phase, and hydrophobic interaction. The fast separation was explained by convective transport of the solutes through the bed. The contribution of this mode of transport is similarly explained as done for the beds packed with particles with gigapores. For monolithic beds, the concept of an ultrashort bed was frequently used. This mode of operation allows very short separation time. In many cases a gradient elution is necessary to achieve separation. Examples of applications for protein and polynucleotide separation performed on monoliths are given. Enzymatic conversion was described showing the examples of several immobilzed enzymes.

Construction of large-volume monolithic columns

Monolithic supports have become the subject of extensive study in the past years. Despite their advantageous features and many successful chromatographic applications in the analytical scale, only a very few examples of larger volume monoliths were described. In the case of GMA-EDMA monoliths, this can be attributed to the fact that due to the exothermic polymerization a pronounced temperature increase inside the monolith significantly affects the structure. The temperature increase depends on the thickness of the monolith, and consequently, there is an upper limit that allows the preparation of a unit with a uniform structure. In the present work, we have analyzed a heat release during the polymerization and have derived a mathematical model for the prediction of the maximal thickness of the monolithic annulus having a uniform structure. On the basis of the calculations, two annuluses of different diameters were polymerized and merged into a single monolithic unit with a volume of 80 mL. In addition, a special housing was designed to provide a uniform flow distribution in the radial direction over the entire monolith bed. It was shown that such a monolithic column exhibits flow-independent separation efficiency and dynamic binding capacity up to flow rates higher than 100 mL/min. The separation and loading times are in the range of a few minutes. The pressure drop on the column is linearly dependent on the flow rate and does not exceed 2.5 MPa at a flow rate of 250 ml/min.