Reversibly soluble biocatalyst: optimization of trypsin coupling to Eudragit S-100 and biocatalyst activity in soluble and precipitated forms

Design of experiment approach for formulating multi-unit colon-targeted drug delivery system: in vitro and in vivo studies

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the present investigation was to develop systematically optimized multiunit formulation for colon targeted delivery of metronidazole (MTZ) by employing design of experiment (DoE) and evaluate it for in vitro as well as in vivo drug release study.

METHODS

Core of mini-tablets of MTZ was prepared using drug along with suitable swelling agents to provide pH sensitive pulsatile drug delivery. Eudragit® S 100 (ES) and ethyl cellulose (EC) were used as coating polymers to prevent initial drug release in gastric region. The coating composition was systematically optimized using 3(2)-full factorial design and optimized formulation was evaluated in vitro and then in vivo, to confirm colon targeting ability of the developed system. Stability study of optimized formulation was performed for 6 months as per ICH guidelines.

RESULTS

The optimized coating composition was selected from the results of design batches. The optimized formulation showed 6.99 ± 1.5% drug release up to 5 h and 100% drug release within 7.2 ± 0.2 h indicating pH sensitive pulsatile behavior of formulation. Similar drug release profile was observed while performing in vivo study in rabbits with a lag time of 4 h and Cmax of 190 ± 4.9 ng/ml being achieved after 7 h. Stability study indicated insignificant difference in properties of tablets and their drug release patterns.

CONCLUSION

Optimization of coating composition (EC and ES) and thickness could offer pH sensitive pulsatile release of drugs at colon. Furthermore, in vivo results confirmed the successful development of colon targeted formulation of MTZ.

Isolation and immobilization of alkaline protease on mesoporous silica and mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite materials for improved catalytic properties

Alkaline protease from brinjal leaf (Solanum melongena) having milk clotting activity has been purified to 9.44 fold to a final specific activity of 45.71 U/mg. SDS-PAGE of the final preparation revealed a single protein band of approx 14 kDa. Purified enzyme was characterized and was successfully immobilized into the amorphous mesoporous silica (SBA-15) and crystalline mesoporous zeolite (Nano-ZSM-5) using entrapment method. Maximum immobilization of 63.5% and 79.77% was obtained with SBA-15 and Nano-ZSM-5, respectively. This protocol serves as a novel approach for bioprocesses, mainly as milk coagulant for local dairy products and particularly, cheese making, and opens the new dimension of further research and other innovation.

Protein A affinity precipitation of human immunoglobulin G

The potential of protein A affinity precipitation as an alternative method for traditional antibody purification techniques was investigated. Recombinant produced protein A from Staphylococcus aureus (SpA) was covalently linked to the pH-responsive copolymer Eudragit(®) S-100 and used for purification of human immunoglobulin G (hIgG). The Eudragit-SpA conjugate had a static binding capacity of 93.9 ± 2.8 mg hIgG per g conjugate and a dissociation constant of 787 ± 67 nM at 7 ± 1°C. The antibody was adsorbed rapidly onto Eudragit-SpA and reached equilibrium within 5 min. An excess of hIgG binding sites, provided by the conjugate, as well as adjusted elution conditions resulted in an appropriate hIgG purification performance. In summary, Eudragit-SpA was successfully applied to capture hIgG from a protein mixture with 65% antibody yield in the elution step. Nearly 96% purity and a purification factor of 12.4 were achieved. The Eudragit-SpA conjugate showed a stable ligand density over several cycles, which enabled reusability for repeated precipitation of hIgG. According to this, pH induced affinity precipitation can be seen as a potential alternative for protein A chromatography in antibody purification processes.

Preparation of a pH-sensitive polyacrylate amphiphilic copolymer and its application in cellulase immobilization

P(MDB), a pH-sensitive and reversible water-soluble copolymer, was synthesized with methacrylic acid (MAA), 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), and butyl methacrylate (BMA) and used as carrier for cellulase. The copolymer is insoluble between pH 2.5 and 4.1, and soluble below pH 2.5 or above 4.1. Its recovery in aqueous solution was 97.2% by adjusting its isoelectric point (pI) to 3.1. Cellulase was covalently immobilized on P(MDB) with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyllaminopropyl) carbodiimide. Under optimized conditions, the activity yield of immobilized cellulase was 63.24% and its recovery was 96.8% by adjusting the pI to 3.5. Maximum activity of the immobilized cellulase was achieved at 60 °C (pH 5.0), while free cellulase exhibited maximum activity at 55 °C (pH 5.0). The immobilized cellulase retained 83.1% of its initial activity after repeated five cycles of hydrolysis reaction. P(MDB) is a promising carrier for immobilizing enzymes with high and low optimum pH due to its dissolving characteristics.

Byssus thread: a novel support material for urease immobilization

Byssus threads are tough biopolymer produced by mussels (Mytilus viridis) to attach themselves to rocks. These were collected from mussels in their natural habitat (N) and from animals maintained in laboratory condition (L) as a novel support. Byssus thread surfaces were characterized by SEM analysis, chemically modified and used for adsorption of urease. The efficiency of the immobilization was calculated by examining the relative enzyme activity of free and the immobilized urease. The pH stabilities of immobilized urease were higher (0.5 unit) than free enzyme. Immobilized enzymes on byssus (both N and L) when stored at 6 °C retained 50% of its activity after 30 days, but they were more stable in dry condition. The optimum temperature of immobilized enzymes was found to increase (25 °C). A Michaelis-Menten constant (K (m)) value for immobilized urease was also elevated (2.08 mol).

Stabilization of horseradish peroxidase by covalent conjugation with dextran aldehyde against temperature and pH changes

Stabilization of Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP; EC 1.11.1.7) against temperature and pH via the formation of the conjugates obtained by multipoint covalent bonding of dextran aldehyde (DA) to the enzyme were studied. Hence, three different molar weighted dextrans (17.5 kD, 75 kD, 188 kD) were covalently bonded to purified enzyme with different molar ratios (nHRP/nDA 20/1, 10/1, 1/1, 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20). The thermal stabilities of the obtained conjugates were evaluated with the activities determined at different temperatures (25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80°C) applying 60 minutes incubation time. Conjugates formed were characterized by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) and fluorescence techniques. The conjugate synthesized using dextran 75 kDa with nHRP/nDA 1/10 molar ratio showed better thermal stability than other conjugates and purified enzyme at pH 7. This conjugate also has wider activity pH range than purified enzyme. In addition, mentioned conjugate at pH 7 had very long storage lifetime compared to purified enzyme at +4°C and room temperature; which is considered a favorable feature for usage in practice.

A Smart Bioconjugate of Trypsin with Alginate

Alginate is a polymer of guluronic acid and mannuronic acid residues and is an inexpensive, nontoxic polysaccharide of marine origin. Trypsin was immobilized noncovalently on alginate with 100% retention of activity. The enzyme did not leach off the polymer even in the presence of 0.01 M HCl and Triton X-100 (0.2% vv(-1)). The V(max)/K(m) values did not change significantly on immobilization. There was 22% loss of activity in first cycle of pH change and after that the conjugate could be reused upto 4 precipitation cycles without any further loss of activity. This smart bioconjugate was also found to have better operational stability in the presence of casein than free enzyme. Fluorescence studies were carried out to probe structural changes upon immobilization.

Preparation and Properties of Thermoresponsive Bioconjugates of Trypsin

Covalent attachment of enzymes and other proteins to the smart polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) [poly (NIPAAm)], has been widely used as a method for the preparation of thermosensitive protein conjugates. In the present study, reversible soluble-insoluble polymer-enzyme conjugates were prepared by conjugating a copolymer of NIPAAm with 5-mol % of 6-acrylaminohexanoic acid to trypsin by the carbodiimide-NHS (N-hydroxysuccinimide) coupling method. Four bioconjugates with different units of enzyme coupled to the matrix were prepared. Increased enzymatic activity in terms of high effectiveness factor (in the range of 3-5) was found in the conjugates. Kinetic parameters for the immobilized and free enzyme were determined. The Vmax/Km value of the enzyme significantly increased on immobilization by the factors in the range of 12-28. The immobilized enzyme also showed stability to autolysis at 50 degrees C.

A bioconjugate of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase with alginate with enhanced catalytic efficiency

A bioconjugate of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase with alginate was prepared by simple adsorption. Atomic force microscope (AFM) images showed that this bioconjugate resulted from adsorption rather than entrapment of the enzyme as enzyme molecules were visible on the gel surface. The soluble bioconjugate exhibited increased enzyme activity in terms of high effectiveness factor (effectiveness factor was 3 for the immobilized preparation) and greater Vmax/Km value (Vmax/Km increased 25 times upon immobilization). This constitutes one of the less frequently observed instances of lipase activation by lid opening as a result of binding to a predominantly hydrophilic molecule. The bioconjugate was also more stable at 55 degrees C as compared to the free enzyme and could be reused for oil hydrolysis up to 4 cycles without any loss in activity. Fluorescence emission spectroscopy showed that the immobilized enzyme had undergone definite conformational changes.

κ-Carrageenan as a carrier in affinity precipitation of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase

kappa-Carrageenan is a non-toxic polymer from seaweeds, which becomes reversibly insoluble upon the addition of K(+). Its conjugate with the dye, Cibacron Blue 3GA, was used to purify alcohol dehydrogenase from crude yeast extract by affinity precipitation. Response surface methodology was used to optimize conditions for affinity precipitation of the enzyme with the polymer-dye conjugate. Recovery of 58% of the enzyme activity with 13.6-fold purification was obtained.

Studies on the properties of Celluclast/Eudragit L-100 conjugate

A cellulase from Trichoderma reesei was immobilized on Eudragit L-100, a reversibly soluble polymer depending on the pH of the medium. The solubility of the modified cellulase was studied at different pH values. By changing the pH, the adsorption equilibrium of the derivatized proteins is switched towards the liquid phase, thus making recycling possible. This method allows for improved stability, without major loss of specific activity. The adsorption of cellulase on Eudragit lowers the enthalpy of denaturation, but affects only slightly the denaturation temperature. The use of carbodiimide was ineffective on linking the enzymes covalently to the polymer, since the immobilization process was found to be only mediated by non-covalent forces.