Encapsulation of β-Glucuronidase in Biomimetic Alginate Capsules for Bioconversion of Baicalin to Baicalein

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 impregnated Ca-alginate capsule for efficient Cr(VI) reduction and Cr(III) adsorption

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1)-impregnated alginate capsules with 3D porous structure were prepared through cation crossing-linking and was used for the Cr(VI) reduction and removal. After being encapsulated by alginate, the endurance of the MR-1 was largely enhanced under conditions of high Cr(VI) concentrations (up to 4 mM) and low pH (pH 5). The Cr(VI) reduction over the MR-1-impregnated alginate capsules could be fitted by pseudo first-order kinetic model. With the Cr(VI) initial concentration increasing from 1 to 4 mM, the first-order rate constant for the encapsulated MR-1 (k_capsules) and free cells (k_cells) fell by 26.3% and 82.4%, respectively. At pH 5, the k_capsules value was 0.19 h^{- 1}, which was about 3.7 times higher than k_cells. Moreover, the encapsulated MR-1 held 90.5% of the Cr(VI) reduction ability after 15 days of resting time, while the free MR-1 held 19.7%. After bioreduction, 73.6% of total chromium was adsorbed on the MR-1 impregnated Ca-alginate capsules. XPS results showed 85% of the adsorbed chromium was Cr(III). The mechanism for chromium removal over the MR-1-impregnated Ca-alginate capsules was proposed with the following steps: (1) Cr(VI) was bioreduced via the encapsulated MR-1; (2) the reduced soluble Cr(III) was adsorbed by alginate selectively. In the study, the Ca-alginate shell of the cabbage-like MR-1 impregnated capsules could be a shelter for encapsulated MR-1 to endure unfavorable conditions (e.g., low pH and high concentration of Cr(VI)) and immobilize the soluble chromium. Considering the obtained capsules derived from biomolecules were environment-friendly, the MR-1-impregnated Ca-alginate capsules were potential for the application in the remediation of environmental pollution. Graphical abstract.

Enhancement of Protective Effects of Radix Scutellariae on UVB-induced Photo Damage in Human HaCaT Keratinocytes

Radix Scutellariae (RS) has long been used in the treatment of inflammatory and allergic diseases. Its main flavonoids, baicalin (BG) and wogonoside (WG), can be hydrolyzed into their corresponding aglycones, baicalein (B) and wogonin (W). In this study, we developed a safe and effective method of transforming these glycosides using Peclyve PR. The transformation rate of BG and WG reached 98.5 and 98.1%, respectively, with 10% enzyme at 40 °C for 60 h. Furthermore, we compared the anti-photoaging activity of RS before and after enzyme treatment, as well as their respective main components, in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Results found that enzyme-treated RS (ERS) appeared to be much better at preventing UVB-induced photoaging than RS. ERS significantly inhibited the upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and IL-6 caused by UVB radiation by inactivating the MAPK/AP-1 and NF-κB/IκB-α signaling pathways. ERS treatment also recovered UVB-induced reduction of procollagen type I by activating the TGF-β/Smad pathway. In addition, ERS exhibited an excellent antioxidant activity, which could increase the expression of cytoprotective antioxidants such as HO-1 and NQ-O1, by facilitating Nrf2 nuclear transfer. These findings demonstrated that the photoprotective effects of RS were significantly improved by enzyme-modified biotransformation.

CRGO/alginate microbeads: an enzyme immobilization system and its potential application for a continuous enzymatic reaction

Hybrid bio-inorganic microbeads composed of CRGO–enzyme and alginate exhibited better stability and higher environmental tolerance, which can be used in a continuous fixed-bed enzymatic reaction.

Monodisperse hybrid microcapsules with an ultrathin shell of submicron thickness for rapid enzyme reactions

In this study, we report a facile approach for the fabrication of monodisperse hybrid alginate/protamine/silica (APSi) microcapsules with an ultrathin shell of submicron thickness as enzyme encapsulation systems for rapid enzymatic reactions. Monodisperse water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, which have been generated in microfluidics, are used as templates for preparing APSi microcapsules via internal/external gelation and biosilicification. The microcapsules allow highly-efficient encapsulation of model actives bovine serum albumin (∼99%) during the fabrication process. The hybrid shell with an ultrathin thickness of ∼420 nm provides fast mass transfer for the encapsulated model enzyme laccase to undergo rapid reaction. Moreover, this rigid hybrid shell also endows the encapsulated laccase with excellent reusability and storage stability. These ultrathin-shelled APSi microcapsules show great potential as efficient encapsulation systems for enzymes and biomolecules for their rapid reactions, and as delivery systems for actives in biomedical applications.

Facile method for preparing organic/inorganic hybrid capsules using amino-functional silane coupling agent in aqueous media

A new and facile method for preparing microcapsules with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)/alginate hybrid shell (AP-capsule) is proposed based on gelling and sol-gel processes. In this method, conventional capsules with alginate shells (Alg-capsule) are produced by dripping carboxymethyl cellulose solution containing calcium chloride into a sodium alginate solution. Subsequently, addition of the Alg-capsules to an aqueous APTES solution induces the formation of APTES/alginate hybrid shells. The optical observation shows that the texture of AP-capsules is more glossy and transparent than that of Alg-capsules. The surface morphology and elemental composition of microcapsules were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The results suggest that APTES molecules are incorporated to the framework of the alginate shells via electrostatic interaction between amino groups of APTES and carboxyl groups of alginate and the hybrid shells have a dense and homogeneous structure. In the formation reaction, the shrinking of the capsule shells occurs and the accumulation of APTES in the capsule shells proceeds with pseudo first-order kinetics. Moreover, these behaviors are greatly influenced by pH of the reaction solution, especially promoted under acidic and alkaline conditions.

Photochemical green synthesis of calcium-alginate-stabilized Ag and Au nanoparticles and their catalytic application to 4-nitrophenol reduction

Silver and gold nanoparticles have been grown on calcium alginate gel beads using a green photochemical approach. The gel served as both a reductant and a stabilizer. The nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDS), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses. The particles are spherical, crystalline, and the size ranges for both Ag and Au nanoparticles are <10 nm. It is noticed from the sorption experiment that the loading of gold on calcium alginate beads is much more compared to that of Ag. The effectiveness of the as-prepared dried alginate-stabilized Ag and Au nanoparticles as a solid phase heterogeneous catalyst has been evaluated, for the first time, on the well-known 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) in the presence of excess borohydride. The reduction was very efficient and followed zero-order kinetics for both Ag and Au nanocomposites. The effects of borohydride, initial 4-NP concentration, and catalyst dose were evaluated. The catalyst efficiency was examined on the basis of turnover frequency (TOF) and recyclability. The catalytic efficiency of alginate-based Ag catalyst was much more compared to that of the Au catalyst. The as-prepared new solid-phase biopolymer-based catalysts are very efficient, stable, easy to prepare, eco-friendly, and cost-effective, and they have the potential for industrial applications.