Flower-shaped inorganic nanocrystals have been used for applications in catalysis and analytical science, but so far there have been no reports of 'nanoflowers' made of organic components. Here, we report a method for creating hybrid organic-inorganic nanoflowers using copper (II) ions as the inorganic component and various proteins as the organic component. The protein molecules form complexes with the copper ions, and these complexes become nucleation sites for primary crystals of copper phosphate. Interaction between the protein and copper ions then leads to the growth of micrometre-sized particles that have nanoscale features and that are shaped like flower petals. When an enzyme is used as the protein component of the hybrid nanoflower, it exhibits enhanced enzymatic activity and stability compared with the free enzyme. This is attributed to the high surface area and confinement of the enzymes in the nanoflowers.
Protein molecules were directly embedded in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) by a coprecipitation method. The protein molecules majorly embedded on the surface region of MOFs display high biological activities. As a demonstration of the power of such materials, the resulting Cyt c embedded in ZIF-8 showed a 10-fold increase in peroxidase activity compared to free Cyt c in solution and thus gave convenient, fast, and highly sensitive detection of trace amounts of explosive organic peroxides in solution.
The one-step and facile synthesis of multi-enzyme-containing metal-organic framework (MOF) nanocrystals in aqueous solution at 25 °C was reported in this study. The GOx&HRP/ZIF-8 nanocomposite displayed high catalytic efficiency, high selectivity and enhanced stability due to the protecting effect of the framework.
We describe a new temperature and electric field dual-stimulus responsive nanoparticle system for programmed drug delivery. Nanoparticles of a conducting polymer (polypyrrole) are loaded with therapeutic pharmaceuticals and are subcutaneously localized in vivo with the assistance of a temperature-sensitive hydrogel (PLGA-PEG-PLGA). We have shown that drug release from the conductive nanoparticles is controlled by the application of a weak, external DC electric field. This approach represents a novel interactive drug delivery system that can show an externally tailored release profile with an excellent spatial, temporal, and dosage control.
Single protein encapsulated into nanogels with uniformed size and controllable shell thickness were prepared by surface acryloylation of a protein molecule followed by aqueous in situ polymerization. Compared to its free counterpart, the encapsulated protein exhibits similar biocatalytic behavior and significantly improved stability at high temperature and in the presence of organic solvent.
Re-engineering enzymes with high
activities in the given environments
different from the physiological one has been constantly pursued for
application of enzymatic catalysis in industrial biocatalytic processes,
pharmaceutical industry, biosensing, etc. Re-engineering enzyme catalysts
by chemical approaches, including immobilization and chemical modification,
represents a simple but effective route. The unusual phenomenon that
immobilized or chemically modified enzymes display higher activities
than native enzymes has been observed in both single- and multiple-enzyme
systems. Recent achievements in enhancing enzymatic activities in
both single-and multiple-enzyme systems by chemical approaches are
summarized in this review. We propose that these enhanced enzymatic
activities can be attributed to the well-designed specific interactions
between immobilization carriers (or chemical modifiers) and enzymes,
substrates, or reaction media. In addition to this mechanism, which
is applicable for both single- and multiple-enzyme systems, other
important factors responsible for enhanced activities of multiple-enzyme
systems, including substrate channeling, kinetic matching, and an
ordered spatial distribution of enzymes, are also discussed. Understanding
the origin of enhanced activity in enzymatic catalysis may provide
new insights and inspiration to design efficient enzyme catalysts
for practical applications.
Enzymatic catalysis in living cells enables the in-situ detection of cellular metabolites in single cells, which could contribute to early diagnosis of diseases. In this study, enzyme is packaged in amorphous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) via a one-pot co-precipitation process under ambient conditions, exhibiting 5–20 times higher apparent activity than when the enzyme is encapsulated in corresponding crystalline MOFs. Molecular simulation and cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) combined with other techniques demonstrate that the mesopores generated in this disordered and fuzzy structure endow the packaged enzyme with high enzyme activity. The highly active glucose oxidase delivered by the amorphous MOF nanoparticles allows the noninvasive and facile measurement of glucose in single living cells, which can be used to distinguish between cancerous and normal cells.
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