Enzymic activity of whole cells entrapped in reversed micelles

Studies have been conducted on the enzymic activity of Baker’s yeast and also of Brewer’s yeast entrapped into the reversed micelles formed by cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC1) in n-hexane. The activities of α-amylase and invertase enzymes in the entrapped cells have been estimated and compared with those in the control experiments where there was no entrapment. The following significant observations have been made: 1. except for invertase, enzymes in Brewer’s yeast, the entrapped yeast cells showed enhanced enzymic activities; 2. when the yeast cells were entrapped inside the reversed micelles along with substrates of the two enzymes, α-amylase, and invertase, the activity of each of these enzymes showed a further enhancement in comparison to that showed in the experiments in which substrates of the individual enzymes alone were entrapped-the phenomenon of synergism; 3. when the yeast cells and the respective substrates were entrapped inside separate reversed micelles and the solutions containing entrapped cells and entrapped substrates were mixed, the activities of the individual enzymes, α-amylase and invertase, showed further enhancement in comparison to the case in which the cells and the substrates were entrapped inside the same reversed micelle (in this case also the phenomenon of synergism was observed); and (4) In the case of experiments in which there was no entrapment, it was observed that the presence of substrates induced more release of enzymes from the yeast cells. These observations on yeast cells, which to the best of our knowledge have not been reported before, should be biotechnologically relevant.     

Studies on the electrocapillary curves of anionic surfactants in presence of non-ionic surfactants

Polyoxyethylated non-ionic surfactants such as Tween 20, Tween 40, Nonidet P40 and Nonex 501 have been supposed to be associated with cationic characteristics. Studies on the effect of these surfactants on the electrocapillary curves of the anionic surfactants Aerosol IB, Manaxol OT and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), show that the electrocapillary maxima shift towards positive potentials. The order of adsorption of the anionic surfactants is SLS > Manaxol OT > Aerosol IB while the shift in maxima is in the order Aerosol IB ~ Manaxol OT > SLS which confirms association of cationic characteristics with the micelles of these non-ionic surfactants. The magnitude of the shift in electrocapillary maxima is Nonex 501 > Nonidet P40 > Tween 20 > Tween 40 which may be the order of magnitude of the positive charge carried by these non-ionic surfactants.     

Investigation of the activity and stability of papain in different micellar systems

Hydrolysis of PyrPheAlaPNa, catalyzed by papain in reverse micelles of ionogenic surfactant of Aerosol OT, and in octane, was studied in the presence and in the absence of nonionogenic surfactants of a different nature. As found, the dependence of the catalytic activity of papain on the hydration degree of the surfactant in reverse micelles of AOT has two maxima, corresponding to the activity of monomeric and oligomeric forms of the enzyme. It was established that the addition of nonionogenic surfactant of a different nature to the Aerosol OT in octane leads to changes of the catalytic properties of the enzyme, in particular, to its activation in the presence of Pluronic L61. Nanoemulsions of nontoxic nonionogenic surfactant and organic solvents, lecithin and Tween 20 in eucalyptus oil were created and characterized; with the use of the photon-correlation spectroscopy technique it was shown that the size of such particles lie in the range from 34 to 266 nm, depending on the water content, nature, and the concentration of system components, and factors regarding its shape lie in the interval 20–30, suggesting the presence of particles with a rod-like shape. It is important to note that in such systems, suitable for use in medicine and cosmetology, the activity of papain was revealed.     

Native and modified glucose oxidase in reversed micelles

The enzymatic activity of the native and modified glucose oxidase (GOx) from Aspergillus niger in the system of reversed micelles of Aerosol OT in octane was investigated. Two forms of the modified enzyme were studied: a hydrophobized form obtained by the attachment of palmitic chains to lysine amino groups by the reaction with palmitic acid ester of N-hydroxysuccinimide and a glycosylated (hydrophilized) form obtained by the attachment of the cellobiose moieties. The native glucose oxidase and its derivatives, while incorporated into micelles in a surfactant concentration range from 0.05 to 0.3 M, display an enzymatic activity, which is comparable with the activity in aqueous solution. The dependence of the enzymatic activity on hydration degree of surfactant (the molar ratio of water to surfactant, W₀) does not indicate the formation of qualitatively new associated forms of the enzyme subunits inside the micelles. The apparent size of Aerosol OT micelles obtained by dynamic light scattering gradually increases from 10±3 nm at low W₀ up to 25±5 nm at high W₀. Incorporation of the native and hydrophobized glucose oxidase into micelles does not affect their mean size. Kinetic analysis shows that the enzyme specificity is about an order of magnitude greater in the system of reversed micelles as compared with aqueous solution.     

Selective recovery of two enzymes fromBacillus subtilis using aliquat 336 reversed micelles

Selective separation and purification of two enzymes fromBacillus subtilis (α-amylase and neutral protease) by liquid-liquid extraction using Aliquat 336/isooctane reversed micelles were investigated. After a full forward and backward extraction cycle, α-amylase was separated and purified in the stripping solution, and neutral protease was recovered in the raffinate.     

Distribution of Polyphenols and a Surfactant Component in Skin during Aerosol OT Microemulsion-Enhanced Intradermal Delivery

As for most other polyphenols, intradermal delivery of curcumin and resveratrol is limited; however, it was significantly improved by a microemulsion using Aerosol OT (Aerosol OT microemulsion) and Tween 80 (Tween 80 microemulsion) as surfactants. Aerosol OT microemulsion was more effective and the incorporation ratio of these polyphenols into skin by Aerosol OT microemulsion was five-fold or ten-fold that by Tween 80 microemulsion. To clarify the mechanism of the enhancement we examined the distribution of these polyphenols and the surfactant component, Aerosol OT, using excised guinea pig skin and Yucatan micropig (YMP) skin. During permeation, polyphenols distributed deep in the skin. In particular, a small molecule, resveratrol, was mainly present in the dermis in YMP skin. Aerosol OT also distributed deep in the skin. These findings suggest the possible involvement of the interaction of surfactant molecules with skin components in the enhanced delivery process of polyphenols. The distribution ratio between the dermis and epidermis of the polyphenols, including quercetin, in the presence of Aerosol OT microemulsion decreased with the increase of molecular weight in YMP skin, suggesting the possibility that distribution to the dermis is regulated by the molecular size.     

Solubilization of fullerene C60 in micellar solutions of different solubilizers

Fullerene (C₆₀), the third carbon allotrope, is a classical engineered material with the potential application in biomedicine. However, extremely high hydrophobicity of fullerene hampers its direct biomedical evaluation and application. In this work, we investigated the solubilization of fullerene using 9 different solubility enhancers: Tween 20, Tween 60, Tween 80, Triton X-100, PVP, polyoxyethylene (10) lauryl ether, n-dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride, myristyl trimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulphate and evaluated its antioxidant activity in biorelevant media. The presence of C₆₀ entrapped in surfactant micelles was confirmed by UV/VIS spectrometry. The efficacy of each modifier was evaluated by chemometric analysis using experimental data for investigating the relationship between solubilization and particle size distribution. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis was applied and showed that non-ionic surfactants provide better solubilization efficacy (>85%). A correlation was established (r = 0.975) between the degree of solubilization and the surfactant structure. This correlation may be used for prediction of C₆₀ solubilization with non-tested solubility modifiers. Since the main potential biomedical applications of fullerene are based on its free radical quenching ability, we tested the antioxidant potential of fullerene micellar solutions. Lipid peroxidation tests showed that the micellar solutions of fullerene with Triton and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether kept high radical scavenging activity, comparable to that of aqueous suspension of fullerene and BHT. The results of this work provide a platform for further solubilization and testing of pristine fullerene and its hydrophobic derivatives in a biological benign environment.     

Separation of α-amylase by reversed micellar extraction effect of solvent type and cosolvent concentration on the transfer process

The recovery of α-amylase from the crude enzyme preparation by the reversed micellar liquid-liquid extraction was investigated. The reversed micellar solution was formed by dissolving a cationic surfactant Aliquat 336 in six different alkanes (cyclohexane, n-hexane, isooctane, n-octane, n-decane, and n-dodecane) respectively with addition of a cosolvent n-octanol. It was found that a minimal quantity of noctanol was needed for Aliquat 336 to dissolve in apolar solvent and form reversed micelles. Furthermore, this minimal amount of n-octanol needed was found to be different when Aliquat 336 was dissolved in different alkanes. It tended to increase with the number of carbon atoms in alkane and also depended on the solvent structure. During the forward extraction process, it was revealed that a high value of solubilization of protein in Aliquat 336 reversed micelles could be achieved when four out of the six alkanes (cyclohexane, n-hexane, isooctane, noctane) were used as the solvent for Aliquat 336. After a full forward and backward extraction cycle, however, a high recovery of both the protein mass and a-amylase activity in the stripping solution could be obtained only when two out of the six alkanes (n-hexane and isooctane) were used as the solvent for Aliquat 336. When n-hexane and isooctane were used as the solvent for Aliquat 336, up to 80% of the total α-amylase activity in the crude enzyme preparation could be recovered at the end of extraction cycle, meanwhile α-amylase could be concentrated about 1.4-fold. In the cases of other four alkanes (cyclohexane, n-octane, n-decane, and n-dodecane) as solvent, most of the α-amylase activity in the crude enzyme preparation would be denatured after an extraction cycle.     

Immobilization of α-chymotrypsin into the poly(N,N-diallyl-N,N-didodecyl ammonium bromiae)/surfactant nanocapsules

The biocatalytic systems from nanocapsules containing α-chymotrypsin in the inner aqueous cavities have been prepared. They can act in both the organic solvent and the aqueous medium. For such encapsulation, the reversed hydrated micelles from N,N-diallyl-N,N-didodecyl ammonium bromide (DDAB) in cyclohexane (w₀ = 22), including α-chymotrypsin, have been polymerized by UV initiation. After precipitation by acetone, these nanocapsules were moved into the aqueous medium with the aid of ionic, AOT, or nonionic, Brij-97, surfactants. In this case, the unilamellar liposomes were formed. They have the inner monolayer from the poly-DDAB network, and the outer one predominantly from surfactant molecules. According to the light-scattering data, the average outer diameter of nanocapsules equals to 20 nm. The vesicular “coated” α-chymotrypsin was used for study of enzymatic activity. It has been shown using the integral form of the Michaelis-Menten equation, that by encapsulation of α-chymotrypsin the value of the Michaelis constant, K_m, increases by a factor of 1.8 by the ATEE hydrolysis. However, the value of the maximal velocity, V_max, decreases by a factor of 1.7. Encapsulated α-chymotrypsin has a high thermostability keeping its own activity up to 80°C. The polymer network blocks the conformational transitions of enzyme molecule by heating of a system.     

Role of environment on the activity and stability of α-amylase incorporated in reverse micelles

α-amylase (3.2.1.1) was solubilized in reverse micelles formed by Triton X-100 in xylene. Although the enzyme shows decrease in specific activity in reverse micellar medium, it possesses significantly high stability in comparison to bulk aqueous medium. Water/Surfactant ratio (Wo) was found to play a crucial role in both activity and stability of the enzyme. The optimum water/surfactant ratio for the catalytic function of an enzyme in reverse micelles is 36, while the enzyme is stable at Wo 12 for a considerably long period, and at Wo above 20 the enzyme gets inactivated within a day. Glycerol and CaCl₂ improve the stability in both aqueous and reverse micellar medium. Thus the interior of the reverse micelles acts as a microreactor and provides favorable environment for the enzyme activity and stability.     

Factors influencing activity of enzymes and their kinetics

The conventional chemically based method of dehairing and fiber-opening discharges an enormous amount of pollutants in the processing of skins. Hence, bioprocessing of skin through a two-step process, dehairing using protease and fiber opening using α-amylase, has been developed. However, because this process involves two steps, we characterized commercial protease and α-amylase for their optimum activity and determine the influence of one enzyme on the activity of the other, in order to develop an integrated enzymatic dehairing and fiber-opening process. The influence of various factors, substrate concentration, time, pH, and temperature, on the activity of both protease and α-amylase was determined. Furthermore, the activity of protease on mixing with α-amylase and vice versa was investigated. It was found that there was no significant change in the activity of one enzyme in the presence of the other. Lineweaver-Burk plots showed K _m and V _max values of 31.6 mg/mL and 0.0106 mg/(mL@min) for protease and 8.79 mg/mL and 0.0912 mg/(mL@min) for α-amylase. This study provides substantial evidence for integrating the enzyme-based dehairing and fiber-opening processes using both the selected protease and α-amylase in one step.     

Percolative phenomena in lecithin reverse micelles: the role of water

 The role played by the solvation water molecules on the macroscopically observed sol–gel transition in lecithin/cyclohexane/water reverse micelles is investigated by quasielastic neutron scattering, dielectric relaxation and conductivity measurements. The experimental results are juxtaposed to those from spherical Aerosol OT reverse micelles. It is shown how the results from lecithin-based system can be interpreted only assuming that, in contrast to Aerosol OT systems, the water molecules are entrapped at the interfaces without coalescing into an inner water pool. It is suggested that, in the case of lecithin, the solvation water can induce a change in the surface curvature, in such a way promoting the formation of branch points. Such a hypothesis is supported by the temperature dependence of the conductivity which agrees with the hypothesis of an intermicellar bond percolation. The investigation of the structures imposed by an external electric field is also studied. The observed electrorheological behaviour seems to confirm the existence of a percolated transient network in the gel phase. Received: 21 March 2001 Accepted: 24 August 2001     

A spectral approach to determine location and orientation of azo dyes within surfactant aggregates

The UV–vis absorption properties of azo dyes are known to exhibit a variation with the polarity and acidity of the dye environment. The spectral properties of a series of anionic azo dyes were characterized to further probe the interaction of these dyes with two types of surfactant aggregates: (1) the spherical micelles formed in aqueous solution by alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (C_nTAB) surfactants with n = 10–16 and (2) the unilamellar vesicles spontaneously formed in water from binary mixtures of the oppositely-charged double-tailed surfactants cationic didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and anionic sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate (Aerosol OT or AOT). The observed dye spectra reflect the solvatochromic behavior of the dyes and suggest the location and orientation of the dye within the surfactant aggregates. Deconvolution of the overall spectra into sums of Gaussian curves more readily displays any contributions of tautomeric forms of the azo dyes resulting from intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The rich variation in UV/vis absorption properties of these anionic azo dyes supports their use as sensitive tools to explore the nanostructures of surfactant aggregates.     

Partial purification of glutaryl-7-ACA acylase from crude cellular lysate by reverse micelles

Glutaryl-7-ACA acylase was partially purified from the cellular lysate ofPseudomonas sp. NCIMB 40409 by means of reverse micelles-water two-phases extractions. The tetrameric enzyme can be solubilized inside the reverse micelles formed by anionic (Aerosol OT, AOT) and cationic (tetradecyltrimethylammoniumbromide, TDAB) surfactants with retention of the enzymatic activity. With TDAB reverse micelles system, the acylase was partially extracted from the aqueous phase and, after backward transfer into a second water phase, a twofold purification factor was achieved. On the other hand, with the AOT micellar system, in conditions were most of the proteins but acylase, were extracted by the organic micellar solution, a sixfold increase of the specific activity of the acylase remaining in the aqueous phase was obtained.     

Calorimetric investigation of the formation of ZnS nanoparticles in w/o microemulsions

The enthalpies of precipitation of ZnS nanoparticles within water containing reversed micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) solfosuccinate, L-α phosphatidylcholine, tetraethyleneglycol-mono-n-dodecyl ether and didodecyldimethylammonium bromide as a function of the molar concentration ratioR (R=[water]/[surfactant]) were measured by calorimetric technique. The results indicate that the energetic state of ZnS nanoparticles confined in the aqueous core of the reversed micelles is different from that in bulk water. Effects due to nanoparticle size, adsorption of HS⁻ ions on the nanoparticle surface and interactions between nanoparticles and water/surfactant interfaces are discussed. This work has been supported by MURST.     

Isolation and characteristics of highly active α-amylase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis>-150

Partially purified enzyme preparation with specific activities of 153.7 U/mg for α-amylase and 0.15 U/mg for protease was produced by selective adsorption on starch. Enzymes were purified until homogeneous electrophoretically by gel-filtration over HW-55 TSK-gel with specific activities of 245 U/mg for α-amylase and 1.44 U/mg for protease. The optimum temperature and pH for purified α-amylase activity are 40–50°C and pH 6.0. The effects of various metal ions on the activity and stability of the enzyme were studied. __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 374–376, July–August, 2007.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis of starch in water-immiscible organic solvent,two-phase systems

Enzyme-catalyzed hydrolyzations of starch by α-amylase have been studied in various two-phase systems, consisting of water and a water-immiscible organic solvent. The hydrolytic conversion of soluble starch to malto-oligosaccharides by α-amylase was greatly accelerated in 10% (v/v) water content of water-dodecane two-phase systems. However, a rapid inactivation of the enzyme has been observed in these systems. Addition of surfactant to these systems, such as polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate (Tween 60) or bis(2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT), was effective for the enzyme stability. Effects of enzyme immobilization on the stability of α-amylase, using Ca-alginate and chitosan beads, also have been studied. The stability of immobilized enzyme was clearly enhanced in a 5–10% (v/v) water content two-phase system, whereas the free enzyme was inactivated within 41 h, remaining at a relative activity of 47–76% after 41 h of treatment. Furthermore, scanning electron micrographs (SEM) were taken to observe the effect of the two-phase system on the hydrolysis of starch. Potato starch granules have been extremely swelled and burst out in the stirred 10% (v/v) water content system, which did not contain enzymes.     

Study on three-dimensional fluorescent spectral characteristics of fluoroquinolones in varying media

Behaviors of fluoroquinolones in varying media were observed by employing their intrinsic fluorescence. Spectral characteristics in reversed micelles (Aerosol OT/n-octane) were compared with those in aqueous solution and micelles (sodium dodecyl sulfonate). Those differences in interactions between fluoroquinolones and the various media were clearly illustrated by three-dimensional fluorescent spectra. The influences of other environmental factors on spectral characteristics (pH, SDS concentration, etc.) were also investigated.     

Mixed micelles of polyethylene glycol (23) lauryl ether with ionic surfactants studied by proton 1D and 2D NMR

(1)H NMR chemical shift, spin-lattice relaxation time, spin-spin relaxation time, self-diffusion coefficient, and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (2D NOESY) measurements have been used to study the nonionic-ionic surfactant mixed micelles. Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were used as the ionic surfactants and polyethylene glycol (23) lauryl ether (Brij-35) as the nonionic surfactant. The two systems are both with varying molar ratios of CTAB/Brij-35 (C/B) and SDS/Brij-35 (S/B) ranging from 0.5 to 2, respectively, at a constant concentration of 6 mM for Brij-35 in aqueous solutions. Results give information about the relative arrangement of the surfactant molecules in the mixed micelles. In the former system, the trimethyl groups attached to the polar heads of the CTAB molecules are located between the first oxy-ethylene groups next to the hydrophobic chains of Brij-35 molecules. These oxy-ethylene groups gradually move outward from the hydrophobic core of the mixed micelle with an increase in C/B in the mixed solution. In contrast to the case of the CTAB/Triton X-100 system, the long flexible hydrophilic poly oxy-ethylene chains, which are in the exterior part of the mixed micelles, remain coiled, but looser, surrounding the hydrophobic core. There is almost no variation in conformation of the hydrophilic chains of Brij-35 molecules in the mixed micelles of the SDS/Brij-35 system as the S/B increases. The hydrophobic chains of both CTAB and SDS are co-aggregated with Brij-35, respectively, in their mixed micellar cores.     

Enhanced desorption of hexachlorobenzene from kaolin by single and mixed surfactants

This study investigated the enhanced desorption of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) from spiked kaolin by single and mixed surfactants. The sorption of surfactants on kaolin followed myristyl pyridinium bromide (MPB) > Tween 80 > sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonic (SDBS). The desorption of HCB by single surfactant increased linearly with the increase of the aqueous micelle concentrations. The potential to enhance HCB desorption was Tween 80 > SDBS > MPB. When the dual mixed surfactants of SDBS-Tween 80 (MPB-Tween 80) were present, the desorption of HCB was larger than that by single SDBS (MPB) and less than that by single Tween 80. The total adsorbed surfactants were kept almost constant in SDBS-Tween 80 but decreased with the increased fraction of Tween 80 above 0.5 in MPB-Tween 80. The presence of little MPB in Tween 80 highly reduced the sorption loss of Tween 80 but slightly decreased the desorption of HCB. Whereas in SDBS-MPB, the presence of little MPB in SDBS remarkably decreased the desorption of HCB and enhanced the loss of SDBS, while the addition of little SDBS in MPB significantly enhanced the desorption and reduced the loss of MPB.