Characterization of hydrophobic sol-gel materials containing entrapped lipases

The entrapment of lipases in hydrophobic sol-gel materials of RSi(OCH₃)₃ or mixtures of RSi(OCH₃)₃ and Si(OCH₃)₄ results in heterogeneous biocatalysts having dramatically enhanced enzyme activities as measured by the esterification of lauric acid by n-octanol in isooctane. These materials have been characterized by solid state NMR studies, revealing the degree of cross-linking. It is shown that this parameter generally does not correlate with relative enzyme activity. Likewise, the specific surface area or the pore size does not seem to be the decisive factor in determining the relative enzyme activities of the lipase-containing hybrid gels and the corresponding SiO₂-gels obtained from Si(OCH₃)₄. Scanning electron microscopic studies (SEM) show that the hybrid gels all have a similar morphology. On the basis of these studies a model is proposed according to which most of the lipase enzyme is entrapped near the surface of the gel particles, where it is readily accessible by substrate molecules.     

Stability of hydrophobic lipase derivatives immobilized on organic polymer beads

Lipase fromCandida rugosa was immobilized by attaching various hydrophobic groups to the enzyme molecule and adsorbing these hydrophobic lipase derivatives on several organic polymer beads. The immobilized enzymes were more thermostable in organic solvents compared to the native and modified Upases. Thermostability was highest with ΧAD2 beads, followed by ΧAD7 and RCOOH. Initially modifying the enzyme with hydrophobic modifiers did not have any effect on the enzyme thermostability. The best conditions for storing these enzyme preparations were at very low temperature in the lyophilized form and in a solution containing the reaction substrate. Interestingly, PEG-lipase immobilized on ΧAD7 beads showed increased operational stability when used in a stirred-tank reactor. The operational stability was further increased by a mild glutaraldehyde treatment of the enzyme preparation.     

Synthesis of biocompatible hydrophobic silica-gelatin nano-hybrid by sol-gel process

Silica-biopolymer hybrid has been synthesised using colloidal silica as the precursor for silica and gelatin as the biopolymer counterpart. The surface modification of the hybrid material has been done with methyltrimethoxysilane leading to the formation of biocompatible hydrophobic silica-gelatin hybrid. Here we are reporting hydrophobic silica-gelatin hybrid and coating precursor for the first time. The hybrid gel has been evaluated for chemical modification, thermal degradation, hydrophobicity, particle size, transparency under the UV-visible region and morphology. FTIR spectroscopy has been used to verify the presence of CH(3) groups which introduce hydrophobicity to the SiO2-MTMS-gelatin hybrids. The hydrophobic property has also been tailored by varying the concentration of methyltrimethoxysilane. Contact angle by Wilhelmy plate method of transparent hydrophobic silica-gelatin coatings has been found to be as high as approximately 95 degrees . Oxidation of the organic group which induces the hydrophobic character occurs at 530 degrees C which indicates that the surface hydrophobicity is retained up to that temperature. Optical transmittance of SiO2-MTMS-gelatin hybrid coatings on glass substrates has been found to be close to 100% which will enable the hybrid for possible optical applications and also for preparation of transparent biocompatible hydrophobic coatings on biological substrates such as leather.     

Adsorption behaviour of lipase from Staphylococcus carnosus on a hydrophobic adsorbent.

The adsorption of proteins on a solid surface with a subsequent desorption is a well known final purification step in downstream processing. Here the adsorption behaviour of a microbial lipase on the hydrophobic Fractogel TSK butyl 650 in a crude fermentation supernatant is investigated. The measured equilibrium curves differ from fermentation to fermentation by up to +/- 65%. The adsorption capacity increases with decreasing particle diameter of the adsorbent and is influenced by the method of contacting the supernatant with the adsorbent. The rate of desorption depends largely on the adsorption conditions, which is an indication of different orientations of the adsorbed enzyme.     

Three-phase microemulsion/sol-gel system for aqueous catalysis with hydrophobic chemicals

A facile three-phase transport process is described that allows to carry out catalytic reactions in water, whereby all components are hydrophobic. According to this process a hydrophobic substrate is microemulsified in water and subjected to an organometallic catalyst, which is entrapped within a partially hydrophobized sol-gel matrix. The surfactant molecules, which carry the hydrophobic substrate, adsorb/desorb reversibly on the surface of the sol-gel matrix breaking the micellar structure, spilling their substrate load into the porous medium that contains the catalyst. A catalytic reaction then takes place within the ceramic material to form the desired products that are extracted by the desorbing surfactant, carrying the emulsified product back into the solution. The method is general and versatile and has been demonstrated with the catalytic hydrogenations of alkenes, alkynes, aromatic C=C bonds, and nitro and cyano groups.     

Investigation of novel sol-gel hydrophobic surfaces for desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry analysis

Sol-gel-based materials were synthesized, characterized and finally tested as solid supports for desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) analysis of a mixture of compounds of different polarity. Films with thickness in the 2-4 μm range were obtained by a dip-coating process using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and octyltriethoxysilane (OTES) as sol-gel precursors. Three types of surface with different hydrophobic character were obtained by varying the TEOS/OTES ratio in the sol-gel mixture. Each coating was characterized by atomic force microscopy investigations, gaining insight into homogeneity, smoothness and thickness of the obtained films. To study hydrophobicity of each surface, surface free energy measurements were performed. Different DESI-MS responses were observed when different solvent mixture deposition procedures and solvent spray compositions were investigated. Results were finally compared to those obtained by using commercial polytetrafluoroethylene-coated slides. It was found that surface free energy plays an important role in the desorption/ionization process as a function of the polarity of analytes.     

界面活化的溶胶凝胶包埋Candida rugosa脂肪酶催化合成维生素E琥珀酸酯

采用界面活化的溶胶凝胶包埋Candida rugosa脂肪酶(CRL)催化合成了维生素E琥珀酸酯.考察了影响溶胶凝胶包埋固定化CRL的因素,获得的最佳固定化条件为:丙基三甲氧基硅烷/正硅酸四乙酯摩尔比为1/1,水与硅烷前体摩尔比为15,酶的添加量为0.5mg/ml,PEG400的添加量为12μl/ml溶胶. 溶胶凝胶包埋的CRL在50℃,18h后其活性仍然保持了70.58%,是游离酶的2.6倍,且稳定性得到了明显的改善.基于CRL的界面特性,采用五种表面活性剂对其进行界面活化.结果表明,采用橄榄油活化的溶胶凝胶包埋的CRL合成维生素E琥珀酸酯的酯化活力最高,相比原酶和未界面活化的溶胶凝胶包埋酶分别提高了6.7和1.43倍.     

Studies on synthesis esterified zirconium glyphosates and their hydrophobic properties

A series of new organic-modified zirconium glyphosate compounds were synthesized based on the reactions between esterified glyphosates and ZrOCl₂. FT-IR spectra, solid-state ³¹P MAS NMR and elementary analysis proved the formation of these new compounds. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images proved these compounds had lamellar structures. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) images showed that solvents used in synthesis had great influence on the morphologies of products. Water contact angle measurements showed that the hydrophobic property of the products was a function of the number of carbon in esterified glyphosates, increased from 0° of zirconium glyphosate to 133° of dodecyl zirconium glyphosate. The present study offered a new route to synthesize organic-modified α-Zr(HPO₄)₂·H₂O (α-ZrP) materials with various morphology and controllable hydrophobic property.     

Rapid purification of detergent-solubilized bovine hormone-sensitive lipase by high performance hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), the enzyme controlling the rate of adipose tissue lipolysis and also possibly involved in the regulation of steroidogenesis, has been purified from bovine omental adipose tissue. Partially detergent-solubilized, delipidated and purified HSL was obtained through step-elution at conventional DEAE ion-exchange chromatography, followed by concentration on hydroxylapatite. High performance hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HPHIC) on phenylsilica then resulted in an increase of HSL protein purity from 2% to more than 70%. Final purification of the enzyme to apparent homogeneity (greater than 95% protein purity), concentration and removal of most of the detergent was obtained by high performance cation exchange chromatography on Mono S. At least 0.5 mg of highly stable HSL was obtained from 5 kg of bovine omental fat within four working days. The purified lipase had a lower specific activity than previously reported for the corresponding rat enzyme but the preparations have proved very useful for enzyme structure studies and as an antigen.     

Adsorption and mobility of a lipase at a hydrophobic surface in the presence of surfactants

With the aim of being able to manipulate the processes involved in interfacial catalysis, we have studied the effects of a mixture of nonionic/anionic surfactants, C12E6/LAS (1:2 mol %), on the adsorption and surface mobility of a lipase obtained from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL). Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and ellipsometry were used to analyze the competitive adsorption process between surfactants and TLL onto hydrophobic model surfaces intended to mimic an oily substrate for the lipase. We obtained the surface diffusion coefficient of a fluorescently labeled TLL variant on silica silanized with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) on a confocal laser scanning microscope. By means of ellipsometry we calibrated the fluorescence intensity with the surface density of the lipase. The TLL diffusion was measured at different surface densities of the enzyme and at two time intervals after coadsorption with different concentrations of C12E6/LAS. The surfactant concentrations were chosen to represent concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), in the CMC region, and above the CMC. The apparent TLL surface diffusion was extrapolated to infinite surface dilution, D0. We found that the presence of surfactants strongly modulated the surface mobility of TLL: with D(0) = 0.8 x 10(-11) cm2/s without surfactants and D0 = 13.1 x 10(-11) cm2/s with surfactants above the CMC. The increase in lipase mobility on passing the CMC was also accompanied by a 2-fold increase in the mobile fraction of TLL. SPR analysis revealed that surface bound TLL was displaced by C12E6/LAS in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that the observed increase in surface mobility imparts bulk-mediated diffusion and so-called rebinding of TLL to the surface. Our combined results on lipase/surfactant competitive adsorption and lipase surface mobility show how surfactants may play an important role in regulating interfacial catalysis from physiological digestion to technical applications such as detergency.     

High-temperature resistance and hydrophobic polysiloxane-based polyurethane films with cross-linked structure prepared by the sol-gel process

Polysiloxane-based polyurethane films with cross-linked structure are synthesized by the sol-gel process using isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polycaprolactone (PCL) diol, and 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (ATS). After the ATS-terminated polyurethane prepolymer, a cross-linked network structure is formed through the process of dehydration and condensation. The hydrophobicity, thermal properties, surface morphology, and mechanical properties of a series of polysiloxane-based polyurethane films with cross-linked structure are further studied. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis studies show that the crosslink density of polysiloxane-based polyurethane films with cross-linked structure is improved with the addition of ATS. Polysiloxane-based polyurethane films with cross-linked structure can not only enhance mechanical strength but also improve heat resistance and hydrophobicity. The results show that the maximum decomposition temperature of the polysiloxane-based polyurethane films with cross-linked structure reaches 475 °C, the hydrophobicity increases to 114.2°, and the mechanical strength increases to 16.7 Mpa, which are 18.75%, 7.53%, and 59.04% higher than that of the control group, respectively. This is mainly due to the cross-linked network structure formed by the sol-gel process, which limits the movement of the segment and increases the rigidity of the material. Besides, a dense protective layer is formed on the surface due to cross-linking, which prevents the infiltration of water molecules. Interestingly, with the increase of ATS, the R q value of the surface shows an increasing trend. This is in contrast to the study by Kamal Mohamed Seeni Meera et al. Who shows that the R q value decreases with increasing crosslink density. Also, it can be seen from the results of XPS characterization that Si element of the surface is increased, which is mainly due to the sol-gel phenomenon of ATS occurring on the surface of the material.     

Studies on the sol-gel transformation of the ferro- and ferricyanide of some metals

Summary Chromic ferricyanide suspensions were prepared by mixing the reactants in different molar ratios at 90 °C. Their movement in the electrophoretic tube was studied and it was found that those having Cr³⁺ ions in excess were positively charged, whereas the others containing excess of FeCy₆ ³- ions were negatively charged. These suspensions showed great tendency to gelatinize and the time of gelation was found to increase with excess of either of the reactants. It was, however, minimum at unit molar ratio. Curves drawn between gelation time and molar ratio M gave exponential curves. Viscosity and p_H changes during the sol-gel transformation were also studied and it was found that the relative increase in viscosity (abrupt) when plotted against varying concentration of FeCy₆ ³⁻ ions gave straight line showing thereby the thixotropic behaviour of chromic ferricyanide gel. The time at which the abrupt change in viscosity occurs was found to coincide with time of gelation and these values when plotted against molar ratio again gave similar exponential curves. The variations in pa had provided enough evidence of the hydrolysis of chromic chloride in suspensions containing excess of Cr³⁺ ions and that of hydrolytic decomposition of potassium ferricyanide for suspensions containing excess of FeCy₆ ³⁻ ions. The variations in conductivity during the course of gelation were negligible.

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Zusammenfassung Chromferricyanide-Suspensionen warden durch Mischung der Reagentien in verschiedenen molaren Verh?ltnissen bei 90 °C pr?pariert, ihre elektrophoretische Wanderung untersucht und gefunden, da? diejenigen mit überschu? an Cri+ positiv, w?hrend die mit überschu? an FeCy₆ ³⁻ negativ geladen waren. Diese Suspensionen zeigten starke Tendenz zu Gelatinierung, und die Gelatinierungszeiten wachsen mit überschu? der einen oder anderen Komponente. Ein Minimum lag bei einem molekularen Verh?ltnis 1:1. Die Kurven: Gelatinierungszeit aufgetragen gegen molekulares Verh?ltnis verlaufen etwa exponentiell. Viskosit?ts- und p_H-?nderungen w?hrend der Sol-Gel-Transformation zeigen, da? der relative Anstieg der Viskosit?t (abrupt), aufgetragen gegen die Konzentration der Eisencyanionen, Geraden ergibt, was die Thixotropie der Chromferricyanid-Gele andeutet. Die Zeit, in der der abrupte Anstieg der Viskosit?t erfolgt, f?llt mit der Zeit der Gelatinierung zusammen, und die Werte, aufgetragen gegen das molekulare Verh?ltnis, geben wiederum ?hnliche Exponentialkurven. Die Variationen des pa deuten, auf Hydrolyse von Chromchlorid in Suspensionen, die einen überschu? an Chromionen enthalten, und auf hydrolytischen Abbau von Kaliumferricyanid für Suspensionen mit überschu? an Ferricianionen hin. Die Variationen der Leitf?higkeit w?hrend der Gelatinierung sind vernachl?ssigbar.

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With 7 figures and 5 tables     

Studies on the chromatographic fractionation of Trichoderma reesei cellulases by hydrophobic interaction

This work reports new studies on cellulases fractionation by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The purification procedure for the Trichoderma reesei cellulase complex consists of gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-25M followed by an ultrafiltration step. The concentrated enzyme solution was then fractionated on Sepharose CL-6B modified by covalent immobilization of 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether. The influence of the mobile phase composition on the chromatographic behaviour of the T. reesei cellulase complex was investigated. By using 13% (w/v) ammonium sulphate in eluent buffer, a selective separation of beta-glucosidase with a two-fold increase in specific activity and a recovery of 60% cellobiase activity were obtained. Other commercial hydrophobic supports (octyl- and phenyl-Sepharose) were also tested and compared under the same conditions.     

Studies on preparation and properties of NIPAAm/hydrophobic monomer copolymeric hydrogels

A series of thermoreversible copolymeric hydrogels with various molar ratios of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and hydrophobic monomers such as 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-octafluoropentyl methacrylate (OFPMA) and n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) were prepared by emulsion polymerization. The effect of hydrophobic monomer on the swelling behavior and mechanical properties of the present copolymeric hydrogels was investigated. Results showed that the equilibrium swelling ratio and critical gel transition temperature (CGTT) decreased with an increase of the content of hydrophobic monomer, but the gel strength of the gel increased with an increase of the content of hydrophobic monomer. Due to stronger hydrophobicity of OFPMA, the NIPAAm/OFPMA copolymeric hydrogels had lower swelling ratios and higher gel strengths than NIPAAm/BMA copolymeric gels.