Immobilization of β-Galactosidase by Encapsulation of Enzyme-Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles Inside Hydrogel Microparticles

Increasing the shelf life of enzymes and making them reusable is a prominent topic in biotechnology. The encapsulation inside hydrogel microparticles (HMPs) can enhance the enzyme’s stability by preserving its native conformation and facilitating continuous biocatalytic processes and enzyme recovery. In this study, we present a method to immobilize β-galactosidase by, first, conjugating the enzyme onto the surface of polymer nanoparticles, and then encapsulating these enzyme-conjugated nanoparticles (ENPs) inside HMPs using microfluidic device paired with UV-LEDs. Polymer nanoparticles act as anchors for enzyme molecules, potentially preventing their leaching through the hydrogel network especially during swelling. The affinity binding (through streptavidin-biotin interaction) was used as an immobilization technique of β-galactosidase on the surface of polymer nanoparticles. The hydrogel microparticles of roughly 400 μm in size (swollen state) containing unbound enzyme and ENPs were produced. The effects of encapsulation and storage in different conditions were evaluated. It was discovered that the encapsulation in acrylamide (AcAm) microparticles caused an almost complete loss of enzymatic activity. Encapsulation in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-diacrylate microparticles, on the other hand, showed a residual activity of 15–25%, presumably due to a protective effect of PEG during polymerization. One of the major factors that affected the enzyme activity was presence of photoinitiator exposed to UV-irradiation. Storage studies were carried out at room temperature, in the fridge and in the freezer throughout 1, 7 and 28 days. The polymer nanoparticles showcased excellent immobilization properties and preserved the activity of the conjugated enzyme at room temperature (115% residual activity after 28 days), while a slight decrease was observed for the unbound enzyme (94% after 28 days). Similar trends were observed for encapsulated ENPs and unbound enzyme. Nevertheless, storage at −26°C resulted in an almost complete loss of enzymatic activity for all samples.

Designing high performance polymer nanocomposites by incorporating robustness-controlled polymeric nanoparticles: insights from molecular dynamics

Introducing polymer nanoparticles into polymer matrices is an interesting topic, and the robustness of polymeric nanoparticles is very crucial for the properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). In this study, by...

Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles for NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-guided Photothermal/Thermodynamic Combination Therapy

Photothermal therapy is a promising phototherapeutic modality which has been widely studied in the cancer therapy. However, because of the influence of heat shock protein (HSP), the therapeutic efficacy of...

Heterogenisation of a Carbonylation Catalyst on Dispersible Microporous Polymer Nanoparticles

The methanol carbonylation catalyst, cis-[Rh(CO)2I2]–, has been heterogenised within a dispersible microporous polymer support bearing cationic functionality. The microporous polymer has a core-shell structure in which the porous and insoluble...

Simultaneous Optimization of Excitation Wavelength and Emission Window for Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles to Improve Imaging Quality

Optimized excitation wavelength and emission window are essential for fluorescence imaging with high quality. Semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (SPNs) as fluorescent contrast agents have been extensively studied, but their imaging abilities in the second near infrared IIb window (NIR-IIb, 1500 to 1700 nm) with long excitation wavelength have not been reported yet. Herein, as a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate for the first time that an SPN named L1057 nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit intense NIR-IIb signal due to its ultra-high brightness and broad emission spectrum. After screening 915 nm as an optimal excitation wavelength, we applied L1057 NPs to visualize the whole body vessels, cerebral vessels, gastrointestinal tract, and tumor progression in different stages, achieving superior spatial resolution and signal to background ratio in the NIR-IIb window with respect to NIR-II window (1000 to 1700 nm). This study reveals that simultaneous optimization of excitation wavelength and emission window is an efficient strategy to enhance imaging quality and that L1057 NPs can serve as a promising NIR-IIb contrast agent for high-resolution and deep-tissue imaging.