While enzymes are valuable tools in many fields of biotechnology, they are fragile and must be protected against denaturing conditions such as unfavorable solution pH. Within living organisms, chaperonins help enzymes fold into their native shape and protect them from damage. Inspired by this natural solution, mesoporous silica SBA-15 with different pore diameters is synthesized as a support material for immobilizing and protecting enzymes. In separate experiments, the model enzymes myoglobin and lysozyme are physically adsorbed to SBA-15 and exposed to a range of buffered pH conditions. The immobilized enzymes' biocatalytic activities are quantified and compared to the activities of nonimmobilized enzymes in the same solution conditions. It has been observed that myoglobin immobilized on SBA-15 is protected from acidic denaturation from pH 3.6 to 5.1, exhibiting relative activity of up to 350%. Immobilized lysozyme is protected from unfavorable conditions from pH 6.6 to 7.6, with relative activity of up to 200%. These results indicate that the protective effects conferred to enzymes immobilized by physical adsorption to SBA-15 are driven by the enzymes' electrostatic attraction to the material's surface. The pore diameter of SBA-15 affects the quality of protection given to immobilized enzymes, but the contribution of this effect at different pH values remains unclear.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.