The
current study provides a comprehensive look of the adsorption
process of Candida rugosa lipase (CRL)
on Ca2Fe2O5 iron oxide nanoparticles
(NPs). Protein-support interactions were identified across a broad
range of pH and ionic strengths (mM) through a response surface methodology,
surface charge determination, and spectroscopic and in silico analyses.
The maximum quantity of immobilized protein was achieved at an ionic
strength of 50 mM and pH 4. However, this condition did not allow
for the greatest hydrolytic activity to be obtained. Indeed, it was
recorded at acidic pH, but at 150 mM, where evaluation of the recovered
activity revealed hyperactivation of the enzyme. These findings were
supported by adsorption isotherms performed under different conditions.
Based on zeta potential measurements, electrostatic interactions contributed
differently to protein-support binding under the conditions tested,
showing a strong correlation with experimentally determined immobilization
parameters. Raman spectra revealed an increase in hydrophobicity around
tryptophan residues, whereas the enzyme immobilization significantly
reduced the phenylalanine signal in CRL. This suggests that this residue
was involved in the interaction with Ca2Fe2O2 and molecular docking analysis confirmed these findings.
Fluorescence spectroscopy showed distinct behaviors in the CRL emission
patterns with the addition of Ca2Fe2O5 at pH 4 and 7. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated
that the contact would be mediated by hydrophobic interactions at
both pHs, as well as by ionic ones at pH 4. In this approach, this
work adds to our understanding of the design of biocatalysts immobilized
in iron oxide NPs.