Photosensitive Polymeric Janus Micromotor for Enzymatic Activity Protection and Enhanced Substrate Degradation

Abstract

Immobilizing enzymes into microcarriers is a strategy to improve their long-term stability and reusability, hindered by (UV) light irradiation. However, in such approaches, enzyme−substrate interaction is mediated by diffusion, often at slow kinetics. In contrast, enzyme-linked self-propelled motors can accelerate this interaction, frequently mediated by the convection mechanism. This work reports on a new photosensitive polymeric Janus micromotor (JM) for UV-light protection of enzymatic activity and efficient degradation of substrates accelerated by the JMs. The JMs were assembled with UV-photosensitive modified chitosan, co-encapsulating fluorescent-labeled proteins and enzymes as models and magnetite and platinum nanoparticles for magnetic and catalytic motion. The JMs absorbed UV light, protecting the enzymatic activity and accelerating the enzyme−substrate degradation by magnetic/catalytic motion. Immobilizing proteins in photosensitive JMs is a promising strategy to improve the enzyme's stability and hasten the kinetics of substrate degradation, thereby enhancing the enzymatic process's efficiency.

Light-Triggered Polymersome-Based Anticancer Therapeutics Delivery

“…Recent advances regarding the implementation of polymersomes correspond to the development of structures with motility, such as micro-nanomotors [ 307 , 308 ]. In our group, Mena-Giraldo and Orozco have recently developed a Janus UV-photosensitive polymeric chitosan micromotor (J-PCM), demonstrating the enzymatic protection against UV light using UV-absorbing molecules.…”

“…Remarkably, photo-isomerizable azobenzene molecules demonstrated absorption and UV-light protection with the immobilized Lac and Cat enzymes, among other proteins. Further, magnetic and catalytic Pt NPs contributed to motion and dynamically improved the enzymatic activity and substrate degradation processes [ 308 ].…”

Biodegradation and Prospect of Polysaccharide from Crustaceans

“…The enzymatic hydrolysis process was controllable, which provided the potential for industrial scale stability and reproducible preparation of chito-oligosaccharides with different DPs. In recent strategies to improve the long-term stability and reusability of enzymes, Mena-Giraldo P et al [ 150 ]. immobilized enzyme proteins in a new photosensitive polymer Janus micromotor (JM) based on accelerating diffusion-mediated enzyme–substrate interaction, which absorbs ultraviolet light, protects enzyme activity through magnetic/catalytic movement and accelerates enzyme–substrate degradation.…”

Polymer‐Modified Micromotors with Biomedical Applications: Promotion of Functionalization

“…They then used UV‐sensitive chitosan hydrogels to prepare the Janus micromotors with PtFe 3 O 4 NPs aggregated on one side to absorb UV light, protect the enzymes (horseradish peroxidase, laccase, and catalase), and degrade substrates by redox mechanisms for water restoration. [ 52 ] These micromotors have been used to absorb UV light, protect enzyme activity, and accelerate enzyme‐substrate degradation through magnetic/catalytic motion, thereby increasing the efficiency of the enzymatic process. With a size of 12 μm and a speed of 600.4 μm s −1 in 3% H 2 O 2 , the micromotors have the potential to accelerate the water repair process when stimulated by sunlight.…”