Xanthan gum/oil body-microgel emulsions with enhanced transdermal absorption for accelerating wound healing.

The oil body comprises lipid droplets surrounded by a surface embedded with oil body-related proteins. To form a drug delivery system, an oleosin can be fused with foreign proteins and bound to the oil body surface. Here, safflower oil bodies carrying oleosin-human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) were mixed with xanthan gum to form self-assembled polymers, referred as an oil body microgel emulsion (OBEME) without any chemical crosslinking agent.

The Fabrication of Amino Acid Incorporated Nanoflowers with Intrinsic Peroxidase-like Activity and Its Application for Efficiently Determining Glutathione with TMB Radical Cation as Indicator.

The assessment of glutathione (GSH) levels is associated with early diagnostics and pathological analysis for various disorders. Among all kinds of techniques for detecting GSH, the colorimetric assay relying on the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) catalyzed by many nanomaterials with peroxidase-like activity attracts increasing attention owing to its outstanding merits, such as high sensitivity and high selectivity. However, the aggregation between the nanomaterials severely hinders the entrance of TMB into the "active site" of these peroxidase mimics.

Nitroxide-Modified Protein-Incorporated Nanoflowers with Dual Enzyme-Like Activities.

Purpose: Combined superoxide dismutase (SOD)/catalase mimetics have attracted much attention because of their efficacy against reactive oxygen species-associated diseases; however, their application is often limited owing to their poor stability and the absence of favorable grafting sites. To address this, we developed a new class of SOD/catalase mimetics based on hybrid nanoflowers, which exhibit superior stability and possess the desired grafting sites for drugs and endogenous molecules.

Methods: In this work, for the first time, we used polynitroxylated human serum albumin (PNA) to mediate the formation of hybrid copper-based nanoflowers.

Co-Immobilization of Tri-Enzymes for the Conversion of Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Diformylfuran.

Acting as a "green" manufacturing route, the enzyme toolbox made up of galactose oxidase, catalase, and horseradish peroxidase can achieve a satisfactory yield of 2,5-diformylfuran derived from 30 mM hydroxymethylfurfural. However, as the concentration of hydroxymethylfurfural increases, the substrate causes oxidative damage to the activity of the tri-enzyme system, and the accumulated hydrogen peroxide produced by galactose oxidase causes tri-enzyme inactivation. The cost of tri-enzymes is also very high.

Optimization of a dual-functional biocatalytic system for continuous hydrolysis of lactose in milk.

In this study, an amino-functionalized silica matrix encapsulating β-galactosidase was first synthesized in situ, with subsequent covalent anchoring of lysozyme to the outer part of the amino-grafted matrix. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra verified that β-galactosidase was successfully encapsulated. Meanwhile, the co-immobilized enzymes were demonstrated to retain suitable enzymatic activities and outstanding operational stability during successive reaction cycles.

Prevention of Bacterial Contamination of a Silica Matrix Containing Entrapped β-Galactosidase through the Action of Covalently Bound Lysozymes.

β-galactosidase was successfully encapsulated within an amino-functionalised silica matrix using a "fish-in-net" approach and molecular imprinting technique followed by covalent binding of lysozyme via a glutaraldehyde-based method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to characterise the silica matrix hosting the two enzymes. Both encapsulated β-galactosidase and bound lysozyme exhibited high enzymatic activities and outstanding operational stability in model reactions.

Ultrasound-Assisted Enantioselective Esterification of Ibuprofen Catalyzed by a Flower-Like Nanobioreactor.

A flower-like nanobioreactor was prepared for resolution of ibuprofen in organic solvents. Ultrasound irradiation has been used to improve the enzyme performance of APE1547 (a thermophilic esterase from the archaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1) in the enantioselective esterification. Under optimum reaction conditions (ultrasound power, 225 W; temperature, 45 °C; water activity, 0.

Immobilization of Bacillus subtilis lipase on a Cu-BTC based hierarchically porous metal-organic framework material: a biocatalyst for esterification.

Bacillus subtilis lipase (BSL2) has been successfully immobilized into a Cu-BTC based hierarchically porous metal-organic framework material for the first time. The Cu-BTC hierarchically porous MOF material with large mesopore apertures is prepared conveniently by using a template-free strategy under mild conditions. The immobilized BSL2 presents high enzymatic activity and perfect reusability during the esterification reaction.

Amino acids-incorporated nanoflowers with an intrinsic peroxidase-like activity.

Functional molecules synthesized by self-assembly between inorganic salts and amino acids have attracted much attention in recent years. A simple method is reported here for fabricating hybrid organic-inorganic nanoflowers using copper (II) ions as the inorganic component and natural amino acids as the organic component. The results indicate that the interactions between amino acid and copper ions cause the growth of the nanoflowers composed by C, N, Cu, P and O elements.

Microwave-Assisted Resolution of α-Lipoic Acid Catalyzed by an Ionic Liquid Co-Lyophilized Lipase.

The combination of the ionic liquid co-lyophilized lipase and microwave irradiation was used to improve enzyme performance in enantioselective esterification of α-lipoic acid. Effects of various reaction conditions on enzyme activity and enantioselectivity were investigated. Under optimal condition, the highest enantioselectivity (E = 41.

Improvement of the enzyme performance of trypsin via adsorption in mesoporous silica SBA-15: hydrolysis of BAPNA.

The enzymatic performance of trypsin in hydrolysis of N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-4-nitroanilide (BAPNA) was improved by adsorption on Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA)-15 mesoporous silica. The optimal immobilization conditions were screened and the properties of immobilized enzyme have also been studied. Under the optimal conditions, the immobilized trypsin displays maximum specific activity (49.

Combining the physical adsorption approach and the covalent attachment method to prepare a bifunctional bioreactor.

Aminopropyl-functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous silica was used as a support to adsorb myoglobin. Then, in order to avoid the leakage of adsorbed myoglobin, lysozyme was covalently tethered to the internal and external surface of the mesoporous silica with glutaraldehyde as the coupling agent. The property of amino-functionalized mesoporous silica was characterized by N(2) adsorption-desorption and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis.

Ordered cubic mesoporous silicas with large pore sizes synthesized via high-temperature route.

Ordered cubic mesoporous silicas with large pore sizes (LP-SBA-16) have been successfully synthesized at high temperatures (180-220 degrees C) using polymer surfactant of F127 as a template. Compared with conventional SBA-16 with entrance size at 3.6 nm, LP-SBA-16 samples synthesized at high temperatures show large entrance sizes at 11.