NOVEL Cu/Ag-ENZYME BIOHYBRIDS AS ARTIFICIAL METALLOENZYME

Abstract

In recent years, the synthesis of novel artificial metalloenzymes by the combination of metal or complex organometallic systems and enzymes is rapidly growing field of research in catalytic applications. In this study, new artificial metalloenzymes have been designed and developed based on the combination of an enzyme and different metal salts. For this purpose, novel synthesis method has been used, where the enzyme, Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB), acts as an inducer of metal nanoparticles of copper and silver. Obtained biohybrids show improved stability properties compared to natural enzymes. Moreover, the synergetic effect between copper and silver has been evaluated, looking for an improvement in the catalytic efficiency of an only copper-metalloenzyme previously developed. The copper-silver-CALB metalloenzymes have been characterized by X-Ray diffraction analysis, mass spectrometry, and SEM and TEM as microscopies techniques. After that, their catalytic efficiency was tested in different reactions, in particular in the phloridzin oligomerization as laccase-like activity.