Effect of silver nanoparticles on the electron transfer reactivity and the catalytic activity of myoglobin

Silver nanoparticles (11+/-1.5 nm) could greatly enhance the electron-transfer reactivity of myoglobin (Mb) and its catalytic ability toward hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Direct fast electron transfer between Mb and a pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrode was achieved, and a pair of well-defined, quasi-reversible redox peaks was obtained. The cathodic and anodic peaks were located at -329 and -281 mV, respectively. Meanwhile, the catalytic ability of the protein toward the reduction of H2O2 was also studied, and a H2O2 biosensor was subsequently fabricated. Its detection limit was 1.0 x 10(-6) M with a sensitivity of 0.0205 microA per microM of H2O2. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant was calculated to be 1303 muM. Flocculation assay showed that the protein maintained plasmon layers surrounding the surface of silver nanoparticles and avoided silver-nanoparticle aggregation. On the other hand, UV-visible spectroscopy studies revealed that silver nanoparticles could induce a small change of the heme-group environment of the protein; this contributed to the enhancement of the electron-transfer reactivity and the catalytic activity.