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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Synthesis of an Intein-mediated Artificial Protein Hydrogel
Published on: January 27, 2014
High catalytic activities of artificial peroxidases based on supramolecular hydrogels that contain heme models
Qigang Wang1, Zhimou Yang, Manlung Ma
1Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Abstract:
Composed of a supramolecular hydrogel and a heme model compound, a new type of artificial peroxidase shows high catalytic activity in organic media. The activity of this new type of artificial enzyme is significantly higher than that of the heme model compounds alone. Changes in the distal substituents above the coordinated-metal centers of the model compounds directly modulate catalytic activity. This supramolecular-hydrogel-based artificial enzyme is most active in toluene, reaching about 90% of the nascent activity of horseradish peroxidase. Moreover, this study confirms that the incorporation of the heme models into the nanofibers of gelators accounts for most of the enhancement of catalytic activity.
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