Recent advances in the applications of ionic liquids in protein stability and activity: a review

Room temperatures ionic liquids are considered as miraculous solvents for biological system. Due to their inimitable properties and large variety of applications, they have been widely used in enzyme catalysis and protein stability and separation. The related information present in the current review is helpful to the researchers working in the field of biotechnology and biochemistry to design or choose an ionic liquid that can serve as a noble and selective solvent for any particular enzymatic reaction, protein preservation and other protein based applications. We have extensively analyzed the methods used for studying the protein-IL interaction which is useful in providing information about structural and conformational dynamics of protein. This can be helpful to develop and understanding about the effect of ionic liquids on stability and activity of proteins. In addition, the affect of physico-chemical properties of ionic liquids, viz. hydrogen bond capacity and hydrophobicity on protein stability are discussed.