Bioinspired Dual-Enzyme Colloidosome Reactors for High-Performance Biphasic Catalysis.

Area of Science:

• Biomimetic chemistry
• Chemical engineering
• Materials science

Background:

• Enzyme cascade reactions are crucial for complex synthesis but challenging to implement in biphasic systems.
• Microreactors offer controlled environments for catalytic processes.
• Colloidosomes provide a versatile platform for encapsulating and organizing catalytic components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel colloidosome-based microreactor for dual-enzyme cascade biphasic reactions.
• To immobilize a water-soluble enzyme (glucose oxidase) and a hydrophobic enzyme (Candida Antarctica lipase B) on/in colloidosomes.
• To demonstrate the efficiency and reusability of this system for in situ oxidation reactions.

Main Methods:

• Construction of colloidosomes encapsulating glucose oxidase (GOx).
• Adsorption of Candida Antarctica lipase B (CalB) onto the outer surface of GOx-loaded colloidosomes.
• Setting up a biphasic reaction system using acetic ether with the dual-enzyme colloidosomes.
• Monitoring the cascade reaction involving H2O2 production, diffusion, and subsequent oxidation.

Main Results:

• Successful compartmentalization of GOx and surface immobilization of CalB on colloidosomes.
• Demonstration of a dual-enzyme cascade reaction where GOx produces H2O2 internally, which then facilitates CalB-catalyzed oxidation externally.
• Effective in situ oxidation of N-heteroaromatic compounds by peracids generated in the cascade.
• No significant decrease in yield observed over four reaction cycles, indicating good stability and reusability.

Conclusions:

• The developed colloidosome microreactor is a novel and effective platform for dual-enzyme cascade biphasic reactions.
• This strategy offers a high-performance biomimicking reactor design for complex catalytic processes.
• The findings expand the application scope of colloidosomes in biocatalysis and synthetic chemistry.