Papain functionalized Prussian blue nanozyme colloids of triple enzymatic function

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Biocatalysis
• Enzyme Engineering

Background:

• Prussian blue nanozymes offer unique catalytic properties but often suffer from poor stability and processability.
• Surface modification of nanomaterials is crucial for enhancing their performance in biological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop processable Prussian blue nanozyme dispersions with enhanced stability and biocatalytic activities.
• To engineer Prussian blue nanozymes by surface functionalization with papain enzyme.

Main Methods:

• Surface engineering of Prussian blue nanozymes using papain enzyme.
• Characterization of colloidal stability and dispersion properties.
• Evaluation of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and protease-like activities.

Main Results:

• Papain enzyme coating significantly improved the colloidal stability of Prussian blue nanozymes.
• The resulting papain-Prussian blue hybrid nanozymes demonstrated potent peroxidase activity (vmax = 8.82 × 10⁻⁹ M s⁻¹, KM = 12.3 mM).
• The hybrid nanozymes also exhibited strong superoxide dismutase (IC50 = 14.6 ppm) and protease-like (41.2 U L⁻¹) activities.

Conclusions:

• Surface engineering with papain enzyme provides a viable strategy to create stable and highly active biocatalytic nanozyme systems.
• Papain-Prussian blue hybrid nanozymes show promise for diverse biocatalytic applications requiring antioxidant and hydrolytic functions.