alpha-chymotrypsin and coumarin-153

Solvents, particularly those having low volatility, are of great interest for the biocatalytic synthesis of utility chemicals and fuels. We show novel and universal solvent-like properties of a neat and water-less polymer surfactant-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugated material (WL-PS pBSA). This highly viscous, nonvolatile material behaves as a liquid above its solid-liquid transition temperature (∼25-27 °C) and can be used as a solvent for variety of completely dry solutes of different sizes and surface chemistries. We show using a combination of optical microscopy and steady -state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy that dry and powdered dyes (hydrophobic Coumarin 153 (C153)), enzymes (α-chymotrypsin (α-Chy)), or even 1 μm microparticles (diffusion coefficient ca. three orders slower than C153), can be solubilized and completely dispersed in the WL-PS pBSA solvent above 25 °C. While C153, irrespective of its mode of addition to WL-PS pBSA, binds similarly to BSA, α-Chy can be stabilized and activated to perform its hydrolysis function, even at 100 °C. This work therefore provides insights into the form of universal solvent characteristic property for this new class of nonaqueous, nonvolatile, biodegradable protein-polymer surfactant-based conjugated materials and suggests potential new avenues that can have a huge impact on biocatalysis, bionanotechnology, drug delivery, and other applications.

Topics: Animals; Cattle; Chymotrypsin; Coumarins; Serum Albumin, Bovine; Surface-Active Agents