Esterification of Short Chain Organic Acids with Alcohols by a Lipase Microencapsulated in Reversed Micelles

A Mucor miehei lipase was used to catalyse the esterification reaction between propionic acid and oleyl alcohol in reversed micelles of AOT in isooctane. Small-scale model studies were performed to study the influence of various parameters on the formation of oleyl propionate by this lipase. The maximum synthetic activity was obtained at w₀ = 4.0. At high temperatures (65°C) the enzyme displays a better stability for a low water content (w₀ = 3.3). The specificity of lipase was influenced by the solubilized water in the reversed micelles.     

Dependence of Lipase Activity on Water Content and Enzyme Concentration in Reverse Micelles

The activity of Candida rugosa lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) in reverse micelles has been measured at various concentrations of water and enzyme with the aim of answering the question, why is the enzyme activity affected by the molar ratio of water to surfactant (w₀ = [H₂O]/[Surfactant])? In the low range of water content (below w₀ ≈ 6), the activity increases with increasing water content, indicating the requirement of a minimum amount of water for the full expression of enzymatic activity. The minimal w₀-value for obtaining maximal activity depends on the enzyme concentration: The higher the enzyme concentration, the higher w_{0, max}. In addition, it was found that, at least for the case of Candida rugosa lipase, the measured dependence of enzyme activity on w₀ does not represent a true chemical equilibrium. Changing the w₀-value during the reaction does not change the activity as expected on the basis of the w₀-activity profile obtained for single w₀ point measurements. All these observations, however, cannot be directly generalized to all enzymes in reverse micelles, due to the peculiarity of lipase. In particular, the enzyme seems to inactivate irreversibly during the solubilization process.     

Enzyme-Catalyzed oxidation of cholesterol in physically characterized water-in-oil microemulsions

The enzymatic conversion of cholesterol to cholestenone by cholesterol oxidase (Brevibacterium sp.)in reversed micelles in a system composed of AOT/isooctane/water/cholesterol has been examined. The catalytic activity of the enzyme was correlated with the physicochemical properties of water in water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion systems. In a system consisting of 3 wt % AOT in isooctane, reversed micelles started to form as the [H(2)O]/[AOT] (e.g., the w(0)) ratio increased above 4-5. The formation of reversed micelles with a core of neat (bulk) water was verified from determinations of both the partial molar volume of water and the scissors vibration of water [with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy] in the w/o microemulsion systems. A plot of enzyme activity vs. w(0) indicated that the hydration of enzyme molecules per se was not sufficient to give rise to catalytic activity. Instead, it appeared that the formation of an aqueous micellar core was necessary for full activation of the enzyme. Based on micelle size distribution analysis, it was estimated that about one micelle per one thousand contained an enzyme molecule. Since the apparent reaction rate could be markedly enhanced by increasing the enzyme/water ratio, we conclude that the number of enzyme-containing micelles was an important rate-limiting factor in the system.     

The behavior of proteases in lecithin reverse micelles

Reverse micelles, formed in isooctane/alcohol by phosphatidylcholines of variable chain length (i.e. 6, 7 or 8 C atoms in the fatty acid moiety) have been studied, mostly in relation to their capability of solubilizing trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin. It has been found that the capability of the lecithin reverse micellar systems to solubilize water is strongly affected by the chain length of the alkyl group and by the alcohol used as co-surfactant. The C8-lecithin system, i.e. 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, in isooctane/hexanol is the system which affords the maximal solubilization of water (up to wo 60, where wo = [H2O]/[lecithin]) and of the enzymes. The water of the water pool of lecithin reverse micelles has been investigated by 1H-NMR; the proton chemical shift as a function of wo was found to be similar to the case of reverse micelles formed by the well known negatively charged surfactant sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate). 31P-NMR studies show that the ionization behavior of phosphate groups is similar to that in bulk water, suggesting no anomaly in the pH behavior of this water pool. The stability of trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin in the various lecithin reverse micellar system is similar and occasionally better than that in aqueous solution. The same holds for the kinetic behavior (kcat and Km have been determined for a few systems). The bell-shaped curve of the pH/activity profile in lecithin reverse micelles is, for both enzymes, shifted towards more alkaline values with respect to water. Bell-shaped curves are also obtained when studying the influence of wo on the enzyme activity, with an optimal wo which is in the range 7-10, a surprisingly small value considering that we are dealing with hydrolases. Circular dichroic studies have been carried out in order to correlate the activity with the protein conformation: for both enzymes, generally no marked perturbations appear as a consequence of the solubilization in the lecithin reverse micelles, but conditions can be found under which significant alterations are present. Certain properties of the two enzymes, which in water solution are very similar, become sharply different in reverse micelles, showing that occasionally the micellization is able to enhance the relatively small structural differences between the two proteins.     

BEHAVIOUR OF HORSERADISH PEROXIDASE IN AOT REVERSED MICELLES

The activity and stability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) solubilised in AOT reversed micelles in isooctane and decalin was studied using guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) as the electron donor.

The activity of the enzyme in both reversed micellar systems increases with the water content until reaching a maximum value that remains fairly constant for water contents higher than 3.05% (v/v) in isooctane and 2.20% in decalin. The effect of pH on the activity profile was studied in the system AOT/isooctane. The enzyme is fully active at pH 7 and 8 for water contents higher than 3.05% (v/v) but it was completely deactivated at pH 9. The effect of surfactant concentration on HRP activity was also investigated. At low water contents a strong dependence was observed, whilst no further activity increase was observed for water content values higher than 2.7% (v/v).

The stability of HRP was found to be strongly dependent on the water content of the system with higher levels of stability obtained for higher values of water content. HRP stability is also affected by the presence of substrates. Whilst the stability increases markedly when the enzyme is incubated with guaiacol, it does not appear to be so strongly affected by the presence of hydrogen peroxide, at the concentrations studied.     

Ultrasonication enhanced hydrolytic activity of lipase in water/isooctane two-phase systems

The hydrolysis of olive oil catalyzed by Chromobacterium viscosum lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) in a water/isooctane two-phase system was carried out both under ultrasound and conventional stirring. The maximum activity of lipase in the ultrasonicated system was 1.75 times higher than that in the stirred system. The lipase activity was dependent on ultrasonic power and volume ratio of isooctane to water. The optimum reaction temperature in both systems was around 25°C. The stability of lipase at 25°C in the ultrasonicated system decreased more rapidly than that in the stirred system. In the presence of exogenous oleic acid, however the half-life of lipase in the ultrasonicated system was improved to a value, which was respectively half and twice of that in stirred systems with and without oleic acid. The maximum reaction rate (V_max) was increased by ultrasonication whereas the Michaelis constant (K_m) remained unaltered.     

Production of egg yolk lysolecithin with immobilized phospholipase A2

Production of egg yolk lysolecithin was compared using free phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) and immobilized PLA₂ in alginate-silicate sol-gel matrix. Choice of solvent, water content, calcium, and temperatures changed the activity of the free and immobilized PLA₂ a lot, owing to their effects on the catalytic properties of the enzyme as well as the conformational change of lecithin in ethanol-buffer mixture. Free PLA₂ shows typical microemulsion kinetics in ethanol-buffer system. The effect of the water content on the enzyme reaction was greatly influenced by the presence of calcium ion. In the absence of calcium ion, certain optimal water content for the production of lysolecithin always exists in the free PLA₂ reaction. However, with calcium ion, three distinctive regions were observed with free PLA₂ reactions. Initially, in the micro-aqueous region of the ethanol-buffer system with calcium ion, the hydrolysis activity of PLA₂ was proportional to the water content. Beyond the region, concave type of activity profiles were observed as the water content increases. As the water content increases further, the hydrolysis rate of the PLA₂ abruptly decreased by the phase separation. On the contrary, in case of immobilized enzyme, optimal water content for the production of lysolecithin exists regardless of the presence of calcium ion. The calcium ion was essential for achieving the maximum activity of both free and immobilized PLA₂. The addition of calcium ion not only affected the catalytic activity of the enzyme but also was necessary to improve the enzyme stability. As the immobilization of the enzyme remarkably increased thermal stability of the free enzyme, the immobilized PLA₂ is more desirable to be used in the production of various lysophospholipids. It was successfully reused over 250 h.     

Lipase-Catalyzed Reactions in Reverse Micelles Formed by Soybean Lecithin

Reverse micelles formed by soybean lecithin in isooctane were used as a reaction medium for both the lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis as well as the synthesis of lipids. Neither reaction appears to follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics and it is suggested that the rates are diffusion controlled. The hydrolysis of para-nitrophenylpalmitate (PNPP) and, in particular, the pH-dependency of the lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis was then examined. The highest rate of reaction occurred at pH_opt = 5–5.5, which was the same in water and lecithin reverse micelles, as well as in reverse micelles formed by bis(2-ethylhexyl)-sulfosuccinate (AOT) in isooctane. The dependence of the reaction rate on the water content of the micellar system was investigated for the same reaction. The maximal rate was found at an extremely low water content, i.e. at W_o = 2.2 (W_o = [H₂O]/[Lecithin]). The temperature stability of the lipase in lecithin reverse micelles was also studied and found to be greater than in aqueous solutions. Studies of the dependence of the relative initial velocity on temperature have shown that the highest rate in reverse micelles is obtained at 60d`C.     

Phospholipid Acyl-hydrolases from a Mold,Corticium centrifugum

The activities of phospholipids acyl-hydrolases in an enzyme preparation from a mold, Corticium centrifugum, were examined. Lecithin acyl-hydrolase had an optimal pH at 3.5. The reaction proceeded beyond the range of 50%. Sigmoidal curves observed suggested the presence of lysophospholipase in the preparation. The latter enzyme activity was found to be seven times as strong as the former at the same pH. Fractionation by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and analysis of the reaction products demonstrated that the main component of lecithin acyl-hydrolase was phospholipase B, which hydrolyzed both of fatty acyl ester groups of lecithin. This activity was found to be present as a separate enzyme from most of lysophospholipase.     

Tyrosinase activity in reversed micelles

The hydroxylase and oxidase activities of mushroom tyrosinase were studied in both sodium di-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/isooctane and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/hexane/chloroform reversed micelles. The enzyme presented its highest activity when the water to surfactant molar ratio (W ₀) was 20 for both systems. When entrapped in the AOT reversed micelles, the enzyme activity decreased with the increase in AOT concentration at a constant W ₀, and the enzyme not only presented a higher reaction rate related to its oxidase activity but also a shorter lag period related to its hydroxylase activity. The relation between water activity and W ₀ revealed that enzyme activity in reversed micelles was more related to the size of the micelles which was determined by W ₀ and less to the water activity. Tyrosinase in CTAB reversed micelles showed potential for the analysis of o-diphenols.     

Micellar catalysis of polyphenol oxidase in AOT/cyclohexane

The catalytic behaviour of mushroom polyphenol oxidase has been studied in dioctylsulphosuccinate (AOT)/cyclohexane reverse micelles. The steady-state conditions were accomplished up to 20 min and 17 μg protein in the assay towards 4-methylcatechol and no loss of specific activity was observed relative to aqueous medium. The pH activity profile of the enzyme was kept in reverse micelles as in water, showing a plateau between 5 and 6.5. The stability of polyphenol oxidase to pH was also studied and about 20% inactivation was found in reverse micelles relative to aqueous medium at neutral pHs. Moreover there was a decrease of stability at acidic pHs. The optimum W_o obtained was 20 and the enzyme was nearly independent of the surfactant concentration at constant W_o.

Kinetic studies of polyphenol oxidase towards several substrates showed that the substrate inhibition by p-cresol and 4-methylcatechol observed in buffer was not kept in AOT/cyclohexane reverse micelles. Moreover, the K_m increased and the catalytic efficiency (V/K_m) of the enzyme decreased as the hydrophobicity of substrates was increased.     

Pseudomonas cepacia lipase: Esterification reactions in AOT microemulsion systems

Summary The activity of purifiedPseudomonas cepacia lipase has been investigated in esterification reactions of various aliphatic alcohols with natural fatty acids. The reactions were carried out in microemulsions formed in isooctane by bis(2ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT). The optima pH, T and water content (w_o) for the enzyme activity in this type of microemulsions have been determined. Studies on the effect of various fatty acids and alcohols on the enzyme specificity have shown a preference of this lipase for palmitic and caprylic acid as well as for propanol, while reactions involving cyclic alcohols can not be catalyzed at all. The differences on the behavior of this lipase as compared to other lipases studied in microemulsion systems as well as in other systems are discussed.     

Activity and stability of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) entrapped in aerosol OT reverse micelles

The activity and stability of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) entrapped in aerosol OT reverse micellar droplets have been investigated spectrophotometrically. Various physical parameters, e.g., water pool size, w(0), pH, and temperature, were optimized for YADH in water/AOT/isooctane reverse micelles. It was found that the enzyme exhibits maximum activity at w(0) = 28 and pH 8.1. It was more active in reverse micelles than in aqueous buffers at a particular temperature and was denatured at about 307deg;C in both the systems. At a particular temperature YADH entrapped in reverse micelles was less stable than when it was dissolved in aqueous buffer.     

Studies on synthesis of short chain alkyl esters catalyzed by goat pregastric lipase

Goat pregastric lipase, in the form of a suspended enzyme powder, was found to be active in catalyzing the synthesis of alkyl esters in anhydrous organic solvents. The rate of catalyzed synthesis of esters was very dependent on the solvent medium, and maximum activity was found when a hydrocarbon was used as the solvent. The optimal temperature for the catalyzed synthesis ranged from 30 to 40°C and the maximal temperature was 35°C for the synthesis of butyl caproate in isooctane. The selectivity for the carbon-chain length of the fatty acid by the lipase was similar to that seen in hydrolysis reactions in aqueous solution, and the optimal rate of synthesis of alkyl esters was found for synthesis of the esters which had 8 or 10 carbons in the alkyl moieties from the two individual substrates. The rate of synthesis was also dependent on the water content in the system, with maximum activity occurring at 1% w/w water in isooctane.     

Analysis of the inactivation of liver alcohol dehydrogenase during storage in Aerosol-OT/isooctane microemulsions

Changes in the enzymatic properties of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH; EC 1.1.1.1) were studied as a function of incubation time in Aerosol-OT/isooctane microemulsions. The enzyme was characterized by fluorimetric binding studies of the inhibitor isobutyramide to the binary complex, HLADH-NADH and by determination of Km,app and Vmax,app values for cyclohexanone. The Km,app values for cyclohexanone and the Kd,app for isobutyramide stay constant throughout a 48-h incubation, whereas the Vmax,app and the total number of inhibitor binding sites decrease. Thus the inactivation process previously described corresponds to progressive loss of functional sites, while the properties of the remaining functional sites are unchanged. If no co-enzyme is added to the system, the enzyme loses catalytic activity within less than an hour, but if co-enzyme is added, a fraction of the HLADH enzyme population retains enzyme activity over a long period of time. Hence the presence of bound co-enzyme significantly inhibits the process(es) leading to inactivation of the enzyme in the microemulsions.     

Aerosol generation by metered-dose inhalers containing dimethyl ether/propane inverse microemulsions

Water soluble compounds were incorporated into metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) by using water-in-propellant lecithin microemulsions, in which dimethyl ether (DME) and propane acted as both continuous phase and propellant. Lecithin, water, and water soluble compounds were added to glass MDI containers, valves were crimped on, and propellants were added using a pressure burette. Aerosols were produced using commercially available actuators, and inertial impaction was used to determine the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), geometric standard deviation (GSD), and fine particle fraction (FPF) of the resulting aerosols. The DME/propane/lecithin, microemulsion MDIs generated aerosols with particle size distributions suitable for pulmonary delivery (eg, MMAD 3.1 μm, FPF 59% for DME with lecithin content 3%, water content 2.5% [wt/wt]). Increasing water concentration (up to 8% wt/wt) was correlated with a reduction in FPF. Freezing and rewarming had no adverse effect on MMAD, GSD, or FPF. Storage of microemulsion samples for up to 3 weeks did not adversely affect the MMAD, GSD, or FPF. This approach may enable the pulmonary delivery of water soluble therapeutic agents via MDIs.     

Kinetics of lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of palm oil in lecithin/izooctane reversed micelles

Candida rugosa lipase has been used to investigate the hydrolysis of palm oil in a lecithin/isooctane reversed micellar system. The reaction obeys Michaelis-Menten kinetics for the initial conditions. Kinetic parameters such as maximum rate and Michaelis constant (K _m) were determined for lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis in n-hexane and isooctane. According to the K _m values, the enzyme affinity towards the substrate was increased in isooctane. The maximum degree of hydrolysis was generally decreased as the initial substrate concentration was increased. This may suggest that the hydrolysis in lecithin reversed micelles should be regarded as a one-substrate first-order reversible reaction. It is shown in this study that the proposed one-substrate first-order kinetic model can serve for the precise prediction of the degree of hydrolysis for a known reaction time or vice versa, when the initial substrate concentration is less than 0.325 mol/dm³. A disagreement with this model was found when the initial substrate concentration was higher than approximately 0.3 mol/dm³. This may be due to the effects of the products on lipase activity or even to the conversion of the reversed micellar system to other systems. Received: 16 May 1997 / Received revision: 22 October 1997 / Accepted: 24 October 1997     

Water-in-oil microemulsions as the reaction medium for the solvent-sensitive yellow laccases

To determine the applicability of water-in-oil microemulsions for enzymatic conversions catalysed by yellow laccase from Pleurotus ostreatus (YLPO) D1 the following were studied: (i) the catalytic activity of the YLPO D1 in the oxidation of typical phenolic substrates: catechol (CAT), 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMOP) and 2,2^'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), at the appropriate pH optimum values in aqueous buffer solutions and in 62 mM bis-2-(ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT) in isooctane water-in-oil microemulsions; (ii) the effect of acetonitrile (ACN) on the kinetic parameters of DMOP oxidation catalysed by this laccase; (iii) the optimum conditions for the laccase catalytic activity in AOT in isooctane w/o microemulsions (w, laccase, AOT concentration); (iiv) the possibility of using the optimum water-in-oil microemulsions for the oxidation of aromatic alcohols (veratryl alcohol (VA) and benzyl alcohol (BA)) and the oxidative degradation of selected pollutants (3-chlorophenol, anthracene (ANT) and fluorene (FLU)).     

Effect of aprotic solvents on the enzymatic activity of lipase in AOT reverse micelles

The modification of reverse micellar systems composed of AOT, isooctane, water by the addition of aprotic solvents has been performed. The impact of this change on the activity, stability and kinetics of solubilized Chromobacterium viscosum lipase (glycerol-ester hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) was investigated. Of seven aprotic solvents tested, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was found to be most effective. It was found that lipase activity was enhanced by optimizing some relevant parameters, such as water–AOT molar ratio (W₀), buffer pH and surfactant concentration. A kinetic model that considers the free substrate in equilibrium with the substrate adsorbed on the micellar surface was successfully used to deduce some kinetic parameters (V_max, K_m and K_ad), and the values of K_m and K_ad were significantly reduced by the presence of DMSO. Higher lipase stability was found in AOT reverse micelles with DMSO compared with that in simple AOT systems with half-life of 125 and 33 days, respectively. Fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to elucidate the effects of DMSO on the properties of AOT reverse micelles.     

Enzymatic catalysis in microemulsions: enzyme reuse and product recovery

A technique for enzyme reuse and product recovery from enzymatic catalysis in microemulsions is demonstrated. The enzymatic reaction is performed in a homogeneous isotropic microemulsion; AOT (sodium bis-(2-ethyl- hexyl)sulfosuccinate)/isooctane/buffer or C(12)E(5)(penta ethylene glycol dodecyl ether)/heptane/buffer. By small temperature changes the systems are shifted to two phase regions, where an oil-rich phase, containing the product, coexists with a water-rich phase containing surfactant and enzyme. The oil-rich phase may be replaced by an oil solution containing new substrate. Thus, the reaction may be continued and the enzyme reused. This procedure was repeated nine times in the present study. Data on phase behavior in presence and in absence of protein, partitioning of the components and a radioactive-labelled protein between the phases, and the repeated use of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH) in the microemulsions are presented.