Polymer-protein conjugate particles with biocatalytic activity for stabilization of water-in-water emulsions

Xue, Long-Hui; Xie, Chun-Yan; Meng, Shi-Xin; Bai, Rui-Xue; Yang, Xin; Wang, Yaolei; Wang, Shu; Binks, Bernard P.; Guo, Ting; Meng, Tao

Abstract

Water-in-water (w/w) emulsions are attractive micro-compartmentalized platforms due to their outstanding biocom-patibility. To address the main disadvantage of poor stability that hampers their practical application, here we report a novel type of polymer-protein conjugate emulsifier obtained by Schiff base synthesis to stabilize w/w emulsions. In par-ticular, the proposed mild approach benefits the modification of proteins of suitable size and wettability as particulate emulsifiers retaining their bioactivity. As demonstrated in a model system, the methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG)-urease conjugate particles anchor at the w/w interfaces, where they serve as an effective emulsifier-combined-catalyst and catalyze the hydrolysis of urea in water to ammonium carbonate. Our study is unique in that it employs bioactive particles to stabilize w/w emulsions. Considering the characteristics of all-aqueous, compartmental and interfacial bio-catalysis of the system, it will open up new possibilities in the life sciences.

Citation

Xue, L., Xie, C., Meng, S., Bai, R., Yang, X., Wang, Y., …Meng, T. (2017). Polymer-protein conjugate particles with biocatalytic activity for stabilization of water-in-water emulsions. ACS Macro Letters, 6(7), 679-683. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00294

• Acceptance Date: Jun 12, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Jun 14, 2017
• Publication Date: Jul 18, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jun 14, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 15, 2018
• Journal: ACS macro letters
• Electronic ISSN: 2161-1653
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 679-683
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00294
• Keywords: mPEG-protein conjugate particles, Emulsifiers, Water-in-water emulsions, Biocatalytic activity, Compartmentalization
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/452031
• Publisher URL: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00294
• Additional Information: This is a description of an article which has been published in: ACS macro letters, 2017, v.6, issue 7