Modulation of the Catalytic Properties of Lipase B from Candida antarctica by Immobilization on Tailor-Made Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: The Key Role of Nanocarrier Surface Engineering

The immobilization of biocatalysts on magnetic nanomaterial surface is a very attractive alternative to achieve enzyme nanoderivatives with highly improved properties. The combination between the careful tailoring of nanocarrier surfaces and the site-specific chemical modification of biomacromolecules is a crucial parameter to finely modulate the catalytic behavior of the biocatalyst. In this work, a useful strategy to immobilize chemically aminated lipase B from Candida antarctica on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) by covalent multipoint attachment or hydrophobic physical adsorption upon previous tailored engineering of nanocarriers with poly-carboxylic groups (citric acid or succinic anhydride, CALB(EDA)@CA-NPs and CALB(EDA)@SA-NPs respectively) or hydrophobic layer (oleic acid, CALB(EDA)@OA-NPs) is described. After full characterization, the nanocatalysts have been assessed in the enantioselective kinetic resolution of racemic methyl mandelate. Depending on the immobilization strategy, each enzymatic nanoderivative permitted to selectively improve a specific property of the biocatalyst. In general, all the immobilization protocols permitted loading from good to high lipase amount (149 < immobilized lipase < 234 mg/g(Fe)). The hydrophobic CALB(EDA)@OA-NPs was the most active nanocatalyst, whereas the covalent CALB(EDA)@CA-NPs and CALB(EDA)@SA-NPs were revealed to be the most thermostable and also the most enantioselective ones in the kinetic resolution reaction (almost 90% ee R-enantiomer). A strategy to maintain all these properties in long-time storage (up to 1 month) by freeze-drying was also optimized. Therefore, the nanocarrier surface engineering is demonstrated to be a key-parameter in the design and preparation of lipase libraries with enhanced catalytic properties.