Enzymatic preparation of glycerophosphatilcholine catalyzed by combinational phospholipases: a comparative study of concerted versus stepwise catalysis

Glycerophosphatilcholine (GPC) is widely applied in medical, pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. Due to the lack of natural resources, enzymatic preparation of GPC has been explored in recent years. This study aimed to investigate and compare the effects of different addition methods of combinational phospholipases (PLA(1) and PLA(2)) and various process parameters (time, temperature, pH, substrate concentrate, enzyme load, and stirring rate) on the preparation of GPC. The results showed that compared with concerted catalysis, the catalytic efficiency of adding PLA(2) and then PLA(1) (PLA(2) → A(1)) was higher, whereas that of adding PLA(1) and then PLA(2) was lower. The main reason might be that the method of PLA(2) → A(1) could reduce acyl migration and the competition between PLA(1) and PLA(2), which was beneficial to improve the GPC yield and shorten the reaction time. This paper could provide a novel approach for the future preparation of GPC catalyzed by combinational phospholipases.