Immobilization of horseradish peroxidase on nonwoven polyester fabric coated with chitosan.
Authors: Mohamed, Aly, Mohamed, Salah
Journal: Applied biochemistry and biotechnology
Summary
# Editorial Summary Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is an enzyme with significant applications in diagnostic and analytical work, but its practical utility has been limited by poor stability when stored in solution. Researchers immobilised HRP onto a nonwoven polyester fabric coated with chitosan using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent, then compared the stability and performance characteristics of this immobilised preparation against conventional soluble enzyme under various storage, pH, temperature, and chemical stress conditions. The immobilised enzyme substantially outperformed its soluble counterpart: whilst soluble HRP degraded to just 10% activity after four weeks' refrigerated storage, the immobilised form retained 85% activity over the same period, and remained functional at 54% activity after ten consecutive uses. Both formulations achieved optimal activity at pH 5.5, though the immobilised enzyme demonstrated markedly superior stability across different pH ranges (particularly at pH 3.0 and 6.0) and maintained greater temperature tolerance, remaining stable up to 50°C compared to 40°C for soluble HRP; additionally, immobilisation enhanced the enzyme's resistance to chemical denaturants, metal ion inactivation, and proteolytic degradation. For equine professionals utilising enzyme-based diagnostic or therapeutic applications—whether in laboratory testing, wound management, or research contexts—these findings suggest that immobilised HRP preparations could offer substantially improved shelf-life, cost-effectiveness through reusability, and more robust performance across variable storage and application conditions compared to conventional liquid enzyme formulations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Not applicable - this is a biochemistry research paper focused on enzyme immobilization technology with no relevance to equine practice or care
Key Findings
- •Immobilized HRP retained 85% activity after 4 weeks storage at 4°C compared to 10% retention for soluble enzyme
- •Immobilized enzyme retained 54% activity after 10 reuse cycles
- •Immobilized HRP showed improved thermal stability (up to 50°C vs 40°C for soluble enzyme) and greater resistance to denaturants including urea, Triton X-100, and organic solvents
- •Immobilized enzyme demonstrated superior substrate affinity and resistance to proteolysis and metal ion inactivation compared to soluble counterpart