Understanding the biophysiochemical interactions between plasmonic nanoparticles and enzymes to obtain bio-nanomaterials with controlled properties

Abstract

Controlling biophysiochemical interactions between plasmonic nanoparticles and biomolecules is a promising alternative tool to design bio-nanomaterials with desirable properties. Moreover, the understanding of these interactions is a key factor to the development of nanoengineered materials for several applications, especially in the biological field. However, the effective control of these properties is still challenging in colloidal material science. Therefore, the objective of this project is to build up robust nanomaterials composed by plasmonic nanoparticles and enzymes controlled by their biophysiochemical interactions upon external stimuli. As a proof-of-concept, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalized with glucose-oxidase (GOD) and lipase from Candida antarctica fraction B (CALB) will be used as model systems to understand the effects promoted in their properties upon external stimuli. Light stimulus will be used to study the enzymatic performance of GOD-AuNPs due to the excitation of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs. Temperature stimulus will be explored to trigger interaction changes in CALB-AuNPs in order to obtain materials with plasmon-enhanced chiroptical activities. Then, we expected to obtain the precise control over the biophysiochemical interactions between AuNPs and GOD and CALB upon the use of light and temperature. Furthermore, the control of these properties plays a crucial role in the design and application of novel bio-nanomaterials. Finally, this study represents an opened opportunity to the development of more elaborated materials involving enzymes and AuNPs with tailored properties by controlling their biophysiochemical properties.