Glucose-Responsive Enzymatic Cascade Microreactors in Gas-Shearing Microfluidics Microcapsules

Enzymatic cascade reactions are essential for metabolic pathway and biological signal transduction in living cells. More and more attention has been paid to artificial microreactors, which mimic these efficient, methodical, and selective biological cascade catalytic systems in cells. Natural hydrogels such as alginate and chitosan are thought of as suitable materials for matching the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties with extracellular matrix. Inspired by the structures of eukaryotic cells, alginate/chitosan multicompartment microcapsules for enzymatic cascade reaction are developed using an oil-free gas-shearing method. Multiple enzymes as biocatalysts are encapsulated in the particles to resemble complex physiological reactions. Biocatalysts, including glucose oxidase and peroxidase in alginate Janus core as a model, sense the external hyperglycemic environment, resulting in insulin release following chitosan shell protonation. The microcapsules show an excellent recyclability, room-temperature long-term and anti-proteolysis stability. The microreactor approach leads to the development of a multi-enzymatic cascade reaction system and provides an ideal carbohydrate platform to further understand the biomimetic metabolic function of organelles and organs.

Automated summary

Enzymatic cascade reactions play a crucial role in cellular metabolism and biological signal transduction. Artificial microreactors have gained increasing attention due to their ability to mimic the efficient and selective biological cascade catalytic systems in cells. Natural hydrogels such as alginate and chitosan are considered suitable materials for matching the properties of the extracellular matrix. Inspired by the structures of eukaryotic cells, alginate/chitosan multicompartment microcapsules are developed for enzymatic cascade reactions. These microcapsules encapsulate multiple enzymes as biocatalysts, resembling complex physiological reactions. The microcapsules exhibit excellent recyclability, long-term stability at room temperature, and resistance to proteolysis, making them ideal for studying the biomimetic metabolic function of organelles and organs.