Application of β-glucuronidase-immobilised silica gel formulation to microfluidic platform for biotransformation of β-glucuronides

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Abstract
Objective To improve the efficiency of reactions of β-glucuronidase (GUS)-assisted glucuronic acid (GluA) removal within a microfluidic system. Results β-glucuronidase from Helix pomatia was immobilised and characterised in silica-based sol–gel monoliths. Efficiency of the GUS-doped silica monoliths was tested for hydrolysis of p-Nitrophenyl-β-d-glucuronide (pNP–GluA) in both ml-scaled medium via batch reactions and microfluidic environment via continuous-flow reactions. In the microfluidic platform, within a duration of 150 min of continuous operation (flow rate: 1 µL/min), the obtained highest pNP yield was almost 50% higher than that of the corresponding batchwise reaction. However, increased flow rates (3, 5, and 10 µL/min) resulted in lower conversion yields compared to 1 µL/min. The microfluidic platform demonstrated continuous hydrolytic activity for 7 days with considerable reaction yields while using a small amount of the enzyme. Conclusion These results revealed that usage of the microreactors has considerable potential to efficiently obtain bioactive GluA-free aglycons from various plant-derived β-glucuronides for pharmaceutical applications. Graphical Abstract
Funding Information
  • The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (113M050)

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