August E. Frissen

Selectivity of lipases for estolides synthesis

Abstract Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of estolides starting from different saturated (C16 16OH, C18 12OH) and unsaturated (C18:1 9 cis 12-OH) hydroxy-fatty acids was investigated. For this reason, the catalytic efficiency of several native and immobilized lipases in different organic reaction media at temperatures up to 75 °C was studied. The formation of mono- and di-lactone as well as estolide’s chain elongation depends on the type and source of lipase. The lipase from Pseudomonas stutzeri immobilized by cross-linking as cross-linked enzymes aggregates (CLEAs) was the best biocatalyst in terms of chain elongation. Estolides with polymerization degree up to 10 were obtained at substrate conversions higher than 80 %.

Water-soluble chitosan derivatives and pH-responsive hydrogels by selective C-6 oxidation mediated by TEMPO-laccase redox system

Chitosan is a polysaccharide with recognized antioxidant, antimicrobial and wound healing activities. However, this polymer is soluble only in dilute acidic solutions, which restricts much of its applications. A usual strategy for improving the functionality of polysaccharides is the selective oxidation mediated by 2,2,6,6-tetra-methyl-1-piperidinidyloxy (TEMPO) using laccase as a co-oxidant. In this work, the TEMPO-laccase redox system was used for the first time to selectively oxidize chitosan in order to produce tailored derivatives. The reaction was performed at pH 4.5 under continuous air supply and the oxidized products were characterized structurally and functionally. The TEMPO-laccase oxidation successfully added aldehyde and carboxylate groups to chitosan structure resulting in derivatives with oxidation between 4 and 7%. These derivatives showed increased solubility and decreased viscosity in solution. If chitosan is dissolved in diluted hydrochloric acid prior to TEMPO-laccase oxidation, a crosslinked chitosan derivative was produced, which was able to form a pH-responsive hydrogel.