Two-step modification of silica for efficient adsorption of phosphatidylcholine in water and application in phospholipase D-catalyzed transphosphatidylation.

ABSTRACT

An efficient and green aqueous-solid system was introduced for phospholipase D-mediated transphosphatidylation. γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propytrimethoxysilane was covalently bound to silica and esterified by acetic acid, which acted as an anchor molecule to facilitate the adsorption of phosphatidylcholine (PC) in aqueous solutions. Obtained silica-adsorbed PC was successfully used for transphosphatidylation to produce phosphatidylserine (PS). The PC loading and PS yield reached 98.8 and 98.3%, respectively. A new model was proposed to illustrate the adsorption and enzymatic processes. Moreover, this aqueous-solid system provides a promising way for the continuous production. Four kinds of phospholipids were biosynthesized in the pack-bed reactor. The stability of the aqueous-solid system was excellent, as demonstrated by its use 30 times without any loss of the productivity. The product was eluted by coconut oil and manufactured into microcapsules. Toxic agents were completely avoided in the whole production process.