Natural enzymes possess several drawbacks which limits their application in industries, wastewater remediation and biomedical field. Therefore, in recent years researchers have developed enzyme mimicking nanomaterials and enzymatic hybrid nanoflower which are alternatives of enzyme. Nanozymes and organic inorganic hybrid nanoflower have been developed which mimics natural enzymes functionalities such as diverse enzyme mimicking activities, enhanced catalytic activities, low cost, ease of preparation, stability and biocompatibility. Nanozymes include metal and metal oxide nanoparticles mimicking oxidases, peroxidases, superoxide dismutase and catalases while enzymatic and non-enzymatic biomolecules were used for preparing hybrid nanoflower. In this review nanozymes and hybrid nanoflower have been compared in terms of physiochemical properties, common synthetic routes, mechanism of action, modification, green synthesis and application in the field of disease diagnosis, imaging, environmental remediation and disease treatment. We also address the current challenges facing nanozyme and hybrid nanoflower research and the possible way to fulfil their potential in future.
This paper reports the synthesis of magnetic lipase/Cu3(PO4)2 hybrid nanoflowers via a rapid ultrasonication method. The enzyme immobilization and nanoflower growth mechanism can be described as the (a) Fe2+, Cu2+, and phosphate "binding", (b) metal phosphate crystals formation, (c) formation and growth of metal phosphate crystals to form plate-like structures, and (d) self-assembly of plate structures that forms a flower-like structure. Some factors contributing to the morphology of the hybrid nanoflowers structure includes the time and concentration of lipase were studied. The effect of temperature, pH, and duration on the enzyme immobilization yield were also studied. In addition, the strong magnetic property (9.73 emu g-1) of the nanoflowers resulted in higher retrievability and reusability after repeated usage. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of lipase/Cu3(PO4)2 hybrid nanoflowers was investigated and the ideal conditions were determined whereby, the maximum activity was calculated to be 1511 ± 44 U g-1, showing a catalytic enhancement of 89% in comparison to free lipase. The reusability study showed that, after 5 cycles, the magnetic lipase/Cu3(PO4)2 nanoflowers successfully retained 60% of its initial activity. From the results obtained, it is worth noting that, the magnetic lipase/Cu3(PO4)2 hybrid nanoflowers are highly efficient in industrial biocatalytic applications.
Over the past decade, nanotechnology has been developed and employed across various entities. Among the numerous nanostructured material types, enzyme-incorporated nanomaterials have shown great potential in various fields, as an alternative to biologically derived as well as synthetically developed hybrid structures. The mechanism of incorporating enzyme onto a nanostructure depends on several factors including the method of immobilization, type of nanomaterial, as well as operational and environmental conditions. The prospects of enzyme-incorporated nanomaterials have shown promising results across various applications, such as biocatalysts, biosensors, drug therapy, and wastewater treatment. This is due to their excellent ability to exhibit chemical and physical properties such as high surface-to-volume ratio, recovery and/or reusability rates, sensitivity, response scale, and stable catalytic activity across wide operating conditions. In this review, the evolution of enzyme-incorporated nanomaterials along with their impact on our society due to its state-of-the-art properties, and its significance across different industrial applications are discussed. In addition, the weakness and future prospects of enzyme-incorporated nanomaterials were also discussed to guide scientists for futuristic research and development in this field.