ure 3k,l), and the ration of the catalysis rate constant to the
Michaelis constant (kcat/Km) of PepAwas calculated (Table 1).
As confirmed in the ICP-MS experiments, PepA–PtNPs
Table 1: Peptidase and hydrogenation activities of PepA–PtNPs.
Peptidase activity
cat/Km [mmÀ1 sÀ1
Hydrogenation activity
k
]
rate constant [10À3 sÀ1
]
PepA
14.88Æ0.45
6.29Æ0.49
4.30Æ0.02
3.50Æ0.06
1.66Æ0.01
–
PepA–PtNP ca. 0.9 nm
PepA–PtNP ca. 1.0 nm
PepA–PtNP ca. 1.5 nm
PepA–PtNP ca. 2.0 nm
10.400
4.552
4.200
2.730
contained a smaller amount of zinc ions than the Pt-free
PepA, but they still have the high peptidase activity of PepA–
PtNPs, possibly owing to the bound zinc and platinum ions.
The reaction rate constant of PepA–PtNPs-catalyzed hydro-
genation was also estimated using p-nitrophenol as a sub-
strate. Since PepA–PtNPs produced from the Pt/protein ratio-
controlled synthesis were catalytically more active (Figure 3l)
than those from the kinetic controlled synthesis (Figure 3k),
their activity is referred to in the discussion, unless otherwise
specified. PepA–PtNPs showed higher catalytic activity than
the citrate-reduced PtNPs[12] or the Tween80-capped PtNPs[13]
of equivalent sizes (Figure S6 and Figure S7, Supporting
Information). The peptidase and hydrogenation activities
were both inversely proportional to the particle size (Figure 3
and Table 1), and the sub-nanometer-sized PepA–PtNPs were
the most efficient catalysts: the proteolytic activity of PepA–
PtNPs was comparable to that of the free PepA in terms of the
amount of released product during a assigned time, and the
hydrogenation activity was fourfold higher than that of the
2 nm PtNPs (Figure 3l). Because they function as an enzyme
and a chemical catalyst, PepA–PtNPs can be denoted as a
bioinorganic nanohybrid catalyst. At the same time, PepA
exerted strong stabilizing effects on PtNPs, since PepA
extended the lifespan of PtNPs more effectively than two
other representative molecular capping agents (citrate and
Tween80, Figure 4a). Furthermore, PepA–PtNPs also exhib-
ited both sorts of activity in organic solvents (Figure 4b),
implying that the diversity of the catalytic conditions may
contribute to expanding the repertoire of applications for this
multifunctional nanocatalyst.
The PepA complexes harboring the 0.9 nm PtNPs, which
possessed the highest catalytic activity, appear to be suitable
for various application purposes. In similar ways, PepA can
possibly be applied to synthesize various inorganic catalytic
materials that have high catalytic activity, as PSs have been
successfully used for the synthesis of a wide range of inorganic
nanoparticles.[1a,c,d,2b,3c,4,14] Moreover, PepA–PtNPs showed
no detectable toxicity on cultured cells in the MTT assay,
which is unlike PtNPs stabilized by Tween80, suggesting that
PepA can reduce the cytoxicity of PtNPs (Figure 4c).
Inorganic materials may acquire biocompatibility through
PepA encapsulation, which is essential for the biomedical
application of nanomaterials. Consistently, it was also con-
firmed that the catalytic reactions do not affect the conforma-
Figure 4. The lifespan catalytic activity of PepA–PtNPs, their activity in
organic solvents, and their biocompatibility. a) Catalytic activities of
!
&
*
PepA–PtNPs ( ), citrate–PtNPs ( ) and Tween80–PtNPs ( ) with
equivalent diameters (2 nm) in a multiple-cycle reaction. The catalytic
activity of each of the PtNPs, as expressed by the rate constant of the
first reaction, was set to 100%, and the relative activities of the next
reactions were plotted. b) The hydrolysis (black) and hydrogenation
(gray) activities of PepA–PtNPs in 50% and 25% tert-butyl alcohol,
25% DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), and 25% DMF (dimethyl forma-
mide) are shown relative to the activity in an aqueous solution. c) Cell
!
*
viabilities in the presence of PepA–PtNPs ( ) or Tween80–PtNPs ( ).
(3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)
assays were performed using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells
grown with varying concentrations (10, 25, 50, 100, and 150 mm) of
PepA–PtNPs or Tween80–PtNPs. Values represent the means Æ
standard deviation from six experiments.
tional integrity of PepA–PtNPs, since the SEC profile of
PepA–PtNPs was not changed after multiple reactions either
in water (Figure S2, Supporting Information) or in organic
solvents (data not shown).
The catalytic activities of PepA and PtNPs were tested
simultaneously using Glu-p-nitroanilide as a substrate. PepA-
mediated hydrolysis yielded p-nitroanilide, with the develop-
ment of yellow color (Figure 5). Subsequent hydrogenation of
p-nitroanilide was monitored by the disappearance of visible
color under reduction conditions. When incubated with the
PepA–PtNP complex and NaBH4, Glu-p-nitroanilide
instantly formed the final product p-phenylenediamine, thus
demonstrating that this two-step reaction was completed by
the bioinorganic nanohybrid catalyst.
Although PSs have previously served as templates and
carriers in the synthesis and transfer of inorganic nano-
particles,[1a,e,3a,15] they have not been considered as active
components. Herein, PepA was catalytically active and func-
tional even with PtNPs deposited inside. PepA could be an
excellent component of robust biomaterial, as it not only
performs the enzymatic function but also stabilizes the
performance of inorganic catalysts and substantially reduces
the cytoxicity of PtNPs. In these regards, PepA–PtNPs are
differentiated from the other known bioinorganic hybrids,
which are mostly simple conjugates of biomolecules and
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 11924 –11929
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