چكيده لاتين
Enzymes, as biocatalysts, play crucial roles in many industrial, environmental, and biochemical processes; however, limitations such as low stability and sensitivity to environmental conditions restrict their optimal use. Enzyme engineering is an effective strategy to improve their stability, activity, and applicability. One of the key approaches in enzyme engineering is immobilization onto various carriers, which enhances thermal and chemical stability, enables recovery and reuse, and improves catalytic performance. In this thesis, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was engineered through immobilization onto biomimetic carriers. These carriers included Fe3O4 and MFe2O4 (M=Ni, Zn, Cd) nanozymes with peroxidase-like activity. Nanozymes, as biomimetic materials, mimic the behavior of enzymes and, compared to natural enzymes, possess higher stability, lower cost, and the ability to function under broader environmental conditions. The goal was to develop a hybrid enzyme–nanozyme system in which HRP could maintain its peroxidase activity while the nanozyme, in addition to acting as a carrier, would also contribute as a catalytic component, thereby creating a synergistic effect between the two. The results demonstrated that, after immobilizing HRP onto different nanozymes and comparing the peroxidase activity of the hybrid systems with that of each individual component, the Fe3O4 nanozyme coated with sodium citrate (Fe3O4-Cit@HRP) exhibited the strongest synergistic effect. Kinetic analysis showed that the Km value for the TMB substrate in the hybrid system was about 15 times lower than that of free HRP, indicating a higher substrate affinity. Moreover, theν max for H2O2 was more than fivefold higher than that of the free enzyme, reflecting a significant enhancement in catalytic reaction rate in the presence of the nanozyme. The optimal temperature and pH conditions for the hybrid system were also determined. Subsequently, the hybrid system was applied as a turn-off biosensor for detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are a family of persistent and harmful pollutants, whose chemical resistance and hazardous impacts on human health and the environment make their detection and removal a major challenge. In this system, in the absence of PFAS, both components catalyzed the oxidation of TMB by H₂O₂, producing ox-TMB, whose blue color served as an indicator of peroxidase activity. The presence of PFAS inhibited the oxidation of TMB, and the decrease in blue color intensity, correlated with pollutant concentration, was used for PFAS detection. The limit of detection (LOD) of the system was calculated as 200 nM. Finally, its performance was evaluated in real samples, including water, milk, and human serum, with recovery rates of 83.5–106.9%. Overall, the findings indicate that the Fe3O4-Cit@HRP hybrid system is an effective strategy for designing sensitive and stable biosensors. By offering improved performance and a synergistic effect between the enzyme and the nanozyme, this hybrid system enables accurate PFAS detection and holds promise as a practical and reliable tool for environmental pollutant monitoring.