Real-time monitoring of enzyme activity in a mesoporous silicon double layer.

ABSTRACT: The activity of certain proteolytic enzymes is often an indicator of disease states such as cancer, stroke and neurodegeneracy, so there is a need for rapid assays that can characterize the kinetics and substrate specificity of enzymatic reactions. Nanostructured membranes can efficiently separate biomolecules, but coupling a sensitive detection method to such a membrane remains difficult. Here, we demonstrate a single mesoporous nanoreactor that can isolate and quantify in real time the reaction products of proteases. The reactor consists of two layers of porous films electrochemically prepared from crystalline silicon. The upper layer, with large pore sizes ( approximately 100 nm in diameter), traps the protease and acts as the reactor. The lower layer, with smaller pore sizes ( approxim

SUBMITTER: Orosco MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2736600 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature