For the first time ever, scientists have developed enzymes using radio frequency radiation. The study was published in ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering Journal.
The method required making a special complex consisting of enzymes and magnetic nanoparticles. The particles then adsorb radio emission and convert it to heat that accelerates enzymatic processes by more than four times.
"There are very few studies out there that explore enzyme manipulation through the radio waves. We were the first who managed to increase the activity of a non-thermostable enzyme. Typically, these enzymes change the conformation at high temperatures and then stop working. But placed within the rigid framework of nanoparticles, the enzyme is stabilized from structure rearrangements as the nanoparticles mechanically restrict the enzyme mobility," said Andrey Drozdov, a lead researcher.
Such a method could also be used used to create radio-controlled biochemical systems and adjust metabolism in living organisms.
To make radio-controlled enzymes, scientists synthesized a special complex in which an enzyme was enclosed in a rigid porous framework of magnetite nanoparticles. Whenever the radio field was applied, the nanoparticles adsorbed radio emission and heated up, passing additional energy to the enzyme and resulting in the enzymatic reaction rate acceleration.
There are two key parameters of the radio emission used in the project. On one hand, radio waves can easily go through the tissues, and on the other, they are absolutely harmless to the body.
Thus, by using the radiofrequency field, one can control the activity of enzymes in the body and adjust cell metabolism. In the near future, scientists can attempt to influence the vital activity of bacteria or cells using this method.
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