Self-Assembling Enzymatic Nanocomplexes with Polypeptides and Low-Weight Organic Compounds: Preparation, Characterization, and Application of New Antibacterials

The self-assembling of nanosized materials is a promising field for research and development. Multiple approaches are applied to obtain inorganic, organic and composite nanomaterials with different functionality. In the present work, self-assembling nanocomplexes (NCs) were prepared on the basis of enzymes and polypeptides followed by the investigation of the influence of low-molecular weight biologically active compounds on the properties of the NCs. For that, the initially possible formation of catalytically active self-assembling NCs of four hydrolytic enzymes with nine effectors was screened via molecular modeling. It allowed the selection of two enzymes (hexahistidine-tagged organophosphorus hydrolase and penicillin acylase) and two compounds (emodin and naringenin) having biological activity. Further, such NCs based on surface-modified enzymes were characterized by a batch of physical and biochemical methods. At least three NCs containing emodin and enzyme (His6-OPH and/or penicillin acylase) have been shown to significantly improve the antibacterial activity of colistin and, to a lesser extent, polymyxin B towards both Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli).