Optical visualization and quantification of enzyme activity using dynamic droplet lenses

In this paper, we describe an approach to measuring enzyme activity based on the reconfiguration of complex emulsions. Changes in the morphology of these complex emulsions, driven by enzyme-responsive surfactants, modulate the transmission of light through a sample. Through this method we demonstrat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zarzar, Lauren D., Kalow, Julia Ann, He, Xinping, Walish, Joseph John, Swager, Timothy M
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
Format: Article
Published: National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113238
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3287-3602
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4449-9566
Description
Summary:In this paper, we describe an approach to measuring enzyme activity based on the reconfiguration of complex emulsions. Changes in the morphology of these complex emulsions, driven by enzyme-responsive surfactants, modulate the transmission of light through a sample. Through this method we demonstrate how simple photodetector measurements may be used to monitor enzyme kinetics. This approach is validated by quantitative measurements of enzyme activity for three different classes of enzymes (amylase, lipase, and sulfatase), relying on two distinct mechanisms for coupling droplet morphology to enzyme activity (host–guest interactions with uncaging and molecular cleavage).