Non-thermal plasmas are used in various applications to inactivate biological agents or biomolecules. A complex cocktail of reactive species, (vacuum) UV radiation and in some cases exposure to an electric field together cause the detrimental effects. In contrast to this disruptive property of technical plasmas, we have shown previously that it is possible to use non-thermal plasma-generated species such as H2O2 as cosubstrates in biocatalytic reactions. One of the main limitations in plasma-driven biocatalysis is the relatively short enzyme lifetime under plasma-operating conditions. This challenge could be overcome by immobilizing the enzymes on inert carrier materials. Here, we tested whether immobilization is suited to protect proteins from inactivation by plasma. To this end, using a dielectric barrier discharge device (PlasmaDerm), plasma stability was tested for five enzymes immobilized on ten different carrier materials. A comparative analysis of the treatment times needed to reduce enzyme activity of immobilized and free enzyme by 30% showed a maximum increase by a factor of 44. Covalent immobilization on a partly hydrophobic carrier surface proved most effective. We conclude from the study, that immobilization universally protects enzymes under plasma-operating conditions, paving the way for new emerging applications.

Peroxidases and peroxygenases are promising classes of enzymes for biocatalysis because of their ability to carry out one-electron oxidation reactions and stereoselective oxyfunctionalizations. However, industrial application is limited, as the major drawback is the sensitivity toward the required peroxide substrates. Herein, we report a novel biocatalysis approach to circumvent this shortcoming: in situ production of H₂O₂ by dielectric barrier discharge plasma. The discharge plasma can be controlled to produce hydrogen peroxide at desired rates, yielding desired concentrations. Using horseradish peroxidase, it is demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide produced by plasma treatment can drive the enzymatic oxidation of model substrates. Fungal peroxygenase is then employed to convert ethylbenzene to (R)-1-phenylethanol with an ee of >96 % using plasma-generated hydrogen peroxide. As direct treatment of the reaction solution with plasma results in reduced enzyme activity, the use of plasma-treated liquid and protection strategies are investigated to increase total turnover. Technical plasmas present a noninvasive means to drive peroxide-based biotransformations.

In plasma-driven biocatalysis, enzymes are employed to carry out reactions using species generated by non-thermal plasmas as the precursors. We have previously demonstrated that this is feasible in principle, but that the approach suffers from the short lifetime of the biocatalyst under operating conditions. In this work, protection strategies were investigated to prevent the dielectric barrier discharge plasma-induced inactivation of biocatalysts, using recombinant unspecific peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita (rAaeUPO), one of the most promising enzymes for plasma-driven biocatalysis. Treatment in oxygen-free atmospheres did not provide any advantage over treatment in synthetic air, indicating that the detrimental reactive species did not originate from oxygen in the plasma phase. Chemical scavengers were employed to eliminate undesired reactive species, without any long-term effect on enzyme lifetime. Similarly, chaperones, including the known stress response proteins Hsp33, CnoX, and RidA did not increase the lifetime of rAaeUPO. Immobilization of the biocatalyst proved effective in preserving enzyme activity. The residual activity of rAaeUPO after plasma treatment strongly depended on the specific immobilization support. Essentially complete protection for at least 15 min of plasma exposure was achieved with an epoxy-butyl-functionalized carrier. This study presents new insights into plasma-protein interactions and plots a path forward for protecting biocatalytic proteins from plasma-mediated inactivation.

The use of a microscale atmospheric pressure plasma jet (μAPPJ) was investigated for its potential to supply hydrogen peroxide in biocatalysis. Compared to a previously employed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), the μAPPJ offered significantly higher H₂O₂ production rates and better handling of larger reaction volumes. The performance of the μAPPJ was evaluated with recombinant unspecific peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita (rAaeUPO). Using plasma-treated buffer, no side reactions with other plasma-generated species were detected. For long-term treatment, rAaeUPO was immobilized, transferred to a rotating bed reactor, and reactions performed using the μAPPJ. The enzyme had a turnover of 36,415 mol mol⁻¹ and retained almost full activity even after prolonged plasma treatment. Overall, the μAPPJ presents a promising plasma source for plasma-driven biocatalysis.