Incorporating ATP into biomimetic catalysts for realizing exceptional enzymatic performance over a broad temperature range

There has been great interest in the development of artificial inorganic nanomaterials that mimic natural peroxidases. Unfortunately, these nanomaterials usually possess relatively low catalytic activity and are generally considered to work effectively only within a narrow temperature range (for example, they are inactive at high temperatures). Intriguingly, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is not only the ubiquitous energy currency of life, it is also known to form charge transfer complexes with aromatic molecules and to participate in free radical redox chemistry. Inspired by its unique properties, for the first time, we reveal a novel catalytic role for ATP and show that ATP is an ideal boosting agent for markedly improving the catalytic activity of a peroxidase mimic over a broad temperature range and, more significantly, making it possible to achieve exceptionally efficient high-temperature catalytic reactions. These observations pave the way for identifying highly effective modulators that promote the overall performance of artificial enzymes. Jinsong Ren, Xiaogang Qu and colleagues at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry in China have shown that adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a key biochemical molecule in metabolism, greatly enhances the activity of ‘nanozymes’ — stable enzyme-mimicking inorganic catalysts. Many researchers are trying to develop nanozymes for industrial and environmental applications, since enzymes themselves are fragile, expensive to isolate and only active within a narrow temperature range. Ren, Qu and colleagues investigated nanozymes composed of gold and silica that act like a peroxidase enzyme, catalyzing electron-transfer ‘redox’ reactions. When they added ATP, the catalytic efficiency of the nanozymes dramatically increased. The researchers also found that the nanozymes function over a broad temperature range including high temperatures suited to industrial applications. Their work suggests the more general possibility that other simple biochemicals could enhance the potential of inorganic enzyme mimics. ATP can act an ideal boosting agent for markedly improving the peroxidase-like catalytic activity over a broad temperature range.