The bacterial enzyme chondroitinase ABC, which digests extracellular chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, has been shown to enhance axonal regeneration. However, the utilization of this enzyme as therapeutics is notably restricted due to its thermal instability. Therefore, red luminescent porous silicon that hold promise for potential applications in biological/medical imaging was used as a carrying matrix for chondroitinase with the aim of enhancing its stability. Porous Si nanoparticles were prepared by electrochemical etching of silicon wafers in ethanolic HF solution. The size of nanoparticles (210 nm) and the mean pore diameter (8 −20 nm) were determined using dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Purified chondroitinase was then incorporated into the silicon pores. Results revealed similar K_m and lower V_max value for the immobilized enzyme when compared with the free enzyme. The immobilized chondroitinase exhibited about a 4 fold increase in stability at 37 °C after 50 min. It is likely possible that, the enzyme was protected inside the pores resulted in higher stability. Moreover, porous silicon was seen to be capable of holding the chondroitinase for repeated cyclic tests for three times. The cell viability assay exhibited no significant cytotoxicity for Psi-chondroitinase up to 24 h.

消化细胞外硫酸软骨素蛋白聚糖的细菌酶软骨素酶 ABC 已被证明可以增强轴突再生。然而，由于其热不稳定性，该酶作为治疗剂的利用受到显着限制。因此，在生物/医学成像中具有潜在应用前景的红色发光多孔硅被用作软骨素酶的载体基质，目的是提高其稳定性。通过在乙醇 HF 溶液中电化学蚀刻硅片制备多孔硅纳米颗粒。使用动态光散射和扫描电子显微镜确定纳米颗粒的尺寸（210 nm）和平均孔径（8 -20 nm）。然后将纯化的软骨素酶掺入硅孔中。结果显示相似的 K _m与游离酶相比，固定化酶的_Vmax值更低。50 分钟后，固定化软骨素酶在 37°C 下的稳定性增加了约 4 倍。很可能，酶被保护在孔内导致更高的稳定性。此外，据观察，多孔硅能够容纳软骨素酶进行 3 次重复循环试验。细胞活力测定在长达 24 小时内对 Psi-软骨素酶没有显着的细胞毒性。