Interaction of cellulase with three phenolic acids

The activity of cellulase against filter paper was enhanced by 28.32% and 15.17% after the addition of 0.83 mg/ml of ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, respectively, and by 10.15% after the addition of salicylic acid at 0.67 mg/ml. The effects of three phenolic acids on the structure of cellulase were investigated via ultraviolet spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Ultraviolet spectroscopic results indicated that the peak absorbance of cellulase significantly increased and exhibited a 4–5 nm redshift after the addition of the three phenolic acids, suggesting that the phenolic acids strongly interacted with the enzyme. Fluorescence investigation of the interaction between the enzyme and the phenolic acids showed that ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid covalently reacted with the aromatic amino acid residues in cellulase, whereas salicylic acid interacted non-covalently with cellulase. CD analysis revealed that the addition of the phenolic acids significantly decreased α-helix content but increased β-sheet and random coil contents. The possible mechanism underlying the effects of these phenolic acids on cellulase activity was also discussed.