CELLULASE TREATMENT OF COTTON FABRICS .2. INHIBITORY EFFECT OF SURFACTANTS ON CELLULASE CATALYTIC REACTION

We have studied the rate of catalytic hydrolysis of cotton fabrics by a cellulase enzyme in the presence of surfactants in treatment solutio n. We found that both anionic and cationic surfactants apparently inhi bit the cellulase catalytic reaction, whereas nonionic surfactant do n ot. The inhibitory actions of the surfactants are similar to that of d yes that were studied in a previous paper. The actions have been attri buted to the electrostatic interactions between charged inhibitory com pounds and the cellulase enzyme in a treatment solution and on the cot ton substrate.