title: Nanofibers made of globular proteins.
abstract: Strong nanofibers composed entirely of a model globular protein, namely, bovine serum albumin (BSA), were produced by electrospinning directly from a BSA solution without the use of chemical cross-linkers. Control of the spinnability and the mechanical properties of the produced nanofibers was achieved by manipulating the protein conformation, protein aggregation, and intra/intermolecular disulfide bonds exchange. In this manner, a low-viscosity globular protein solution could be modified into a polymer-like spinnable solution and easily spun into fibers whose mechanical properties were as good as those of natural fibers made of fibrous protein. We demonstrate here that newly formed disulfide bonds (intra/intermolecular) have a dominant role in both the formation of the nanofibers and in providing them with superior mechanical properties. Our approach to engineer proteins into biocompatible fibrous structures may be used in a wide range of biomedical applications such as suturing, wound dressing, and wound closure.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dror
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ziv
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Makarov
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Admon
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zussman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008422:Materials Testing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D011506:Proteins; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine