Nanofibers made of globular proteins.
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.
Dror
Yael
Y
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
Ziv
Tamar
T
Makarov
Vadim
V
Wolf
Hila
H
Admon
Arie
A
Zussman
Eyal
E
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
D004220:Disulfides; D011506:Proteins; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine