1
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Kryuchkova A, Savin A, Kiseleva A, Dukhinova M, Krivoshapkina E, Krivoshapkin P. Magnetothermal spider silk-based scaffolds for cartilage regeneration. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:127246. [PMID: 37797862 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Developing biocompatible, magnetically controlled polymers is a multifunctional solution to many surgical complications. By combining nanoparticle technology with the latest advancements in polymer materials science, we created a multicomponent hybrid system comprised of a robust native spider silk-based matrix; a Mn0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4 nanoparticles coating to provide a controlled thermal trigger for drug release; and liposomes, which act as drug carriers. Fluorescent microscope images show that the dye loaded into the liposomes is released when the system is exposed to an alternating magnetic field due to heating of ferromagnetic nanoparticles, which had a low Curie temperature (40-46°С). The silk matrix also demonstrated outstanding biocompatibility, creating a favorable environment for human postnatal fibroblast cell adhesion, and paving the way for their directed growth. This paper describes a complex approach to cartilage regeneration by developing a spider silk-based scaffold with anatomical mechanical properties for controlled drug delivery in a multifunctional autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Kryuchkova
- ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg 191002, Russian Federation
| | - Artemii Savin
- ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg 191002, Russian Federation
| | - Aleksandra Kiseleva
- ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg 191002, Russian Federation
| | - Marina Dukhinova
- ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg 191002, Russian Federation
| | - Elena Krivoshapkina
- ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg 191002, Russian Federation
| | - Pavel Krivoshapkin
- ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg 191002, Russian Federation.
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2
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Hahn J, Gögele C, Schulze-Tanzil G. Could an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Be Tissue-Engineered from Silk? Cells 2023; 12:2350. [PMID: 37830564 PMCID: PMC10571837 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Silk has a long history as an exclusive textile, but also as a suture thread in medicine; nowadays, diverse cell carriers are manufactured from silk. Its advantages are manifold, including high biocompatibility, biomechanical strength and processability (approved for nearly all manufacturing techniques). Silk's limitations, such as scarcity and batch to batch variations, are overcome by gene technology, which allows for the upscaled production of recombinant "designed" silk proteins. For processing thin fibroin filaments, the sericin component is generally removed (degumming). In contrast to many synthetic biomaterials, fibroin allows for superior cell adherence and growth. In addition, silk grafts demonstrate superior mechanical performance and long-term stability, making them attractive for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tissue engineering. Looking at these promising properties, this review focusses on the responses of cell types to silk variants, as well as their biomechanical properties, which are relevant for ACL tissue engineering. Meanwhile, sericin has also attracted increasing interest and has been proposed as a bioactive biomaterial with antimicrobial properties. But so far, fibroin was exclusively used for experimental ACL tissue engineering approaches, and fibroin from spider silk also seems not to have been applied. To improve the bone integration of ACL grafts, silk scaffolds with osteogenic functionalization, silk-based tunnel fillers and interference screws have been developed. Nevertheless, signaling pathways stimulated by silk components remain barely elucidated, but need to be considered during the development of optimized silk cell carriers for ACL tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Hahn
- Workgroup BioEngineering, Institute of Polymer Materials, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. (IPF), Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany;
| | - Clemens Gögele
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg and Salzburg, Prof. Ernst Nathan Str. 1, 90419 Nuremberg, Germany;
| | - Gundula Schulze-Tanzil
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg and Salzburg, Prof. Ernst Nathan Str. 1, 90419 Nuremberg, Germany;
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3
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Greco G, Schmuck B, Jalali SK, Pugno NM, Rising A. Influence of experimental methods on the mechanical properties of silk fibers: A systematic literature review and future road map. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:031301. [PMID: 38510706 PMCID: PMC10903380 DOI: 10.1063/5.0155552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Spider silk fibers are of scientific and industrial interest because of their extraordinary mechanical properties. These properties are normally determined by tensile tests, but the values obtained are dependent on the morphology of the fibers, the test conditions, and the methods by which stress and strain are calculated. Because of this, results from many studies are not directly comparable, which has led to widespread misconceptions in the field. Here, we critically review most of the reports from the past 50 years on spider silk mechanical performance and use artificial spider silk and native silks as models to highlight the effect that different experimental setups have on the fibers' mechanical properties. The results clearly illustrate the importance of carefully evaluating the tensile test methods when comparing the results from different studies. Finally, we suggest a protocol for how to perform tensile tests on silk and biobased fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - S. K. Jalali
- Laboratory for Bioinspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta, Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | | | - Anna Rising
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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4
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Croft AS, Ćorluka S, Fuhrer J, Wöltje M, Silva-Correia J, Oliveira JM, Erbach GF, Reis RL, Gantenbein B. Repairing Annulus Fibrosus Fissures Using Methacrylated Gellan Gum Combined with Novel Silk. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:3173. [PMID: 37110008 PMCID: PMC10146841 DOI: 10.3390/ma16083173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Intervertebral disc (IVD) herniation often causes severe pain and is frequently associated with the degeneration of the IVD. As the IVD degenerates, more fissures with increasing size appear within the outer region of the IVD, the annulus fibrosus (AF), favoring the initiation and progression of IVD herniation. For this reason, we propose an AF repair approach based on methacrylated gellan gum (GG-MA) and silk fibroin. Therefore, coccygeal bovine IVDs were injured using a biopsy puncher (⌀ 2 mm) and then repaired with 2% GG-MA as a filler material and sealed with an embroidered silk yarn fabric. Then, the IVDs were cultured for 14 days either without any load, static loading, or complex dynamic loading. After 14 days of culture, no significant differences were found between the damaged and repaired IVDs, except for a significant decrease in the IVDs' relative height under dynamic loading. Based on our findings combined with the current literature that focuses on ex vivo AF repair approaches, we conclude that it is likely that the repair approach did not fail but rather insufficient harm was done to the IVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas S. Croft
- Tissue Engineering for Orthopaedics and Mechanobiology, Bone & Joint Program, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3008 Bern, Switzerland; (A.S.C.); (S.Ć.); (J.F.)
| | - Slavko Ćorluka
- Tissue Engineering for Orthopaedics and Mechanobiology, Bone & Joint Program, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3008 Bern, Switzerland; (A.S.C.); (S.Ć.); (J.F.)
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Medical Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Janine Fuhrer
- Tissue Engineering for Orthopaedics and Mechanobiology, Bone & Joint Program, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3008 Bern, Switzerland; (A.S.C.); (S.Ć.); (J.F.)
| | - Michael Wöltje
- Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01062 Dresden, Germany;
| | - Joana Silva-Correia
- 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark—Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal; (J.S.-C.); (J.M.O.); (R.L.R.)
- ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joaquim M. Oliveira
- 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark—Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal; (J.S.-C.); (J.M.O.); (R.L.R.)
- ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Georg F. Erbach
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Medical Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Rui L. Reis
- 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark—Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal; (J.S.-C.); (J.M.O.); (R.L.R.)
- ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Benjamin Gantenbein
- Tissue Engineering for Orthopaedics and Mechanobiology, Bone & Joint Program, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, CH-3008 Bern, Switzerland; (A.S.C.); (S.Ć.); (J.F.)
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Medical Faculty, University of Bern, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland;
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5
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Asakura T, Naito A. Structure of silk I (Bombyx mori silk fibroin before spinning) in the dry and hydrated states studied using 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 216:282-290. [PMID: 35788005 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.06.192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, much attention has been paid to Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) by many researchers because of excellent physical properties and biocompatibility. These superior properties originate from the structure of SF and therefore, the structural analysis is a key to clarify the superiority. Here we concentrated on silk I structure (SF structure before spinning). We showed that silk I* (the structure of (GAGAGS)n which is a main part of SF) is a repeated type II β-turn, neither α-helix nor random coil, from the conformation-dependent 13C NMR chemical shift data. This conclusion is different from that obtained using IR by many researchers. Next, the formation of silk I* structure was investigated at molecular level using 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Three kinds of 13C INEPT, CP/MAS and DD/MAS NMR spectra were observed for SF, [3-13C] Ser- and [3-13C] Tyr-SF, the crystalline fraction obtained by chymotrypsin treatment of SF and their model peptide with silk I structures in the dry and hydrated states. Especially, the presence of the sequences containing Tyr, (((GX)m1GY)m2 where X = A or V) with random coil conformations adjacent to (GAGAGS)n is an essence to get water-soluble SF and the formation of silk I* structure of (GAGAGS)n.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuo Asakura
- Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Akira Naito
- Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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6
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Cai B, Mazahreh J, Ma Q, Wang F, Hu X. Ultrasound-assisted fabrication of biopolymer materials: A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 209:1613-1628. [PMID: 35452704 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.04.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
There is an urgent need to develop technologies that can physically manipulate the structure of biocompatible and green polymer materials in order to tune their performance in an efficient, repeatable, easy-to-operate, chemical-free, non-contact, and highly controllable manner. Ultrasound technology produces a cavitation effect that promotes the generation of free radicals, the fracture of chemical chain segments and a rapid change of morphology. The cavitation effects are accompanied by thermal, chemical, and biological effects that interact with the material being studied. With its high efficiency, cleanliness, and reusability applications, ultrasound has a vast range of opportunity within the field of natural polymer-based materials. This work expounds the basic principle of ultrasonic cavitation and analyzes the influence that ultrasonic strength, temperature, frequency and induced liquid surface tension on the physical and chemical properties of biopolymer materials. The mechanism and the influence that ultrasonic modification has on materials is discussed, with highlighted details on the agglomeration, degradation, morphology, structure, and the mechanical properties of these novel materials from naturally derived polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Cai
- Center of Analysis and Testing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Janine Mazahreh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
| | - Qingyu Ma
- School of Computer and Electrical Information/School of Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Center of Analysis and Testing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Xiao Hu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
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7
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Artificial and natural silk materials have high mechanical property variability regardless of sample size. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3507. [PMID: 35241705 PMCID: PMC8894418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07212-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Silk fibres attract great interest in materials science for their biological and mechanical properties. Hitherto, the mechanical properties of the silk fibres have been explored mainly by tensile tests, which provide information on their strength, Young’s modulus, strain at break and toughness modulus. Several hypotheses have been based on these data, but the intrinsic and often overlooked variability of natural and artificial silk fibres makes it challenging to identify trends and correlations. In this work, we determined the mechanical properties of Bombyx mori cocoon and degummed silk, native spider silk, and artificial spider silk, and compared them with classical commercial carbon fibres using large sample sizes (from 10 to 100 fibres, in total 200 specimens per fibre type). The results confirm a substantial variability of the mechanical properties of silk fibres compared to commercial carbon fibres, as the relative standard deviation for strength and strain at break is 10–50%. Moreover, the variability does not decrease significantly when the number of tested fibres is increased, which was surprising considering the low variability frequently reported for silk fibres in the literature. Based on this, we prove that tensile testing of 10 fibres per type is representative of a silk fibre population. Finally, we show that the ideal shape of the stress–strain curve for spider silk, characterized by a pronounced exponential stiffening regime, occurs in only 25% of all tested spider silk fibres.
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8
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Knapczyk-Korczak J, Stachewicz U. Biomimicking spider webs for effective fog water harvesting with electrospun polymer fibers. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:16034-16051. [PMID: 34581383 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr05111c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Fog is an underestimated source of water, especially in regions where conventional methods of water harvesting are impossible, ineffective, or challenging for low-cost water resources. Interestingly, many novel methods and developments for effective water harvesting are inspired by nature. Therefore, in this review, we focused on one of the most researched and developing forms of electrospun polymer fibers, which successfully imitate many fascinating natural materials for instance spider webs. We showed how fiber morphology and wetting properties can increase the fog collection rate, and also observed the influence of fog water collection parameters on testing their efficiency. This review summarizes the current state of the art on water collection by fibrous meshes and offers suggestions for the testing of new designs under laboratory conditions by classifying the parameters already reported in experimental set-ups. This is extremely important, as fog collection under laboratory conditions is the first step toward creating a new water harvesting technology. This review summarizes all the approaches taken so far to develop the most effective water collection systems based on electrospun polymer fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Knapczyk-Korczak
- AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Urszula Stachewicz
- AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland.
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9
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Structure of Silk I ( Bombyx mori Silk Fibroin before Spinning) -Type II β-Turn, Not α-Helix. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26123706. [PMID: 34204550 PMCID: PMC8234240 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26123706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, considerable attention has been paid to Bombyx mori silk fibroin by a range of scientists from polymer chemists to biomaterial researchers because it has excellent physical properties, such as strength, toughness, and biocompatibility. These appealing physical properties originate from the silk fibroin structure, and therefore, structural determinations of silk fibroin before (silk I) and after (silk II) spinning are a key to make wider applications of silk. There are discrepancies about the silk I structural model, i.e., one is type II β-turn structure determined using many solid-state and solution NMR spectroscopies together with selectively stable isotope-labeled model peptides, but another is α-helix or partially α-helix structure speculated using IR and Raman methods. In this review, firstly, the process that led to type II β-turn structure by the authors was introduced in detail. Then the problems in speculating silk I structure by IR and Raman methods were pointed out together with the problem in the assignment of the amide I band in the spectra. It has been emphasized that the conformational analyses of proteins and peptides from IR and Raman studies are not straightforward and should be very careful when the proteins contain β-turn structure using many experimental data by Vass et al. In conclusion, the author emphasized here that silk I structure should be type II β-turn, not α-helix.
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10
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Liu Y, Huang W, Meng M, Chen M, Cao C. Progress in the application of spider silk protein in medicine. J Biomater Appl 2021; 36:859-871. [PMID: 33853426 DOI: 10.1177/08853282211003850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Spider silk protein has attracted much attention on account of its excellent mechanical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. As the main protein component of spider silk, spidroin plays important role in spider spinning under natural circumstances and biomaterial application in medicine as well. Compare to the native spidroin which has a large molecular weight (>300 kDa) with highly repeat glycine and polyalanine regions, the recombinant spidroin was maintained the core amino motifs and much easier to collect. Here, we reviewed the application of recombinant spider silk protein eADF4(C16), major ampullate spidroin (MaSp), minor ampullate spidroin (MiSp), and the derivatives of recombinant spider silk protein in drug delivery system. Moreover, we also reviewed the application of spider silk protein in the field of alternative materials, repairing materials, wound dressing, surgical sutures along with advances in recombinant spider silk protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- 1Key Laboratories of Fine Chemicals and Surfactants in Sichuan Provincial Universities, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong, China
| | - Wei Huang
- 1Key Laboratories of Fine Chemicals and Surfactants in Sichuan Provincial Universities, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong, China
| | - Minsi Meng
- 1Key Laboratories of Fine Chemicals and Surfactants in Sichuan Provincial Universities, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong, China
| | - Minhui Chen
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, Zigong Fourth People's Hospital, Zigong, China
| | - Chengjian Cao
- 3Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zigong First People's Hospital, Zigong, China
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11
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Bucciarelli A, Greco G, Corridori I, Pugno NM, Motta A. A Design of Experiment Rational Optimization of the Degumming Process and Its Impact on the Silk Fibroin Properties. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021; 7:1374-1393. [DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Bucciarelli
- Microsystem Technology Group, Center for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 9, Trento 38123, Italy
| | - Gabriele Greco
- Laboratory of Bio-inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials and Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, Trento 38123, Italy
| | - Ilaria Corridori
- Laboratory of Bio-inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials and Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, Trento 38123, Italy
| | - Nicola M. Pugno
- Laboratory of Bio-inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials and Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, Trento 38123, Italy
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, E14NS London, United Kingdom
| | - Antonella Motta
- Department of Industrial Engieneering, University of Trento, Via Delle Regole 101, Trento 38123, Italy
- BIOTech Research Center and European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Via Delle Regole 101, Trento 38123, Italy
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12
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Greco G, Francis J, Arndt T, Schmuck B, G. Bäcklund F, Barth A, Johansson J, M. Pugno N, Rising A. Properties of Biomimetic Artificial Spider Silk Fibers Tuned by PostSpin Bath Incubation. Molecules 2020; 25:E3248. [PMID: 32708777 PMCID: PMC7397010 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25143248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient production of artificial spider silk fibers with properties that match its natural counterpart has still not been achieved. Recently, a biomimetic process for spinning recombinant spider silk proteins (spidroins) was presented, in which important molecular mechanisms involved in native spider silk spinning were recapitulated. However, drawbacks of these fibers included inferior mechanical properties and problems with low resistance to aqueous environments. In this work, we show that ≥5 h incubation of the fibers, in a collection bath of 500 mM NaAc and 200 mM NaCl, at pH 5 results in fibers that do not dissolve in water or phosphate buffered saline, which implies that the fibers can be used for applications that involve wet/humid conditions. Furthermore, incubation in the collection bath improved the strain at break and was associated with increased β-sheet content, but did not affect the fiber morphology. In summary, we present a simple way to improve artificial spider silk fiber strain at break and resistance to aqueous solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Greco
- Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta, Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
| | - Juanita Francis
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Tina Arndt
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Benjamin Schmuck
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Fredrik G. Bäcklund
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden;
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Nicola M. Pugno
- Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta, Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
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13
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Greco G, Pugno NM. Mechanical Properties and Weibull Scaling Laws of Unknown Spider Silks. Molecules 2020; 25:E2938. [PMID: 32604727 PMCID: PMC7355793 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25122938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider silks present extraordinary mechanical properties, which have attracted the attention of material scientists in recent decades. In particular, the strength and the toughness of these protein-based materials outperform the ones of many man-made fibers. Unfortunately, despite the huge interest, there is an absence of statistical investigation on the mechanical properties of spider silks and their related size effects due to the length of the fibers. Moreover, several spider silks have never been mechanically tested. Accordingly, in this work, we measured the mechanical properties and computed the Weibull parameters for different spider silks, some of them unknown in the literature. We also measured the mechanical properties at different strain rates for the dragline of the species Cupiennius salei. For the same species, we measured the strength and Weibull parameters at different fiber lengths. In this way, we obtained the spider silk scaling laws directly and according to Weibull's prediction. Both length and strain rates affect the mechanical properties of spider silk, as rationalized by Weibull's statistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Greco
- Laboratory of Bio-inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
| | - Nicola M. Pugno
- Laboratory of Bio-inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
- Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS, UK
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Hydrothermal Effect on Mechanical Properties of Nephila pilipes Spidroin. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12051013. [PMID: 32365504 PMCID: PMC7284706 DOI: 10.3390/polym12051013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The superlative mechanical properties of spider silk and its conspicuous variations have instigated significant interest over the past few years. However, current attempts to synthetically spin spider silk fibers often yield an inferior physical performance, owing to the improper molecular interactions of silk proteins. Considering this, herein, a post-treatment process to reorganize molecular structures and improve the physical strength of spider silk is reported. The major ampullate dragline silk from Nephila pilipes with a high β-sheet content and an adequate tensile strength was utilized as the study material, while that from Cyrtophora moluccensis was regarded as a reference. Our results indicated that the hydrothermal post-treatment (50-70 °C) of natural spider silk could effectively induce the alternation of secondary structures (random coil to β-sheet) and increase the overall tensile strength of the silk. Such advantageous post-treatment strategy when applied to regenerated spider silk also leads to an increment in the strength by ~2.5-3.0 folds, recapitulating ~90% of the strength of native spider silk. Overall, this study provides a facile and effective post-spinning means for enhancing the molecular structures and mechanical properties of as-spun silk threads, both natural and regenerated.
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15
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Dellaquila A, Greco G, Campodoni E, Mazzocchi M, Mazzolai B, Tampieri A, Pugno NM, Sandri M. Optimized production of a high‐performance hybrid biomaterial: biomineralized spider silk for bone tissue engineering. J Appl Polym Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/app.48739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Dellaquila
- ISTEC CNR—Institute of Science and Technology for CeramicsNational Research Council, Via Granarolo 64 Faenza 48018 Italy
| | - Gabriele Greco
- Laboratory of Bio‐inspired & Graphene Nanomechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Trento, Via Mesiano 77 Trento 38123 Italy
- Center for Micro‐BioRobotics@SSSAIstituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34 Pontedera I‐56025 Italy
| | - Elisabetta Campodoni
- ISTEC CNR—Institute of Science and Technology for CeramicsNational Research Council, Via Granarolo 64 Faenza 48018 Italy
| | - Mauro Mazzocchi
- ISTEC CNR—Institute of Science and Technology for CeramicsNational Research Council, Via Granarolo 64 Faenza 48018 Italy
| | - Barbara Mazzolai
- Center for Micro‐BioRobotics@SSSAIstituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34 Pontedera I‐56025 Italy
| | - Anna Tampieri
- ISTEC CNR—Institute of Science and Technology for CeramicsNational Research Council, Via Granarolo 64 Faenza 48018 Italy
| | - Nicola M. Pugno
- Laboratory of Bio‐inspired & Graphene Nanomechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Trento, Via Mesiano 77 Trento 38123 Italy
- School of Engineering and Materials ScienceQueen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS London United Kingdom
- Ket‐LabEdoardo Amaldi Foundation, Via del Politecnico snc Rome 00133 Italy
| | - Monica Sandri
- ISTEC CNR—Institute of Science and Technology for CeramicsNational Research Council, Via Granarolo 64 Faenza 48018 Italy
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