Lang Gregor, Jokisch Stephan, Scheibel Thomas
Biomaterials Research Group, University of Bayreuth.
J Vis Exp. 2013 May 8(75):e50492. doi: 10.3791/50492.
Based on the natural sequence of Araneus diadematus Fibroin 4 (ADF4), the recombinant spider silk protein eADF4(C16) has been engineered. This highly repetitive protein has a molecular weight of 48kDa and is soluble in different solvents (hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), formic acid and aqueous buffers). eADF4(C16) provides a high potential for various technical applications when processed into morphologies such as films, capsules, particles, hydrogels, coatings, fibers and nonwoven meshes. Due to their chemical stability and controlled morphology, the latter can be used to improve filter materials. In this protocol, we present a procedure to enhance the efficiency of different air filter devices, by deposition of nonwoven meshes of electrospun recombinant spider silk proteins. Electrospinning of eADF4(C16) dissolved in HFIP results in smooth fibers. Variation of the protein concentration (5-25% w/v) results in different fiber diameters (80-1,100 nm) and thus pore sizes of the nonwoven mesh. Post-treatment of eADF4(C16) electrospun from HFIP is necessary since the protein displays a predominantly α-helical secondary structure in freshly spun fibers, and therefore the fibers are water soluble. Subsequent treatment with ethanol vapor induces formation of water resistant, stable β-sheet structures, preserving the morphology of the silk fibers and meshes. Secondary structure analysis was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and subsequent Fourier self-deconvolution (FSD). The primary goal was to improve the filter efficiency of existing filter substrates by adding silk nonwoven layers on top. To evaluate the influence of electrospinning duration and thus nonwoven layer thickness on the filter efficiency, we performed air permeability tests in combination with particle deposition measurements. The experiments were carried out according to standard protocols.
基于园蛛蛛丝蛋白4(ADF4)的天然序列,构建了重组蛛丝蛋白eADF4(C16)。这种高度重复的蛋白质分子量为48kDa,可溶于不同溶剂(六氟异丙醇(HFIP)、甲酸和水性缓冲液)。当加工成薄膜、胶囊、颗粒、水凝胶、涂层、纤维和非织造网等形态时,eADF4(C16)在各种技术应用中具有很高的潜力。由于其化学稳定性和可控的形态,后者可用于改进过滤材料。在本方案中,我们提出了一种通过沉积电纺重组蛛丝蛋白的非织造网来提高不同空气过滤装置效率的方法。将eADF4(C16)溶解在HFIP中进行电纺可得到光滑的纤维。蛋白质浓度(5-25% w/v)的变化会导致不同的纤维直径(80-1100 nm),从而导致非织造网的孔径不同。由于新纺出的纤维中蛋白质主要呈现α-螺旋二级结构,因此从HFIP中电纺出的eADF4(C16)需要进行后处理,因为这些纤维是水溶性的。随后用乙醇蒸汽处理可诱导形成防水、稳定的β-折叠结构,同时保留丝纤维和网的形态。使用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)和随后的傅里叶自去卷积(FSD)进行二级结构分析。主要目标是通过在现有过滤基材顶部添加丝非织造层来提高过滤效率。为了评估电纺持续时间以及非织造层厚度对过滤效率的影响,我们结合颗粒沉积测量进行了透气率测试。实验按照标准方案进行。