Pierce Aidan F, Liu Betty S, Liao Matthew, Wagner Willi L, Khalil Hassan A, Chen Zi, Ackermann Maximilian, Mentzer Steven J
Laboratory of Adaptive and Regenerative Biology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Translational Lung Research Center, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Heidelberg, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
Polymers (Basel). 2022 Mar 26;14(7):1345. doi: 10.3390/polym14071345.
Pectin's unique physicochemical properties have been linked to a variety of reparative and regenerative processes in nature. To investigate the effect of water on pectin repair, we used a 5 mm stainless-steel uniaxial load to fracture glass phase pectin films. The fractured gel phase films were placed on a 1.5-1.8 mm thick layer of water and incubated for 8 h at room temperature and ambient humidity. There was no immersion or agitation. The repaired pectin film was subsequently assessed for its optical and mechanical properties. Light microscopy demonstrated repair of the detectable fracture area and restoration of the films' optical properties. The burst strength of the repaired film declined to 55% of the original film. However, its resilience was restored to 87% of the original film. Finally, a comparison of the initial and post-repair fracture patterns demonstrated no recurrent fissures in the repaired glass phase films. The water-induced repair of the pectin film was superior to the optical and mechanical properties of the repaired films composed of nanocellulose fibers, sodium hyaluronate, and oxidized cellulose. We conclude that the unique physicochemical properties of pectin facilitate the water-induced self-repair of fractured pectin films.
果胶独特的物理化学性质与自然界中的多种修复和再生过程相关。为了研究水对果胶修复的影响，我们使用5毫米不锈钢单轴载荷使玻璃相果胶膜断裂。将断裂的凝胶相膜放置在1.5 - 1.8毫米厚的水层上，在室温及环境湿度下孵育8小时。不存在浸泡或搅拌情况。随后对修复后的果胶膜的光学和力学性能进行评估。光学显微镜显示可检测到的断裂区域得到修复，且膜的光学性能得以恢复。修复后膜的破裂强度降至原始膜的55%。然而，其弹性恢复至原始膜的87%。最后，对初始和修复后的断裂模式进行比较，结果表明修复后的玻璃相膜未出现复发性裂缝。果胶膜的水诱导修复在光学和力学性能方面优于由纳米纤维素纤维、透明质酸钠和氧化纤维素组成的修复膜。我们得出结论，果胶独特的物理化学性质有助于水诱导断裂的果胶膜进行自我修复。
