Poluri Nagireddy, Gough Christopher R, Perrotta Joseph, Pinto Joseph, Cohen Maxwell, Sanderlin Steven, Velardo Christopher, Barca Anthony, Hu Xiao
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 May 9;26(10):4563. doi: 10.3390/ijms26104563.
Natural proteins present a sustainable and biocompatible alternative to conventional fossil fuel-derived plastics, with versatile applications in fields ranging from medicine to food packaging. Extending our previous research on silk-corn zein composites, this study utilizes soy protein-another plant protein extensively employed within biomedical applications-in conjunction with silk fibroin proteins extracted from a variety of domestic (Mori and Thai) and wild (Muga, Tussah, and Eri) silkworm species. By combining these proteins in varying ratios (0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and 100%), silk-soy films were successfully fabricated with high miscibility. The structural and thermal stability of these films was confirmed through various characterization techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Structural refinements were then achieved through post-water annealing treatments. After annealing, it was observed that when soy protein was introduced into both types of silk, the silks exhibited a greater amount of intermolecular and intramolecular β-sheet content. This phenomenon can be attributed to soy's intrinsic ability to self-assemble into β-sheets through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, which also improved the overall thermal stability and morphology of the composite films. The unique self-assembling properties of soy and its ability to promote β-sheet formation facilitate the customization of the silk source and the soy-to-silk ratio. This adaptability establishes protein-based thin films as a versatile and sustainable option for diverse applications in fields such as medicine, tissue engineering, food packaging, and beyond.
天然蛋白质是传统化石燃料衍生塑料的可持续且生物相容的替代品，在从医学到食品包装等领域有广泛应用。本研究在我们之前对丝-玉米醇溶蛋白复合材料研究的基础上，利用大豆蛋白（另一种在生物医学应用中广泛使用的植物蛋白）与从多种家养（桑蚕丝和泰国蚕丝）和野生（柞蚕丝、柞蚕丝和蓖麻蚕丝）蚕种中提取的丝素蛋白相结合。通过以不同比例（0%、10%、25%、50%、75%、90%和100%）混合这些蛋白质，成功制备出具有高混溶性的丝-大豆薄膜。通过各种表征技术，包括傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、差示扫描量热法（DSC）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM），证实了这些薄膜的结构和热稳定性。然后通过水后退火处理实现了结构优化。退火后观察到，当将大豆蛋白引入两种丝中时，丝表现出更多的分子间和分子内β-折叠含量。这种现象可归因于大豆通过静电和疏水相互作用自组装成β-折叠的内在能力，这也提高了复合薄膜的整体热稳定性和形态。大豆独特的自组装特性及其促进β-折叠形成的能力有助于定制丝源和大豆与丝的比例。这种适应性使基于蛋白质的薄膜成为医学、组织工程、食品包装等领域多种应用的通用且可持续的选择。
