Li Na, Xu Jiren, Liu Boheng, Elango Jeevithan, Wu Wenhui
Department of Marine Pharmacology, College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
Department of Biomaterials Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, UCAM-Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, Guadalupe, 30107 Murcia, Spain.
Antioxidants (Basel). 2025 May 27;14(6):644. doi: 10.3390/antiox14060644.
Mussel foot protein is a bioadhesive protein with potential biomedical applications, but its limited solubility and poor biological stability hinder its widespread use. In this study, highly soluble mussel foot protein (HMFP) was successfully extracted using a stepwise selective enzymatic digestion method, with a molecular weight in the range of 11-17 kDa. Furthermore, a dual-functional polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivative of HMFP, designated HMFP-PEG, was synthesized. FTIR analysis confirmed the successful modification of HMFP with PEG, while TGA analysis and SEM observations demonstrated that PEG modification significantly enhanced the stability of the protein. Both HMFP and HMFP-PEG effectively scavenged free radicals, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, and reduced MDA levels. Additionally, they activated the PI3K/Akt and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways, inhibiting HO-induced cell apoptosis. Notably, HMFP-PEG exhibited superior antioxidant and cell-protective effects compared to HMFP, suggesting that PEG modification improves the functional stability of the protein. This study provides theoretical support for the potential application of HMFP in the biomedical and tissue engineering fields.
贻贝足蛋白是一种具有潜在生物医学应用价值的生物粘附蛋白,但其溶解度有限且生物稳定性较差,阻碍了其广泛应用。在本研究中,采用逐步选择性酶消化法成功提取了高溶解性的贻贝足蛋白(HMFP),其分子量在11-17 kDa范围内。此外,还合成了HMFP的双功能聚乙二醇(PEG)衍生物,命名为HMFP-PEG。傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)分析证实了PEG对HMFP的成功修饰,而热重分析(TGA)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察表明,PEG修饰显著提高了蛋白质的稳定性。HMFP和HMFP-PEG均能有效清除自由基,增强抗氧化酶活性,并降低丙二醛(MDA)水平。此外,它们还激活了磷脂酰肌醇-3激酶(PI3K)/蛋白激酶B(Akt)和核因子E2相关因子2(Nrf2)/血红素加氧酶-1(HO-1)信号通路,抑制过氧化氢(HO)诱导的细胞凋亡。值得注意的是,与HMFP相比,HMFP-PEG表现出更优异的抗氧化和细胞保护作用,表明PEG修饰提高了蛋白质的功能稳定性。本研究为HMFP在生物医学和组织工程领域的潜在应用提供了理论支持。