蚕腺体内和再生丝素蛋白水溶液的性能研究

用偏光显微镜观察了蚕腺体内和再生丝素蛋白水溶液的流动状态和各向异性现象,用乌氏粘度计测试了其流出时间,并用HAKKE流变仪测试了其粘度。结果发现蚕腺体内和再生丝素蛋白水溶液的性质差别非常大,认为丝素蛋白水溶液在蚕腺体内存在一个逐步熟成的过程。随着丝素蛋白水溶液在腺体内的前移,丝素蛋白分子逐渐沿移动方向取向而呈有序态,最终成为粘度非常大的各向异性的凝胶体,而再生丝素蛋白水溶液是粘度非常低的各向同性溶液。这些差异表明,丝素蛋白水溶液在蚕腺体内的熟成过程是蚕能够吐出优良蚕丝的关键步骤,要想制备出高性能的纤维,在“仿生纺丝”之前,首先要“仿生制备纺丝液”。     

再生蚕丝的制备及其结构和性能初探

在制备高浓度高分子量蚕丝素蛋白水溶液的基础上, 采用湿法纺丝技术, 在一定条件下纺制出力学性能优于天然蚕(茧)丝的再生蚕丝纤维, 其断裂强度及断裂伸长率分别达到0.5 GPa和20%. 扫描电镜观察结果显示: 初生纤维具有典型的“皮芯”结构, 而纤维内部则为疏松多孔的网状或蜂窝状结构; 经过一定的后拉伸处理后, 纤维的表面变得光滑, 且内部结构也趋于致密. 固体 13C核磁共振及拉曼光谱分析结果表明, 后拉伸及热湿处理均有利于提高纤维内部β-折叠结构的含量, 分子链的规整度和取向性也随之改善, 从而使再生蚕丝纤维的力学性能得到进一步提高.     

Investigation of structural transition of regenerated silk fibroin aqueous solution by Rheo-NMR spectroscopy

In this study we applied Rheo-NMR to investigate the structural change of Bombyx mori silk fibroin in aqueous solution under shear. Monitoring the time dependence of 1H solution NMR spectra of silk fibroin subjected to constant shear strain, signal intensities of random coil decreased suddenly during shear while peaks from beta-sheet structure did not arise in the solution spectra. After these experiments, an aggregate of silk was found in the Couette flow cell and its secondary structure was determined as beta-sheet by 13C solid-state NMR. In conclusion the moderate shear applied here triggered the change in the secondary structure.     

光谱法研究pH值对再生桑蚕丝素蛋白在水溶液中结构的影响

通过一系列光谱实验手段研究了再生桑蚕(Bombyx mori)丝素蛋白在水溶液中的构象转变情况. 由于丝素蛋白含有较多带电荷的氨基酸残基, 因此环境pH值对丝素蛋白的结构有着一定的影响: 酸性越强, 丝素蛋白越容易发生从无规线团到β-折叠结构转变; 相对而言, 碱性条件则更有利于丝素蛋白以无规线团结构稳定存在. 特别是当pH在4附近时, 丝素蛋白的无规结构最易发生改变; 而pH为6左右时, 丝素蛋白的结构则较为稳定. 这种变化趋势与沿着成熟蚕腺体中丝素蛋白所处的环境及其状态相当吻合, 由此表明pH值的调节是蚕在生物体中控制其丝素蛋白状态的一个相当重要的手段. 这一结果对人工纺制动物丝条件的调控有着极其重要的现实意义. 同时我们还发现, 在相当宽的pH范围内, 丝素蛋白的二级结构存在着中间体形态, 表明丝素蛋白的变性过程不符合简单的二态机制.     

Mechanisms of silk fibroin sol-gel transitions

Silk fibroin sol-gel transitions were studied by monitoring the process under various physicochemical conditions with optical spectroscopy at 550 nm. The secondary structural change of the fibroin from a disordered state in solution to a beta-sheet-rich conformation in the gel state was assessed by FTIR and CD over a range of fibroin concentrations, temperatures, and pH values. The structural changes were correlated to the degree of gelation based on changes in optical density at 550 nm. No detectable changes in the protein secondary structure (FTIR, CD) were found up to about 15% gelation (at 550 nm), indicating that these early stages of gelation are not accompanied by the formation of beta-sheets. Above 15%, the fraction of beta-sheet linearly increased with the degree of gelation. A pH dependency of gelation time was found with correlation to the predominant acidic side chains in the silk. Electrostatic interactions were related to the rate of gelation above neutral pH. The overall independencies of processing parameters including concentration, temperature, and pH on gel formation and protein structure can be related to primary sequence-specific features in the molecular organization of the fibroin protein. These findings clarify aspects of the self-assembly of this unique family of proteins as a route to gain control of material properties, as well as for new insight into the design of synthetic silk-biomimetic polymers with predictable solution and assembly properties.     

Biomaterial coatings by stepwise deposition of silk fibroin

A completely aqueous, stepwise deposition process with Bombyx mori silk fibroin for the assembly of nanoscale thin film coatings is reported the first time. The focus of this work was to develop an understanding of the control of this deposition process and to characterize the films formed from a physicochemical perspective. The deposition process was monitored by UV spectrophotometry and research quartz crystal microbalance. Both absorbance and film thickness correlated linearly with the number of silk fibroin layers deposited, analogous to multilayered materials fabricated from conventional polyelectrolytes. The polymer adsorption process was stable and reproducible, with control of a single layer thickness ranging from a few to tens of nanometers, determined by the concentrations of silk fibroin, salt concentration in the dipping solution, and method of rinsing. The driving force for the assembly of silk fibroin onto the substrate was primarily hydrophobic interactions, while some electrostatic interactions were also involved. The difference with this approach from traditional polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer techniques is that an intervening drying step is used to control the structure and stability of the self-assembled silk fibroin. The assembled films were stable under physiological conditions and supported human bone marrow stem cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation. This approach offers new options to engineer biomaterial coatings as well as bulk materials with control of both interfacial properties conducive to specific cellular or tissue responses and the potential to entrap and deliver labile molecules or other components due to the all-aqueous process described.     

Green Process to Prepare Silk Fibroin/Gelatin Biomaterial Scaffolds

A new all‐aqueous and green process is described to form three‐dimensional porous silk fibroin matrices with control of structural and morphological features. Silk‐based scaffolds are prepared using lyophilization. Gelatin is added to the aqueous silk fibroin solution to change the silk fibroin conformation and silk fibroin–water interactions through adjusting the hydrophilic interactions in silk fibroin–gelatin–water systems to restrain the formation of separate sheet like structures in the material, resulting in a more homogenous structure. Water annealing is used to generate insolubility in the silk fibroin–gelatin scaffold system, thereby avoiding the use of organic solvents such as methanol to lock in the β‐sheet structure. The adjusting of the concentration of gelatin, as well as the concentration of silk fibroin, leads to control of morphological and functional properties of the scaffolds. The scaffolds were homogeneous in terms of interconnected pores, with pore sizes ranging from 100 to 600 µm, depending on the concentration of silk fibroin used in the process. At the same time, the morphology of the scaffolds changed from lamellar sheets to porous structures based on the increase in gelatin content. Compared with salt‐leaching aqueous‐derived scaffolds and hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)‐derived scaffolds, these freeze‐dried scaffolds had a lower content of β‐sheet, resulting in more hydrophilic features. Most of gelatin was entrapped in the silk fibroin–gelatin scaffolds, without the burst release in PBS solution. During in vitro cell culture, these silk fibroin–gelatin scaffolds had improved cell‐compatibility than salt‐leaching silk fibroin scaffolds. This new process provides useful silk fibroin‐based scaffold systems for use in tissue engineering. Furthermore, the whole process is green, including all‐aqueous, room temperature and pressure, and without the use of toxic chemicals or solvents, offering new ways to load bioactive drugs or growth factors into the process.

     

丝素纳米颗粒的制备及应用于L-天冬酰胺酶的固定化

丝素蛋白纤维溶于高浓度中性盐溴化锂溶液或氯化钙-乙醇-水三元溶剂中, 经过透析和纯化可以制成3种液态丝素. SDS-PAGE分析结果表明, 其分子量分布范围明显不同. 应用能与水混溶的有机溶剂如丙酮等可将这种丝素制成丝素纳米颗粒, 用SEM观察到丝素纳米颗粒粒径分布范围为50~120 nm. 以戊二醛为交联剂, 将治疗急性淋巴性白血病常用酶制剂L-天冬酰胺酶共价结合在丝素纳米颗粒上. 酶活性分析结果表明, 由肽链断裂较少的丝素制备的纳米颗粒更适合于酶的生物结合. 酶动力学研究结果表明, 这种固定化酶活性回收率为44%, 热稳定性较游离酶有明显提高, 最适pH值范围加宽为6.0~8.0, 最适反应温度提高10 ℃; 抗胰蛋白酶水解能力明显增强. 结果表明, 丝素纳米颗粒与丝素蛋白膜一样, 是一种酶固定化的良好载体, 在药物缓释系统方面具有潜在的研究和开发价值.     

Preparation and Characterization of Natural Silk Fibroin Hydrogel for Protein Drug Delivery

In recent years, hydrogels have been widely used as drug carriers, especially in the area of protein delivery. The natural silk fibroin produced from cocoons of the Bombyx mori silkworm possesses excellent biocompatibility, significant bioactivity, and biodegradability. Therefore, silk fibroin-based hydrogels are arousing widespread interest in biomedical research. In this study, a process for extracting natural silk fibroin from raw silk textile yarns was established, and three aqueous solutions of silk fibroin with different molecular weight distributions were successfully prepared by controlling the degumming time. Silk fibroin was dispersed in the aqueous solution as “spherical” aggregate particles, and the smaller particles continuously accumulated into large particles. Finally, a silk fibroin hydrogel network was formed. A rheological analysis showed that as the concentration of the silk fibroin hydrogel increased its storage modulus increased significantly. The degradation behavior of silk fibroin hydrogel in different media verified its excellent stability, and the prepared silk fibroin hydrogel had good biocompatibility and an excellent drug-loading capacity. After the protein model drug BSA was loaded, the cumulative drug release within 12 h reached 80%. We hope that these investigations will promote the potential utilities of silk fibroin hydrogels in clinical medicine.     

Cecropin B抗菌肽接枝丝素蛋白膜的制备和表征

以体积分数为60%的乙醇处理制得不溶性再生丝素膜, 通过碳二亚胺法将Cecropin B抗菌肽共价接枝到丝素膜表面, 利用红外光谱、扫描电镜、X射线能谱和抗菌性测试等手段对制得的丝素膜结构和表面特性及其抗菌性能进行了测试分析. 结果表明, Cecropin B抗菌肽成功地接枝到了丝素膜的表面, 接枝后的丝素膜水溶性低, 并具有良好、 持久的抗菌能力.     

蚕丝蛋白固相萃取分离富集细胞色素c的研究

在特定实验条件下, 蚕丝蛋白对细胞色素c表现出选择性吸附. 以蚕丝蛋白微填充柱为载体, 在流动系统中建立了细胞色素c的分离富集方法, 以分光光度法在410 nm处检测分离富集过程. 在进样流速低于10 μL/s时, 2 mL样品溶液(pH=5.6的水溶液)中5 μg/mL的细胞色素c可被蚕丝蛋白微柱完全吸附, 而在洗脱流速低于15 μL/s时, 200 μL NaCl溶液(1.0 mol/L)可将吸附的细胞色素c完全洗脱, 分离富集系数为10. 用本方法测定细胞色素c的线性范围为1.0~10.0 μg/mL, 检出限为0.33 μg/mL, 精密度RSD为2.5%(5 μg/mL, n=9). 此外, 还采用本文方法对人全血中的蛋白质进行了分离富集, 并用SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳验证了分离后蛋白的纯度.     

QUENCHING OF PHOTOEXCITED 4,4'-DICARBOXY-2,2'-BIPYRIDINEBIS(2,2'-BIPYRIDINE)RUTHENIUM(II) BY OXYGEN IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION AND IN SILK FIBROIN MEMBRANE

Abstract— Photoluminescence and quenching of 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridinebis(2,2'-bipyridine)-ruthenium(II) complex (Ru(DCbpy)(bpy)²₂⁺) in an aqueous solution as well as in a silk fibroin membrane were studied. Emission quenching by oxygen in an aqueous solution showed a linear relationship with respect to oxygen concentration. When the complex was incorporated into a silk fibroin membrane by adsorption from an aqueous solution into a preformed membrane, the photoexcited state of the complex was not quenched by oxygen in an aqueous phase. However, when the complex was incorporated into a silk fibroin membrane by casting a mixture of the complex and silk fibroin, the photoexcited complex was quenched by oxygen in an aqueous phase. In this case the Stern-Volmer plots showed a downward-deviating curve indicating heterogeneity of the probe site. Emission intensity decreased with an increase of the water content in the silk fibroin membrane.     

Rheological behavior of cellulose/silk fibroin blend solutions with ionic liquid as solvent

The rheological behavior of cellulose and silk fibroin blend in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was studied. The data from the rheological results was analyzed to understand the microstructure of the blend solutions. The viscosity and dynamic modulus of the blend solution decreased with increasing ratio of silk fibroin. While comparing the experimental results with the calculated data from the log-additivity rule, it is revealed that zero-shear viscosity, dynamic modulus show positive–negative deviations and a typical continuous–discrete type of morphology could be imaged. At lower shear rate, the change of phase morphology took place at the ratio of about 0.5 volume fraction of cellulose. However, the blend solution showed positive deviations for all cellulose/silk fibroin blend ratios at high shear rate, which indicates that the dispersion of cellulose and silk fibroin was improved under shear stress. The properties of cellulose/silk fibroin blends observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microcopy agreed with the result from rheology.     

Effect of metallic ions on silk formation in the Mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori

A protein conformation transition from random coil and/or helical conformation to beta-sheet is known to be central to the process used by silk-spinning spiders and insects to convert concentrated protein solutions to tough insoluble threads. Several factors including pH, metallic ions, shear force, and/or elongational flow can initiate this transition in both spiders and silkworms. Here, we report the use of proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE), inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and atomic adsorption spectroscopy (AAS) to investigate the concentrations of six metal elements (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cu, and Zn) at different stages in the silk secretory pathway in the Bombyx mori silkworm. We also report the use of Raman spectra to monitor the effects of these six metallic ions on the conformation transition of natural silk fibroin dope and concentrated regenerated silk fibroin solution at concentrations similar to the natural dope. The results showed that the metal element contents increased from the posterior part to the anterior part of silk gland with the exception of Ca which decreased significantly in the anterior part. We show that these changes in composition can be correlated with (i) the ability of Mg2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ to induce the conformation transition of silk fibroin to beta-sheet, (ii) the effect of Ca2+ in forming a stable protein network (gel), and (iii) the ability of Na+ and K+ to break down the protein network.     

pH值对丝素蛋白构象转变的影响

模仿家蚕吐丝过程中伴随丝素蛋白自然脱水的纤维化过程,研究了再生丝素蛋白在各种pH值的磷酸盐缓冲溶液体系中自然干燥脱水成膜后的构象转变.利用激光拉曼散射光谱及其二维相关光谱,定性分析了丝素蛋白酰胺区(1600～1700cm^-1)散射峰的相关组成及结构.在此基础上,利用¹³CCP-MAS固体核磁共振谱对丝素蛋白丙氨酸C_β峰(δ14.5～22)进行了解析拟合.从而确定了体系中与Silk及Silk构象相关的组成含量与pH值的关系.结果表明,pH=5.2的酸性溶液有利于蚕丝丝素蛋白从Silk向Silk构象转变,而中性与碱性溶液(pH=6.9和8.0)则对丝素蛋白的构象转变影响甚小.     

Wet-spinning of Regenerated Silk Fiber fromAqueous Silk Fibroin Solutions: Influence ofCalcium Ion Addition in Spinning Dope on thePerformance of Regenerated Silk Fiber简

Ca（II） ions are added in the spinning dope to adjust the solidification rate of regenerated silk fibroin （RSF） solution during the wet-spinning process since Ca（II） ions are proved to be favorable to maintain the stable silk fibroin network in our previous work. The results show that when Ca（II）/RSF ratios are 1/50 and 1/20, the resulted RSF fibers exhibit good performance with the breaking energy more than 70 kJ/kg. However, higher Ca（II）/RSF ratio （for example, 1/10） hinders the solidification of spinning dope and results in poor RSF fibers. These observations together with earlier papers from this laboratory confirm that to produce tough silk fibers the spinning conditions must allow sufficient time for the adjustment of silk fibroin molecular chains.     

Miscibility and biodegradability of silk fibroin/carboxymethyl chitin blend films

Blend films of silk fibroin and carboxymethyl chitin were prepared by solution casting using water as a cosolvent. The blend films were subjected to post-treatment with an aqueous methanol solution to induce beta-sheet formation of silk fibroin. The miscibility of the blend films both before and after methanol treatments was investigated in terms of chemical interactions, morphologies, thermal properties, and crystal structures by using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, DSC, and XRD. The results indicate that the blend between silk fibroin and CM-chitin was semi-miscible because only the amorphous parts of the polymers were compatible with each other. The enzymatic degradation showed that the incorporation of CM-chitin enhanced biodegradability and swelling ability of silk fibroin.     

丝素蛋白膜上5-氟尿嘧啶的包埋及其释放

讨论了包埋在丝素膜中的５－氟脲嘧啶（５－ＦＵ）的固定状况,在不同ＰＨ值下测定了丝素５－ＦＵ复合膜中药物的释放,实验结果表明：５－ＦＵ均匀地被包埋在丝素膜中,即丝素膜可以作为５－ＦＵ载体,经过比涂层保护,丝素５－ＦＵ复合膜中的５－ＦＵ溶解释放速率变慢,释放时间延长;经涂层的 素５－ＦＵ复合膜在接近丝素蛋白等电点（ＰＨ＝４．５）时,５－ＦＵ在溶液中释放速度较慢,释放时间较长,表明用调节外部溶液ＰＨ值的     

Generalized two-dimensional correlation analysis of NMR and Raman spectra for structural evolution characterizations of silk fibroin

Generalized two-dimensional (2D) correlation spectroscopy was used to characterize the structural evolution of silk fibroin as the pH changed from 6.8 to 4.8, demonstrating that the conformational transitions of silk fibroin are induced step by step as the pH decreases. 2D homo- and hetero-spectral correlation spectroscopy was used to establish the relationship between information extracted from NMR and Raman spectroscopy. This novel method reveals the structural evolution using two probes with different frequency scales (10(5-9) Hz for nuclear spin motion and 10(12-14) Hz for molecular vibration motion), reflecting the different spatial scale sensitivity to the molecular conformational change. The transition order is identified as silk I state (helix dominant) --> silk I intermediate state --> silk II intermediate state --> silk II state (beta-sheet dominant), as the pH decreases. The results may rationalize the silkworm spinning process, which undergoes the conformational transition steadily from the soluble helix state to the insoluble beta-sheet state as the pH decreases from the posterior to anterior glands.     

Structure and structural changes of the silk fibroin from Samia cynthia ricini using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The structure of silk fibroin from a wild silkworm, S. c. ricini, the amino acid sequence of which consists of repeated poly-Ala and Gly-rich regions, was examined by using solution and solid-state NMR methods. The structural transition of the silk fibroin in aqueous solution was monitored by using 13C solution NMR spectroscopy as a function of temperature. The fast exchange with respect to the chemical shift between the helix and coil conformations was observed in the poly-Ala region and the slow conformational change from alpha-helix to random coil was observed for the Gly residue adjacent to the N-terminal Ala residue of the poly-Ala region. The torsion angles of several Ala and Gly residues in the model peptide, GGAGGGYGGDGG(A)12GGA-GDGYGAG, were determined by the conformation-dependent 13C chemical shifts, rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) and 2D spin-diffusion NMR methods. The solid-state NMR analysis leads to the precise silk structure before spinning, where the poly-Ala sequence takes a typical alpha-helix pattern with a tightly winded helical structure at both terminal regions of the poly-Ala sequence. This is expected to stabilize the alpha-helical structure of the poly-Ala region in S. c. ricini silk fibroin from the silkworm.