Insect Cuticle Protein Nanoassemblies without Nonspecific Immune Response for Acute Methicillin-Resistant Pneumonia Remission.

The emergence and proliferation of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) pneumonia poses a significant global public health threat. Herein, the significant remission effect against acute MRSA pneumonia was realized through the insect cuticle protein () nanoassemblies without nonspecific immune response. The lung repair results could be attributed to the transforming of M1-type to M2-type macrophage polarization and the repression of Th17 cell differentiation in mice spleens through the intervention of nanoassemblies.

Self-assembly of peptide nanocapsules by a solvent concentration gradient.

Biological systems can create materials with intricate structures and specialized functions. In comparison, precise control of structures in human-made materials has been challenging. Here we report on insect cuticle peptides that spontaneously form nanocapsules through a single-step solvent exchange process, where the concentration gradient resulting from the mixing of water and acetone drives the localization and self-assembly of the peptides into hollow nanocapsules.

Controllably Self-Assembled Antibacterial Nanofibrils Based on Insect Cuticle Protein for Infectious Wound Healing.

Developing self-assembled biomedical materials based on insect proteins is highly desirable due to their advantages of green, rich, and sustainable characters as well as excellent biocompatibility, which has been rarely explored. Herein, salt-induced controllable self-assembly, antibacterial performance, and infectious wound healing performance of an insect cuticle protein () originating from the larva head capsule are investigated. Interestingly, the addition of salts could trigger the formation of beaded nanofibrils with uniform diameter, whose length highly depends on the salt concentration.

Coassembly of a New Insect Cuticular Protein and Chitosan via Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.

Insect cuticle is a fiber-reinforced composite material that consists of polysaccharide chitin fibers and a protein matrix. The molecular interactions between insect cuticle proteins and chitin that govern the assembly and evolution of cuticles are still not well understood. Herein, we report that cuticular protein hypothetical-1 (CPH-1), a newly discovered and most abundant cuticular protein from Asian corn borer , can form coacervates in the presence of chitosan.