Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications.

Adhesion to material surfaces is crucial for almost all organisms regarding subsequent biological responses. Mammalian cell attachment to a surrounding biological matrix is essential for maintaining their survival and function concerning tissue formation. Conversely, the adhesion and presence of microbes interferes with important multicellular processes of tissue development.

Free-standing spider silk webs of the thomisid Saccodomus formivorus are made of composites comprising micro- and submicron fibers.

Our understanding of the extraordinary mechanical and physico-chemical properties of spider silk is largely confined to the fibers produced by orb-weaving spiders, despite the diversity of foraging webs that occur across numerous spider families. Crab spiders (Thomisidae) are described as ambush predators that do not build webs, but nevertheless use silk for draglines, egg cases and assembling leaf-nests. A little-known exception is the Australian thomisid Saccodomus formivorus, which constructs a basket-like silk web of extraordinary dimensional stability and structural integrity that facilitates the capture of its ant prey.

Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Se Nanoparticles Upon Coating with Recombinant Spider Silk Protein eADF4(κ16).

Purpose: Selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) are promising antibacterial agents to tackle the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to fabricate Se NPs with a net positive charge to enhance their antibacterial efficacy.

Methods: Se NPs were coated with a positively charged protein - recombinant spider silk protein eADF4(κ16) - to give them a net positive surface charge.

Recombinant Spider Silk-Silica Hybrid Scaffolds with Drug-Releasing Properties for Tissue Engineering Applications.

Fabricating biomaterials with antimicrobial activity to prevent the growth of detrimental microorganisms is of great scientific and practical interest. Here, composite materials comprising recombinant spider silk proteins and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) loaded with selected antibiotics and antimycotics are fabricated into films and hydrogels. The derived composite materials exhibit excellent antimicrobial properties with sustained release of antibiotics over the course of 15 days.

Recombinant Spider Silk Hydrogels for Sustained Release of Biologicals.

Therapeutic biologics (i.e., proteins) have been widely recognized for the treatment, prevention, and cure of a variety of human diseases and syndromes.

Structural Insights into Water-Based Spider Silk Protein-Nanoclay Composites with Excellent Gas and Water Vapor Barrier Properties.

Nature reveals a great variety of inorganic-organic composite materials exhibiting good mechanical properties, high thermal and chemical stability, and good barrier properties. One class of natural bio-nanocomposites, e.g.

Enhanced cellular uptake of engineered spider silk particles.

Drug delivery systems allow tissue/cell specific targeting of drugs in order to reduce total drug amounts administered to an organism and potential side effects upon systemic drug delivery. Most drug delivery systems are polymer-based, but the number of possible materials is limited since many commercially available polymers induce allergic or inflammatory responses or lack either biodegradability or the necessary stability in vivo. Spider silk proteins represent a new class of (bio)polymers that can be used as drug depots or drug delivery systems.

Mimicking biopolymers on a molecular scale: nano(bio)technology based on engineered proteins.

Proteins are ubiquitous biopolymers that adopt distinct three-dimensional structures and fulfil a multitude of elementary functions in organisms. Recent systematic studies in molecular biology and biotechnology have improved the understanding of basic functional and architectural principles of proteins, making them attractive candidates as concept generators for technological development in material science, particularly in biomedicine and nano(bio)technology. This paper highlights the potential of molecular biomimetics in mimicking high-performance proteins and provides concepts for applications in four case studies, i.

Structure-function relationships of the plant cuticle and cuticular waxes - a smart material?

The cuticle is the main interface between plants and their environment. It covers the epidermis of all aerial primary parts of plant organs as a continuous extracellular matrix. This hydrophobic natural composite consists mainly of the biopolymer, cutin, and cuticular lipids collectively called waxes, with a high degree of variability in composition and structure.

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit growth and ripening as related to the biomechanical properties of fruit skin and isolated cuticle.

The control of growth rate and the mechanical integrity of the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit has been attributed to the exocarp. This study focused on the biomechanics of the fruit skin (FS) comprising cuticle, epidermis and a few subdermal cell layers, and the enzymatically isolated cuticular membrane (CM) during fruit growth and ripening.