| dc.description.abstract | Silk is a natural protein produced by members of the class Arachnida (over 30,000 species of spiders) and by several worms. Silk-based materials have been investigated for medical and biotechnological applications for many years. Although silkworm silk has been studied extensively because of ready availability of the protein, lately the advancements in recombinant technology has made production of spider silk proteins increasingly available. Due to the characteristics like biocompatibility, biodegradability and mechanical strength, silk is highly desirable as a biomaterial for medical purpose. Along with this, techniques for functionalization, has further aided in the development of silk into highly sophisticated material for advanced applications.
The main objective of this thesis has been to investigate novel strategies for functionalization of the recombinant spider silk protein Masp2. Two distinct approaches were used, chemical modification and genetic fusion. In the first modification, we created an infection responsive silk nanospheres by chemically grafting a thrombin sensitive peptide to the silk protein encapsulating antibiotic. These particles were then evaluated for in vitro infection responsive drug release and antimicrobial activity. From these assessments, we found that these particles can release the drug effectively in the presence of infection providing the evidence that these particles are enzyme responsive and can be used to formulate targeted drug release. In the second modification, spider silk was genetically modified with a heparin binding peptide to create a fusion protein which can prevent both thrombosis and infection simultaneously. This fusion protein was evaluated for its heparin binding ability and anticoagulant properties in its solution form. Furthermore, due to the similarity in structure of HBP with antimicrobial peptides, it is predicted that the fusion protein will also show antimicrobial property. After establishing these properties, next this fusion protein was utilized as a coating for hemodialysis catheter. Deposition of coating was evaluated after which anticoagulant and anti-infective properties of the protein as a coating material was investigated.
This thesis provides evidence of successful production of a recombinant silk-based biopolymer that can be chemically and genetically embedded with a various functional motif to create a hybrid product for different applications. | en_US |
