pH stability and comparative evaluation of ranaspumin-2 foam for application in biochemical reactors

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Foams serve as natural micro/nano-scale bioreactors, but stable, biocompatible formulations are needed for in vitro applications.
• Ranaspumin-2 (RSN-2), a frog foam nest protein, possesses strong surfactant properties.
• Previous research has not established a basis for designing stable and biocompatible foam formulations for biosynthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate ranaspumin-2 (RSN-2) as a component for stable and biocompatible foam formulations.
• To assess the foamability, stability, and biocompatibility of RSN-2.
• To compare RSN-2 performance with conventional surfactants like Tween 20, Triton X-100, and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA).

Main Methods:

• Investigated RSN-2 foam production across a wide pH range at low protein concentration (1 mg ml(-1)).
• Assessed foam stability, particularly at near-neutral pH.
• Evaluated the physicochemical and biochemical stability of model systems (liposomes, inactivated influenza virus) and bacterial growth kinetics in the presence of RSN-2.

Main Results:

• RSN-2 effectively produced stable foams at low concentrations (1 mg ml(-1)) and pH ≥ 3.
• Optimal foam stability was achieved near neutral pH.
• RSN-2 demonstrated biocompatibility, maintaining the integrity and function of liposomes, influenza virus, and bacterial cells.
• Conventional surfactants (Tween 20, Triton X-100, BSA) showed inferior performance in foamability and stability.

Conclusions:

• RSN-2 is a promising candidate for in vitro foam biosynthesis due to its excellent foamability, stability, and biocompatibility.
• RSN-2 offers unique advantages over synthetic surfactants for creating micro/nano-scale bioreactors.
• Further research into RSN-2 formulations could advance in vitro biosynthesis applications.