Production of lysozyme nanofibers using deep eutectic solvent aqueous solutions
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Nuno H C S Silva1, Ricardo J B Pinto2, Carmen S R Freire2
1CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials and Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. República, Ap. 127, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal.
Abstract:
Amyloid fibrils have recently gained a lot of attention due to their morphology, functionality and mechanical strength, allowing for their application in nanofiber-based materials, biosensors, bioactive membranes and tissue engineering scaffolds. The in vitro production of amyloid fibrils is still a slow process, thus hampering the massive production of nanofibers and its consequent use. This work presents a new and faster (2-3h) fibrillation method for hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) using a deep eutectic solvent based on cholinium chloride and acetic acid. Nanofibers with dimensions of 0.5-1μm in length and 0.02-0.1μm in thickness were obtained. Experimental variables such as temperature and pH were also studied, unveiling their influence in fibrillation time and nanofibers morphology. These results open a new scope for protein fibrillation into nanofibers with applications ranging from medicine to soft matter and nanotechnology.
