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Environmental post-processing increases the adhesion strength of mussel byssus adhesive
Matthew N George1,2, Emily Carrington1,2
1a Department of Biology , University of Washington , Seattle , USA.
Biofouling
|April 12, 2018
Summary
Marine mussel adhesive strength significantly increases in optimal pH 8 seawater, nearly doubling adhesion and improving resistance to dislodging. Low pH conditions inhibit this strengthening process, impacting the adhesive
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials science
- Marine biology
- Adhesive chemistry
Background:
- Marine mussels like Mytilus trossulus secrete underwater adhesives for attachment.
- Adhesive curing is influenced by environmental factors, particularly seawater chemistry.
- Understanding mussel adhesion mechanisms can inform synthetic adhesive design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of seawater pH on the post-processing and strengthening of Mytilus trossulus adhesive plaques.
- To quantify changes in adhesion strength and work of dislodging under varying pH conditions.
- To correlate adhesive strengthening with biochemical processes like DOPA to DOPA-quinone conversion.
Main Methods:
- Marine mussel adhesive plaques were aged in seawater across a range of pH conditions.
- Adhesion strength and work of dislodging were measured after aging.
- The timescale of strengthening was analyzed in relation to pH.
- The structural arrangement of DOPA-containing proteins was examined.
Main Results:
- Adhesive plaques aged at pH 8 achieved full strength in 8-12 days, exhibiting a +94% increase in adhesion strength and a +59% increase in work of dislodging.
- Plaques held in low pH conditions failed to strengthen and showed increased tearing under tension.
- The observed strengthening timescale aligns with pH-dependent DOPA to DOPA-quinone conversion, facilitating protein cross-linking.
- DOPA-rich proteins were found to be positioned away from the adhesive-substratum interface.
Conclusions:
- Seawater pH is a critical environmental factor influencing the post-curing and strengthening of marine mussel adhesives.
- Optimal pH conditions are necessary for the development of maximum adhesive strength, likely through DOPA cross-linking.
- The structural organization of adhesive proteins plays a key role in functional performance.
- These findings offer insights for designing advanced synthetic adhesives and metal-coordinating hydrogels.
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