Interaction mechanism and compatibility studies of silk protein peptide (SPP) with the common surfactants SDS and...

The molecular interaction of low-molecular-weight SPP with common surfactants (SDS and DTAB) is a more complicated process than has been long believed. In this work, the interaction mechanism between SDS/DTAB and SPP was proposed using multiple methods including conductivity measurements, ST, UV-vis, FT-IR, DLS, fluorescence spectroscopy, and molecular docking simulations. Moreover, the foaming properties of the mixed systems were studied, and they were evaluated as cosmetics preservatives. The effects of various surfactant and protein concentrations and ratios on compatibility and functionality were studied. Based on the results, the mechanism of complex formation was identified as a cooperative van der Waals interaction followed by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding. A simpler head group leads to easier aggregation and interaction with the SPP, the formation of smaller-sized complexes, and a weaker impact on the fluorescence intensity. Thus, SDS monomers easily aggregate on SPP chains, leading to a stronger influence on the final secondary structure of SPP. This was confirmed by multiple spectroscopy methods. Comparing its single surfactant system, the SDS-SPP solution demonstrates better foaming power and the DTAB-SPP solution shows higher bacteriostatic activity. The good compatibility between SDS/DTAB and SPP can improve the functional properties of SDS or DTAB as well as lower the optimal concentration of each component. These results provide data and theoretical support for the design of cosmetic product formulas.