Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 11, 2026

Designing Silk-silk Protein Alloy Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 13, 2014
Multiple-layer mesh from electrospinnable amyloid‑like protein and their application in treating oral ulcer
Juanhua Tian1,2, Yujia Zhang1, Yan Li1
1Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.
Abstract:
Oral ulcers significantly impair quality of life due to prolonged severe pain caused by delayed healing. The moist, dynamic, microorganism‑rich environment hinders natural scab formation and ordinary patch adhesion, limiting therapeutic outcomes. Inspired by bioadhesion, we propose an unfolding‑stabilization strategy to overcome globular protein electrospinning limitations and construct a multifunctional patch. Water triggers a conformational transition to an amyloid‑like β‑sheet interface that disrupts the hydration layer for initial wet adhesion, while Carbomer-mucin interactions further enhance retention. This synergy gives adhesion strength 6-50 times that of commercial products, enabling sustained attachment in complex oral environments for effective ulcer protection. Glycyrrhetinic acid provides local antibacterial and anti‑inflammatory effects. In a rat model, the patch improves healing by 75% over the best commercial control. It also matches the mucosal modulus, while being steroid‑free, biodegradable, and biocompatible. By integrating electrospinning with amyloid‑mediated adhesion, this work offers a scalable strategy for engineering multifunctional wet biointerfaces.
Related Concept Videos
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...

