1. PEGDA hydrogel microspheres with encapsulated salt for versatile control of protein crystallization.
- Author
-
Yan, Yizhen, Vladisavljević, Goran T., Lin, Zhichun, Yang, Huaiyu, Zhang, Xiangyang, and Yuan, Weikang
- Subjects
- *
SUPERSATURATION , *CRYSTALLIZATION , *ELECTRICAL conductivity measurement , *MICROSPHERES , *CHEMICAL structure , *HYDROGELS , *BIOCOMPATIBILITY - Abstract
Utilizing the novel salt-loaded hydrogel microspheres, the controlled crystallization of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) was accomplished by attaining precipitant-dependent, location-dependent, and time-dependent regulation of supersaturation and nucleation. [Display omitted] • Synthesis of monodispersed PEGDA hydrogel microspheres (HMSs). • HMSs are used as templates loaded with different concentrations of NaCl. • Demonstration of precipitation-dependent, location-dependent, and time-dependent control of the supersaturation by HMSs. • Applications of nucleation and crystal size control by HMSs. Due to their biocompatibility and adjustable chemical structure and morphology, hydrogels have great potential in many applications, and can be used to enhance protein crystal quality and crystallization efficiency, contributing to biomedicine manufacturing. Monodispersed PEGDA hydrogel microspheres (HMSs) were synthesized using a Lego-inspired microfluidic device. The generated droplets were then UV polymerized, partially hydrolyzed with 0.1 M NaOH solution to improve their absorption capacity, and soaked in a buffer solution containing 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 M NaCl. Salt-loaded HMSs were used as the medium for the enhanced crystallization of hen egg white lysozyme from aqueous solutions. Different supersaturations were achieved in the protein solutions by releasing NaCl of different concentrations from HMSs, as confirmed by electrical conductivity measurements. HMSs with or without NaCl can both provide heterogeneous nucleation sites due to their nano-porous structure and wrinkled surface. The addition of NaCl-loaded HMSs to the protein solution can also increase or decrease the supersaturation in the whole solution or locally near the HMS, leading to controllable nucleation time and crystal size distribution dependent on the NaCl concentration loaded into HMSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF