Search

Type I collagen is a fibrous protein, which is highly biocompatible and biodegradable and exhibits low immunogenicity with its unique feature of undergoing a spontaneous self-assembly process. However, the excessive accumulation of collagen may lead to a condition known as fibrosis in vertebrates. Recently, saturated fatty acids have gained much attention as biomedical and therapeutic agents. Therefore, drawing inspiration from the biological and structural tunability of these fatty acids, this work aims to inhibit the self-assembly of type I collagen using (±)-α-lipoic acid (ALA). Reconstituted collagen and its blends with (±)-ALA under physiological conditions were subjected to fibril growth kinetics measurements, which exhibited the decrease in the rate of fibrillogenesis (t1/2) with an increase in the concentration of ALA. Variations in the viscoelasticity of collagen and ALA blend with respect to rate and frequency showed significant changes. Further, the frequency shifts of different functional groups via FT-IR (ATR) and the morphological changes associated with fibril inhibition were visualized using a cryoscanning electron microscope. Molecular dynamics simulation of the collagen-like peptide with the (±)-ALA molecule at different molar ratios proved that (±)-ALA had a strong potential to bind at various sites of collagen mediated by conventional secondary or noncovalent forces. Thus, the protein–small molecule interaction dominates the forces prevailing between protein–protein binding, leading to the inhibition of the self-assembly process. Such inhibitory effects by a fatty acid may unfold newer avenues for development of targeted and sustainable drug delivery systems for fibrotic diseases.

Free radicals are generated by various biochemical pathways in the living system, causing severe oxidative damage to the biomolecules leading to adverse disease conditions. Hence, there is an increasing interest in antioxidant studies for preventing the effects of these free radicals. Herein, we propose a novel electrospun scaffold with antioxidant properties that can be used as wound healing material. Fenugreek, a natural antioxidant incorporated silk fibroin nanofiber, was prepared in four different ratios by the co-electrospinning method. The biocompatibility of the nanofibers and its antioxidant activity were evaluated through 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay, respectively. The experimental observations indicate that the incorporation of fenugreek increases the thermal and mechanical properties of silk fibroin nanofibers. DPPH assay proves that the antioxidant property is enhanced with increasing concentration of fenugreek in nanofiber mats, and the Swiss albino 3T6 fibroblasts show better proliferation on the nanofibrous scaffolds. Further, the wound healing efficiency of fenugreek incorporated silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds was evaluated using full thickness excisional wounds in rat model. Wound healing was accelerated in silk fibroin–fenugreek nanofibers treated wounds with complete re-epithelialization and enhanced collagen deposition. The present study validates the use of fenugreek incorporated silk fibroin nanofiber mats as antioxidant scaffolds in wound healing applications.

Recently, biomass-derived nitrogen self-doped porous activated carbon has gained more interest in the area of low-cost energy storage systems. In this work, nitrogen self-doped porous activated carbons (NPACs) derived from raw leather trimming waste has been prepared by carbonization followed by chemical activation using KOH as an activating agent at different temperature (600, 700, & 800 °C). The prepared NPAC-700 had a very high specific surface area of 1364 ± 18 m2 g−1, the pore volume was 0.7 ± 0.06 cm3 g-1,and the pore size of ~2–5 nm. The specific capacitance value of 251 ± 7 F g−1at 1 A g−1and capacity retention of 91 % even after 10,000 cycles at 10 A g−1is noteworthy. NPAC-700 produced a maximum energy density of 6.95 Wh kg−1at 0.5 A g−1and a high-power density of 9972 W kg−1at 20 A g−1. Also, we fabricated a pouch type supercapacitor (5 × 5 cm2) exhibiting a superior high specific capacitance of 108 ± 5 F g−1at 0.5 A g−1. Thus, an efficient value added product has been developed from industrial waste.

Keratin an underutilised biopolymer, with its composite structure, amino acid composition and amphoteric nature is a potential material for sorption/desorption of toxic pollutants. We hypothesized that post-fabrication functionalization of keratin over electrospun mats could solve the problem of incompatibility existing between membrane polymers and keratin, which is due to the limited dissolution capacity of keratin in solvent used for membrane preparation. Accordingly, the PEI (Polyethyleneimine)/PAN (Polyacrylonitrile) based system was fabricated in a simple and sustainable manner over which keratin was functionalized via electrostatic interaction (with PEI). The functionalized membranes were then studied for their capacity to reject a recalcitrant anionic dye, Alizarin Red S in a dead end filtration setup. The keratin functionalized over the surface significantly altered the functionality and permeability of membranes, thus resulting in an enhanced rejection capacity of 93.25% as compared to 70.18% of the unfunctionalized membrane. The synergistic effect of decreased surface roughness (physical characteristic) and electrostatic repulsion mechanism (chemical characteristic) of the system was responsible for the enhanced rejections. This study has become the first of its kind in utilizing an electrospun microfiltration membrane for dye removal via a filtration mechanism, where so far only adsorption based experiments were effective.