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Diverse fields of modern technology and biomedicine can benefit from the application of ready-to-use chitin-based scaffolds. In this work we show for the first time the applicability of tubular and porous chitin from Caribena versicolor spiders as a scaffold for the development of an effective CuO/Cu(OH)2 catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AM), and as a scaffold for the tissue engineering of selected cells. The formation of CuO/Cu(OH)2 phases on and within the chitinous tubes leads to a hybrid material with excellent catalytic performance with respect to the reduction of p-nitrophenol. On the other hand, experimental results provide for the first time strong evidence for the biocompatibility of spider chitin with different cell types, a human progenitor cell line (hPheo1), as well as cardiomyocytes differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) that were cultured on a tube-like scaffold.

Among marine demosponges (Porifera: Demospongiae), only representatives of the order Verongiida have been recognized to synthetize both biologically active substances as well as scaffolds-like fibrous skeletons made of structural aminopolysaccharide chitin. The unique 3D architecture of such scaffolds open perspectives for their applications in waste treatment, biomimetics and tissue engineering. Here, we focus special attention to the demosponge Pseudoceratina purpurea collected in the coastal waters of Singapore. For the first time the detailed description of the isolation of chitin from the skeleton of this sponge and its identification using diverse bioanalytical tools were carried out. Calcofluor white staining, FTIR analysis, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), SEM, and fluorescence microscopy as well as a chitinase digestion assay were applied in order to confirm with strong evidence the finding of alpha-chitin in the skeleton of P. purpurea. We suggest that the discovery of chitin within representatives of Pseudoceratinidae family is a perspective step in evaluation of these verongiid sponges as novel renewable sources for both chitin and biologically active metabolites, which are of prospective use for marine oriented biomedicine and pharmacology, respectively.

Evolution and multi-functionality of the chitin system in sponges (Porifera) is currently a prime focus in modern experimental zoology including in phylogenetic studies of diverse poriferan taxa. Here, we present the first evidence of chitin in the skeleton of the demosponge originally defined as Dendrilla lacunosa (Porifera: Dendroceratida: Keratosa). The presence of chitin has been clearly confirmed using special Calcofluor white staining, Fourier-transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), as well as a chitinase digestion assay. This feature is, however, unusual for Keratosa sponges with skeletons usually made of structural protein – spongin, and at the same time is typical for sponges of the Verongiida (subclass Verongimorpha). Consequently, obtained bioanalytical results, together with our findings about distinctive morphological and molecular characters of this Dendrilla-like sponge confirmed the necessity of renaming this organism as a novel species Ernstilla lacunosa in the new family Ernstillidae. This study is the first example of the impact of the reporting of chitin on the systematics of sponges.

Sponges (Porifera) are recognized as aquatic multicellular organisms which developed an effective biochemical pathway over millions of years of evolution to produce both biologically active secondary metabolites and biopolymer-based skeletal structures. Among marine demosponges, only representatives of the Verongiida order are known to synthetize biologically active substances as well as skeletons made of structural polysaccharide chitin. The unique three-dimensional (3D) architecture of such chitinous skeletons opens the widow for their recent applications as adsorbents, as well as scaffolds for tissue engineering and biomimetics. This study has the ambitious goal of monitoring other orders beyond Verongiida demosponges and finding alternative sources of naturally prestructured chitinous scaffolds; especially in those demosponge species which can be cultivated at large scales using marine farming conditions. Special attention has been paid to the demosponge Mycale euplectellioides (Heteroscleromorpha: Poecilosclerida: Mycalidae) collected in the Red Sea. For the first time, we present here a detailed study of the isolation of chitin from the skeleton of this sponge, as well as its identification using diverse bioanalytical tools. Calcofluor white staining, Fourier-transform Infrared Spcetcroscopy (FTIR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and fluorescence microscopy, as well as a chitinase digestion assay were applied in order to confirm with strong evidence the finding of a-chitin in the skeleton of M. euplectellioides. We suggest that the discovery of chitin within representatives of the Mycale genus is a promising step in their evaluation of these globally distributed sponges as new renewable sources for both biologically active metabolites and chitin, which are of prospective use for pharmacology and biomaterials oriented biomedicine, respectively.

Marine demosponges (Porifera: Demospongiae) are recognized as first metazoans which have developed over millions of years of evolution effective survival strategies based on unique metabolic pathways to produce both biologically active secondary metabolites and biopolymer-based stiff skeletons with 3D architecture. Up to date, among marine demosponges, only representatives of the Verongiida order have been known to synthetize biologically active substances as well as skeletons made of structural polysaccharide chitin. This work, to our knowledge, demonstrates for the first time that chitin is an important structural component within skeletons of non-verongiid demosponges Acarnus wolffgangi and Echinoclathria gibbosa collected in the Red Sea. Calcofluor white staining, FTIR and Raman analysis, ESI-MS, SEM, and fluorescence microscopy as well as a chitinase digestion assay were applied in order to confirm, with strong evidence, the finding of α-chitin in the skeleton of both species. We suggest that, the finding of chitin within these representatives of Poecilosclerida order is a promising step in the evaluation of these sponges as novel renewable sources for both biologically active metabolites and chitin, which are of prospective application for pharmacology and biomedicine.

Chitin, as a fundamental polysaccharide in invertebrate skeletons, continues to be actively investigated, especially with respect to new sources and the development of effective methods for its extraction. Recent attention has been focused on marine crustaceans and sponges, however, the potential of spiders (order Araneae) as an alternative source of tubular chitin has been overlooked. In this work, we focused our attention on chitin from up to 12 cm-large Theraphosidae spiders, popularly known as tarantulas or bird-eating spiders. These organisms &ldquo, lose&rdquo, large quantities of cuticles during their molting cycle. Here, we present for the first time a highly effective method for the isolation of chitin from Caribena versicolor spider molt cuticle, as well as its identification and characterization using modern analytical methods. We suggest that the tube-like molt cuticle of this spider can serve as a naturally prefabricated and renewable source of tubular chitin with high potential for application in technology and biomedicine.

The bioactive bromotyrosine-derived alkaloids and unique morphologically-defined fibrous skeleton of chitin origin have been found recently in marine demosponges of the order Verongiida. The sophisticated three-dimensional (3D) structure of skeletal chitinous scaffolds supported their use in biomedicine, tissue engineering as well as in diverse modern technologies. The goal of this study was the screening of new species of the order Verongiida to find another renewable source of naturally prefabricated 3D chitinous scaffolds. Special attention was paid to demosponge species, which could be farmed on large scale using marine aquaculture methods. In this study, the demosponge Pseudoceratina arabica collected in the coastal waters of the Egyptian Red Sea was examined as a potential source of chitin for the first time. Various bioanalytical tools including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence microscopy, FTIR analysis, Calcofluor white staining, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), as well as a chitinase digestion assay were successfully used to confirm the discovery of &alpha, chitin within the skeleton of P. arabica. The current finding should make an important contribution to the field of application of this verongiid sponge as a novel renewable source of biologically-active metabolites and chitin, which are important for development of the blue biotechnology especially in marine oriented biomedicine.