pH and ion-selective swelling behaviour of keratin and keratose 3D hydrogels

GALABURRI, GONZALO; PERALTA RAMOS, MARÍA L.; LÁZARO-MARTÍNEZ, JUAN M.; FERNÁNDEZ DE LUIS, ROBERTO; ARRIORTUA, MARÍA ISABEL; VILLANUEVA, MARÍA E.; COPELLO, GUILLERMO J.

EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2019 vol. 118 p. 1 - 9

0014-3057

Theoxidation of keratin hydrogels was optimized aiming to obtainkeratose hydrogels while maintaining the original 3D structure andpH-responsive behaviour. In addition, we present a comparative studyof their dual-stimuli responsive behaviour regarding thepH-responsiveness and their previously non-described ion selectiveresponsiveness. Keratose and keratin hydrogels showed similarswellings when contracted at low pH, and the former showed steeperexpansion and higher swelling than the latter at high pH. Inaddition, both hydrogels showed selective responsiveness toward Ca2+ions when expanded and toward Cu2+ ions when contracted.IR, Raman, ss-NMR, HRMAS NMR, SAXS, and thermalcharacterization demonstrated that oxidation does not interfere withthe stimuli-responsive mechanisms related to protein conformation.The higher swelling of keratose hydrogels would be originated in theincrease of the mobility of the chains after oxidation coupled to thehydration of sulfonic acid groups.p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 115%; }a.cjk:link { }a.ctl:link { }