Mucin-Inspired Lubrication on Hydrophobic Surfaces.

In the human body, high-molecular-weight glycoproteins called mucins play a key role in protecting epithelial surfaces against pathogenic attack, controlling the passage of molecules toward the tissue and enabling boundary lubrication with very low friction coefficients. However, neither the molecular mechanisms nor the chemical motifs of those biomacromolecules involved in these fundamental processes are fully understood. Thus, identifying the key features that render biomacromolecules such as mucins outstanding boundary lubricants could set the stage for creating versatile artificial superlubricants. We here demonstrate the importance of the hydrophobic terminal peptide domains of porcine gastric mucin (MUC5AC) and human salivary mucin (MUC5B) in the processes of adsorbing to and lubricating a hydrophobic PDMS surface. Tryptic digestion of those mucins results in removal of those terminal domains, which is accompanied by a loss of lubricity as well as surface adsorption. We show that this loss can in part be compensated by attaching hydrophobic phenyl groups to the glycosylated central part of the mucin macromolecule. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the simple biopolysaccharide dextran can be functionalized with hydrophobic groups which confers efficient surface adsorption and good lubricity on PDMS to the polysaccharide.

Macromolecular Coating Enables Tunable Selectivity in a Porous PDMS Matrix.

Whether for laboratory use or clinical practice, many fields in Life Sciences require selective filtering. However, most existing filter systems lack the ability to easily tune their filtration behavior. Two key elements for efficient filtering are a high surface-to-volume ratio and the presence of suitable chemical groups which establish selectivity. In this study, an artificial PDMS-based capillary system with highly tunable selectivity properties is presented. The high surface-to-volume ratio of this filter system is generated by first embedding sugar fibers into a synthetic polymer matrix and then dissolving these fibers from the cured polymer. To functionalize this filter, the inner surface of the capillaries is coated with purified or synthetic macromolecules. Depending on the type of macromolecule used for filter functionalization, selective sieving is observed based on steric hindrance, electrostatic binding, electrostatic repulsion, or specific binding interactions. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that enzymes can be immobilized in the capillary system which allows for performing multiple cycles of enzymatic reactions with the same batch of enzymes and without the need to separate the enzymes from their reaction products. In addition to lab-scale filtration and enzyme immobilization applications demonstrated here, the functionalized porous PDMS matrix may also be used to test binding interactions between different molecules.

Transient binding promotes molecule penetration into mucin hydrogels by enhancing molecular partitioning.

Here, we present a microfluidics chip platform which allows for studying the charge-dependent transport of molecules across the interface of acidic mucin gels. With this setup, we demonstrate a selective accumulation of molecules at the liquid/gel interface of mucin hydrogels that occurs as a function of the molecule charge: this phenomenon is strongly pronounced for cationic molecules, weakly pronounced for anionic molecules and absent for neutral molecules. We suggest that molecular transport into and across the gel depends on two main factors, i.e. molecule partitioning from the liquid phase into the gel phase and molecule diffusion throughout the gel. Transient binding of charged molecules to the mucin biopolymers enhances the former process whereas it slows down the latter. This model is supported by a theoretical description of this molecular transport process that is based on diffusion-reaction equations. With this model, we predict the efficiency of the diffusive transport of charged objects across self-renewing physiological mucus barriers. Our results challenge the prevailing notion that inert, non-mucoadhesive molecules were always more efficient in penetrating mucin-based hydrogels such as native mucus than charged molecules.

Enzymatically active biomimetic micropropellers for the penetration of mucin gels.

In the body, mucus provides an important defense mechanism by limiting the penetration of pathogens. It is therefore also a major obstacle for the efficient delivery of particle-based drug carriers. The acidic stomach lining in particular is difficult to overcome because mucin glycoproteins form viscoelastic gels under acidic conditions. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori has developed a strategy to overcome the mucus barrier by producing the enzyme urease, which locally raises the pH and consequently liquefies the mucus. This allows the bacteria to swim through mucus and to reach the epithelial surface. We present an artificial system of reactive magnetic micropropellers that mimic this strategy to move through gastric mucin gels by making use of surface-immobilized urease. The results demonstrate the validity of this biomimetic approach to penetrate biological gels, and show that externally propelled microstructures can actively and reversibly manipulate the physical state of their surroundings, suggesting that such particles could potentially penetrate native mucus.