Hyperthermostability of prawn ferritin nanocage facilitates its application as a robust nanovehicle for nutraceuticals

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2021-11, Vol.191, p.152-160
• Main Authors: Tan, Xiaoyi, Liu, Yu, Zang, Jiachen, Zhang, Tuo, Zhao, Guanghua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Curcumin - administration & dosage; Dietary Supplements; Encapsulation; Ferritin nanocage; Ferritins - chemistry; Ferritins - genetics; Hyperthermostability; Insulation protective; Mutation; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Penaeidae - chemistry; Pharmaceutical Vehicles - chemistry; Protein Domains; Protein Stability; Salt bridge networks
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.09.067

The favorable physicochemical properties are essential for the application of protein-based nanovehicles in the field of biomaterials. Herein, we found that the thermal stability of Marsupenaeus japonicus ferritin (MjFer) (Tm = 109.1 ± 0.4 °C) is markedly higher than human H-chain ferritin (HuHF) (Tm = 87.7 ± 0.3 °C), although they share a high structural similarity. Multiple results indicated that the promoted thermal stability of MjFer is mainly derived from the salt bridges located at the C3 interface. Consequently, MjFer exhibits strong protective effects on encapsulated curcumin upon exposure at high temperatures. In contrast, most of the curcumin loaded HuHF composites precipitated rapidly under the same conditions. These findings elucidated the molecular mechanism of the hyperthermostability of MjFer and illustrated that MjFer could act as a robust insulation nanocarrier for bioactive compounds against various thermal treatments.