Development and evaluation of bioinspired pH-responsive sericin–chitosan-based hydrogel for controlled colonic delivery of PETase: Harnessing PETase-triggered degradation of microplastics

The gravity of threats posed by microplastic pollution to the environment cannot be overestimated. Being ubiquitous in the living environment, microplastics reach humans through the food chain causing various hazardous effects. Microplastics can be effectively degraded by PETase enzymes. The current...

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Published in:International journal of biological macromolecules 2023-07, Vol.242 (Pt 1), p.124698-124698, Article 124698
Main Authors: Ullah, Aziz, Lee, Gyu-Jin, Kim, Hyunji, Kwon, Hyuk Taek, Lim, Sung In
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chitosan
Chitosan - chemistry
Humans
Hydrogels - chemistry
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Microplastics
PET degradation
PETase delivery
pH-responsive hydrogels
Plastics
Sericin
Sericins
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Summary:The gravity of threats posed by microplastic pollution to the environment cannot be overestimated. Being ubiquitous in the living environment, microplastics reach humans through the food chain causing various hazardous effects. Microplastics can be effectively degraded by PETase enzymes. The current study reports, for the first time, a hydrogel-encapsulated, bioinspired colonic delivery of PETase. A free radical polymerization-assisted hydrogel system was synthesized from sericin, chitosan, and acrylic acid using N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate as an initiator. The hydrogel was characterized with FTIR, PXRD, SEM, and thermal analysis to confirm the development of a stabilized hydrogel system. The hydrogel showed 61 % encapsulation efficiency, maximum swelling, and cumulative PETase release (96 %) at pH 7.4. The mechanism of PETase release exhibited the Higuchi pattern of release with an anomalous transport mechanism. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the preservation of the post-release structural integrity of PETase. The released PETase exhibited concentration- and time-dependent degradation of polyethylene terephthalate in vitro. The developed hydrogel system exhibited the intended features of a stimulus-sensitive carrier system that can be efficiently used for the colonic delivery of PETase. [Display omitted]
ISSN:0141-8130
1879-0003
DOI:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124698