idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Grafik: idw-Logo

idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft

Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instance:
Share on: 
03/05/2018 10:40

Producing handy gels from a protein found in human blood

Tom Leonhardt Pressestelle
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

    From blood to the lab: the protein albumin is responsible for many vital processes in the human body. In nature it only appears as a solution when dissolved in water. Chemists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have developed a method of producing various albumin-based gels. Their findings may one day help to develop innovative drug carrier systems that more easily reach the bloodstream. The study conducted by the researchers in Halle was recently featured on the cover of the international Journal "Biomaterials Science" published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

    Albumin is a protein that is found in large quantities in the blood of all mammals. Human blood contains up to 60 grams per litre. "Albumin is responsible for many important processes in the body. It can penetrate cell membranes and is thus able to transport essential substances into the cells. It also helps to detoxify cells," says Professor Dariush Hinderberger, a chemist at MLU. He has been investigating albumin for more than ten years, studying the protein’s structure, dynamics and transport properties. Today it is already being used by the pharmaceutical industry to produce vaccines and medicines - however not in gel form.

    "Until now albumin gels have been a somewhat annoying by-product of normal lab work," says Hinderberger. However, in the future they could be used to produce so-called drug-delivery implants. These would be injected once into the patient and would then settle in the body. The carrier would then slowly be broken down by the body and the desired substance would be released over a longer period of time. This could save patients from having to undergo repeated injections. "But in order to see whether potential albumin-based drug carrier systems can be developed, it is first necessary to understand how and why the gels form," says Hinderberger, summarising the idea behind his new study.

    In response, the chemists at MLU investigated various albumin solutions. "We wanted to find out what exactly happens to the protein particles and their structure when we modify certain properties," says Hinderberger. First the researchers tested how the solution’s pH value affects gel formation. Then they heated up the liquid and analysed which changes occurred and at what stage. With the aid of infrared spectroscopy the group is now able to demonstrate how the structure of albumin changes when exposed to heat. The protein tangle opens up allowing it to more easily clump together with other substances to produce the gel. Based on these findings the research group was able to produce a different, much softer, gel. They did this by slowing down the gel formation process, lowering the temperature and choosing a solution with a relatively neutral pH value. "Under these conditions there was little change to the structure of the individual albumin molecules from which the other basic mechanical properties of the gel stem," explains Hinderberger.

    Finally, the researchers pursued the question of whether albumin gels are principally suited as drug carriers. In initial investigations they were able to show that, for instance, fatty acids bind well to the gel. However, follow-up studies will be needed to find out whether the substances are also suitable for pharmaceutical agents in the human body.

    About the publication:
    S. Arabi et al. (2018) "Serum Albumin Hydrogels in Broad pH and Temperature Ranges: Characterization of Their Self-Assembled Structures, Nanoscopic and Macroscopic Properties". Biomaterials Science, doi: 10.1039/C7BM00820A


    Images

    The study led by Dariush Hinderberger is the cover story of the recent issue of "Biomaterials Science".
    The study led by Dariush Hinderberger is the cover story of the recent issue of "Biomaterials Scienc ...
    Biomaterials Science / Royal Society of Chemistry
    None


    Criteria of this press release:
    Journalists, Scientists and scholars
    Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
    transregional, national
    Research results
    English


     

    Help

    Search / advanced search of the idw archives
    Combination of search terms

    You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.

    Brackets

    You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).

    Phrases

    Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.

    Selection criteria

    You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).

    If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).