Protein
fibrils are regarded as undesired products as these are
associated with numerous neuro- and non-neurodegenerative disorders.
Increasing evidence suggests that the mechanism of fibrillation involves
the formation of various oligomeric intermediates, which are known
to be more toxic than mature fibrils. Here, we report the impact of
synthesized silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) of diameters ∼52 nm
on the aggregation behavior of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) under
heat and acidic conditions. Congo red as well as ThT binding assays
and AFM imaging studies indicate that SiNPs trigger the amyloid formation
of HEWL in a dose-dependent manner. ThT kinetic studies and FTIR studies
suggest that the fibrillation kinetics does not involve the formation
of toxic oligomeric intermediates at higher concentrations of SiNPs.
By measuring fluorescence lifetime values of the bound ThT, SiNP-induced
fibrillation of HEWL can easily be realized. CD spectroscopic studies
indicate that native HEWL becomes unfolded upon incubation under the
experimental conditions and is rapidly converted into the β-sheet-rich
fibrillar aggregates in the presence of SiNPs with increasing concentrations.
It has been further revealed that fibrillar aggregates formed at higher
concentrations of SiNPs preferably adopt an antiparallel β-sheet
configuration. The enhanced fibrillation in the presence of SiNPs
is likely because of preferential adsorption of the non-amyloidogenic
regions of HEWL, resulting in the exposure of the aggregation-prone
regions of HEWL toward the solvent. The study will provide deeper
insights into the evolution of oligomer-free fibrillation that can
be useful to demonstrate the underlying mechanism of amyloid fibrillation.
Self‐cleaning surface coatings is ubiquitous with variety of products today including glass and ceramic tiles, anti‐fogging mirrors, paints, mortars, and concrete. The phenomenon of self‐cleaning is attributed to superhydrophobic surface capable of cleaning itself without any human intervention. The development of superhydrophobic surfaces has been inspired by the desire to mimic the nature viz., water repellent property of lotus leaves and the process is termed as lotus effect. A variety of chemical and physical methods have been reported to fabricate of rough surfaces with low‐surface‐energy coating like, molecular assembly processes, chemical vapor deposition, sol–gel method, and breath‐figure technique (BFT) among others. Among them, BFT offers simple solution processability, robustness, and excellent tunability of surface architecture at different length scales. In this progress report, molecular architectonics of small functional molecules and its application in fabricating selfcleaning materials and surfaces through simple solution processing techniques is described. In these bioinspired approaches, self‐assembly properties of small functional molecules at the molecular level can be controlled by conjugating with basic biomolecules or biomimetic units as functional auxiliaries and adapting suitable experimental techniques. Overall, this progress report demonstrates the progress in molecular architectonics‐based approaches to develop superhydrophobic surfaces with self‐cleaning applications.
Amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation species-associated cellular stress instigates cytotoxicity and adverse cellular stiffness to neuronal cells. The study and modulation of these adverse effects demand immediate attention to tackle Alzheimer’s...
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