Self-assembled uniform keratin nanoparticles as building blocks for nanofibrils and nanolayers derived from industrial feather waste

Effect of ultrasound on keratin valorization from chicken feather waste: Process optimization and keratin characterization

“…Some treatments have been found to remarkably change the keratin CI. For example, the keratin extracted using 2 ME had a CI of 30.46 % [31] . In this study, the regenerated keratin showed a decrease in crystallinity rate at about 62 % compared to raw chicken feather (66.27 %), and different conditions made no remarkable changes in CI ( Table S2 ).…”

“…The crystallinity index (CI) was calculated with Eq. (2) [31] : where A total is the total area under the diffraction curve from 5 to 60°, and A cystal is the area below the crystal diffraction peaks.…”

Bioactive Keratin and Fibroin Nanoparticles: An Overview of Their Preparation Strategies

“…In particular, when the self-assembly technique is used for the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles-i.e., proteins [82]-the presence of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains is exploited. In fact, in water, the proteins form micelles, where hydrophobic domains face the core while hydrophilic domains orient on the surface, as represented in Figure 6.…”

Polyplexes of DNA and Poly(l-lysine) Stabilized by Au Nanoparticles for Targeted Photothermal Therapy

“…In particular, the nanosized polyplexes composed of negatively charged condensed DNA and cationic polymers (DNA-polycation polyplex) have been intensely investigated mainly for their roles as excellent nonimmunogenic biocompatible carriers for DNA delivery. − Importantly, the rapid biodegradation of DNA-polycation polyplexes into nontoxic monomers under physiological conditions minimizes the possible cellular toxicity stemming from the cationic surface properties. , In addition to the biomedical applications, DNA-polycation polyplexes are highly attractive from the viewpoint of synthesis, because their size and surface charge can be easily controlled by changing their molecular weight or composition . Overall, the DNA-polycation polyplexes have potential advantages as biodegradable organic building blocks for the synthesis of functional nanomaterials, as demonstrated with other organic and inorganic nanoparticles. − Unfortunately, however, the polyplexes can be easily destabilized or irreversibly aggregated even under common reaction conditions, such as high ionic strength, high temperature, and mechanical stress, all of which are a vast hurdle for their chemical modification. − For the stabilization of polyplexes, molecular crosslinkers, , PEGylated cationic polymers, , and annealing method have been mainly employed. Additionally, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been intensely investigated as stabilizing agents for soft nanoparticles, such as microbubbles, liposomes, and micelles. − Despite their efficiency and convenience, however, no studies have taken advantage of AuNPs to stabilize DNA polyplexes for their further nanofabrication as organic building blocks to date.…”