Ultra-stable liquid crystal droplets coated by sustainable plant-based materials for optical sensing of chemical and biological analytes

Aery, Shikha; Parry, Adele; Calahorra, Andrea Araiza; Evans, Stephen D.; Gleeson, Helen F.; Dan, Abhijit; Hetherington, Marion M.

doi:10.1039/d3tc00598d

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 57 publications

(162 reference statements)

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“…Thus, these two proteins do not complex into one microgel remaining as separate microgel entities perhaps with minor sub-unit complexation as d H remain similar to those individual microgels. Such d H values are typical to other reported microgels from both animal and plant protein-based sources 18,[32][33][34] with their differences in size being dependant on protein conformation, concentration, solubility and water holding capacity besides processing variables. When comparing to native proteins i.e., non-microgelled plant protein isolates/concentrates, these often produce more variation in size as they are highly polydisperse, aggregated and may need filtering due to sedimentation 8,35 .…”

Section: Structure Of Microgels Across Scalessupporting

confidence: 72%

Transforming sustainable plant proteins into high performance lubricating microgels

et al. 2023

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With the resource-intensive meat industry accounting for over 50% of food-linked emissions, plant protein consumption is an inevitable need of the hour. Despite its significance, the key barrier to adoption of plant proteins is their astringent off-sensation, typically associated with high friction and consequently poor lubrication performance. Herein, we demonstrate that by transforming plant proteins into physically cross-linked microgels, it is possible to improve their lubricity remarkably, dependent on their volume fractions, as evidenced by combining tribology using biomimetic tongue-like surface with atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, rheology and adsorption measurements. Experimental findings which are fully supported by numerical modelling reveal that these non-lipidic microgels not only decrease boundary friction by an order of magnitude as compared to native protein but also replicate the lubrication performance of a 20:80 oil/water emulsion. These plant protein microgels offer a much-needed platform to design the next-generation of healthy, palatable and sustainable foods.

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Section: Structure Of Microgels Across Scalessupporting

confidence: 72%

Transforming sustainable plant proteins into high performance lubricating microgels

et al. 2023

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“…One possible solution to this loss of sensitivity and to improve biocompatibility is the use of a protein to stabilize the LC emulsion instead, an idea that has recently gained traction. [47][48][49] A promising candidate can be found in oleosins, proteins derived from plant seeds. [50][51][52] Oleosins, are a group of proteins that stabilize the lipid droplets (oleosomes) in plant cells and, as suggested, are characterized by a long amphipathic helix with a strong affinity for apolar environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The size of a typical oleosin in rapeseeds, ≈17 kDa, is comparable to the size of the PVA commonly used for stabilizing LC droplets and shells. [6,[40][41][42]44,58] With very limited work on stabilizing emulsions of LC droplets with plant proteins, [47,49] we wanted to explore the possibility of utilizing a naturally amphiphilic protein in order to stabilize and improve the sensitivity of LC emulsions for detecting amphiphilic analytes. In this work, we investigated the use of purified oleosins from rapeseeds as stabilizers for LC droplets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biosensing with Oleosin‐Stabilized Liquid Crystal Droplets

Honaker,

Eijffius,

Plankensteiner

et al. 2024

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Liquid crystals (LCs) are emerging as novel platforms for chemical, physical, and biological sensing. They can be used to detect biological amphiphiles such as lipids, fatty acids, digestive surfactants, and bacterial endotoxins. However, designing LC‐based sensors in a manner that preserves their sensitivity and responsiveness to these stimuli, and possibly improves biocompatibility, remains challenging. In this work, the stabilization of LC droplets by oleosins, plant‐sourced and highly surface active proteins due to their extended amphipathic helix, is investigated. Purified oleosins, at sub‐micromolar concentrations, are shown to readily stabilize nematic LC droplets without switching their alignment, allowing them to detect surfactants at micromolar concentrations. Direct evidence of localization of oleosins at the LC–water interface is provided with fluorescent labeling, and the stabilized droplets remain stable over months. Interestingly, chiral LC droplets readily switch in the presence of nanomolar oleosin concentrations, an unexpected behavior that is explained by accounting for the energy barriers required for switching the alignment between the two cases. This leads thus to a twofold conclusion: oleosin‐stabilized nematic LC droplets present a biocompatible alternative for bioanalyte detection, while chiral LCs can be further investigated for use as highly sensitive sensors for detecting amphipathic helices in biological systems.

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“…Liquid crystals (LCs) are optically active anisotropic media, which are sensitive to a variety of substances due to an intrinsic ordering mobility of LC molecules in the presence of a directing factor [9][10][11]. Interactions between LC molecules in droplets or films and solutes in the contacting aqueous phase were reported to result in changes in LC optical properties in the presence of glucose [12], inorganic ions [13] and organic molecules [14][15][16], varying temperature and pH conditions [17,18], as well as amphiphiles [1,19,20] and polymers [9,21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tuning Molecular Orientation Responses of Microfluidic Liquid Crystal Dispersions to Colloid and Polymer Flows

Bezrukov,

Galyametdinov

2023

IJMS

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An important approach to molecular diagnostics is integrating organized substances that provide complex molecular level responses to introduced chemical and biological agents with conditions that optimize and distinguish such responses. In this respect, liquid crystal dispersions are attractive components of molecular diagnostic tools. This paper analyzes a colloid system, containing a nematic liquid crystal as a dispersed phase, and aqueous surfactant and polymer solutions as the continuous phases. We applied a microfluidic approach for tuning orientation of liquid crystal molecules in picoliter droplets immobilized on microchannel walls. Introduction of surfactant to the aqueous phase was found to proportionally increase the order parameter of liquid crystal molecules in microdroplets. Infusion of polymer solutions into surfactant-mediated microfluidic liquid crystal dispersions increased the order parameter at much lower surfactant concentrations, while further infusion of surfactant solutions randomized the orientation of liquid crystal molecules. These effects were correlated with the adsorption of surfactant molecules on surfaces of microdroplets, stabilizing the effect of a polymer matrix on bound surfactant ions and the formation of insoluble polymer–colloid aggregates, respectively. The revealed molecular behavior of liquid crystal dispersions may contribute to optimized synthesis of responsive liquid crystal dispersions for in-flow molecular diagnostics of polymers and colloids, and the development of functional laboratory-on-chip prototypes.

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Ultra-stable liquid crystal droplets coated by sustainable plant-based materials for optical sensing of chemical and biological analytes

Abstract: Herein, we demonstrate for the first time the synthesis of ultra-stable, spherical, nematic LC droplets of narrow size polydispersity coated by sustainable, biodegradable, plant-based materials that trigger a typical bipolar-to-radial...

Cited by 9 publications

References 57 publications

Transforming sustainable plant proteins into high performance lubricating microgels

Transforming sustainable plant proteins into high performance lubricating microgels

Biosensing with Oleosin‐Stabilized Liquid Crystal Droplets

Tuning Molecular Orientation Responses of Microfluidic Liquid Crystal Dispersions to Colloid and Polymer Flows

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