Anna Płanecka

Chemical and thermal cross-linking of collagen and elastin hydrolysates

Chemical and thermal cross-linking of collagen soluble in acetic acid and elastin hydrolysates soluble in water have been studied. Solutions of collagen and elastin hydrolysates were treated using variable concentrations of 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). Moreover, diepoxypropylether (DEPE) has been used as cross-linking agent. Films made of collagen and elastin hydrolysates were also treated with temperature at 60°C and 100°C to get additional cross-links. The effect of cross-linking has been studied using FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, AFM and SEM microscopy. Mechanical and surface properties of materials have been studied after cross-linking. It was found that thermal and mechanical properties of collagen and elastin materials have been altered after thermal treatment and after the reactions with EDC/NHS and/or DEPE. Surface properties of collagen materials after chemical cross-linking have been modified. Thermal and chemical cross-linking of collagen films lead to alteration of polarity of the surface.

The influence of UV-irradiation on thermal and mechanical properties of chitosan and silk fibroin mixtures.

In the present paper the results regarding the influence of UV-irradiation with 254 nm wavelength on the thermal and mechanical properties and the intrinsic viscosity of chitosan/silk fibroin mixtures are presented. The mixture of chitosan and silk fibroin in solution and thin films made of chitosan/silk fibroin mixture obtained by solvent evaporation were submitted to the treatment with UV irradiation (wavelength 254 nm) for different time intervals. Mechanical properties of thin films made of chitosan/silk fibroin blends before and after UV-irradiation have been investigated by mechanical testing machine and compared with mechanical properties of chitosan films. The changes in such mechanical properties as ultimate breaking strength, percentage of elongation at break and Young Modulus have been investigated. The results have shown, that the mechanical properties of the blends were greatly affected by time of exposure to UV irradiation. Ultimate tensile strength and ultimate percentage of elongation decreased after UV irradiation of the blend. Increasing UV irradiation led to the decrease in Youngs Modulus of the chitosan/silk fibroin blend. Viscosity of chitosan/silk fibroin mixtures decreased after UV-irradiation. Thermal properties of the mixtures have been only slightly altered by UV-irradiation.

Photochemical behaviour of hydrolysed keratin

An investigation into the influence of UV irradiation on keratin hydrolysates was carried out using UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that the absorption of keratin hydrolysates in solution increased during irradiation of the sample, most notably between 250–280 and 320–410 nm. The increase in absorbance in the region 320–410 was because of the new photoproducts formed during UV irradiation of keratin hydrolysates. The fluorescence of keratin hydrolysates was observed at 328 nm after excitation at 270 nm. UV irradiation caused fluorescence fading at 328 nm, and after 60 min of irradiation, a new broad weak band of fluorescence, attributable to new photoproducts, emerged in the UV wavelength region with emission maximum between 400 and 500 nm. FTIR spectroscopy results showed degradation of keratin under UV irradiation. A slight increase in oxidized sulphur species was also observed. The results obtained suggest that UV irradiation can be used as modifying agent for preparation of keratin hydrolysates for cosmetic applications.

Biopolymer Blends as Potential Biomaterials and Cosmetic Materials

Blends of two polymer, namely chitosan with silk fibroin or partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM) were prepared. The surface properties of chitosan/silk fibroin and chitosan/HPAM blended films were investigated using the technique of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and by means of contact angle measurements allowing the calculation of surface free energy. Measurements of the contact angle for diiodomethane (D), and glycerol (G) on the surface of chitosan films and chitosan/silk fibroin films were made and surface free energy was calculated. It was found that chitosan/silk fibroin blend surface is enriched in high surface energy component i.e. silk fibroin. The surface roughness of chitosan, silk fibroin, HPAM, chitosan/silk fibroin and chitosan/HPAM blended films differs with the composition of the blend. Film-forming polymeric blends can be potentially used as biomaterials and cosmetic materials.

Study on the thermal properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) in the presence of collagen

Crystallization of poly(vinyl alkohol) (PVA) in the presence of 1%, 3% and 5% of collagen has been studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). PVA samples containing 1%, 3% and 5% of collagen after melting were crystallized with different cooling rate. The melting temperature of poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA in the presence of 1%, 3% and 5% of collagen is little big bigger than that for pure PVA. Small amount of collagen in PVA increases melting temperature probably due to hydrogen bonding between PVA and collagen. Collagen contains several side groups capable to form hydrogen bonds with OH group of PVA. The amount of crystallinity in PVA containing 1%, 3% and 5% of collagen is little big smaller than for pure PVA. Small amount of collagen in PVA causes disorder between polymer chains of polymer and leads to decrease of crystallinity. Crystallization process occurs slower in PVA containing small amount of collagen than for pure melt PVA.