Templated native silk smectic gels

• US 7,572,894 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trustees of Tufts College
• Original Assignee: Trustees of Tufts College
• Inventors: Valluzzi, Regina, Park, Jae-Hyung, Jin, Hyoung-Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Desai; Anand U
• Application Number:
  US10/533,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20060205927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 530/353
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/42 Proteins; Polypeptides; Degradation products thereof; Derivatives thereof, e.g. albumin, gelatin or zein oligopeptides having up to five amino acids A61K47/183; polyamino acids A61K47/34
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/43586 from silkworms
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of preparing a fibrous protein smectic hydrogel by way of a solvent templating process, comprising the steps of pouring an aqueous fibrous protein solution into a container comprising a solvent that is not miscible with water; sealing the container and allowing it to age at about room temperature; and collecting the resulting fibrous protein smectic hydrogel and allowing it to dry. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of obtaining predominantly one enantiomer from a racemic mixture, comprising the steps of pouring an aqueous fibrous protein solution into a container comprising a solvent that is not miscible with water; sealing the container and allowing it to age at about room temperature; allowing the enantiomers of racemic mixture to diffuse selectively into the smectic hydrogel in solution; removing the smectic hydrogel from the solution; rinsing predominantly one enantiomer from the surface of the smectic hydrogel; and extracting predominantly one enantiomer from the interior of the smectic hydrogel. The present invention also relates to a smectic hydrogel prepared according to an aforementioned method.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining predominantly one enantiomer from a mixture of enantiomers, comprising the steps of:

a. contacting an aqueous fibrous protein solution with a solvent that is not miscible with water, wherein the fibrous protein is selected from the group consisting of silk, collagens, keratins, actins, chorions, and seroins;

b. allowing the solution in contact with the solvent to age at about room temperature or under conditions preventing evaporation or both;

c. allowing the enantiomers of the mixture to diffuse selectively into the resulting fibrous protein smectic hydrogel in solution;

d. removing the smectic hydrogel from the solution;

e. rinsing predominantly a first enantiomer from the surface of the smectic hydrogel; and

f. extracting predominantly a second enantiomer from the interior of the smectic hydrogel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fibrous protein is silk.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fibrous protein solution is present in greater than about 4% by weight.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fibrous protein solution is present in greater than or equal to about 8% by weight.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fibrous protein solution is present in greater than about 4% by weight and the fibrous protein is silk.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fibrous protein solution is present in greater than or equal to about 8% by weight and the fibrous protein is silk.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the smectic hydrogel is a bulk solid hydrogel comprising several ordered layers of the fibrous protein.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of hexane, chloroform, and iso-amyl alcohol.