Chitin of Araneae origin: structural features and biomimetic applications: a review
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T.C. BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMIMETIC MATERIALS
Chitin of Araneae origin: structural features and biomimetic applications: a review Tomasz Machałowski1,2 · Chris Amemiya3 · Teofil Jesionowski1 Received: 2 May 2020 / Accepted: 30 July 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Large scale isolation of chitin traditionally has been carried out from fungal biomass as well as from seafood processing wastes, e.g., from shrimp, crab and lobster exoskeletons. Despite the relative abundance and ready availability of these materials, isolation of chitin requires great deal of chemical reagents and is time consuming. Obtained in this way chitin is produced in the form of powders, whiskers, and flakes. In this review, we have focused on the moulting cuticles of spiders as an alternative source of naturally occurring chitin. The comparatively high chitin content in the moults allows for rapid preparation of structures that maintain their original shape and integrity, such as the chitinous tubes from leg exoskeletons. Based on our latest scientific analyses regarding spider chitin, we highlight here its advantages and its biomimetic applications in tissue engineering, catalysis and environmental science. Keywords Spider chitin · Tubular chitin · Biopolymers · Biomimetics · Scaffold
1 Introduction In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the study of natural polysaccharides [1–9]. This interest is largely spurred on by their attractive and usable properties, such as ecofriendly characteristics, renewability, biodegradability and cost-efficiency [8, 10]. It is well known that chitin is one of the most abundant (after cellulose) natural biopolymer worldwide [11, 12]. According to a recent report, living organisms from oceans produce approximately 1012–1014 tons of chitin annually [13]. Chitin exists as a rigid crystalline nanofiber with Young’s modulus of 40–80 GPa [10]. In its pure form, chitin exists as a linear homopolymer of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) linked by β-1,4 * Tomasz Machałowski [email protected] * Teofil Jesionowski [email protected] 1
Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, 60965 Poznan, Poland
2
Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
3
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California-Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
glycosidic bonds with various degrees of deacetylated glucosamine (GlcN) residues (dependent on origin and isolation method) [12]. This polysaccharide is synthesized by a broad assortment of organisms representing different taxonomic groups. Notable examples are fungi (e.g., from the mycelia of Aspergillus niger, Mucor rouxii, Agaricus bisporus) [12, 14–16], diatoms [17–19], protists [20, 21], sponges [22–25], molluscs [26–29], insects [10, 30–35], spiders [36] and crustaceans [37–41]. Moreover, chitin has also been recognized in multiple structures in fishes and amphibians [42–44]. In inver
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