Putting an End to Endotoxins
Class
Article
Graduation Year
2018
College
College of Engineering
Department
Biological Engineering Department
Faculty Mentor
Randy Lewis
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Spider silk has mechanical properties that surpass most man-made materials due to a combination of strength and extensibility. By using synthetic spider silks, these mechanical properties can be tailored to a large variety of uses, ranging from tissue regeneration matrices to medical device coatings. Some of the organisms that have been used for large scale synthetic silk production include E. coli, plants, and goats.
Endotoxins, also known as lipopolysaccarhides (LPS), are heat resistant molecules present in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria that illicit strong immune responses in mammals in large doses.Endotoxins are nearly everywhere, but they are only harmful above certain levels and they are typically not harmful when ingested.
Although native spider silk is generally considered to be biocompatible, preliminary tests have shown that the synthetic silks contain a high level of endotoxins. These endotoxins could lead to an inflammatory response when the silk is introduced into a mammalian host. In order to use synthetic spider silk for the many proposed medical applications, it is necessary to remove these endotoxins to prevent any negative immune responses.
Location
South Atrium
Start Date
4-13-2017 1:30 PM
End Date
4-13-2017 2:45 PM
Putting an End to Endotoxins
South Atrium
Spider silk has mechanical properties that surpass most man-made materials due to a combination of strength and extensibility. By using synthetic spider silks, these mechanical properties can be tailored to a large variety of uses, ranging from tissue regeneration matrices to medical device coatings. Some of the organisms that have been used for large scale synthetic silk production include E. coli, plants, and goats.
Endotoxins, also known as lipopolysaccarhides (LPS), are heat resistant molecules present in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria that illicit strong immune responses in mammals in large doses.Endotoxins are nearly everywhere, but they are only harmful above certain levels and they are typically not harmful when ingested.
Although native spider silk is generally considered to be biocompatible, preliminary tests have shown that the synthetic silks contain a high level of endotoxins. These endotoxins could lead to an inflammatory response when the silk is introduced into a mammalian host. In order to use synthetic spider silk for the many proposed medical applications, it is necessary to remove these endotoxins to prevent any negative immune responses.