Effect of Microwave Irradiation on Dipeptides and Proteins Derived from Silk During Solvation

Abstract

Silkworm silk and spider silk have been attracting numerous interests. Rapid solvation of silkworm silk protein and spider silk protein without hydrolysis of peptide bonds is highly desirable. Microwave irradiation has been proposed for facile extraction of water-soluble silk protein by various liquid media. However, microwave exposure can cause hydrolysis of peptide bonds, leading to irreversible degradation of silk protein. In this study, a series of representative dipeptides and a rationally designed recombinant protein derived from silk protein is employed to investigate the effect of microwave on the stability of the peptide bonds during a long time dissolution process, i.e., heating at 60 ℃ in a CaCl₂:CH₃CH₂OH:H₂O (1:2:8) solution. Results demonstrate that microwave irradiation imposes a minor damage and a negligible cleavage of the peptide bonds, compared with the conventional heating method. The microwave irradiation treatment suggested in this is suitable for dissolution of silk protein. It is anticipated that this approach can be developed to a commercial level commercially. 

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(21972009); National Key Research Program of China(2016YFA0201700/2016YFA0201701)