Structural and conformational changes of regenerated Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin films treated with methanol solution

✍ Scribed by Hae Yong Kweon; Young Hwan Park

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 192 KB
• Volume: 73
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19990929)73:14<2887::aid-app12>3.0.co;2-i

✦ Synopsis

The regenerated Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin films were prepared from calcium nitrate solution and crystallized with aqueous methanol solution. The structural and conformational changes were investigated by the X-ray diffraction method and infrared spectroscopy upon methanol treatment. The concentration and treatment time of aqueous methanol solution have a great influence on the conformation of regenerated films. The conformational change from a random coil to ␤-sheet structure was occurred within 5 min by the treatment of 40 -60% methanol solution. As the methanol concentration increases up to 100%, the transition time of conformational change is delayed, and the structural change is not occurred in the case of 100% methanol used. The content of a ␣-helix, ␤-sheet, and random coil conformation was calculated and examined to find out the effect of methanol treatment on the conformation changes. The ␤-sheet structure can be transformed from a random coil, while the content of ␣-helix structure is not changed, regardless of methanol treatment.