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Date Permissions Signed
5-20-2022
Date of Award
Spring 2022
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Department or Program Affiliation
Chemistry
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Murphy, Amanda R.
Second Advisor
Larsen, Michael B.
Third Advisor
Antos, John M.
Abstract
Thiolated polymers, or thiomers, have demonstrated advanced adhesion to biological surfaces such as mucus membranes due to their ability to form disulfide bonds to the cysteine-rich domains in mucin making them an attractive drug delivery system. Silk fibroin, a protein derived from the Bombyx mori silkworm, offers a biocompatible and biodegradable platform absent in other thiomer systems. However, due to the small percentage of native cysteine residues in silk, installation of additional thiols is essential to create an advanced thiomer adhesive. In this research, covalent attachment of non-native thiols to the tyrosine residues of silk fibroin is accomplished with a high degree of functionalization. The extent of thiol modification is characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), and 1H-15N heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC). The reactivity of the thiol handles are probed using fluorescence spectroscopy and the in situ gelling ability of the thiolated silk is investigated using infrared spectroscopy (IR) and rheological measurements.
Type
Text
Keywords
Silk, tyrosine, disulfide, thiol, mucoadhesion, crosslinking, gel
Publisher
Western Washington University
OCLC Number
1319737005
Subject – LCSH
Polymers; Cysteine; Thiols--Synthesis; Silk--Biocompatibility; Silk--Biodegradation
Format
application/pdf
Genre/Form
academic theses
Language
English
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Recommended Citation
Talusig, Jeremy Martinez, "Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications of Thiolated Silk Fibroin" (2022). WWU Graduate School Collection. 1089.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/1089