Preparation and characterization of antimicrobial silver nanoparticle-loaded poly(acrylic acid)/wheat glutenin amyloid fibril aerogels
Journal
Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers
Journal Volume
187
Start Page
106899
ISSN
18761070
Date Issued
2026-10
Author(s)
Abstract
Background Amyloid fibrils (AFs) are highly ordered protein assemblies with remarkable stability and tunable properties. Once known primarily as pathological protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases, they are now recognized as functional nanomaterials with diverse applications. Food protein-derived AFs, particularly those from plant proteins such as wheat gluten, serve as sustainable and biocompatible building blocks for functional materials. Methods Wheat glutenin was first obtained by extraction and purification from wheat gluten flour. Next, poly(acrylic acid)/wheat glutenin amyloid fibrils (PAA/WGF) aerogels were synthesized via graft polymerization. After tannic acid-coated AgNPs (TA-AgNPs) were synthesized, the TA-AgNPs as antibacterial agents were incorporated into the PAA/WGF aerogel matrix. Finally, the TA-AgNP-loaded PAA/WGF aerogels were characterized, and their antibacterial activity and Ag ion release kinetics were determined. Significant findings The morphology and secondary structure composition of WGF were examined using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The average particle size of TA-AgNPs was determined to be ∼30 nm. The PAA/WGF aerogels have heterogeneous pore size distribution and higher porosity than PAA aerogels. Additionally, incorporating WGFs could enhance the maximum compression strength and compression modulus of PAA aerogels. Our findings indicated that the TA-AgNP-loaded PAA/WGF aerogels exhibited sustained release of silver ions and excellent antimicrobial performance against Escherichia coli .
Subjects
Aerogel
Amyloid fibril
Antimicrobial activity
Nanoparticles
Poly(acrylic acid)
Wheat glutenin
Publisher
Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers
Type
journal article