Silk Glycopolymers as Mucin-Mimetic Analogs

Silk protein-based mucin mimics were prepared using selective chemistries, to generate a family of glycoproteins. The silk-based glycopolymers with different sugar types (GalNAc, GlcNAc, NeuNAc, GlcN, and GalN) and grafting densities were prepared and characterized, and then processed into formats suitable to explore microbial interactions. Such systems offer new tools to combat antimicrobial resistance, a range of pathogenic infections, and also insights into structure-function related to biopolymer designs and microbiome-related outcomes. Since mucins provide natural protection from virulent microorganisms in many tissues of the human body, options to employ these new families of mucin-analogs are being pursued. For example, the pathogen <i>Streptococcus mutans </i>and commensal <i>Streptococcus sanguinis </i>were exposed to the glycopolymers and the GalNAc-modified silk provided control of biofilm formation without affecting overall bacterial growth of either species; mimicking the virulence-neutralizing effects of native mucins while maintaining cytocompatibility when assessed with epithelial cells in intestinal tissue mimcs in vitro. Variables such as glycopolymer concentration, glycan types and density are assessed against specific pathogens. These silk-based biomaterials provide a new set of materials with which to potentially modulate infections, microbiomes and avoid bacterial resistance, which can potentially impact many areas of health management and consumer applications.