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Development and evaluation of bioinspired pH-responsive sericin–chitosan-based hydrogel for controlled colonic delivery of PETase: Harnessing PETase-triggered degradation of microplastics
Summary
Researchers developed a novel hydrogel system made from sericin and chitosan that delivers the plastic-degrading enzyme PETase directly to the colon, where ingested microplastics tend to accumulate. The pH-responsive hydrogel protected the enzyme through the acidic stomach environment and released it in the alkaline conditions of the lower gut. Early testing showed the system could break down PET microplastics, offering a potential new approach for addressing microplastic accumulation in the digestive tract.
The gravity of threats posed by microplastic pollution to the environment cannot be overestimated. Being ubiquitous in the living environment, microplastics reach humans through the food chain causing various hazardous effects. Microplastics can be effectively degraded by PETase enzymes. The current study reports, for the first time, a hydrogel-encapsulated, bioinspired colonic delivery of PETase. A free radical polymerization-assisted hydrogel system was synthesized from sericin, chitosan, and acrylic acid using N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate as an initiator. The hydrogel was characterized with FTIR, PXRD, SEM, and thermal analysis to confirm the development of a stabilized hydrogel system. The hydrogel showed 61 % encapsulation efficiency, maximum swelling, and cumulative PETase release (96 %) at pH 7.4. The mechanism of PETase release exhibited the Higuchi pattern of release with an anomalous transport mechanism. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the preservation of the post-release structural integrity of PETase. The released PETase exhibited concentration- and time-dependent degradation of polyethylene terephthalate in vitro. The developed hydrogel system exhibited the intended features of a stimulus-sensitive carrier system that can be efficiently used for the colonic delivery of PETase.
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