Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications
Silks are natural fibrous proteins comprises of specific sequences of amino acid that can be secreted into solidified fibres. These are naturally occurring polymers and have garnered profound attention for their mechanical properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility. These characters of silk m...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
EDP Sciences
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | BIO Web of Conferences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.bio-conferences.org/articles/bioconf/pdf/2025/23/bioconf_nittebio2025_02003.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849738770557960192 |
|---|---|
| author | M I Nasiha N Sajitha Rasheed K.A. |
| author_facet | M I Nasiha N Sajitha Rasheed K.A. |
| author_sort | M I Nasiha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Silks are natural fibrous proteins comprises of specific sequences of amino acid that can be secreted into solidified fibres. These are naturally occurring polymers and have garnered profound attention for their mechanical properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility. These characters of silk made them stand out for a range of suitable biomedical applications. Present study researched and compares their biochemical composition, structural details, and thermal stability of silk fibres extracted from the nests of Paper Wasps (Polistes sp.) and Weaver Ants (Oecophylla sp). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), were exploited to shed light on the structural and thermal properties of the fibres. Results reveal that silks from Paper Wasps shows higher protein concentration (44.7%) and superior thermal stability compared to Weaver Ant silk (23.4%). These two silks reveal structural characteristics akin to Bombyx mori silk, with distinct βsheet and α-helical conformations, indicating their potency for advanced applications in tissue engineering, nanotechnology, and drug delivery systems. This study highlights the untapped potential of these alternative silk sources in the biomedical field, which paved the way for further delve and its utilization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6e375a7c5dbb4209bcc7eedcce39f836 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2117-4458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | EDP Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BIO Web of Conferences |
| spelling | doaj-art-6e375a7c5dbb4209bcc7eedcce39f8362025-08-20T03:06:28ZengEDP SciencesBIO Web of Conferences2117-44582025-01-011720200310.1051/bioconf/202517202003bioconf_nittebio2025_02003Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applicationsM I Nasiha0N Sajitha1Rasheed K.A.2Post Graduate and Research, Department of Zoology, Government Victoria college PalakkadDepartment of Zoology, Arignar Anna Government arts and science CollegePost Graduate and Research, Department of Zoology, Government Victoria college PalakkadSilks are natural fibrous proteins comprises of specific sequences of amino acid that can be secreted into solidified fibres. These are naturally occurring polymers and have garnered profound attention for their mechanical properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility. These characters of silk made them stand out for a range of suitable biomedical applications. Present study researched and compares their biochemical composition, structural details, and thermal stability of silk fibres extracted from the nests of Paper Wasps (Polistes sp.) and Weaver Ants (Oecophylla sp). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), were exploited to shed light on the structural and thermal properties of the fibres. Results reveal that silks from Paper Wasps shows higher protein concentration (44.7%) and superior thermal stability compared to Weaver Ant silk (23.4%). These two silks reveal structural characteristics akin to Bombyx mori silk, with distinct βsheet and α-helical conformations, indicating their potency for advanced applications in tissue engineering, nanotechnology, and drug delivery systems. This study highlights the untapped potential of these alternative silk sources in the biomedical field, which paved the way for further delve and its utilization.https://www.bio-conferences.org/articles/bioconf/pdf/2025/23/bioconf_nittebio2025_02003.pdfsilk fibroinbiomedicalftirtgabiomaterialstissue engineeringnanotechnology |
| spellingShingle | M I Nasiha N Sajitha Rasheed K.A. Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications BIO Web of Conferences silk fibroin biomedical ftir tga biomaterials tissue engineering nanotechnology |
| title | Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications |
| title_full | Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications |
| title_fullStr | Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications |
| title_short | Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications |
| title_sort | comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications |
| topic | silk fibroin biomedical ftir tga biomaterials tissue engineering nanotechnology |
| url | https://www.bio-conferences.org/articles/bioconf/pdf/2025/23/bioconf_nittebio2025_02003.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT minasiha comparativebiochemicalandstructuralanalysisofsilkfibersfromweaverantsandpaperwaspsandtheirpotentialapplications AT nsajitha comparativebiochemicalandstructuralanalysisofsilkfibersfromweaverantsandpaperwaspsandtheirpotentialapplications AT rasheedka comparativebiochemicalandstructuralanalysisofsilkfibersfromweaverantsandpaperwaspsandtheirpotentialapplications |