Approximately 1.5 million people suffer from colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease in the United States. Occurrence of leakage following standard surgical anastomosis in intestinal and colorectal surgery is common and can cause infection leading to life-threatening consequences. In this report, we demonstrate that plasmonic nanocomposites, generated from elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) cross-linked with gold nanorods, can be used to weld ruptured intestinal tissue upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. Mechanical properties of these nanocomposites can be modulated based on the concentration of gold nanorods embedded within the ELP matrix. We employed photostable, NIR-absorbing cellularized and noncellularized GNR-ELP nanocomposites for ex vivo laser welding of ruptured porcine small intestines. Laser welding using the nanocomposites significantly enhanced the tensile strength, leakage pressure, and bursting pressure of ruptured intestinal tissue. This, in turn, provided a liquid-tight seal against leakage of luminal liquid from the intestine and resulting bacterial infection. This study demonstrates the utility of laser tissue welding using plasmonic polypeptide nanocomposites and indicates the translational potential of these materials in intestinal and colorectal repair.

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Ionizing radiation, including γ rays and X-rays, are high-energy electromagnetic radiation with diverse applications in nuclear energy, astrophysics, and medicine. In this work, we describe the use of ionizing radiation and cysteine-containing elastin-like polypeptides (C(n)ELPs, where n = 2 or 12 cysteines in the polypeptide sequence) for the generation of gold nanoparticles. In the presence of C(n)ELPs, ionizing radiation doses higher than 175 Gy resulted in the formation of maroon-colored gold nanoparticle dispersions, with maximal absorbance at 520 nm, from colorless metal salts. Visible color changes were not observed in any of the control systems, indicating that ionizing radiation, gold salt solution, and C(n)ELPs were all required for nanoparticle formation. The hydrodynamic diameters of nanoparticles, determined using dynamic light scattering, were in the range of 80-150 nm, while TEM imaging indicated the formation of gold cores 10-20 nm in diameter. Interestingly, C2ELPs formed 1-2 nm diameter gold nanoparticles in the absence of radiation. Our results describe a facile method of nanoparticle formation in which nanoparticle size can be tailored based on radiation dose and C(n)ELP type. Further improvements in these polypeptide-based systems can lead to colorimetric detection of ionizing radiation in a variety of applications.