Flow and Dynamic Viscoelastic Characterization of Non-Purified and Purified Mucin Dispersions

Abstract

This study demonstrated that the rheological behavior of mucin, a glycoprotein, mainly depends on the concentration of its dispersions and purity of the sample. Rheological properties were studied under rotational and oscillatory shear and creep curves. The results showed that mucin dispersions display non-Newtonian behavior of the shear thinning type. The mucin dispersion showed an apparent viscosity ranging from 0.22 to 29.29 Pa.s; at 10% concentration it formed macromolecular solutions with G 00 >G 0 ; these showed viscoelastic liquid behavior, while at 40% it showed viscoelastic solid behavior, characteristic of weak gels, G 0 >G 00 . Atomic force microscopy revealed topographical differences on the commercial mucin surface, as in non-purified and purified mucin gels.

Mechanical shear controls bacterial penetration in mucus

“…These components form a supramolecular network with emergent properties, such as complex viscoelastic responses 7 , resulting from their diverse interactions 8 . Depending on the concentration and composition of mucin, mucus can behave as a liquid crystal 9–15 .…”

Dynamic responses in small intestinal mucus: Relevance for the maintenance of an intact barrier

“…7). While steady shear viscosity may not be the most widely used measure of mucus rheology [36,37], its dependence on mechanical history of the sample demonstrated here highlights the complexity of the behavior of the mucus gel. The stress hardening of porcine small intestinal mucus reported here is apparent in bulk material behavior in the small deformation regime.…”

Changes of the dynamic properties of films based on carrageenan by microcapsules incorporation

“…Different methods for evaluating the viscoelasticity employing the relationship between stresses, relative strain and time. For example, the creep recovery curves are obtained in terms of compliance (Jt), which is the quantitative relation between the stresses applied to the sample and the resulting deformation [13,3]. A mathematical representation of these creep curves employs various models that include springs and dashpot.…”