Functional Protein-Based Bioinspired Nanomaterials: From Coupled Proteins, Synthetic Approaches, Nanostructures to Applications

Abstract

Protein-based bioinspired nanomaterials (PBNs) combines the advantage of the size, shape, and surface chemistry of nanomaterials, the morphology and functions of natural materials, and the physical and chemical properties of various proteins. Recently, there are many exciting developments on biomimetic nanomaterials using proteins for different applications including, tissue engineering, drug delivery, diagnosis and therapy, smart materials and structures, and water collection and separation. Protein-based biomaterials with high biocompatibility and biodegradability could be modified to obtain the healing effects of natural organisms after injury by mimicking the extracellular matrix. For cancer and other diseases that are difficult to cure now, new therapeutic methods involving different kinds of biomaterials are studied. The nanomaterials with surface modification, which can achieve high drug loading, can be used as drug carriers to enhance target and trigger deliveries. For environment protection and the sustainability of the world, protein-based nanomaterials are also applied for water treatment. A wide range of contaminants from natural water source, such as organic dyes, oil substances, and multiple heavy ions, could be absorbed by protein-based nanomaterials. This review summarizes the formation and application of functional PBNs, and the details of their nanostructures, the proteins involved, and the synthetic approaches are addressed.

Tailoring the Inherent Properties of Biobased Nanoparticles for Nanomedicine

“…Protein-based nanoparticles derived from biological sources often form hollow cagelike structures ideal for encapsulating therapeutic molecules. These nanoparticles (a) respond to external stimuli, (b) are biocompatible, (c) provide protection against immune cells, (d) enhance biodistribution, and (e) are stable under physiological conditions. ,, Ferritins, small heat shock proteins, and vault-based nanoparticles are naturally synthesized in living cells, self-assembling into highly ordered structures containing an exterior surface, interior cavity, and subunit interface . Moreover, antigens can be functionalized on the surfaces of these biobased nanoparticles for fabricating advanced vaccination platforms.…”

“…21 However, protein-based nanoparticles take advantage of stability and prolonged controlled drug release while facing much fewer biological barriers than cell-based or virusbased systems. 22 Moreover, these protein-based nanoparticles can easily deliver therapeutic molecules into the tissue of interest when responding to changes in pH, redox potentials, and enzymatic reactions. 23 The versatility of these biologically originating nanoparticles has made them attractive therapeutic carriers in the treatment of many diseases, such as cancers and pathogenic infections.…”

“…Biocompatible viruslike nanomaterials have been designed to effectively discriminate and infect cancer cells in molecular therapies . However, protein-based nanoparticles take advantage of stability and prolonged controlled drug release while facing much fewer biological barriers than cell-based or virus-based systems . Moreover, these protein-based nanoparticles can easily deliver therapeutic molecules into the tissue of interest when responding to changes in pH, redox potentials, and enzymatic reactions .…”

Advanced Biomimetic Nanomaterials for Non-invasive Disease Diagnosis

“…Protein-based nanomaterials (PBNs) have good biocompatibility and abundant functional groups that can bind various functional molecules along with other metal ions. PBNs also have high bioactivity, which means that they can often be used as carriers without further surface modification (Zhang and Wang, 2019;Liang and Chen, 2020). PBNs combine the advantages of nanomaterials related to size and surface chemistry with the advantages provided by the physical and chemical properties of proteins (Zhang and Wang, 2019).…”

“…PBNs also have high bioactivity, which means that they can often be used as carriers without further surface modification (Zhang and Wang, 2019;Liang and Chen, 2020). PBNs combine the advantages of nanomaterials related to size and surface chemistry with the advantages provided by the physical and chemical properties of proteins (Zhang and Wang, 2019). PBNs can be combined with other nanoparticles for applications in bioimaging and biochip-based detection (Ye et al, 2016).…”