Mucous membranes are covered with mucus, a viscoelastic hydrogel that plays an essential role in their protection from shear and pathogens. The viscoelasticity of mucus is owing to mucins, a group of densely glycosylated proteins. Mucins can interact with a wide range of surfaces; thus, there is big interest in exploring and manipulating such interactions for biomedical applications. This thesis presents investigations of mucin interactions with hydrophobic surfaces in order to identify the key features of mucin lubricity, as well as describes the development of materials that are optimized to interact with mucins.   In Paper I we investigated the domains which make mucins outstanding boundary lubricants. The results showed that the hydrophobic terminal domains of mucins play a crucial role in the adsorption and lubrication on hydrophobic surfaces. Specifically, protease digestion of porcine gastric mucins and salivary mucins resulted in the cleavage of these domains and the loss of lubricity and surface adsorption. However, a “rescue” strategy was successfully carried out by grafting hydrophobic phenyl groups to the digested mucins and enhancing their lubricity. This strategy also enhanced the lubricity of polymers which are otherwise bad lubricants.   In Paper II we developed mucoadhesive materials based on genetically engineered partial spider silk proteins. The partial spider silk protein 4RepCT was successfully functionalized with six lysines (pLys-4RepCT), or the Human Galectin-3 Carbohydrate Recognition Domain (hGal3-4RepCT). These strategies were aiming to either non-specific electrostatic interactions between the positive lysines and the negative mucins, or specific binding between the hGal3 and the mucin glycans. Coatings, fibers, meshes and foams were prepared from the new silk proteins, and the adsorption of porcine gastric mucins and bovine submaxillary mucins was measured, demonstrating enhanced adsorption.   The work presented demonstrates how mucin-material interactions can provide us with valuable information for the development of new biomaterials. Specifically, mucin-based and mucin-inspired lubricants could provide desired lubrication to a wide range of surfaces, while our new silk based materials could be valuable tools for the development of mucosal dressings. / Slemhinnor täckts av slem, en viskoelastisk hydrogel som spelar en viktig roll för att skydda mot mekanisk nötning och patogener. Muciner, en grupp av tätt glykosylerade proteiner, spelar en viktig roll i viskoelasticiteten av slem. Eftersom muciner kan interagera med diverse ytor är det av stort intresse att utforska och manipulera sådana interaktioner för biomedicinska tillämpningar. Denna avhandling presenterar undersökningar av mucininteraktioner med hydrofoba ytor för att identifiera de viktigaste egenskaperna hos mucinsmörjning, samt beskriver utveckling av material som optimerades för att interagera med muciner.   I Artikel I undersökte vi de domäner som bidrar till  mucinernas enastående kapacitet som smörjmedel. Resultaten visade att mucinernas hydrofoba terminaldomäner spelar en avgörande roll vid adsorption och smörjning på hydrofoba ytor. Mer specifikt, proteasklyvning av svinmagemuciner och salivmuciner resulterade i klyvningen av dessa domäner och förlust av smörjning och ytadsorption. Genom att länka hydrofobiska fenylgrupper till de uppbrutna mucinerna, lyckades deras smörjningsegenskaper förbättras. Denna strategi förbättrade också smörjningsegenskaper hos andra polymerer som annars har  dåliga smörjningsegenskaper.   I Artikel II utvecklade vi mukoadhesiva material baserade på genetiskt modifierade partiella spindelsilkeproteiner. Spindelsilkeproteinet 4RepCT funktionaliserades framgångsrikt med tillsats av sex lysiner (pLys-4RepCT), eller den mänskliga Galectin-3 karbohydrat igenkänningsdomänen (hGal3-4RepCT). Syftet med dessa strategier var antingen att öka ospecifika elektrostatiska interaktioner mellan de positiva lysinerna och de negativa mucinerna, eller den specifika bindningen mellan hGal3 och mucin-glykanerna. Beläggningar, fibrer, nät och skum framställdes från de nya silkeproteinerna. Efter att adsorption av svinmagsmuciner och bovina submaxillära muciner uppmätts, visade de nya silkeproteinerna förbättrad mucin adsorption.   Detta arbete visar hur interaktioner mellan mucin-material kan bidra med värdefull information för utvecklingen av nya biomaterial. Mucinbaserade och mucininspirerade smörjmedel kan ge önskad smörjning till ett brett spektrum av ytor, medan vår nya silkesbaserad material kan vara ett värdefullt verktyg för utvecklingen av slemhinneförband. / <p>QC 20190412</p>

Skin is an organ with a complex structure which plays a crucial role in thebody’s defence against external threats and in maintaining major homeostatic functions. The need for in vitro models that mimic the in vivo milieu is therefore high and relevant with various applications including, among others, penetration, absorption, and toxicity studies. In this context, the choice of the biomaterial that will provide a 3D scaffold to the cultured cells is defining the model’s success. The FN-4RepCT silk is here suggested as a potent biomaterial for skin tissue engineering applications. This recombinantly produced spider silk protein (FN-4RepCT), which can self-assemble into fibrils, creates a robust and elastic matrice with high bioactivity, due to its functionalization with the fibronectin derived RGD-containing peptide. Hence it overcomes the drawbacks of other available biomaterials either synthetic or based on animal derived proteins. Additionally, the FN-4RepCT silk protein can be cast in various 3D formats, two of which are utilized within this project. We herein present a bilayered skin tissue equivalent supported by the FN-4RepCT silk. This is constructed by the combination of a foam format, integrated with dermal fibroblasts and endothelial cells, and a membrane format supporting epidermal keratinocytes. As a result, a vascularized dermal layer that contains ECM components (Collagen I, Collagen III, and Elastin) is constructed and attached to an epidermal layer of differentiated keratinocytes.The protocol presented in this project offers a successful method of evenly integrating cells in the FN-4RepCT silk scaffold, while preserving their ability to resume some of their major in vivo functions like proliferation, ECM secretion, construction of vascular networks, and differentiation. The obtained results were evaluated with immunofluorescence stainings of various markers of interest and further analysed, when necessary, with image processing tools. The results that ensued from the herein presented protocol strongly suggest that the FN-4RepCT silk is a promising biomaterial for skin tissue engineering applications.