Abstract
The study reports the formation of a unique molecular condensate of insulin molecules with Zn2+ at a molar ratio of 1:1 under thermal stress. The condensate was cross-linked, viscoelastic, and structurally reversible by pH modulation. This unique state was formed by isoelectric condensation of insulin conformational variants (CVs) through helix unwinding, random coil relaxation, and subsequently transition to a β-sheet rich aggregate-like structure. The ions (Na+, Cl- and Zn2+) were found to promote the macromolecular organization through localized ionic interactions. Interestingly, this viscous aggregate instantaneously dissolved upon pH reduction, releasing monomeric insulin. Next, large-length cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and rod-shaped Fe-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (Fe-CNC) were independently co-incubated with [Zn2+]:[Insulin]. The micrometer-length CNFs were reduced to short-length cellulose nanorods (CNRs), whereas, Fe-CNCs were reduced to ultrathin nanothreads which interacted together and formed spherical Fe-CNCs within insulin microspheres. The CNR-Ins condensate and Fe-CNC-Ins microsphere promoted the adhesion and growth of BHK-21 cells by 74.5 % and 72.6 %, respectively. This unique insulin condensate and its specialized hybrid structures might have an enormous impact on material science.
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