Eggshell Membrane Research Articles

Cage-like eggshell membrane-derived Co-CoxSy-Ni/N,S-codoped carbon composites for electromagnetic wave absorption

Eggshell membrane-derived Co-CoxSy-Ni/N,S-codoped carbon composites (EM-Co-CoxSy-Ni/N,S-C) were synthesized by heating a Co2+-Ni2+-2-methylimidazole/eggshell membrane precursor in a N2 atmosphere. The dual atom (nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S)) doping of C was realized easily by using eggshell membrane as the joint source of carbon, N and S. The EM-Co-CoxSy-Ni/N,S-C composites showed remarkable electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) performance. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) reached −48.5 dB (10.1 GHz, 3.5 mm) and the Effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) achieved 7.4 GHz (10.3–17.7 GHz, 3 mm). By adjusting the concentration of 2-methylimidazole, impressive RLmin (-41.5 dB, 13.9 GHz) and EAB (6.5 GHz, 11.5–18 GHz) could be achieved at an absorber thickness of 2.5 mm. Eggshell membrane exhibits considerable potential in designing heteroatom doped carbon based EMW absorbents with high-performance and low cost.

Eggshell Membrane Ameliorates Hyperuricemia by Increasing Urate Excretion in Potassium Oxonate-Injected Rats.

Hyperuricemia is the primary cause of gouty arthritis and other metabolic disorders. Eggshell membrane (EM) is an effective and safe supplement for curing pain and stiffness connected with osteoarthritis. However, the effect of EM on hyperuricemia is unclear. This study determines the effects of EM on potassium oxonate-injected hyperuricemia. Uric acid, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen concentrations in the serum, and xanthine oxidase activity in the liver are measured. Protein levels of renal urate transporter 1 (URAT1), organic anion transporters 1 (OAT1), glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9), and ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2) in the kidney are determined with renal histopathology. The results demonstrate that EM reduces serum uric acid levels and increases urine uric acid levels in hyperuricemic rats. Moreover, EM downregulates renal URAT1 protein expression, upregulates OAT1 and ABCG2, but does not change GLUT9 expression. Additionally, EM does not change xanthine oxidase activity in the liver or the serum. EM also decreases uric acid uptake into oocytes expressing hURAT1. Finally, EM markedly reduces renal inflammation and serum interleukin-1β levels. These findings suggest that EM exhibits antihyperuricemic effects by promoting renal urate excretion and regulating renal urate transporters. Therefore, EM may be useful in the prevention and treatment of gout and hyperuricemia.

Avian Eggshell Membrane as a Novel Biomaterial: A Review.

The eggshell membrane (ESM), mainly composed of collagen-like proteins, is readily available as a waste product of the egg industry. As a novel biomaterial, ESM is attractive for its applications in the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields. This review provides the main information about the structure and chemical composition of the ESM as well as some approaches for its isolation and solubilization. In addition, the review focuses on the role and performance of bioactive ESM-derived products in various applications, while a detailed literature survey is provided. The evaluation of the safety of ESM is also summarized. Finally, new perspectives regarding the potential of ESM as a novel biomaterial in various engineering fields are discussed. This review provides promising future directions for comprehensive application of ESM.

Interconnected activated carbon nanofiber derived from mission grass for electrode materials of supercapacitor

The porous carbon electrode materials for supercapacitors derived from biomass waste attract lots of attention due to their natural abundance and low cost. This study therefore aims at developing a cost-effective and sustainable method for synthesising porous activated carbon derived from mission grass biomass waste (MG). The one-stage integrated pyrolysis for carbonisation, physical activation, and KOH activation was used to obtain porous activated carbon monolith. The surface morphology and pore structures consist of interconnected activated carbon nanofiber with high carbon content of 90.45%. The KOH impregnation successfully changed the morphology from the rod-like shape into a nanofiber structure. Due to their synergistic effect, the specific capacitance enhanced from 115 to 171 F g−1 in 1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte with an egg duck shell membrane as a separator. The result showed that the maximum energy and power densities were 23.75 Wh kg−1 and 96.94 W kg−1, respectively. Therefore, these unique properties enable the mission grass to become a high potential for porous carbon electrode materials as supercapacitor energy storage.

Nonlinear model updating algorithm for biaxial reinforced concrete constitutive models of shear walls

A novel biaxial constitutive model and a nonlinear model updating algorithm are proposed and implemented in ABAQUS software for simulating the reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls. First, the proposed model is established using the User Material (UMAT) subroutine to be compatible with the multi-layer shell elements and membrane elements with ABAQUS implicit solver. The modeling scheme, the biaxial and uniaxial constitutive models of concrete, and the uniaxial models of rebars are elaborately illustrated. Second, this research modifies five critical parameters in the developed model to consider the influence of initial cracking and softening of concrete and slip of longitudinal rebars. The modified parameters include the concrete stiffness reduction factor αc, the concrete compressive softening factor ηc, the concrete shear softening strain γu, the steel stiffness reduction factor at initial tensile loading αs, and the steel stiffness reduction factor at peak load αu. Third, an optimization algorithm based on the discrete Fréchet distance is proposed to quantify and minimize the difference between test results and finite element (FE) simulation results of load-displacement curves. Subsequently, a total of 24 RC shear walls are obtained from the literature, and the optimization method is adopted to obtain the most favorable material constitutive parameters based on the force versus lateral displacement curves. The comparison shows the proposed model with the optimization method predicts high accuracy simulation results for RC shear walls. Finally, five neural networks are trained to predict the material constitutive parameters using the 24 RC shear wall tests, and the accuracy of the neural networks is deemed satisfactory.

Evaluation of eggshell membrane as an alternative biopolymeric matrix for delivery of nimesulide

Introduction: Eggshell membrane (ESM) is a tissue found between the eggshell and the albumen of eggs that has attractive properties for use in drug delivery systems. Aim: To incorporate in ESM and used it as a model drug in release studies. The color change and FTIR analysis of the biopolymer proved the incorporation of nimesulide in ESM. Results: The drug uptake was 176.83 and 122.69 mg g-1 by natural and cross-linked ESM. Release studies were carried out using a spectrophotometric flow system in simulated intestinal fluid pH 7.4. The release profiles showed that after 60 minutes 54.55 and 42.58 % of the drug were released from natural and cross-linked ESM, respectively. Kinetics parameters indicated that drug release was better described by the Higuchi model and through a non-Fickian release. Conclusion: Considering these results is proved that ESM has the potential to become a polymeric matrix for drug release systems.

Spatial and temporal diet variability of Ad\xe9lie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri) Penguin: a multi tissue stable isotope analysis

The Ross Sea, Antarctica, supports large populations of Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) and Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), two key meso-predators that occupy high trophic levels. Despite these species are largely studied, little is known about their diet outside the breeding period. In the present study, we investigated the intra-annual diet of Adélie and Emperor Penguins belonging to five colonies in the Ross Sea through the stable isotope analysis of different tissues (feathers and shell membranes), synthetized in different seasons, and guano that indicates recent diet. Penguin samples and prey (krill and fish) were collected during the Antarctic spring–summer. δ13C and δ15N of tissues and guano indicate spatio-temporal variation in the penguin diet. The krill consumption by Adélie Penguins was lowest in winter except in the northernmost colony, where it was always very high. It peaked in spring and remained prevalent in summer. The greatest krill contribution to Emperor Penguin’s diet occurred in summer. The relative krill and fish consumption by both species changed in relation to the prey availability, which is influenced by seasonal sea ice dynamics, and according to the penguin life cycle phases. The results highlight a strong trophic plasticity in the Adélie Penguin, whose dietary variability has been already recognized, and in the Emperor Penguin, which had not previously reported. Our findings can help understand how these species might react to resource variation due to climate change or anthropogenic overexploitation. Furthermore, data provides useful basis for future comparisons in the Ross Sea MPA and for planning conservation actions.

Flexible supercapacitors of biomass-based activated carbon-polypyrrole on eggshell membranes

The quest to develop flexible membrane-like supercapacitors to be applied in advanced electronic devices with a flexible structure is important for the modern world. In this study, we developed biomass-based supercapacitors by depositing activated carbon on an eggshell membrane and subsequently coating these with polypyrrole in a two-step procedure. The competition between the electrical double layer capacitance (EDLC) from activated carbon and the pseudocapacitance (PC) for the hybrid device is controlled by varying the amount of polypyrrole (PC component) in a time-dependent polymerization process. An areal capacitance of 172.5 mF cm−2, a corresponding energy density of 4.73 W h kg−1, and power density of 320.8 W kg−1, with a 60% retention even after 1000 cycles were obtained for samples prepared with the polymerization of polypyrrole on the activated carbon (incorporation of an active layer of 3.18 mg cm−2).

Clean synthesis of rock candy-like metal–organic framework biocomposite for toxic contaminants remediation

A green methodology was considered to expeditiously synthesize a new class of microporous zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) crystals associated with ZnO nodes (denoted ZIF-8/ZnO) based on the eggshell membrane (ZIF-8/[email protected]) supporting bed, to study the Malachite green (MG) and tetracycline removal. Several characterization methods were applied to analyze the properties of the materials, including FTIR, XRD, BET–BJH, and SEM/EDS/Mapping. The BET–BJH analysis validates the efficiency of the applied synthesis approach in the preparation of a high specific surface area (1498.07 m2/g) and high porous (0.061 cm3/g) ZIF-8/ZnO. Also, the N2 adsorption/desorption analysis verifies the microporous structure of synthesized ZIF-8/ZnO in the pure and composite form regarding mean pore diameters of 1.8802 and 1.6579 nm, respectively. The MG dye removal ability of ZIF-8/[email protected] nanocomposite was tested and it showed better performance in comparison with the pure ZIF-8/ZnO and ZIF-8. The results indicate that the Langmuir adsorption isotherm could explain the obtained equilibrium data with a maximum adsorption capacity of 833.33 mg/g with high accuracy (R2=0.997). Kinetic study showed that the pseudo-second-order model was capable to fit the experimental data with high correctness. Reusability test was confirmed excellent regeneration ability of ZIF-8/[email protected] even after 5th cycle (<13% diminished).

3D Carbon Networks: Design and Applications in Sodium Ion Batteries.

As the key component of a new generation for low-cost energy storage systems, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted enormous attention and research due to its promising potentiality in large-scale electrochemical energy storage. For practical application of SIBs, carbonaceous materials have been considered to be one of the best choices for electrodes in virtue of their abundant reserves, low cost, easy availability, and environmental friendliness. 3D carbon network (3D-carbon) is of particular interests, which has displayed outstanding features, including abundant active sites, interconnected multi-level pore structures, high electronic conductivity, and excellent mechanical stability. Herein, we review the structural advantages of 3D-carbon and its preparation methods, and then discuss recent progress in 3D carbon materials and their composites for SIBs. The superior functionalities of 3D-carbon are emphasized as support templates or encapsulation shell membranes. Finally, we summarize and outline the challenges and future prospects of 3D-carbon in SIBs.

Oxidative deamination of lysine residues by polyphenols generates an equilibrium of aldehyde and 2-piperidinol products

Polyphenols, especially catechol-type polyphenols, exhibit lysyl oxidase–like activity and mediate oxidative deamination of lysine residues in proteins. Previous studies have shown that polyphenol-mediated oxidative deamination of lysine residues can be associated with altered electrical properties of proteins and increased crossreactivity with natural immunoglobulin M antibodies. This interaction suggested that oxidized proteins could act as innate antigens and elicit an innate immune response. However, the structural basis for oxidatively deaminated lysine residues remains unclear. In the present study, to establish the chemistry of lysine oxidation, we characterized oxidation products obtained via incubation of the lysine analog N-biotinyl-5-aminopentylamine with eggshell membranes containing lysyl oxidase and identified a unique six-membered ring 2-piperidinol derivative equilibrated with a ring-open product (aldehyde) as the major product. By monitoring these aldehyde–2-piperidinol products, we evaluated the lysyl oxidase–like activity of polyphenols. We also observed that this reaction was mediated by some polyphenols, especially o-diphenolic-type polyphenols, in the presence of copper ions. Interestingly, the natural immunoglobulin M monoclonal antibody recognized these aldehyde–2-piperidinol products as an innate epitope. These findings establish the existence of a dynamic equilibrium of oxidized lysine and provide important insights into the chemopreventive function of dietary polyphenols for chronic diseases.

Beneficial effect on rapid skin wound healing through carboxylic acid-treated chicken eggshell membrane

At the initial stage of wound healing, growth factors stimulate tissue regeneration by interacting with the extracellular matrix (ECM), leading to rapid wound repair and structural support. Chicken eggshell membrane (ESM) is a low-cost and highly functional ECM biomaterial for tissue regeneration. However, natural ESM has limitations for tissue engineering purposes because it is difficult to control the size, shape, and biocompatibility of the surfaces. To overcome this, blends of synthetic materials and natural ESMs, such as soluble eggshell membrane protein, are combined for biomaterial applications. Unfortunately, it is difficult to pattern fibrous structure. Here, we modified the natural chicken ESM through weak acid treatment to promote wound healing and skin regeneration without loss of fibrous structure. Treatment of citric acid and acetic acid reacted the amine or amide group with carboxyl groups (R-COOH) and achieved hydrophilicity for adherence of proliferating regenerative cells. Our in vitro study revealed that the modified ESM scaffolds significantly promoted human dermal fibroblasts adhesion, viability, proliferation, and cytokine secretion, compared with natural ESM. In addition, the modified ESM accelerated skin regeneration and enhanced the wound healing process even at early stages in an in vivo rat wound model. Collectively, the modified ESM performed best for promoting skin regeneration, cytokine secretion, epidermal cell proliferation, and controlling the inflammatory response both in vitro and in vivo.

Scavenging Mechanical Energy from Human Motions Using Novel‐Biomaterial‐Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator

In today's world, people are surrounded by smart wireless devices which require sustainable and eco‐friendly power source. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is emerging as an imperative source to produce clean, cost‐effective, and easily fabricated battery‐less devices. The emphasis is on using biomaterials to play a vital role for the fabrication of such self‐ powered system. Herein, an approach is discussed to fabricate a novel TENG from the waste biomaterials (garlic tunic, onion tunic, and almond peel) which successfully harvests the electrical energy from daily human motions (walking and running). Egg shell membrane–polytetrafluoroethylene (ESM–PTFE) TENG generates 56.6 V/0.53 μA and is closely followed by garlic tunic–PTFE TENG with 44.6 V/0.36 μA, onion tunic–PTFE TENG with 41.4 V/0.32 μA, and almond peel–PTFE TENG with 40.2 V/0.29 μA, respectively. Moreover, ESM‐based TENG performance is examined using all other biomaterial combinations. These TENGs produce sufficient energy that can power an array of tens of green light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). Finally, the power from human activities is harvested to control small portable electronic devices.

Crossing over the curing and degradation of DGEBA/MTHPA/Eggshell to disclose the reactionary system

Degradation mechanisms and curing on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride with 2,4,6-tris (dimethylaminomethyl) phenol as synthetic catalyst or eggshell membrane as natural catalyst, i.e., DGEBA/MTHPA/DEH 35 and DGEBA/MTHPA/M, respectively, were investigated by thermogravimetry (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermal stability as commonly reported by TGA in this work was followed up by FTIR, enabling to specify the produced chemical groups from each degradation step. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of kinetics mechanisms using Friedman, Kissinger, Criado and Coats-Redfern models, were performed and the activation energy (Ea) was computed, as presented the degradation energy for eggshell membrane compound is lower than the curing one, contributing to the latter's favorability. Reactionary schemes based on the theoretical models are proposed in an attempt to macroscopically demonstrate the microscopic morphological changes and reactions.

Thermally assisted conversion of biowaste into environment-friendly energy storage materials for lithium-ion batteries

This study reports the thermally assisted solid-state synthesis of a cathode comprising a biowaste-derived nitrogen-doped carbon coating on LiFePO4 (LFP) for Li-ion batteries. The eggshell membrane (ESM), which mainly consists of collagen, is converted into nitrogen-doped carbon with good ionic and electrical conductivity during thermally driven decomposition. The ESM-coated LFP (ESM@LFP) containing pyrrolic nitrogen, pyridinic nitrogen, and oxidized pyridinic nitrogen has been motivated to improve its ionic and electrical conductivity, that promotes the movement of Li-ions and electrons on the LFP surface. ESM@LFP exhibits stable cyclability and ~16.3% of increased specific discharge capacity for 100 cycles at a current rate of 1C compared to bare LFP.

Eggshell membrane hydrolysate as a multi-functional agent for synthesis of functionalized graphene analogue and its catalytic nanocomposites

This paper demonstrates eggshell membrane protein hydrolysate (ESMH), a critical food waste worldwide, can be harnessed as a multifunctional agent for eco-friendly reduction and functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) based on its diverse and abundant functional groups. The resulting GO reduced and functionalized with ESMH (ESMH-RGO) exhibits an aqueous dispersibility and applicability as a 2-dimensional support for synthesis of catalytic Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) with a high density. The AuNPs synthesized on ESMH-RGO (AuNPs@ESMH-RGO) presents a high catalytic activity for conversion of environmental pollutant (4-nitrophenol) to an industrially useful raw material (4-aminophenol). Those results clearly indicate that ESMH has a strong potential in environmental and materials chemistry.

Dual-drug delivery of Ag-chitosan nanoparticles and phenytoin via core-shell PVA/PCL electrospun nanofibers

Dual-drug delivery systems were constructed through coaxial techniques, which were convenient for the model drugs used the present work. This study aimed to fabricate core-shell electrospun nanofibrous membranes displaying simultaneous cell proliferation and antibacterial activity. For that purpose, phenytoin (Ph), a well-known proliferative agent, was loaded into a polycaprolactone (PCL) shell membrane, and as-prepared silver-chitosan nanoparticles (Ag-CS NPs), as biocidal agents, were embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) core layer. The morphology, chemical composition, mechanical and thermal properties of the nanofibrous membranes were characterized by FESEM/STEM, FTIR and DSC. The coaxial PVA-Ag CS NPs/PCL-Ph nanofibers (NFs) showed more controlled Ph release than PVA/PCL-Ph NFs. There was notable improvement in the morphology, thermal, mechanical, antibacterial properties and cytobiocompatibility of the fibers upon incorporation of Ph and Ag-CS NPs. The proposed core-shell PVA/PCL NFs represent promising scaffolds for tissue regeneration and wound healing by the effective dual delivery of phenytoin and Ag-CS NPs.

Elemental composition of alligator eggshell and eggshell membrane using micro-PIXE

Over the past years there has been a notable lack of success with regard to breeding alligator in commercial facilities. Farm-raised alligator eggs exhibit lower hatch rate in comparison with wild alligator eggs. Additionally, the hatch rates of the alligator eggs decrease in captivity until zero production is reached. This decline in production has been documented in over a twenty year study at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. The lack of reproductive performance is attributed to the maternal diet and transfer of nutrients to the egg. Previous investigation on the eggshell and eggshell membrane of these reptiles lack comparisons between diet groups. The elemental compositions of the eggshell and eggshell membrane of wild and farm-raised A. mississippiensis were investigated using micro-PIXE. Eggs analyzed for this study were viable and the analysis showed that the major elements of the eggshell included calcium and aluminum, and that of membrane included sulfur and chlorine.

Effects of Eggshell Membrane on Keratinocyte Differentiation and Skin Aging In Vitro and In Vivo.

Skin aging is one of the hallmarks of the aging process that causes physiological and morphological changes. Recently, several nutritional studies were conducted to delay or suppress the aging process. This study investigated whether nutritional supplementation of the eggshell membrane (ESM) has a beneficial effect on maintaining skin health and improving the skin aging process in vitro using neonatal normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK-Neo) and in vivo using interleukin-10 knockout (IL-10 KO) mice. In NHEK-Neo cells, 1 mg/mL of enzymatically hydrolyzed ESM (eESM) upregulated the expression of keratinocyte differentiation markers, including keratin 1, filaggrin and involucrin, and changed the keratinocyte morphology. In IL-10 KO mice, oral supplementation of 8% powdered-ESM (pESM) upregulated the expression of growth factors, including transforming growth factor β1, platelet-derived growth factor-β and connective tissue growth factor, and suppressed skin thinning. Furthermore, voltage-gated calcium channel, transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V members were upregulated by eESM treatment in NHEK-Neo cells and pESM supplementation in IL-10 KO mice. Collectively, these data suggest that ESM has an important role in improving skin health and aging, possibly via upregulating calcium signaling.

Spherical CeO2 nanoparticles prepared using an egg-shell membrane as a bio-template for high CO2 adsorption

A spherical-like mesoporous cerium oxide (CeO2-BT) was prepared through biotemplating method using egg-shell membrane (ESM) as a template. The CeO2-BT has shown a smaller nanoparticle size (30–34 nm) and larger surface area (26.52 m2/g) compared to CeO2 prepared through thermal decomposition method (CeO2-TD). The CeO2-BT has also shown a lattice expansion with the high defect site and oxygen vacancies as evidenced by the Williamson-Hall (W-H) plot. These enhancements have resulted in excellent CO2 uptake of CeO2-BT (1.412 mmol/g), being 12-fold higher than that of CeO2-TD at 1 bar and 25 °C.