Enhanced Protein Adsorption in Fibrous Substrates Treated with Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) Nanoparticles

Development for new solid substrates for protein adsorption is important, given the massive potential in a number of fields including food production, medicine, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical processing. We developed a zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF-8)-nanoparticles based fibrous platform (Platform 1). Its ability in protein adsorption is proven by fluorescence study of Alexa Fluor 647-labeled donkey anti-rabbit IgG adsorbed on Platform 1. Studies reveal that Platform 1 shows much more enhanced protein adsorption compared to a polyethylene terephthalate gauze fibrous platform treated with ZIF-8 nanoparticles. This may be explained by considering that more active sites are enabled on fabric to adsorb a higher amount of ZIF-8 nanoparticles. We show that Platform 1 provides favorable biocompatibility to maintain the bioactivity of enzymes. Furthermore, we prove that a carboxymethylated cotton fabric platform treated with ZIF-8 (Platform 3) can be more capable of immobilizing the Alexa Fluor 647-labeled antibodies than Platform 1. Carboxymethylation helps to enhance protein adsorption in these cotton fabric substrates.