Mucus is a viscous slime that plays a vital role in protecting and lubricating biological tissues, in particular, soft epithelium interfaces such as in the stomach, intestines, and esophagus. Previous attempts to generate mucus models that mimick or simulate its characteristics have been predominantly focused on the rheological properties. This study investigates both rheological and tribological shear properties of thin films of gastric mucus from a porcine source and its mimics at compliant soft interfaces. The lubricating efficacy of biological mucus and its mimics was observed to be superior at hydrophilic tribological interfaces compared to hydrophobic ones. Facile spreading of all mucus samples at hydrophilic steel–polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) interfaces allowed for the retainment of the lubricating films over a wide range of speed, slide/roll ratio, and external load. In contrast, poor wetting at hydrophobic PDMS–PDMS interfaces led to depletion of the mucus samples from the interface with increasing speed. Among the different mucus models investigated in this study, fluid mixtures of commercially available porcine gastric mucin (PGM) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) displayed the most persistent lubricating effects under various tribological experimental conditions. A mixture of PGM and PAA holds a high potential as mucus mimic, not only for its rheological similarity, but also for its excellent lubricity in soft compliant and hydrophilic contacts.
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December 2017
Research Article|
December 05 2017
Gastric mucus and mucuslike hydrogels: Thin film lubricating properties at soft interfaces Available to Purchase
Troels Røn;
Troels Røn
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Navin J. Patil;
Navin J. Patil
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria
, Cubo 31/C, 87036 Rende (CS), Italy
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Fatemeh Ajalloueian;
Fatemeh Ajalloueian
Nano-BioScience Research Group, DTU-Food, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Sankaranarayanan Rishikesan;
Sankaranarayanan Rishikesan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Bruno Zappone;
Bruno Zappone
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto di Nanotecnologia (CNR-Nanotec)
, Cubo 33/B, Rende, CS, 87036, Italy
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Ioannis S. Chronakis;
Ioannis S. Chronakis
Nano-BioScience Research Group, DTU-Food, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Seunghwan Lee
Seunghwan Lee
a)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Troels Røn
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Navin J. Patil
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria
, Cubo 31/C, 87036 Rende (CS), Italy
Fatemeh Ajalloueian
Nano-BioScience Research Group, DTU-Food, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Sankaranarayanan Rishikesan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Bruno Zappone
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto di Nanotecnologia (CNR-Nanotec)
, Cubo 33/B, Rende, CS, 87036, Italy
Ioannis S. Chronakis
Nano-BioScience Research Group, DTU-Food, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Seunghwan Lee
a)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
a)
Electronic mail: [email protected]
Biointerphases 12, 051001 (2017)
Article history
Received:
September 07 2017
Accepted:
November 14 2017
Citation
Troels Røn, Navin J. Patil, Fatemeh Ajalloueian, Sankaranarayanan Rishikesan, Bruno Zappone, Ioannis S. Chronakis, Seunghwan Lee; Gastric mucus and mucuslike hydrogels: Thin film lubricating properties at soft interfaces. Biointerphases 1 December 2017; 12 (5): 051001. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5003708
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