Hydrogel with controllable merchanical, chemical, and biological properties and method for making same

A network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein covalent crosslinks consisting essentially of other than disulfide crosslinks.

A network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water-soluble proteins comprising interprotein crosslinks comprising first covalent bonds between first functional groups on a plurality of molecules of a heterogeneous crosslinking agent and first reactive pendant groups on a plurality of first water soluble proteins and second covalent bonds between second functional groups on a plurality of molecules of said heterogeneous crosslinking agent and second reactive pendant groups on a plurality of second water soluble proteins.

A hydrogel comprising water retained in a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein associations selected from the group consisting of entanglements, electrostatic bonds, covalent bonds consisting essentially of other than disulfide bonds, and combinations thereof.

A hydrogel comprising water retained in a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein covalent crosslinks consisting essentially of other than disulfide crosslinks.

A hydrogel comprising water retained in a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water-soluble proteins comprising interprotein crosslinks comprising first covalent bonds between first functional groups on a plurality of molecules of said crosslinking agent and first reactive pendant groups on a plurality of first water soluble proteins and second covalent bonds between second functional groups on a plurality of molecules of said crosslinking agent and second reactive pendant groups on a plurality of second water soluble proteins.

A hydrogel comprising water retained in a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratin proteins comprising interprotein crosslinks comprising first covalent bonds between first functional groups on a plurality of molecules of a crosslinking agent and first reactive pendant groups on a plurality of first water soluble α-keratin molecules and second covalent bonds between second functional groups on a plurality of molecules of said crosslinking agent and second reactive pendant groups on a plurality of second water soluble α-keratin molecules.

A network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein crosslinks having the following structure:

• 24
• wherein R1 and R2 independently are amino acid residues of separate water soluble proteins, said amino acid residues being selected from the group consisting of cysteine, arginine, serine, lysine, asparagine, glutamine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine.

A hydrogel comprising water retained in a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein crosslinks having the following general structure:

• 25
• wherein R1 and R2 independently are amino acid residues of separate water soluble proteins, said amino acid residues being selected from the group consisting of cysteine, arginine, serine, lysine, asparagine, glutamine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine.

A network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein crosslinks having the following general structure:

• 26
• wherein R1 and R2 independently are amino acid residues of separate water soluble proteins, said amino acid residues being selected from the group consisting of cysteine, arginine, serine, lysine, asparagine, glutamine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine.

A hydrogel comprising water retained in a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein crosslinks having the following general structure:

• 27
• wherein R1 and R2 independently are amino acid residues of separate water soluble proteins, said amino acid residues being, selected from the group consisting of cysteine, arginine, serine, lysine, asparagine, glutamine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins:

• preparing water soluble proteins from a protein source;
• and,
• covalently crosslinking said water soluble proteins to form said interprotein crosslinks consisting essentially of other than disulfide crosslinks.

A method for making a hydrogel comprising a network of proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratins, said method comprising exposing water soluble α-keratins comprising reactive pendant groups to a crosslinking agent under conditions effective to form covalent interprotein crosslinks between first functional groups on said crosslinking agent and first reactive pendant groups on a first group of said water soluble α-keratins said conditions also being effective to form covalent interprotein crosslinks between second functional groups on said crosslinking agent and second reactive pendant groups on a second group of water soluble α-keratins.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratins, said method comprising exposing water soluble α-keratins comprising reactive pendant groups to a crosslinking agent comprising at least a first terminal epoxide and a second terminal epoxide under conditions effective form covalent bonds between first terminal epoxides on said crosslinking agent and first reactive pendant groups on a first group of water soluble α-keratins, said conditions being effective to form covalent bonds between said second terminal epoxides and second reactive pendant groups on a second group of water soluble α-keratins.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratins, said method comprising exposing said water soluble α-keratins comprising reactive pendant groups to a crosslinking agent comprising at least first and second carboxylic acid groups under conditions effective to form covalent bonds between first carboxylic acid groups and first reactive pendant groups on a first group of water soluble α-keratins, said conditions being effective to for covalent bonds between said second carboxylic acid groups and second reactive pendant groups on a second group of water soluble α-keratin proteins.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratins, said method comprising exposing said water soluble α-keratins comprising reactive pendant groups to phthalic anhydride under conditions effective to form covalent bonds between first carbox-oyl groups of said phthalic anhydride and reactive pendant groups on a first group of water soluble α-keratins and, said conditions being effective to form covalent bonds between second carbox-oyl groups of said phthalic anhydride and reactive pendant groups on a second group of water soluble α-keratins.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratins, said method comprising exposing said water soluble α-keratins comprising reactive pendant groups to a crosslinking agent comprising at least first and second cyanate groups under conditions effective to form covalent bonds between said first cyanate groups and reactive pendant groups on a first group of water soluble α-keratins, said conditions being effective to form covalent bonds between said second cyanate groups and reactive pendant groups on a second group of water soluble α-keratins.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratins, said method comprising exposing water soluble α-keratins comprising pendant thiol groups to phthalic anhydride under conditions effective to form first covalent bonds between first carbox-oyl groups of said phthalic anhydride molecules and first thiol groups on a first group of said water soluble α-keratins, said conditions also being effective to form second covalent bonds between said second carbox-oyl groups and second thiol groups on a second group of said water soluble α-keratins.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble α-keratins, said method comprising exposing said water soluble α-keratins comprising carboxylic acid pendant groups to a crosslinking agent comprising at least first nucleophilic groups and second nucleophilic groups under conditions effective to form first covalent bonds between said first nucleophilic groups and said carboxylic acid pendant groups on a first group of water soluble α-keratins, said conditions also being effective to form second covalent bonds between said second nucleophilic groups and second carboxylic acid pendant groups on a second group of water soluble α-keratins.

A method for making a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins, said method comprising exposing said water soluble proteins comprising reactive pendant groups to a crosslinking agent comprising at least first functional groups and second functional groups adapted to react with said reactive pendant groups under conditions effective to form covalent bonds between said first functional groups and first reactive pendant groups on a first group of said water soluble proteins, said conditions also being effective to form covalent bonds between said second functional groups and second reactive pendant groups on a second group of said water soluble proteins.

A method of treating a wound comprising applying to said wound a network comprising proteinaceous material consisting essentially of water soluble proteins comprising interprotein covalent crosslinks consisting essentially of other than disulfide crosslinks