Synergistic effects of metals and oxidants in the curing of marine mussel adhesive

Marine mussels produce an impressive adhesive material for affixing themselves to rocks in the turbulent marine environment. This glue is generated by application of proteins to the surface followed by extensive cross-linking to yield the final matrix. Prior studies have shown that simple oxidation or reactivity brought about by metal ions may be key to this protein cross-linking process. Here we have explored protein cross-linking reactivity in which combinations of metals and oxidants may display synergistic effects with respect to adhesive curing. Extracted adhesive proteins were mixed with a series of metals, oxidants, and combinations thereof. In some cases, synergistic curing was observed. For example, we found that iron(II) ions with hydrogen peroxide brought about a greater degree of protein cross-linking than the sum of the individual components. These studies were performed as part of our efforts to provide perspectives on the connections between biology, chemistry, and functional materials.