Fabrication of bovine serum albumin nanotubes through template-assisted layer by layer assembly

One-dimensional protein nanostructures have many potential applications in the biomedical field. In this article, protein nanotubes have been fabricated via sequential filtration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution at pH 3.8 and 7.0 through the nanochannels of anodic aluminum oxide templates. The morphology of the nanostructures has been examined using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Circular dichroism and UV/Vis spectroscopy have been used to select experimental conditions such as the pH values and the etching solution to release the fabricated protein nanotubes to minimize potential damage to the bioactivity of BSA. These results indicate that much more study needs to be done to strengthen the mechanical stability of the protein nanotubes and to better control their morphology.