Muscles made of elastin
Scientists have assembled an artificial muscle from natural proteins
Sergey Vasiliev, Naked Science
Scientists from the University of Freiburg in Germany have created an artificial muscle from elastin, a common animal protein. It is able to shrink under the influence of temperature and acidity of the medium and is completely biocompatible. Theoretically, in the future, such muscles can be used in regenerative medicine, restoring fragments of irretrievably lost tissues. Stefan Schiller and his colleagues write about this in an article published in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems (Huber et al., An Autonomous Chemically Fueled Artificial Protein Muscle).
Elastin is a fibrillar protein resembling long strands that is part of connective tissue. It forms an intercellular framework that supports cellular structures, directs their growth and migration of individual cells. It is elastin that gives elasticity to the skin, the walls of blood vessels, the bladder and other tissues. Scientists from Freiburg slightly changed the amino acid sequence of elastin, obtaining two similar molecules, one of which reacts to the acidity (pH) of the medium, and the other to temperature; using photochemical reactions, both chains were stitched into a two—layer structure.
In the presence of a chemical energy source (in this case, sodium sulfite), such proteins are able to reversibly change their structure. Following the pH fluctuations, one of them contracts and stretches again, forcing the entire muscle to bend, then take its original shape, turning chemical energy into mechanical movement. By additional temperature exposure, these fluctuations can be "turned on" and "turned off", providing an artificial muscle with a "memory effect".
According to scientists, in the future it will be possible to create analogues of this system that can respond to other environmental stimuli, as well as use other chemical compounds as energy sources. Programmable muscles can be used not only in medicine, but also in robotics. In the meantime, machine developers are experimenting with whole living muscle cells, setting their devices in motion.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru