La Jornada: Starch and DNA film will heal wounds faster

Querétaro, Qro., Scientists from the Polytechnic University of Santa Rosa Jáuregui (Querétaro) have developed conductive and semiconductor films based on starch and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with mechanical and electrical properties, to be considered as highly biocompatible and biodegradable components in medical topics, in agribusiness or electronic devices, contributing to the production chain of different industries in the country.

In interview with The DayAarón Rodríguez López, full-time research professor at the Polytechnic University of Santa Rosa Jáuregui, assigned to the Research and Postgraduate Directorate, details that the project to develop semiconductor and conductive films based on organic materials, such as starch and DNA, was designed not to use metallic materials. “In this arrangement of starch with these substances, such as DNA or hydroxypropyl methyl acetate (HPMC), we can make some characterizations that allow us to think about one or another application,” he indicated.

Rodríguez López explains that magnetite can be added to this film, due to its “antimicrobial, antifungal properties. So, I am thinking about it to make a dressing that helps you heal sooner, avoiding infections, and without having to wash every so often. You put this dressing on, it will last much longer and your wound will improve faster.”

The research professor explained that “through equipment such as a potentiostat-galvanostat, which is a mixture of power source, multimeter, frequency generator, and using a technique called electrochemical impedance, the materials, resistance properties, chemical stability properties or charge storage of the materials are characterized. Magnetite has shown that it can also be a capacitor, but the materials that we originally synthesized also have some interesting properties in terms of their capacitance. That is, their quality to store cargo and use it when we ask for it.” He also considered that some mechanical properties of these starch-based films improved when tension tests were carried out and “the electrical properties were also modified in terms of stability and conduction” that can be used in technological developments.

Cancer treatments

Rodríguez shares that another part of the research is dedicated to introducing these semiconductor films to the human body; “It is a project that we are developing with the UNAM-Juriquilla. It has to do with the use of magnetic materials for the treatment of liver cancer and brain cancer. It can also be used as ion exchange membranes in agriculture. Today these membranes are purchased from companies with very high costs. One of the things that make these processes more expensive is precisely the exchange membranes.” To this end, he explained that “we are participating to make some membranes that are looking for an application in agribusiness. These will release some nutrients that plants require, for example nitrogen; then you make the film, all biocompatible, and you can put it there in the soil so that it gradually releases the nutrients required by the plant.”

For Aarón Rodríguez López, the vastness of applications and their putting into circulation in all the possibilities to integrate them into daily life for medical, agricultural and technology use is still uncertain. For example, “in the case of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer treatment, it turns out that it is a process in periods of time and in tests that you have to do and also relatively extensive. We have 5 years with this project in collaboration with the UNAM and we are just going to start with live tests, in vitro That’s it, but there are a lot of tests that you have to do regarding toxicology, biocompatibility, and basic tests.” As for the dressings, “it is a similar process, there are a series of tests that we have to do, fortunately at the university we have a clinical area where they will allow us to do some experiments and there are people who know about the subject, we must also comply with certain bioethical requirements.”

Although this project began with seed capital from state support through the Science and Technology Council of the State of Querétaro of 100 thousand pesos and with projects in collaboration with UNAM, UTEC Corregidora, Tecnológico Regional, UAQ, it did not rule out the possibility of investment by private initiative.

Regarding the team that has participated in this adventure of developing conductive and semiconductor films based on starch and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), Aarón Rodríguez mentions that “Julio César González, initiator of the project, in the area of ​​electrospinning; Susana Meraz, Gerardo Arreola, in materials, and Flora Mercader, the director of research, technological development and postgraduate studies, have done it. There are four of us who are in this project.”