Comparative biochemical and structural analysis of silk fibers from weaver ants and paper wasps and their potential applications

¹ Post Graduate and Research, Department of Zoology, Government Victoria college Palakkad, India
² Department of Zoology, Arignar Anna Government arts and science College, Puducherry, India

^* Corresponding author: nasihami5@gmail.com

Abstract

Silks are natural fibrous proteins comprises of specific sequences of amino acid that can be secreted into solidified fibres. These are naturally occurring polymers and have garnered profound attention for their mechanical properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility. These characters of silk made them stand out for a range of suitable biomedical applications. Present study researched and compares their biochemical composition, structural details, and thermal stability of silk fibres extracted from the nests of Paper Wasps (Polistes sp.) and Weaver Ants (Oecophylla sp). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), were exploited to shed light on the structural and thermal properties of the fibres. Results reveal that silks from Paper Wasps shows higher protein concentration (44.7%) and superior thermal stability compared to Weaver Ant silk (23.4%). These two silks reveal structural characteristics akin to Bombyx mori silk, with distinct βsheet and α-helical conformations, indicating their potency for advanced applications in tissue engineering, nanotechnology, and drug delivery systems. This study highlights the untapped potential of these alternative silk sources in the biomedical field, which paved the way for further delve and its utilization.