Thermal characterisation of PEGylated mucin

To investigate the characteristics of PEGylated mucin and its potential usage. Mucin was extracted from giant African land snails and PEGylated mucin was prepared with different ratios of PEG 2000-Mwt and mucin (1 : 1, 0 : 1, 2 : 1, 1 : 3 and 3 : 1 to form batch A-E) using solvent technique. The physicochemical properties of mucin were identified and the solubility of mucin was assessed. The thermal properties of PEGylated mucin were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Carbohydrates, proteins and trace amounts of fats were present in snail mucin. The mucin powder was water-soluble at 30°C and more water-soluble at 35°C, but not soluble; in acetone, ethanol, 0.1 M NaOH, 0.1M H2SO4 and 0.1 NH4OH was water-soluble. The melting point Tm ranged from 58.58 °C to 61.17 °C, crystallization temperature Tc 37.08 °C to 39.83 °C, and glass transition temperature Tg 126.85 °C to 138.39 °C. The variation in Tm, Tc, and Tg with the composition in the PEGylaton showed that an interaction between PEG and mucin occured. This result can serve as a basis for further evaluation of the PEGylation method and be used for drug delivery.