Fig. 1.

Discovery of synergistic surfactant formulations for enhanced recovery and functionality retention of tissue biomolecules. (A) The surfactant library was screened for identifying nondenaturing surfactant formulations that retained bioactivity of a model protein—IgE antibody. (B) Surfactant formulations exhibiting high bioactivity retention (≥90%) were further screened for their ability to solubilize proteins from porcine skin tissue. Solubilization potential of the formulations was evaluated in conjunction with a short ultrasound application. (C) Compared to conventional surfactants used in tissue solubilization studies, the leading surfactant formulation identified from screening studies—0.5% (wt/vol) DPS-B30—demonstrated a high (> 100-fold) expected protein recovery (defined as the product of fractional bioactivity retained (data reported in A) and total solubilized protein (data reported in B). Incubation of 0.5% (wt/vol) DPS-B30 without ultrasound application, and ultrasound application without incorporation of surfactant yielded significantly lower protein recovery. Errors bars indicate SD N > or = 4.