Figure 8.

Schematic representation of the mechanism of antibody degradation on cellulose. (A) Antibody reversibly adsorbed onto a cellulose surface, which causes little change in the water contact angle as the fresh protein is hydrophilic. (B) Aging the antibody on cellulose has two effects. First, a time-dependent reconformation of the protein exposing its hydrophobic entities toward the protein/air interface occurs, thus increasing hydrophobicity as a function of time. Second, protein and cellulose develop irreversible adsorption through the stronger hydrogen bonds formed between the carboxyl groups of antibody and the hydroxyl group of the cellulosic surface.