page_title: Bovine submaxillary mucin coatings
section_title: Chemical composition
hierarchical_section_title: Bovine submaxillary mucin coatings / Physical characteristics / Chemical composition
caption_attribution_description: English: The structure of mucin is shown and includes a core protein with O-linked glycans.
context_page_description: Bovine submaxillary mucin coatings are a surface treatment provided to biomaterials intended to reduce the growth of disadvantageous bacteria and fungi such as S. epidermidis, E. coli, and Candida albicans. BSM is a substance extracted from the fresh salivary glands of cows. It exhibits unique physical properties, such as high molecular weight and amphiphilicity, that allow it to be used for many biomedical applications.
  Each species possesses mucin-secreting submaxillary glands. Currently, eight different mucins have been identified for humans. However, it is the mucin from bovine and porcine sources that have been used in several biomaterial applications. The most common use of BSM is in coatings for implanted materials. In such applications, the adsorption characteristics of BSM are integral to the behavior of materials in vivo. Survival and rejection of an implant are highly dependent on surface modifications that dictate the interfacial interaction between a material and the body. Thus, BSM adsorption increases biocompatibility.
  Epithelial tissue lines surfaces throughout the body. A mucous gel layer composed of protein coats this tissue.
context_section_description: Being large glycoproteins, mucins have high carbohydrate content, contributing to their fibrous structure. These carbohydrates branch off of polypeptide chains in the form of oligosaccharides including N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, fucose, galactose, and sialic acid. The serine and threonine hydroxyl groups link to the polypeptide chains via O-glycosidic linkages.
caption: The structure of mucin is shown and includes a core protein with O-linked glycans.
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