Slimy, Gross Goop from Hagfish May Create New Manmade Materials in the Future

First Posted: Jan 22, 2016 08:35 AM EST

It's slimy, it's gross, and it can be found in the deep ocean. Scientists are researching a gloopy material that hagfish excrete when confronted by a predator in order to better understand its strange properties.

The hagfish has been around for about 300 million years, outliving dinosaurs and surviving catastrophic meteorite impact, warm phases and glacial periods. Even today, the hagfish continues to populate the sea at depths where it eats carrion and hunts prey.

The hagfish isn't all that attractive at first glance with its worm-like shape. However, it's caught the attention of scientists that are examining the unusual secretions that the hagfish makes.

The slime that hagfish produce is an extraordinary defense mechanism. When a hagfish is attacked by a predator, it secretes slime that gels within a split second and forms a massive slime mass, even in cold water. This slime immobilizes vast amounts of water, forming a dilute, viscous and cohesive network. Fish trying to attack the hagfish may suffocate on the slime, which causes them to let go of the fish.

The components for the slime are produced in special ventral glands. Two types of cells are embedded within the gland, producing either the filamentous protein or mucin. When in danger, the hagfish secretes these cells intermittently through its pores. The cell envelopes rupture, releasing the two components, which interact with seawater and form a matrix.

The slime consists of almost 100 percent water and just .0004 percent gelling agent. In addition, very little energy is required for the gelling process.

In this latest study, the researchers want to mimic the hagfish gel to create novel "super hydrogels." Preliminary analysis has shown a way to stabilize the glandular secretion. However, the factors allowing this stabilization are not yet known.

Research is still ongoing. But in the future, they may just unlock the secrets of the hagfish's disgusting slime.

The findings are published in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.