Macromolecular Bioscience

The integrity of the protective mucus layer as a primary defense against pathogen invasion and microbial leakage into the intestinal epithelium can be compromised by the effects of antibiotics on the commensal microbiome. Changes in mucus integrity directly affect the solvent viscosity in the immediate vicinity of the mucin network, i.e., the nanoviscosity, which in turn affects both biochemical reactions and selective transport. To assess mucus nanoviscosity, a reliable readout via the viscosity-dependent fluorescence lifetime of the molecular rotor dye Cy3 is established and nanoviscosities from porcine and murine ex vivo mucus are determined...

Dental implant surgery is a procedure that replaces damaged or missing teeth with an artificial implant. During this procedure, guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes were commonly used to inhibit the migration of epithelium and guided bone regeneration at the surgical sites. Due to its biodegradability, good biocompatibility, and unique biological properties, gelatin (GT) was considered a suitable candidate for guiding periodontal tissue regeneration. However, GT-based membranes come with limitations, such as poor mechanical strength and mismatched degradation rates...

Articular cartilage defects pose a significant challenge due to the limited self-healing ability of cartilage. However, traditional techniques face limitations including autologous chondrocyte expansion issues. This study aims to investigate the effects of collagen-surface modified polylactic acid-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres (CPLGA) loaded with tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on two cell types and the regeneration potential of articular cartilage. PLGA microspheres are fabricated using an emulsification-solvent evaporation method, followed by surface grafting of type II collagen through the Steglich reaction...

Transdermal drug delivery of macromolecule drugs has attracted significant attention due to the advantage of convenience and biocompatibility. However, the practical usage of it is limited by the low delivery efficiency and poor drug absorption. To develop an efficient, safe, and controllable transdermal delivery method, the near-infrared (NIR) triggered calcium sulfate and gelatin biodegradable composite microneedle (MN) patches have been developed. The MN patches were fabricated by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds, and the structure data could be adjusted by changing the molds...

Polyaspartic acid derivatives are a well-known kind of polypeptide with good biocompatibility and biodegradability, and thus have been widely used as biomedical materials, including drug-loaded nano-scale micelles or macroscopic hydrogels. In this work, for the first time, monodisperse polyaspartic acid derivative (PASP-AMA) microspheres with diameter ranging from 120 µm to 350 µm for potential tumor embolization therapy were successfully prepared by single emulsion droplet microfluidic technique...

Biomaterials denoting self-healing and versatile structural integrity are highly curious in the biomedicine segment. The injectable and/or printable 3D (3 dimensional) printing technology was explored in a few decades back, which can alter their dimensions temporarily under shear stress, showing potential healing/recovery tendency with patient-specific intervention towards the development of personalized medicine. Thus, self-healing injectable hydrogels (IHs) are stunning towards developing a paradigm for tissue regeneration...

Engineered nanomaterials are promising in biomedical application. However, insufficient understanding of their biocompatibility at the cellular and organic levels prevents their widely biomedical applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this work, zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF-8) and polydopamine (PDA) modified ZIF-8 (ZP) were chosen as model nanomaterials due to its emergent role in nanomedicine. In vitro, the results demonstrated that the PDA coating greatly alleviated the cytotoxicity of ZIF-8 to RAW264...

Human mesenchymal stromal cell (hMSC) manufacturing requires the production of large numbers of therapeutically potent cells. Licensing with soluble cytokines improves hMSC therapeutic potency by enhancing secretion of immunoactive factors but typically decreases proliferative ability. Soft hydrogels, however, have shown promise for boosting immunomodulatory potential, which may compensate for decreased proliferation. Here, hydrogels were crosslinked with peptoids of different secondary structures to generate substrates of various bulk stiffness but fixed network connectivity...

Throughout the past decades, amphipathic peptide-based hydrogels have proven to be promising materials for biomedical applications. Amphipathic peptides are known to adopt β-sheet configurations that self-assemble into fibers that then interact to form a hydrogel network. A fundamental understanding of how the peptide sequence alters the structural properties of the hydrogels would allow for a more rational design of novel peptides for a variety of biomedical applications in the future. Therefore, the current work investigates how changing the type of amino acid, the amphipathic pattern, and the peptide length affects the secondary structure, fiber characteristics and stiffness of peptide-based hydrogels...

Spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and neurosurgery procedures usually lead to neural tissue damage. Self-assembled peptide (SAP) hydrogels, a type of innovative hierarchical nanofiber-forming peptide sequences serving as hydrogelators, have emerged as a promising solution for repairing tissue defects and promoting neural tissue regeneration. SAPs possess numerous features such as adaptable morphologies, biocompatibility, injectability, tunable mechanical stability, and mimicking of the native extracellular matrix...

Tissue engineering represents an advanced therapeutic approach for the treatment of bone tissue defects. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) is a promising class of natural polymers in this context thanks to their biocompatibility, processing versatility, and mechanical properties. The aim of this study is the development by computer-aided wet-spinning of novel poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)-based composite scaffolds for bone engineering. In particular, PHBV scaffolds are loaded with hydroxyapatite (HA), an osteoinductive ceramic, in order to tailor their biological activity and mechanical properties...

An expedient and efficient approach is used to synthesize new class of metallo-polymeric microspheres as antimicrobials to succumb the wide range of bacteria from water. Three types of metallo-polymeric microspheres (MPMs), i.e., poly[Silver (I)-methacrylate-co-methylmethacrylate] (pAgMA), poly[Copper (II)-methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate] (pCuMA), and poly[Nickel (II)-methacrylate-co-methylmethacrylate] (pNiMA), were prepared via radical suspension polymerization technique in three-dimensional shape with porous texture...

The skin barrier is essential to prevent pathogenic invasion. When injury occurs, multiple biological pathways are promptly activated and wound repair processes are triggered. The effective healing of wounds is essential to our survival, and dysfunction could result from aberrant wound repair. Preparation of many hydrogels, which involve the addition of growth/cell factors or mimic extracellular matrix (ECM) components, has not resulted in significant advances in tissue recovery. ECM contains a large number of biologically active molecules that activate a variety of cellular transduction pathways, which are essential for wound repair...

Three different amphiphilic block copolymer families were synthesized to investigate new opportunities to enhance gene delivery via Hydrodynamic Limb Vein (HLV) injections. First a polyoxazoline-based family containing mostly one poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMeOx) block and a second block POx with an ethyl (EtOx), isopropyl (iPrOx) or phenyl substituent (PhOx) has been synthesized. Then an ABC poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) triblock copolymer was synthesized, with a thermosensitive middle block...

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Mucosal tissues represent a major interface between the body and the external environment and are covered by a highly hydrated mucins gel called mucus. Mucus lubricates, protects and modulate the moisture levels of the tissue and has been capitalized in transmucosal drug delivery. Pharmaceutical researchers often use freshly excised animal mucosal membranes to assess mucoadhesion and muco-penetration of pharmaceutical formulations which may struggle with limited accessibility and ethical questions. Aiming to develop a platform for the rationale study of the interaction of drugs and delivery systems with mucosal tissues, in this work we synthesize mucus-mimicking mucin-based hydrogels by the tandem chemical and physical crosslinking of 4% w/v mucin aqueous solutions...

The development of biosafe theranostic nanoplatforms has attracted great attention due to their multifunctional behavior, reduced potential toxicity, and improved long-term safety. When considering photoacoustic contrast agents and photothermal conversion tools, melanin and constructs like melanin are highly appealing due to their ability to absorb optical energy and convert it into heat. Following a sustainable approach, in this study, silver-melanin like-silica nanoplatforms were synthesized exploiting different bio-available and inexpensive phenolic acids as potential melanogenic precursors and exploring their role in tuning the final systems architecture...

Taxol is one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents but is restricted by its poor solubility and severe side effects in clinical practice. To overcome these limitations, pH-sensitive nanoparticles, Acetalated Dextran6k -PEG5k -PLA2k -Taxol (ADPP-PTX) and non-pH-sensitive nanoparticles, Propionic Anhydride modified Dextran6k -PEG5k -PLA2k -Taxol (PDPP-PTX) were developed for the delivery of Taxol. Compared with PDPP-PTX, ADPP-PTX showed higher sensitivity to acid response and a greater anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells...

Nanoparticle (NP)-based drug delivery systems have been conceived to solve poor water-solubility and chemical/physical instability, and their purpose expanded to target specific sites for maximizing therapeutic effects and minimizing unwanted events of payloads. Targeted sites have also been narrowed from organs/tissues and cells to cytosol/organelles. Beyond specific site targeting, the particular release of payloads at the target sites is growing in importance. This review overviews various issues and their general strategies during multiple steps, from the preparation of drug-loaded NPs to their drug release at the target cytosol/organelles...

Polymeric nanoparticles with an integrated dual delivery system, facilitating controlled release of bioactive molecules and drugs, offer therapeutic advantages. Key design targets include high biocompatibility, cellular uptake, and encapsulating efficiency. In this study, we synthesized a diverse polymer library derived from niacin, a vitamin B3 integral to metabolic pathways and therapeutics. The library comprised poly(2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl nicotinate), poly(2-acrylamidoethyl nicotinate), and poly(N-(2-acrylamidoethyl)nicotinamide), with varying hydrophilicity in the backbone and pendant group linker...