Zimmermanlund6456

It is highly required to develop well-designed separation materials for the specific isolation of certain proteins in proteomic research. Herein, the new type of metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived polymer-mediated magnetic hollow nanocages was fabricated via stress-induced orientation contraction, which was further applied for specific enrichment of proteins. The core-shell nanocomposites comprised of polymer-mediated ZIF-67 cores and polydopamine (PDA) shells, after annealing, generated magnetic hollow carbon nanocages with hierarchical pores and structures. Particularly, the magnetic carbonized PDA@F127/ZIF-67 hollow nanocages exhibited a remarkable adsorption capacity toward bovine hemoglobin (BHB) up to 834.3 mg g-1, which was significantly greater than that of the directed carbonized ZIF-67 nanoparticles. The results also exhibited the notable specificity of the obtained nanocages on complex biosamples, including intact mixed proteins and fetal calf serum. The hierarchically hollow porous structure greatly improves the specific surface area and reduces the mass transfer resistance, leading to enhanced high adsorption for target protein BHB. This novel method will be promising for the applications in purification and enrichment of biomacromolecules for complex biosamples, which successfully solve the problem of low adsorption efficiency and tedious separating process of the previous MOF-derived materials.The vocal fold lamina propria (VFLP), one of the outermost layers of the vocal fold (VF), is composed of tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and is highly susceptible to injury. Various biomaterials have been clinically tested to treat voice disorders (e.g., hydrogels, fat, and hyaluronic acid), but satisfactory recovery of the VF functionality remains elusive. Fibrosis or scar formation in the VF is a major challenge, and the development and refinement of novel therapeutics that promote the healing and normal function of the VF are needed. Injectable hydrogels derived from native tissues have been previously reported with major advantages over synthetic hydrogels, including constructive tissue remodeling and reduced scar tissue formation. This study aims to characterize the composition of a decellularized porcine VFLP-ECM scaffold and the cytocompatibility and potential antifibrotic properties of a hydrogel derived from VFLP-ECM. In addition, we isolated potential matrix-bound vesicles (MBVs) and macromolecules from the VFLP-ECM that also downregulated smooth muscle actin ACTA2 under transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) stimulation. The results provide evidence of the unique protein composition of the VFLP-ECM and the potential link between the components of the VFLP-ECM and the inhibition of TGF-β1 signaling observed in vitro when transformed into injectable forms.Codelivery of drugs using multifunctional nanoplatforms with anisotropic properties can produce synergistic effects and improve the antitumor activity of the drugs. In this work, Janus gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized via the Pickering emulsion method. The obtained Janus nanoparticles were further selectively assembled with thiol-β-cyclodextrin as a drug delivery vehicle for paclitaxel on gold domains, while the other mesoporous silica side with a mesoporous structure served as a drug delivery vehicle for doxorubicin. These synthesized Janus nanoparticles possess pH and near-infrared (NIR) dual-responsive release properties. Furthermore, the tumor-bearing mice treated with dual-drug-loaded Janus nanoparticles showed obvious tumor inhibition than single-drug-loaded ones. Histological analysis reveals no pathological changes in the vital organs of the mice. The outcome demonstrated that dual-drug-loaded Janus gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles possessed a high therapeutic efficiency and excellent biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo and could be used as an effective candidate for cancer therapeutics.Herein, we introduce a facile microfluidic technique to produce a hybrid alginate fiber with a tadpole-egg shape. A triple-flow polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic device was constructed to allow the formation of oil droplets inside the alginate stream and was instantaneously gelated with the coaxially adjacent CaCl2. The fiber entrapping the uniform oil droplets was dehydrated, leading to the formation of a distinct tadpole-egg-shaped structure. A series of diverse fiber architectures was fabricated in a controlled manner based on the flow rates of the relevant flows. The tadpole-egg-shaped alginate fibers were employed as building blocks to create a three-dimensional microwell template for cell cultures. First, the tadpole-egg-shaped alginate fibers containing the oil droplets were half-dipped into a melted agarose solution. After the solidification of the agarose gel, the alginate fibers were degraded by an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution to generate the hemispherical microwells. Mesenchymal th multiple compartments.To understand the natural silk spinning mechanism, synchrotron Fourier transform infrared (S-FTIR) microspectroscopy was employed in this study to monitor the conformation changes of silk protein in the silk gland of Bombyx mori silkworm. The ultrahigh brightness of S-FTIR microspectroscopy allowed the imaging of the silk gland with micrometer-scale spatial resolution. Herein, tissue sections of a silk gland, including cross-section slices and longitudinal-section slices, were characterized. The results obtained clearly confirm that the conformation of the silk fibroin changes gradually along the silk gland from the tail to the spinneret. In the middle silk gland, silk fibroin mainly contains random coil/helix conformation. When it comes to the spinneret through the anterior silk gland, the content of β-sheet increases, but the content of random coil/helix instead reduces gradually. Further, the β-sheet distribution in the cross-section of the anterior silk gland was imaged using S-FTIR mapping technique. see more The results show that the structural distribution of the silk fibroin in cross-section is uniform without significant shell-core structure, which implies that the primary driving force to induce the conformation transition of silk fibroin from random coil/helix to β-sheet during the spinning process is elongational flow of silk fibroin in the silk gland and not the shear force between the silk fibroin and the lumen wall of silk gland. These direct pieces of evidence of silk fibroin structure in the silk gland would definitely promote a deeper understanding of the natural spinning process.β-Sheet protein structures and domains are widely found in biological materials such as silk. These assemblies play a major role in the extraordinary strength and unique properties of biomaterials. At the molecular level, the single β-sheet structure comprises polypeptide chains in zig-zag conformations that are held together by hydrogen bonds. β-sheet domains comprise multiple β-sheets that originate from hydrophobic interactions between sheets and are held together by van der Waals interactions. In this work, we introduce molecular models that capture the response of such domains upon mechanical loading and illustrate the mechanisms behind their collapse. We begin by modeling the force that is required to pull a chain out of a β-sheet. Next, we employ these models to study the behavior of β-sheets that are embedded into and connected to an amorphous protein matrix. We show that the collapse of a β-sheet occurs upon the application of a sufficiently high force that is transferred from the chains in the matrix to individual chains of the β-sheet structure and causes shear. With the aim of understanding the response of β-sheet domains, we derive models for the interactions between β-sheets. These enable the study of critical forces required to break such domains. As opposed to molecular dynamics simulations, the analysis in this work yields simple expressions that shed light on the relations between the nanostructure of β-sheet domains and their mechanical response. In addition, the findings of this work suggest how β-sheet domains can be strengthened.Marine pollution stemming from plastic microbeads (MBs) in personal care products has been substantially increased because of their nonbiodegradability and high adsorption capacity against persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in seawater. Moreover, the manufacturing process of MBs has been based on wet processes, such as emulsification, microfluidics, and precipitation. Therefore, a green process for obtaining biodegradable MBs is urgently necessary. Aliphatic polyesters, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA, radiation-degradable) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL, radiation-cross-linkable), have biodegradability and melt processability. The eco-friendly melt electrospraying process is a simple and cost-effective method for the preparation of MBs without the need for organic reagents. In this study, the PLA and PCL MBs were obtained by adjusting the main processing parameters during the melt electrospraying process. The weight losses of PLA and PCL MBs in aqueous environments occurred faster than those of positive controls, and the thermal transition parameters were decreased with the hydrolytic degradation of MBs. In the POP adsorption test, the biodegradable MBs showed poor adsorption because of their low specific surface area. The results of the cleansing efficiency test indicated that biodegradable MBs have great potential as more sustainable cosmetics to replace nondegradable MBs.The antifouling properties of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-silane amphiphiles as surface-modifying additives (SMAs) in a condensation cure silicone have been previously demonstrated against simple protein solutions. Comprising an oligo(dimethylsiloxane) tether (m = 13 or 30) and PEO segment (n = 8), sustained protein resistance was achieved even in the absence of a cross-linkable triethoxysilane group, particularly when comprising the longer tether. To probe their potential for thromboresistance, PEO-silane amphiphile SMAs were used to bulk-modify silicones and evaluated for adhesion resistance against whole human blood under both static and dynamic conditions. Both a cross-linkable (XL diblock, m = 13) and a non-cross-linkable (Diblock, m = 30) SMA were evaluated at various concentrations (5-50 μmol SMA/g silicone) in a condensation cure silicone. Under static conditions, silicones modified with either SMA at concentrations of 10 μmol/g or greater were effective in reducing adhesion of human fibrinogen and platelets. Dynamic testing further showed that modified silicones were able to reduce protein adsorption and thrombus formation. This occurred at 5 and 10 μmol/g for silicones modified with XL diblock, m = 13 and Diblock, m = 30 SMAs, respectively. Combined, these results indicate the effectiveness of PEO-silane amphiphiles as SMAs in silicone for improved thromboresistance.Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women. Early stage diagnosis and treatment of this cancer are crucial to patients' survival. In addition, it is important to avoid severe side effects during the process of conventional treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy) and increase the patients' quality of life. Over the past decade, nanomaterials of all kinds have shown excellent prospects in different aspects of oncology. Among them, two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are unique due to their physical and chemical properties. The functional variability of 2D nanomaterials stems from their large specific surface area as well as the diversity of composition, electronic configurations, interlayer forces, surface functionalities, and charges. In this review, the current status of 2D nanomaterials in breast cancer diagnosis and therapy is reviewed. In this respect, sensing of the tumor biomarkers, imaging, therapy, and theranostics are discussed. The ever-growing 2D nanomaterials are building blocks for the development of a myriad of nanotheranostics.