scholarly journals Stimuli-responsive composite biopolymer actuators with selective spatial deformation behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (25) ◽  
pp. 14602-14608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yushu Wang ◽  
Wenwen Huang ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Xuan Mu ◽  
Shengjie Ling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cellulose Nanofibers ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Spatial Deformation ◽  
Mechanical Durability ◽  
Actuator System ◽  
Site Selective ◽  
Multilayer Actuators

Bioinspired actuators with stimuli-responsive and deformable properties are being pursued in fields such as artificial tissues, medical devices and diagnostics, and intelligent biosensors. These applications require that actuator systems have biocompatibility, controlled deformability, biodegradability, mechanical durability, and stable reversibility. Herein, we report a bionic actuator system consisting of stimuli-responsive genetically engineered silk–elastin-like protein (SELP) hydrogels and wood-derived cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), which respond to temperature and ionic strength underwater by ecofriendly methods. Programmed site-selective actuation can be predicted and folded into three-dimensional (3D) origami-like shapes. The reversible deformation performance of the SELP/CNF actuators was quantified, and complex spatial transformations of multilayer actuators were demonstrated, including a biomimetic flower design with selective petal movements. Such actuators consisting entirely of biocompatible and biodegradable materials will offer an option toward constructing stimuli-responsive systems for in vivo biomedicine soft robotics and bionic research.

scholarly journals Design of Targeted Nanostructured Coordination Polymers (NCPs) for Cancer Therapy

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (15) ◽  
pp. 3449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Novio
Keyword(s):  
Coordination Polymers ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Active Targeting ◽  
Drug Side Effects ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Site Selective ◽  
Tumoral Cells

Conventional cancer chemotherapy presents notable drug side effects due to non-selective action of the chemotherapeutics to normal cells. Nanoparticles decorated with receptor-specific ligands on the surface have shown an important role in improving site-selective binding, retention, and drug delivery to the cancer cells. This review summarizes the recent reported achievements using nanostructured coordination polymers (NCPs) with active targeting properties for cancer treatment in vitro and in vivo. Despite the controversy surrounding the effectivity of active targeting nanoparticles, several studies suggest that active targeting nanoparticles notably increase the selectivity and the cytotoxic effect in tumoral cells over the conventional anticancer drugs and non-targeted nanoparticle platform, which enhances drug efficacy and safety. In most cases, the nanocarriers have been endowed with remarkable capabilities such as stimuli-responsive properties, targeting abilities, or the possibility to be monitored by imaging techniques. Unfortunately, the lack of preclinical studies impedes the evaluation of these unique and promising findings for the translation of NCPs into clinical trials.

scholarly journals Dental Implant Nano-Engineering: Advances, Limitations and Future Directions

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2489
Author(s):  
Yifan Zhang ◽  
Karan Gulati ◽  
Ze Li ◽  
Ping Di ◽  
Yan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Dental Implants ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Antimicrobial Activities ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Tissue Integration ◽  
Material Choice

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys offer favorable biocompatibility, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, which makes them an ideal material choice for dental implants. However, the long-term success of Ti-based dental implants may be challenged due to implant-related infections and inadequate osseointegration. With the development of nanotechnology, nanoscale modifications and the application of nanomaterials have become key areas of focus for research on dental implants. Surface modifications and the use of various coatings, as well as the development of the controlled release of antibiotics or proteins, have improved the osseointegration and soft-tissue integration of dental implants, as well as their antibacterial and immunomodulatory functions. This review introduces recent nano-engineering technologies and materials used in topographical modifications and surface coatings of Ti-based dental implants. These advances are discussed and detailed, including an evaluation of the evidence of their biocompatibility, toxicity, antimicrobial activities and in-vivo performances. The comparison between these attempts at nano-engineering reveals that there are still research gaps that must be addressed towards their clinical translation. For instance, customized three-dimensional printing technology and stimuli-responsive, multi-functional and time-programmable implant surfaces holds great promise to advance this field. Furthermore, long-term in vivo studies under physiological conditions are required to ensure the clinical application of nanomaterial-modified dental implants.

Metabolism and Neurotoxicity: The Significance of Genetically Engineered Cell Lines and New Three-Dimensional Cell Cultures

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 115-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Coecke ◽  
Chantra Eskes ◽  
Joanne Gartion ◽  
Erwin van Vliet ◽  
Agnieszka Kinsner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Test Substance ◽  
Cell Culture Techniques ◽  
Culture Techniques ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Dimensional Cell

Until now, no methods have been validated for the determination of neurotoxic effects or for the evaluation of metabolism-mediated hazards of chemical substances. The current test guidelines are based on studies in vivo, involving animals exposed to the test substance. In the EU White Paper on a Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy, which may result in up to 30,000 chemicals being screened for toxicity, the use of non-animal test methods is seen as essential and is encouraged. The aim of the present work was to demonstrate the significance of novel technologies, including the use of genetically engineered cell lines and three-dimensional cell culture techniques for direct application in the regulatory hazard-assessment process, with an emphasis on metabolism-mediated toxicity and neurotoxicity.

Manipulating the solution environment to control the surface roughness of elastin-based polymer coatings

2021 ◽  
pp. 088532822110103
Author(s):  
Jared S Cobb ◽  
Anna S Rourke ◽  
Aiden Creel ◽  
Amol V Janorkar
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Polymer Concentration ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Polymer Coatings ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Average Roughness

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) have been used as a genetically-engineered, biocompatible substitute for elastin. Cell culture coatings prepared using ELP conjugated to low molecular weight polyethyleneimine (PEI) entices cells to form three-dimensional cellular aggregates that mimic their in vivo counterparts. This study seeks to control the deposition of the ELP and ELP-PEI molecules to control the roughness of the final coatings. The two polymers were coated onto three different substrates (glass, polystyrene, tissue-culture polystyrene) and the solution environment was altered by changing the polymer concentration (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/mL) and/or salt concentration (None, 0.2 M phosphate buffered saline) for a total of 36 conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to measure the average roughness (Ra) of the samples and found that ELP coated samples had a higher Ra than their ELP-PEI counterparts. The coatings were tested for stability by performing cell culture media changes every three days for 11 days. AFM showed that the average roughness of the tested samples increased with each media change. To address this, the surfaces were crosslinked using hexamethyl diisocyanate, which minimized the change in surface roughness even when subjected to an intense sonication process. This study provides parameters to achieve elastin-based coatings with controlled roughness that can be used to support stable, long-term in vitro cell culture.

In vitro and in vivo polysaccharides assembly: ultrastructural and cytochemical study of growing plant cell wall components.

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 434-435
Author(s):  
D. Reis ◽  
B. Vian ◽  
J. C. Roland
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cytochemical Study ◽  
Wall Components

Wall morphogenesis in higher plants is a problem still open to controversy. Until now the possibility of a transmembrane control and the involvement of microtubules were mostly envisaged. Self-assembly processes have been observed in the case of walls of Chlamydomonas and bacteria. Spontaneous gelling interactions between xanthan and galactomannan from Ceratonia have been analyzed very recently. The present work provides indications that some processes of spontaneous aggregation could occur in higher plants during the formation and expansion of cell wall.Observations were performed on hypocotyl of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) for which growth characteristics and wall composition have been previously defined.In situ, the walls of actively growing cells (primary walls) show an ordered three-dimensional organization (fig. 1). The wall is typically polylamellate with multifibrillar layers alternately transverse and longitudinal. Between these layers intermediate strata exist in which the orientation of microfibrils progressively rotates. Thus a progressive change in the morphogenetic activity occurs.

Three-Dimensional Subcellular Organization of Hepatocytes in Intact Liver: Simultaneous Visualization of Cytoskeletal and Membrane Markers by Confocal Microscopy

1996 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 288-289
Author(s):  
Greg V. Martin ◽  
Ann L. Hubbard
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Integral Membrane Proteins ◽  
Polarized Secretion ◽  
Microscope Images ◽  
Computer Aided ◽  
Intracellular Organelles ◽  
Cytoskeletal Elements ◽  
Simultaneous Visualization

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton is necessary for many of the polarized functions of hepatocytes. Among the functions dependent on the MT-based cytoskeleton are polarized secretion of proteins, delivery of endocytosed material to lysosomes, and transcytosis of integral plasma membrane (PM) proteins. Although microtubules have been shown to be crucial to the establishment and maintenance of functional and structural polarization in the hepatocyte, little is known about the architecture of the hepatocyte MT cytoskeleton in vivo, particularly with regard to its relationship to PM domains and membranous organelles. Using an in situ extraction technique that preserves both microtubules and cellular membranes, we have developed a protocol for immunofluorescent co-localization of cytoskeletal elements and integral membrane proteins within 20 µm cryosections of fixed rat liver. Computer-aided 3D reconstruction of multi-spectral confocal microscope images was used to visualize the spatial relationships among the MT cytoskeleton, PM domains and intracellular organelles.

Three-Dimensional In Vivo Kinematics of the Subtalar Joint During Dorsi-Plantarflexion and Inversion-Eversion

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (05) ◽  
pp. 432-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Goto ◽  
Hisao Moritomo ◽  
Tomonobu Itohara ◽  
Tetsu Watanabe ◽  
Kazuomi Sugamoto
Keyword(s):  
Subtalar Joint ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
In Vivo Kinematics ◽  
And Inversion

Epithelial Organotypic Cultures: A Viable Model to Address Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis by Epitheliotropic Viruses

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Termini ◽  
Enrique Boccardo
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Organotypic Cultures ◽  
Skin Physiology

In vitro culture of primary or established cell lines is one of the leading techniques in many areas of basic biological research. The use of pure or highly enriched cultures of specific cell types obtained from different tissues and genetics backgrounds has greatly contributed to our current understanding of normal and pathological cellular processes. Cells in culture are easily propagated generating an almost endless source of material for experimentation. Besides, they can be manipulated to achieve gene silencing, gene overexpression and genome editing turning possible the dissection of specific gene functions and signaling pathways. However, monolayer and suspension cultures of cells do not reproduce the cell type diversity, cell-cell contacts, cell-matrix interactions and differentiation pathways typical of the three-dimensional environment of tissues and organs from where they were originated. Therefore, different experimental animal models have been developed and applied to address these and other complex issues in vivo. However, these systems are costly and time consuming. Most importantly the use of animals in scientific research poses moral and ethical concerns facing a steadily increasing opposition from different sectors of the society. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of alternative in vitro experimental models that accurately reproduce the events observed in vivo to reduce the use of animals. Organotypic cultures combine the flexibility of traditional culture systems with the possibility of culturing different cell types in a 3D environment that reproduces both the structure and the physiology of the parental organ. Here we present a summarized description of the use of epithelial organotypic for the study of skin physiology, human papillomavirus biology and associated tumorigenesis.

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