Search results for "BIOPOLYMERS"

Performance of polyester-based electrospun scaffolds under in vitro hydrolytic conditions: From short-term to long-term applications

2019

The evaluation of the performance of polyesters under in vitro physiologic conditions is essential to design scaffolds with an adequate lifespan for a given application. In this line, the degradation-durability patterns of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), polydioxanone (PDO), polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) scaffolds were monitored and compared giving, as a result, a basis for the specific design of scaffolds from short-term to long-term applications. For this purpose, they were immersed in ultra-pure water and phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at 37 &deg

Halloysite-Based Bionanocomposites

2017

Scientific research has been invigorated by a new class of biodegradable materials as alternatives to polymers derived from fossils. Such biomaterials can also offer economic advantages because they are derived from renewable resources. Several biopolymers (gelatin, chitin, chitosan, starch, pectin, cellulose and its modified versions, etc.) have been exploited to produce films and formulations. Their use is limited because of fast degradation, predominant hydrophilic character, and, in some cases, unsatisfactory mechanical properties. However, the properties of these polymers can be improved by using inorganic fillers such as additives. Halloysite nanotube is a promising green filler for t…

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOPOLYMERIC POROUS STRUCTURES FOR ADVANCED APPLICATIONS

Porous biopolymers received an increasing academic and industrial interest finding application in several fields such as tissue engineering, bioprocess intensification and waste removal. Tissue engineering combines the knowledge of materials science and bioengineering in order to develop structures able to substitute and restore the normal function of injured or diseased tissues. In this context, polymeric 3D or 2D scaffolds are widely investigated as temporary cell guidance during the tissue restore. Porous biomaterials can offer a versatile and cost effective way for immobilization of filamentous microorganisms in submerged fermentation processes for the production of biologically active …

Functionalization of Metal and Carbon Nanoparticles with Potential in Cancer Theranostics

2021

Cancer theranostics is a new concept of medical approach that attempts to combine in a unique nanoplatform diagnosis, monitoring and therapy so as to provide eradication of a solid tumor in a non-invasive fashion. There are many available solutions to tackle cancer using theranostic agents such as photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) under the guidance of imaging techniques (e.g., magnetic resonance—MRI, photoacoustic—PA or computed tomography—CT imaging). Additionally, there are several potential theranostic nanoplatforms able to combine diagnosis and therapy at once, such as gold nanoparticles (GNPs), graphene oxide (GO), superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SP…

Biostable Scaffolds of Polyacrylate Polymers Implanted in the Articular Cartilage Induce Hyaline-Like Cartilage Regeneration in Rabbits

2017

[EN] Purpose: To study the influence of scaffold properties on the organization of ¿in vivo¿ cartilage regeneration. Our hypothesis is that stress transmission to the cells seeded inside the scaffold pores or surrounding it, which is highly dependent on the scaffold properties, determine differentiation of both mesenchymal cells and dedifferentiated autologous chondrocytes. Methods: Four series of porous scaffolds made of different polyacrylate polymers, previously seeded with cultured rabbit chondrocytes or without cells preseeded, were implanted in cartilage defects in rabbits. Subchondral bone was always injured during the surgery in order to allow blood to reach the implantation site an…

Physicochemical and functional characterization of the polymerization process of the Geodia cydonium lectin

1985

The extracellularly localized, galactose-specific lectin from the sponge Geodia cydonium binds at one class of sites, 40 mol Ca2+/mol lectin with an association constant (Ka) of 0.3 X 10(6)M-1. Stoichiometric calculations reveal that in the extracellular milieu 22 mol Ca2+ (maximum) are complexed per mol lectin. Binding of Ca2+ to the lectin increases its apparent Mr from 44000 to 56000 (electrophoretic determination) or from 36500 to 53500 (high-pressure liquid gel chromatographical determination); the s20, w increases from 4.3 S to 4.5 S if Ca2+ is added to the lectin. In the presence of Ca2+ the lectin undergoes a conformational change perhaps by expanding the carbohydrate side chains wh…

Ubiquitin and ubiquitination in cells from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium.

1994

Marine sponges, e.g. Geodia cydonium, have been intensively used to investigate the biochemical and molecular biological basis of cell-cell- and cell-matrix adhesion. It has been shown that a family of galactose-specific lectins, which are present in the extracellular space of G. cydonium, is a main component involved in cell-matrix adhesion in the sponge system. In the present study it is outlined that the purified 16-kDa lectin-1 binds to a 67-kDa membrane-associated protein. This lectin-binding protein undergoes mono- and diubiquitination after incubation of dissociated sponge cells with the homologous aggregation factor (AF), a molecule involved in cell-cell adhesion. The gene coding fo…

Aqueous Processed Biopolymer Interfaces for Single-Cell Microarrays

2020

Single-cell microarrays are emerging tools to unravel intrinsic diversity within complex cell populations, opening up new approaches for the in-depth understanding of highly relevant diseases. However, most of the current methods for their fabrication are based on cumbersome patterning approaches, employing organic solvents and/or expensive materials. Here, we demonstrate an unprecedented green-chemistry strategy to produce single-cell capture biochips onto glass surfaces by all-aqueous inkjet printing. At first, a chitosan film is easily inkjet printed and immobilized onto hydroxyl-rich glass surfaces by electrostatic immobilization. In turn, poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether is graft…

The role of EPS concentration in MBR foaming: analysis of a submerged pilot plant.

2010

Foaming in Membrane BioReactor (MBR) is a frequently discussed topic. Some authors reported that the phenomenon is due to filamentous organisms, like at Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) plants. However, in recent years, other authors reported that the Extra-cellular Polymer Substances (EPSs) concentration is an important factor for controlling foam as well. Nevertheless, even if a number of MBR plants are affected by foaming, presently there are no suitable methods to evaluate the phenomenon. To facilitate the study of this controversial phenomenon in an MBR system, certain foam tests proposed in the past for CASPs were investigated. The results of the tests were able to adequately measu…

Pilot scale experiment with MBR operated in intermittent aeration condition: analysis of biological performance.

2014

The effect of intermittent aeration (IA) on a MBR system was investigated. The study was aimed at ana- lyzing different working conditions and the influence of different IA cycles on the biological performance of the MBR pilot plant, in terms of organic carbon and ammonium removal as well as extracellular poly- meric substances (EPSs) production. The membrane modules were placed in a separate compartment, continuously aerated. This configuration allowed to disconnect from the filtration stage the biological phenomena occurring into the IA bioreactor. The observed results highlighted good efficiencies, in terms of organic carbon and ammonium removal. It was noticed a significant soluble micr…