Search results for "Biomaterials"

Polysaccharide-based silver nanoparticles synthesized by Klebsiella oxytoca DSM 29614 cause DNA fragmentation in E-coli cells

2016

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), embedded into a specific exopolysaccharide (EPS), were produced by Klebsiella oxytoca DSM 29614 by adding AgNO3 to the cultures during exponential growth phase. In particular, under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, two types of silver nanoparticles, named AgNPs-EPS(aer) and the AgNPs-EPS(anaer), were produced respectively. The effects on bacterial cells was demonstrated by using Escherichia coli K12 and Kocuria rhizophila ATCC 9341 (ex Micrococcus luteus) as Gram-negative and Gram-positive tester strains, respectively. The best antimicrobial activity was observed for AgNPs-EPS(aer), in terms of minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentr…

Fractional hereditariness of lipid membranes: Instabilities and linearized evolution

2016

In this work lipid ordering phase changes arising in planar membrane bilayers is investigated both accounting for elas- ticity alone and for effective viscoelastic response of such assemblies. The mechanical response of such membranes is studied by minimizing the Gibbs free energy which penalizes perturbations of the changes of areal stretch and their gradients only [1]. As material instabilities arise whenever areal stretches characterizing homogeneous configurations lie inside the spinoidal zone of the free energy density, bifurcations from such configurations are shown to occur as oscillatory perturbations of the in-plane displacement. Experimental observations [2] show a power-law in-pl…

Effect of substrate composition on the stability and microbial community of an anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed reactor treating printing solve…

2019

Abstract The performance and microbial community analysis of an expanded granular sludge bed reactor (EGSB) treating wastewater polluted with mixtures of ethanol and glycol ethers –such as 1-ethoxy-2-propanol (E2P) and 1-methoxy-2-propanol (M2P)– were evaluated. The results showed good EGSB performance during start-up (100% of ethanol) in terms of global removal efficiency (RE > 95%). When glycol ethers were added, an initial adaptation period was observed of ~20 days. While the RE of M2P became complete, the RE of E2P reached only 65%. The proportion of glycol ethers was gradually increased and at the end of this study only a binary mixture of E2P and M2P was fed. In the last stage, the gl…

Carbonic anhydrase and metazoan biocalcification: a focus on molluscs.

2015

Carbonic anhydrase is a super-family of metallo-enzymes (containing α, β, γ, ζ and δ-CA families) that catalyse the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. Among their numerous functions, CAs - in particular that of the α-CA family - are known to play a key role in biocalcification processes, i.e., the ability to deposit calcium carbonate crystallites in a controlled manner to form exoskeletons. In the gastropod mollusc Haliotistuberculata – the European abalone – we identified two CA transcripts, htCA1 and htCA2, in the mantle, the calcifying organ responsible for shell formation from an extracellular organic matrix and a mixture of inorganic ions. Because these two transcripts are specifi…

The shell of the invasive bivalve species Dreissena polymorpha: biochemical, elemental and textural Investigations.

2016

28 pages; International audience; The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha is a well-established invasive model organism. Although extensively used in environmental sciences, virtually nothing is known of the molecular process of its shell calcification. By describing the microstructure, geochemistry and biochemistry/proteomics of the shell, the present study aims at promoting this species as a model organism in biomineralization studies, in order to establish a bridge with ecotoxicology, while sketching evolutionary conclusions. The shell of D. polymorpha exhibits the classical crossed-lamellar/complex crossed lamellar combination found in several heterodont bivalves, in addition to an extern…

Tailoring the Interface of Biomaterials to Design Effective Scaffolds

2018

Tissue engineering (TE) is a multidisciplinary science, which including principles from material science, biology and medicine aims to develop biological substitutes to restore damaged tissues and organs. A major challenge in TE is the choice of suitable biomaterial to fabricate a scaffold that mimics native extracellular matrix guiding resident stem cells to regenerate the functional tissue. Ideally, the biomaterial should be tailored in order that the final scaffold would be (i) biodegradable to be gradually replaced by regenerating new tissue, (ii) mechanically similar to the tissue to regenerate, (iii) porous to allow cell growth as nutrient, oxygen and waste transport and (iv) bioactiv…

Recombinant mussel protein Pvfp-5β: A potential tissue bioadhesive

2019

During their lifecycle, many marine organisms rely on natural adhesives to attach to wet surfaces for movement and self-defence in aqueous tidal environments. Adhesive proteins from mussels are biocompatible and elicit only minimal immune responses in humans. Therefore these proteins have received increased attention for their potential applications in medicine, biomaterials and biotechnology. The Asian green mussel Perna viridis secretes several byssal plaque proteins, molecules that help anchor the mussel to surfaces. Among these proteins, protein-5β (Pvfp-5β) initiates interactions with the substrate, displacing interfacial water molecules before binding to the surface. Here, we establis…

In vitroassessment of the biological response of Ti6Al4V implants coated with hydroxyapatite microdomains

2016

Dental implantology is still an expanding field of scientific study because of the number of people that receive dental therapies throughout their lives worldwide. Recovery times associated to dental surgery are still long and demand strategies to improve integration of metallic devices with hard tissues. In this work, an in vitro ceramic coating is proposed to improve and accelerate osseointegration of titanium surfaces conceived to be used as dental implants or hip or knee prosthesis, shaped either as dishes or screws. Such coating consists of hydroxyapatite microdomains on the implant surfaces obtained in vitro by immersion of titanium alloy samples (Ti6Al4V) in a simulated body fluid. T…

Porosity analysis of MTA and Biodentine cements for use in endodontics by using micro?computed tomography

2018

Background The purpose of this study is to compare the porosity of two repair cements, White ProRoot® MTA and Biodentine®. These samples were analyzed by using micro-computed microtomography. Material and methods Sixteen samples were used in the study that were divided according to the composition of the materials used. White ProRoot® MTA (n = 8) and Biodentine® (n = 8) were the samples prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. They were placed in silicone molds of 5 ± 0.1mm in height and an internal diameter of 5 ± 0.1mm, 24 hours after its preparation, the samples were scanned through a micro-CT, the porosity results were analyzed statistically by independent "t" tests. Resul…

2017

We have engineered polymer-based microenvironments that promote vasculogenesis both in vitro and in vivo through synergistic integrin-growth factor receptor signalling. Poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA) triggers spontaneous organization of fibronectin (FN) into nanonetworks which provide availability of critical binding domains. Importantly, the growth factor binding (FNIII12-14) and integrin binding (FNIII9-10) regions are simultaneously available on FN fibrils assembled on PEA. This material platform promotes synergistic integrin/VEGF signalling which is highly effective for vascularization events in vitro with low concentrations of VEGF. VEGF specifically binds to FN fibrils on PEA compared to …