Search results for "Biomaterials"
showing 10 items of 1265 documents
Study of AOT-stabilized microemulsions of formamide and n-methylformamide dispersed in n-heptane
1997
Abstract A wide investigation of some physicochemical properties (density, viscosity, conductance, IR spectra, permittivity) of AOT-stabilized dispersions of formamide and n -methylformamide in n -heptane has been performed. The experimental data are consistent with the hypothesis that these highly hydrophilic substances are encapsulated within AOT reversed micelles and that this structure is maintained for both systems well above the volume fraction of the dispersed phase where a percolative transition occurs. In addition, the observed properties of these microemulsions reveal the pivotal role of intermicellar attractive interactions in driving the percolative transition. A marked modifica…
Interface engineering in efficient vacuum deposited perovskite solar cells
2016
Abstract We studied the effect of the charge transport layers in p-i-n perovskite solar cells using vacuum deposited methylammonium lead iodide thin-film absorbers. While solution-processed perovskite films are frequently deposited directly on PEDOT:PSS leading to good solar cell performances, in some cases even to very good Voc values, we show that in devices employing vacuum deposited MAPbI3 perovskites, the removal of the polyTPD electron blocker substantially reduces the photovoltaic behavior. This is indicative of rather different charge transport properties in the vacuum deposited MAPbI3 perovskites compared to those prepared from solution. On the other hand, we investigated the use o…
MRI-Visible Poly(ε-caprolactone) with Controlled Contrast Agent Ratios for Enhanced Visualization in Temporary Imaging Applications
2013
International audience; Hydrophobic macromolecular contrast agents (MMCAs) are highly desirable to provide safe and efficient magnetic resonance (MR) visibility to implantable medical devices. In this study, we report on the synthesis and evaluation of novel biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone)-based MMCAs. Poly(α-propargyl-ε-caprolactone-co-ε-caprolactone)s containing 2, 5, and 10 mol % of propargyl groups have been prepared by ring-opening copolymerization of ε-caprolactone and the corresponding propargylated lactone. In parallel, a diazido derivative of the clinically used diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)/Gd3+ complex has been synthesized. Finally, MRI-visible poly(ε-caprolactone)…
Photo-thermal effects in gold nanorods/DNA complexes
2015
An ingenious combination of plasmonic nanomaterials and one of the most relevant biological systems, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is achieved by bioconjugating gold nanorods (GNRs) with DNA via electrostatic interaction between positively charged GNRs and negatively charged short DNA. The obtained system is investigated as a function of DNA concentration by means of gel electrophoresis, zeta-potential, DNA melting and morphological analysis. It turns out that the obtained bioconjugated systems present both effective electric charge and aggregate size that are particularly amenable for gene therapy and nanomedicine applications. Finally, the effect of the localized (photo-thermal heating) and…
The formation and mineralization of mollusk shell.
2011
27 pages; International audience; In the last years, the field of mollusk biomineralization has known a tremendous mutation. The most recent advances deal with the nanostructure of shell biominerals, and with the identification of several shell matrix proteins: on one hand, the complex hierarchical organization of shell biominerals has been deciphered in few models, like nacre. On the other hand, although proteins represent a minor shell component, they are the major macromolecules that control biocrystal synthesis. Until recently, the paradigm was to consider that this control occurs by two antagonist mechanisms: crystal nucleation and growth inhibition. Emerging models try to translate a …
Transgene detection by digital droplet PCR
2014
Somatic gene therapy is a promising tool for the treatment of severe diseases. Because of its abuse potential for performance enhancement in sports, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) included the term 'gene doping' in the official list of banned substances and methods in 2004. Several nested PCR or qPCR-based strategies have been proposed that aim at detecting long-term presence of transgene in blood, but these strategies are hampered by technical limitations. We developed a digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) protocol for Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) detection and demonstrated its applicability monitoring 6 mice injected into skeletal muscle with AAV9-IGF1 elements and 2 controls over a 3…
Squaric Acid Mediated Synthesis and Biological Activity of a Library of Linear and Hyperbranched Poly(Glycerol)-Protein Conjugates
2012
Polymer-protein conjugates generated from side chain functional synthetic polymers are attractive because they can be easily further modified with, for example, labeling groups or targeting ligands. The residue specific modification of proteins with side chain functional synthetic polymers using the traditional coupling strategies may be compromised due to the nonorthogonality of the side-chain and chain-end functional groups of the synthetic polymer, which may lead to side reactions. This study explores the feasibility of the squaric acid diethyl ester mediated coupling as an amine selective, hydroxyl tolerant, and hydrolysis insensitive route for the preparation of side-chain functional, …
Cytotoxicity and chemosensitizing activity of amphiphilic poly(glycerol)-poly(alkylene oxide) block copolymers.
2014
All polymeric chemosensitizers proposed thus far have a linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrophilic block. To testify whether precisely this chemical structure and architecture of the hydrophilic block is a prerequisite for chemosensitization, we tested a series of novel block copolymers containing a hyperbranched polyglycerol segment as a hydrophilic block (PPO-NG copolymers) on multi-drug-resistant (MDR) tumor cells in culture. PPO-NG copolymers inhibited MDR of three cell lines, indicating that the linear PEG can be substituted for a hyperbranched polyglycerol block without loss of the polymers' chemosensitizing activity. The extent of MDR reversal increased with the polymers affinity…
Phosphonylation Controls the Protein Corona of Multifunctional Polyglycerol-Modified Nanocarriers.
2018
Nanocarriers are a platform for modern drug delivery. In contact with blood, proteins adsorb to nanocarriers, altering their behavior in vivo. To reduce unspecific protein adsorption and unspecific cellular uptake, nanocarriers are modified with hydrophilic polymers like poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). However, with PEG the attachment of further functional structures such as targeting units is limited. A method to introduce multifunctionality via polyglycerol (PG) while maintaining the hydrophilicity of PEG is introduced. Different amounts of negatively charged phosphonate groups (up to 29 mol%) are attached to the multifunctional PGs (Mn 2-4 kg mol-1 , Ð < 1.36) by post-modification. PGs are …
Effect of plasticizers (water and glycerol) on the diffusion of a small molecule in iota-carrageenan biopolymer films for edible coating application.
2006
Translational diffusion of a fluorescein probe has been measured in iota-carrageenan edible films containing different amounts of glycerol (0, 15, 30, and 45%), using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments. The effects of this plasticizer as well as the plasticizing effect of water on the diffusion of fluorescein have been studied in this edible coating mainly composed of natural biopolymer. Diffusion coefficients of about 10(-13) m2 s(-1) have been measured in these films for water activity (aw) lower than 0.7. Above this water content threshold, fluorescein translational diffusion coefficient increases up to 10(-12) m2 s(-1). Another interesting information obtained…