Search results for "Capsules"
showing 10 items of 103 documents
Controlling the semi-permeability of protein nanocapsules influences the cellular response to macromolecular payloads.
2021
Nanocapsules are an excellent platform for the delivery of macromolecular payloads such as proteins, nucleic acids or polyprodrugs, since they can both protect the sensitive cargo and target its delivery to the desired site of action. However, the release of macromolecules from nanocapsules remains a challenge due to their restricted diffusion through the nanoshell compared to small molecule cargo. Here, we designed degradable protein nanocapsules with varying crosslinking densities of the nanoshell to control the release of model macromolecules. While the crosslinking did not influence the degradability of the capsules by natural proteases, it significantly affected the release profiles. F…
Bioresponsive poly(amidoamine)s designed for intracellular protein delivery.
2013
Poly(amidoamine)s with bioreducible disulfide linkages in the main chain (SS-PAAs) and pH-responsive, negatively charged citraconate groups in the sidechain have been designed for effective intracellular delivery and release of proteins with a net positive charge at neutral pH. Using lysozyme as a cationic model protein these water soluble polymers efficiently self-assemble into nanocomplexes by charge attraction. At pH 5 (the endosomal pH) the amide linkages connecting the citraconate groups in the sidechains of the SS-PAAs are hydrolyzed by intramolecular catalysis, resulting in expulsion of the negative citraconate groups and formation of protonated amine groups, resulting in charge reve…
Inclusion complexes of Cethyl-2-methylresorcinarene and pyridine N-oxides: breaking the C–I⋯−O–N+ halogen bond by host–guest complexation
2016
C ethyl-2-Methylresorcinarene forms host–guest complexes with aromatic N-oxides through multiple intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds and C–H⋯π interactions. The host shows conformational flexibility to accommodate 3-methylpyridine N-oxide, while retaining a crown conformation for 2-methyl- and 4-methoxypyridine N-oxides highlighting the substituent effect of the guest. N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide, a 6-membered ring aliphatic N-oxide with a methyl at the N-oxide nitrogen, is bound by the equatorial −N–CH3 group located deep in the cavity. 2-Iodopyridine N-oxide is the only guest that manifests intermolecular N–O⋯I–C halogen bond interactions, which are broken down by the host resulting i…
Cryopreservation of Digitalis obscura selected genotypes by encapsulation-dehydration
2001
Shoot-tips from several genotypes of the cardenolide-producing perennial shrub Digitalis obscura L. were successfully cryopreserved using the encapsulation-dehydration technique. Precultivation on MS medium containing 0.5 M sucrose, followed by 2.5 h dehydration (final weight 30 %) induced shoot regrowth in 42 % of cryopreserved shoot-tips. Cold-hardening of the in vitro cultures before sucrose treatment dramatically increased shoot recovery up to 86 %. The optimized cryopreservation protocol was then employed using different shoot cultures from five D. obscura genotypes. Responses to cryopreservation depended mainly on the genotype, best results being obtained when shoot tips from HU3 and …
Ferricytochrome c encapsulated in silica hydrogels: correlation between active site dynamics and solvent structure.
2003
Ferricytochrome c encapsulated in silica hydrogels has been prepared by the sol-gel technique following, with some modifications, the procedure originally developed by Ellerby et al. (Science 255 1113 (1992)). A suitable preparation of hydrogels enables having both 'wet' and 'dry' samples. Wet samples have a high water content: as the temperature is lowered below approximately 260 K, water freezes and the samples crack. On the contrary, dry samples have a low water content (hydration h approximately equal 0.35): in these conditions water does not freeze even at cryogenic temperatures and the samples remain transparent and non-cracking. The dynamics of ferricytochrome c and its dependence on…
Effects of salinity and temperature on long-term survival of the eel pathogen Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2 (serovar E)
1999
ABSTRACT Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2 (serovar E) is a primary eel pathogen. In this study, we performed long-term survival experiments to investigate whether the aquatic ecosystem can be a reservoir for this bacterium. We have used microcosms containing water of different salinities (ranging from 0.3 to 3.8%) maintained at three temperatures (12, 25, and 30°C). Temperature and salinity significantly affected long-term survival: (i) the optimal salinity for survival was 1.5%; (ii) lower salinities reduced survival, although they were nonlethal; and (ii) the optimal temperature for survival was dependent on the salinity (25°C for microcosms at 0.3 and 0.5% and 12°C for microcosms at 1.5 to 3.…
Development of Removable Visual Impact Indicator or Polymer Composite Materials
2021
The prototype of removable visual impact indicator for thermoset polymer composite materials is developed, and its characteristics are experimentally determined. The indicator is a fabric tape glued by epoxy to the surface of the polymer composite. The tape is impregnated with a composition that provides a visual response at the place of an impact on the composite surface. Ball-drop tests demonstrated the increase of the magnitude of the visual response with the impact energy at different substrate hardnesses. The shelf-life and mode of the tape storage until commissioning are determined. Peel tests showed the ability to remove a used indicator without damaging the surface of the composite.
Docetaxel-Loaded Nanoparticles Assembled from β-Cyclodextrin/Calixarene Giant Surfactants: Physicochemical Properties and Cytotoxic Effect in Prostat…
2017
Giant amphiphiles encompassing a hydrophilic β-cyclodextrin (βCD) component and a hydrophobic calix[4]arene (CA4) module undergo self-assembly in aqueous media to afford core-shell nanospheres or nanocapsules, depending on the nanoprecipitation protocol, with high docetaxel (DTX) loading capacity. The blank and loaded nanoparticles have been fully characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), ζ-potential measurements and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The data are compatible with the distribution of the drug between the nanoparticle core and the shell, where it is probably anchored by inclusion of the DTX aromatic moieties in βCD cavities. Indeed, the release kinetics …
Guest-Induced Folding of the N-Benzyl Substituents in an Ammonium Resorcinarene Chloride and the Formation of a Halogen-Bonded Dimer of Capsules
2016
In methanol, N-benzyl ammonium resorcinarene chloride (Bn-NARCl) crystallizes as a solvate with the benzyl groups oriented in an open flower-like manner parallel to the cation–anion seam. 1,4-Dioxane as guest triggers a “semi-closed” single-molecule capsule with two benzyl “arms” enclosing the guest. The introduction of halogen bond (XB) donor 1,4-diiodoperfluorobutane (1,4-DIOFB) additionally folds the remaining two benzyl arms thus resulting in a fully closed capsule. Two 1,4-DIOFB molecules bridge two such Bn-NARCl capsules, forming a 2:2:2 XB held dimeric assembly of single-molecule capsules. The peculiar behavior was not observed in the bromide analog under similar experimental conditi…