Search results for "bioengineering"
showing 10 items of 1963 documents
Rapid formation of plasma protein corona critically affects nanoparticle pathophysiology
2013
In biological fluids, proteins bind to the surface of nanoparticles to form a coating known as the protein corona, which can critically affect the interaction of the nanoparticles with living systems. As physiological systems are highly dynamic, it is important to obtain a time-resolved knowledge of protein-corona formation, development and biological relevancy. Here we show that label-free snapshot proteomics can be used to obtain quantitative time-resolved profiles of human plasma coronas formed on silica and polystyrene nanoparticles of various size and surface functionalization. Complex time- and nanoparticle-specific coronas, which comprise almost 300 different proteins, were found to …
Anti-oxidative effects and harmlessness of asymmetric Au@Fe3O4 Janus particles on human blood cells
2014
AbstractThe physical properties of asymmetric Janus particles are highly promising for future biomedical applications. However, only a few data is available on their biological impact on human cells. We investigated the biological impact of different Au@Fe3O4 Janus particle formulations in vitro to analyse specific uptake modalities and their potential cytotoxic effects on human cells of the blood regarding intravenous injection. We demonstrate that Au@Fe3O4 Janus particles exhibit a similar or even better biocompatibility compared to the well-studied spherical iron oxide nanoparticles. The impact of Janus particles on cells depends mainly on three factors. (1) Surface functionalization: NH…
Characterization of a disulphide-bound Pir-cell wall protein (Pir-CWP) ofYarrowia lipolytica
2003
In this work we have studied the disulphide-bound group of cell wall mannoproteins of Yarrowia lipolytica and Candida albicans. In the case of Y. lipolytica, SDS-PAGE analysis of the beta-mercaptoethanol-extracted material from the purified cell walls of the yeast form, showed the presence of a main polypeptide of 45 kDa and some minor bands in the 100-200 kDa range. This pattern of bands is similar to that obtained in identical extracts in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Moukadiri et al., 1999), and besides, all these bands cross-react with an antibody raised against beta-mercaptoethanol-extracted material from the purified cell walls of S. cerevisiae, suggesting that the 45 kDa band could be th…
Tucupentol, a novel mono-tetrahydrofuranic acetogenin from Annona montana, as a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I.
2009
Ten acetogenins, one of them new, were isolated from leaves and twigs of a Bolivian collection of Annona montana. The new compound that we named tucupentol (1) is a mono-tetrahydrofuranpentahydroxy-acetogenin. The inhibitory potency of tucupentol (1) on the mitochondrial complex I was evaluated, and this activity was compared with that of the known acetogenins, annonacin-A, cisannonacin-10-one, aromin, and gigantetronenin, also isolated from this plant material. The mentioned acetogenins acted as selective inhibitors of mitochondrial complex I in the 0.8-5.4-nM range. Fil: Álvarez Colom, Olga. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia. Instituto de Química …
Injectable xyloglucan hydrogels incorporating spheroids of adipose stem cells for bone and cartilage regeneration
2021
Abstract Cartilage or bone regeneration approaches based on the direct injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) at the lesion site encounter several challenges, related to uncontrolled cell spreading and differentiation, reduced cell viability and poor engrafting. This work presents a simple and versatile strategy based on the synergic combination of in-situ forming hydrogels and spheroids of adipose stem cells (SASCs) with great potential for minimally invasive regenerative interventions aimed to threat bone and cartilage defects. Aqueous dispersions of partially degalactosylated xyloglucan (dXG) are mixed with SASCs derived from liposuction and either a chondroinductive or an osteoinduc…
A Promising Family of Fluorescent Water-Soluble aza-BODIPY Dyes for in Vivo Molecular Imaging.
2019
A new family of water-soluble and bioconjugatable aza-BODIPY fluorophores was designed and synthesized using a boron- functionalization strategy. These dissymmetric bis-ammonium aza-BODIPY dyes present optimal properties for a fluorescent probe; i.e., they are highly water-soluble, very stable in physiological medium; they do not aggregate in PBS, possess high quantum yield; and finally, they can be easily bioconjugated to antibodies. Preliminary in vitro and in vivo studies were performed for one of these fluorophores to image PD-L1 (Programmed Death-Ligand 1), highlighting the high potential of these new probes for future in vivo optical imaging studies.
Evidence for long-lived, optically generated quenchers of excitons in single-walled carbon nanotubes.
2011
The nonlinear dependence of near-infrared photoluminescence (PL) emission on excitation intensity has been measured for individual nanotubes representing six different (n,m) species. Significant deviations from linearity are observed for intensities as low as ~100 W/cm(2), and an approximate inverse correlation is found between nonlinearity and PL action cross section (brightness). A model in which all PL nonlinearity arises from exciton-exciton annihilation is insufficient to account for the experimental data using realistic parameters. It is proposed that additional nonlinear quenching arises from photoinduced quenching states or species with longer lifetimes than emissive excitons. Evide…
Vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles mimic vanadium haloperoxidases and thwart biofilm formation
2012
Marine biofouling—the colonization of small marine microorganisms on surfaces that are directly exposed to seawater, such as ships' hulls—is an expensive problem that is currently without an environmentally compatible solution1. Biofouling leads to increased hydrodynamic drag, which, in turn, causes increased fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Tributyltin-free antifouling coatings and paints1, 2, 3, 4 based on metal complexes or biocides have been shown to efficiently prevent marine biofouling. However, these materials can damage5 the environment through metal leaching (for example, of copper and zinc)6 and bacteria resistance7. Here, we show that vanadium pentoxide nanowires ac…
Un nouveau regard sur les épées à poignée métallique de l’âge du Bronze à la lumière des rayons X
2023
Les épées de l’âge du Bronze, a fortiori celles à poignée métallique, figurent parmi les objets les mieux documentés de la période, avec un grand nombre d’études réalisées à l’échelle européenne depuis la fin du XIXe siècle. Malgré tout, l’emploi de techniques d’imagerie utilisant les rayons X, telles que la radiographie et la tomographie, permettent de porter un regard nouveau sur ces armes grâce à l’examen de leurs entrailles qui révèlent certaines techniques mises en place par les artisans pour leur production. Ces épées sont en effet des objets complexes formés de plusieurs pièces agencées à l’aide de techniques variées, pour lesquelles les artisans de l’âge du Bronze se sont montrés tr…
Brønsted and Lewis acid catalyzed conversion of pulp industry waste biomass to levulinic acid
2019
Enormous amounts of fiber sludge are generated annually by the pulp industry as a by-product. As a cellulose-rich material, its current usage, mainly as fuel, is inefficient from a material efficiency point of view. This work studied the utilization of fiber sludge from a Finnish and a Swedish pulp mill as a potential feedstock to produce levulinic acid, a valuable platform chemical. The conversion experiments of fiber sludge to levulinic acid were performed in a microwave reactor with a mixture of H2SO4 and Lewis acid as the catalyst. The reaction conditions, which included reaction time and temperature as well as the H2SO4 and Lewis acid concentrations, were studied in detail. The highest…