Influence of hyaluronic acid and chitosan molecular weight on the adhesion of circulating tumor cell on multilayer films.

CD44 is a cell receptor glycoprotein overexpressed in circulating tumor cells (CTCs), with levels linked to an increase in metastatic capacity of several tumors. Hyaluronic acid (HA), the natural ligand of CD44, has primarily been investigated for tumor cell interaction in self-assembled polyelectrolyte multilayer films, with little attention given to the complementary polycation. In this study, we screened sixteen different polyelectrolyte multilayer assemblies of HA and chitosan (CHI) to identify key assembly parameters and surface properties that control and govern CTCs adhesion.

Automated, High-Throughput Screening of Hybrid Elastin-like Polypeptide/Polysaccharide Multilayer Film Deposition.

The self-assembled layer-by-layer technique has attracted a great deal of attention as a method for engineering bio-functional surfaces under mild chemical conditions. The production of multilayer films, starting from newly designed building blocks, may be laborious, considering the inherent limitations for anticipating how minimal changes in the macromolecular composition may impact both film deposition and performance. This paper presents an automated, high-throughput approach to depositing polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) in multiwell plates, enabling the screening of nearly 100 film formulations in the same process.

Role of Alginate Composition on Copper Ion Uptake in the Presence of Histidine or Beta-Amyloid.

The anomalous interaction between metal ions and the peptide beta-amyloid is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Metal-binding biopolymers, including polysaccharides, can elucidate the fundamental aspects of metal ions' interactions with biological tissue and their interplay in Alzheimer's disease. This work focuses on the role of the alginate composition on Cu(II) adsorption in the presence of histidine or β-amyloid, the peptide associated with the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Antimicrobial peptides and their potential application in antiviral coating agents.

Coronavirus pandemic has evidenced the importance of creating bioactive materials to mitigate viral infections, especially in healthcare settings and public places. Advances in antiviral coatings have led to materials with impressive antiviral performance; however, their application may face health and environmental challenges. Bio-inspired antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are suitable building blocks for antimicrobial coatings due to their versatile design, scalability, and environmentally friendly features.

Controlling antimicrobial activity and drug loading capacity of chitosan-based layer-by-layer films.

We report on layer-by-layer (LbL) films of chitosans (CHI) and hyaluronic acid (HA) whose properties could be controlled by employing chitosans with different degrees of deacetylation (DD¯ ≈ 85%; 65%; 40%) and high average molecular weight (ca. 10 g/mol). In spite of their high molecular weight, these chitosans are soluble within a wide pH range, including physiological pH.

Probing axial metal distribution on biopolymer-based layer-by-layer films for antimicrobial use.

This study presents the axial molar composition of polysaccharide-based polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films loaded with silver ions for antimicrobial applications. Individual polymers (chitosan, hyaluronan or alginate) and silver composition were determined using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy coupled with C cluster ion sputtering technique, while the influence of silver loading on film topography was assessed using Atomic Force Microscopy. Despite the use of the layer-by-layer approach for film assembly, these PEM films present a non-stratified, nanoblend-like, polymer composition, with a nearly uniform metal distribution over the axial direction.

Interplay of the Assembly Conditions on Drug Transport Mechanisms in Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films.

The layer-by-layer film deposition is a suitable strategy for the design and functionalization of drug carriers with superior performance, which still lacks information describing the influence of assembly conditions on the mechanisms governing the drug release process. Herein, traditional poly(acrylic acid)/poly(allylamine) polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) were explored as a platform to study the influence of the assembly conditions such as pH, drug loading method, and capping layer deposition on the mechanisms that control the release of calcein, the chosen model drug, from PEM. Films with 20-40 bilayers were assembled at pH 4.

Polysaccharide Multilayer Films in Sensors for Detecting Prostate Tumor Cells Based on Hyaluronan-CD44 Interactions.

The increasing need for point-of-care diagnosis has sparked the development of label-free sensing platforms, some of which are based on impedance measurements with biological cells. Here, interdigitated electrodes were functionalized with layer-by-layer (LbL) films of hyaluronan (HA) and chitosan (CHI) to detect prostatic tumor cells (PC3 line). The deposition of LbL films was confirmed with atomic force microscopy and polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), which featured the vibrational modes of the HA top layer capable of interacting specifically with glycoprotein CD44 receptors overexpressed in tumor cells.

Engineering the surface of prostate tumor cells and hyaluronan/chitosan multilayer films to modulate cell-substrate adhesion properties.

This paper explores different film assembly conditions of the polyelectrolyte solutions of hyaluronan (HA) and chitosan (CHI), as well as both substrate and cell surface modifications, to investigate PC3 cells adhesion properties. UV-Visible, AFM-IR and Zeta potential techniques indicate that the solution ionic strength is a relevant parameter to modulate the free carboxylic groups of HA on the film surface. In addition, capacitive coupling measurements suggest that assembly conditions that favor surface charge mobility inhibit cell adhesion due to polymer rearrangements that support non-specific electrostatic interactions of positively charged CHI residues and the negatively charged cell moieties, rather than specific CD44-hyaluronan interactions.