Vancomycin-nanofunctionalized peptide-enriched silk fibroin to prevent methicillin-resistant -induced femoral nonunions in rats.

Introduction: Implant-related infections and infected fractures are significant burdens in orthopedics. is one of the main causes of bone infections related to biofilm formation upon implants. Current antibiotic prophylaxis/therapy is often inadequate to prevent biofilm formation and results in antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic-Loaded Hyperbranched Polyester Embedded into Peptide-Enriched Silk Fibroin for the Treatment of Orthopedic or Dental Infections.

The development of innovative osteoconductive matrices, which are enriched with antibiotic delivery nanosystems, has the invaluable potential to achieve both local contaminant eradication and the osseointegration of implanted devices. With the aim of producing safe, bioactive materials that have osteoconductive and antibacterial properties, novel, antibiotic-loaded, functionalized nanoparticles (AFN)-based on carboxylic acid functionalized hyperbranched aliphatic polyester (CHAP) that can be integrated into peptide-enriched silk fibroin (PSF) matrices with osteoconductive properties-were successfully synthesized. The obtained AFNPSF sponges were first physico-chemically characterized and then tested in vitro against eukaryotic cells and bacteria involved in orthopedic or oral infections.

Silk Vascular Grafts with Optimized Mechanical Properties for the Repair and Regeneration of Small Caliber Blood Vessels.

As the incidence of cardiovascular diseases has been growing in recent years, the need for small-diameter vascular grafts is increasing. Considering the limited success of synthetic grafts, vascular tissue engineering/repair/regeneration aim to find novel solutions. Silk fibroin (SF) has been widely investigated for the development of vascular grafts, due to its good biocompatibility, tailorable biodegradability, excellent mechanical properties, and minimal inflammatory reactions.

A Route to Translate a Silk-Based Medical Device from Lab to Clinic: The Silk Biomaterials Srl Experience.

The medical device is a nerve conduit entirely made of silk fibroin. It is a tubular scaffold used for repairing peripheral nerve gaps, whose function is to protect the severed nerves and to favor their natural healing process. As any implantable medical device, the conduit must perform its function without causing adverse effects to the patient, meaning that it must be compliant with a range of regulations aimed at evaluating the risks related to the constituent materials and the manufacturing process, the toxicological impact of the processing aids, the biological safety, the functional performance, and the ability to sustain tissue regeneration processes.

Electrospun Silk Fibroin Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration: Chemical, Structural, and Toxicological Implications of the Formic Acid-Silk Fibroin Interaction.

The dissolution of silk fibroin (SF) films in formic acid (FA) for the preparation of electrospinning dopes is widely exploited to produce electrospun SF scaffolds. The SILKBridge nerve conduit is an example of medical device having in its wall structure an electrospun component produced from an FA spinning dope. Though highly volatile, residual FA remains trapped into the bulk of the SF nanofibers.

Characterization of Physical, Mechanical, and Biological Properties of SilkBridge Nerve Conduit after Enzymatic Hydrolysis.

The degradation profile and the cytotoxicity of the degradation products of a silk fibroin (SF)-based nerve conduit (SilkBridge), with a complex three-layered wall architecture comprising both native and regenerated (electrospun) fibers, are reported. The bacterial protease type XIV from was used as a hydrolytic agent at three different enzyme/substrate ratios (1:8, 1:80, and 1:800 w/w) to account for the different susceptibility to degradation of the native and regenerated components. The incubation time was extended up to 91 days.

Peptide-Enriched Silk Fibroin Sponge and Trabecular Titanium Composites to Enhance Bone Ingrowth of Prosthetic Implants in an Ovine Model of Bone Gaps.

Osteoarthritis frequently requires arthroplasty. Cementless implants are widely used in clinics to replace damaged cartilage or missing bone tissue. In cementless arthroplasty, the risk of aseptic loosening strictly depends on implant stability and bone-implant interface, which are fundamental to guarantee the long-term success of the implant.

Preclinical Validation of SilkBridge for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration.

Silk fibroin () was used to manufacture a nerve conduit (SilkBridge) characterized by a novel 3D architecture. The wall of the conduit consists of two electrospun layers (inner and outer) and one textile layer (middle), perfectly integrated at the structural and functional level. The manufacturing technology conferred high compression strength on the device, thus meeting clinical requirements for physiological and pathological compressive stresses.

Three-Layered Silk Fibroin Tubular Scaffold for the Repair and Regeneration of Small Caliber Blood Vessels: From Design to Pilot Tests.

Silk fibroin (SF) is an eligible biomaterial for the development of small caliber vascular grafts for substitution, repair, and regeneration of blood vessels. This study presents the properties of a newly designed multi-layered SF tubular scaffold for vascular grafting (SilkGraf). The wall architecture consists of two electrospun layers (inner and outer) and an intermediate textile layer.

SilkBridge™: a novel biomimetic and biocompatible silk-based nerve conduit.

Silk fibroin (Bombyx mori) was used to manufacture a nerve conduit (SilkBridge™) characterized by a novel 3D architecture. The wall of the conduit consists of two electrospun layers (inner and outer) and one textile layer (middle), perfectly integrated at the structural and functional level. The manufacturing technology conferred high compression strength on the device, thus meeting clinical requirements for physiological and pathological compressive stresses.

Lipidomics and anti-trypanosomatid chemotherapy.

Background: Trypanosomatids such as Leishmania, Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi belong to the order Kinetoplastida and are the source of many significant human and animal diseases. Current treatment is unsatisfactory and is compromised by the rising appearance of drug resistant parasites. Novel and more effective chemotherapeutics are urgently needed to treat and prevent these devastating diseases, which relies on the identification of essential, parasite specific targets that are absent in the host.

Chemistry of α-mangostin. Studies on the semisynthesis of minor xanthones from Garcinia mangostana.

α-Mangostin is the major prenylated xanthone from Garcinia mangostana and it has been used also in recent times as starting material for the semisynthetic preparation of various biologically active derivatives. Its structure is characterised by the presence of few functional groups amenable to chemical manipulations, but present in the molecule in multiple instances (three phenolic hydroxyl groups, two prenyl chains and two unsubstituted aromatic carbons). This study represents a first approach to the systematic investigation of the reactivity of α-mangostin and describes the semisynthesis of some minor xanthones isolated from G.

pH-dependent hydrolase, glutaminase, transpeptidase and autotranspeptidase activities of Bacillus subtilis γ-glutamyltransferase.

γ-Glutamyltransferases (γ-GTs) are heterodimeric enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a γ-glutamyl group from a donor species to an acceptor molecule in a transpeptidation reaction through the formation of an intermediate γ-glutamyl enzyme. In our search for a γ-GT from a generally recognized as safe microorganism suitable for the production of γ-glutamyl derivatives with flavor-enhancing properties intended for human use, we cloned and overexpressed the γ-GT from Bacillus subtilis. In this study, we report the behavior of B.