Glycation-mediated tissue-level remodeling of brain meningeal membrane by aging.

Collagen is a prominent target of nonenzymatic glycation, which is a hallmark of aging and causes functional alteration of the matrix. Here, we uncover glycation-mediated structural and functional changes in the collagen-enriched meningeal membrane of the human and mouse brain. Using an in vitro culture platform mimicking the meningeal membrane composed of fibrillar collagen, we showed that the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the collagen membrane is responsible for glycation-mediated matrix remodeling.

Chitosan-coated mesoporous silica particles as a plastic-free platform for photochemical suppression and stabilization of organic ultraviolet filters.

Photochemical instability and reactivity of organic ultraviolet (UV) filters not only degrade the performance of sunscreen formulations but also generate toxic photodegradation products and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although the encapsulation of organic UV filters into synthetic polymer particles has been widely investigated, synthetic plastics were recently banned for personal care and cosmetic products due to marine and coastal pollution issues. Here we present a plastic-free, photochemically stable and inactive UV filter platform based on chitosan-coated mesoporous silica microparticles, denoted 'mSOCPs', incorporating octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) as a sunscreen agent.

Expansion microscopy imaging of various neuronal structures.

Visualization of the spatial distribution of biomolecules with nanoscale precision is essential to understanding the molecular mechanisms of biological phenomena and diseases. Among several state-of-the-art visualization techniques, expansion microscopy (ExM) is an attractive tool, as it can achieve sub-20-nm resolution imaging of biological specimens, even with conventional diffraction-limited microscopy. This chapter first introduces the concept of ExM and its variants and then provides practical guidelines for implementing expansion microscopy and related techniques.