Design and characterization of lipid nanocarriers for oral delivery of immunotherapeutic peptides.

The use of therapeutic proteins and peptides is of great interest for the treatment of many diseases, and advances in nanotechnology offer a path toward their stable delivery via preferred routes of administration. In this study, we sought to design and formulate a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) containing a nominal antigen (insulin peptide) for oral delivery. We utilized the design of experiments (DOE) statistical method to determine the dependencies of formulation variables on physicochemical particle characteristics including particle size, polydispersity (PDI), melting point, and latent heat of melting.

Design of experiments approach to developing a robust ink for bioprinting.

Despite advancements in tissue engineering, the methods used to generate three-dimensional (3D)models for rapid screening and characterization studies remain time and labor intensive. Bioprinting offers an opportunity to offset these limitations by providing a scalable, high-throughput method with precise control over biomaterial scaffold and cellular deposition. However, the process of formulating bioinks can be complex in terms of balancing the mechanical integrity of a bioscaffold and viability of cells.

Wearable Sensor System for Detection of Lactate in Sweat.

Increased development of wearable sensors for physiological monitoring has spurred complementary interest in the detection of biochemical indicators of health and performance. We report a wearable sensor system for non-invasive detection of excreted human biomarkers in sweat. The system consists of a thin, flexible, kapton patch (2.

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) for Intracellular Targeting Applications.

Nanoparticle-based delivery vehicles have shown great promise for intracellular targeting applications, providing a mechanism to specifically alter cellular signaling and gene expression. In a previous investigation, the synthesis of ultra-small solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) for topical drug delivery and biomarker detection applications was demonstrated. SLNs are a well-studied example of a nanoparticle delivery system that has emerged as a promising drug delivery vehicle.

Exploring the boundaries of additivity: mixtures of NADH: quinone oxidoreductase inhibitors.

The activity of mitochondrial complex I of the electron transport chain (ETC) is known to be affected by an extraordinarily large number of diverse xenobiotics, and dysfunction at complex I has been associated with a variety of disparate human diseases, including those with potentially environmentally relevant etiologies. However, the risks associated with mixtures of complex I inhibitors have not been fully explored, and this warrants further examination of potentially greater than additive effects that could lead to toxicity. A potential complication for the prediction of mixture effects arises because mammalian mitochondrial complex I has been shown to exist in two distinct dynamic conformations based upon substrate availability.

Effect of gonococcal lipooligosaccharide variation on human monocytic cytokine profile.

Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen that causes significant worldwide morbidity. N. gonorrhoeae expresses lipooligosaccharide (LOS), a phase variable molecule that plays an important role during pathogenesis of the organism.

TNF-alpha-independent IL-8 expression: alterations in bacterial challenge dose cause differential human monocytic cytokine response.

We examined the effects of different bacterial doses of Neisseria gonorrhoeae on the cytokine response of primary human monocytes. The data indicate that a low multiplicity of infection (MOI) challenge (MOI = 0.1) results in substantial production of IL-8 and other chemokines/cytokines, in the absence of significant TNF-alpha production.