Publications by authors named "Maarten A Mees"

Article Synopsis
  • * The study reveals that the antimicrobial activity of GA is enhanced as the pH decreases, with fully protonated GA (at pH = 3) being effective against certain bacteria, while other strains are inhibited at higher pH levels.
  • * Results show that the increased antimicrobial activity of GA hydrogels is due to GA's release into the suspension, interacting directly with bacteria, and the variations in activity are linked to the protonation state of GA rather than just
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Efficient wound repair is crucial for mammalian survival. Healing of skin wounds is severely hampered in diabetic patients, resulting in chronic non-healing wounds that are difficult to treat. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an important signaling molecule that is released during wounding, thereby delaying regenerative responses in the skin.

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  • Naturally occurring oligoamines, like spermine and spermidine, are important for regulating gene expression and have inspired the development of novel gene delivery agents using linear polyethylenimine (PEI) and polypropylenimine (PPI) copolymers.
  • Researchers successfully synthesized near-ideal random copolymers from 2-oxazolines and 2-oxazines, which were then converted into PEI-PPI copolymers that form stable complexes with plasmid DNA.
  • The study found that while longer polymer chains improved transfection efficiency, copolymers with 60% or lower PPI content achieved a balance of high efficiency and low toxicity, demonstrating effectiveness even in the presence of serum
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The surface initiated ring opening polymerization (SI-ROP) of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) with rac-Lactide under mild conditions using N,N-dimethyl aminopyridine (DMAP) was investigated. The influence of catalyst amount, monomer-to-initiator (cellulose surface -OH groups) ratio, temperature, and cellulose preconditioning (lyophilization vs solvent exchange) were studied to determine the best SI-ROP conditions, and to understand the effect of the parameters on grafting efficiency. The fibers modified after lyophilization had a PLA content comparable to those obtained with traditional metal catalysts (e.

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Carbohydrates are important in signaling, energy storage, and metabolism. Depending on their function, carbohydrates can be part of larger structures, such as glycoproteins, glycolipids, or other functionalities (glycoside). To this end, polymers can act as carriers of carbohydrates in so-called glycopolymers, which mimic the multivalent carbohydrate functionalities.

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