Peptide-Induced Division of Polymersomes for Biomimetic Compartmentalization.

Polymersomes are synthetic vesicles that mimic the architecture of cellular compartments such as the cell membrane and organelles. These biomimetic compartments facilitate the creation of cell-like chemical systems, including microreactors and synthetic organelles. However, the construction of hierarchical multi-compartment systems remains challenging and typically requires the encapsulation of pre-formed vesicles within a host compartment.

Collagen-decorated electrospun scaffolds of unsaturated copolyesters for bone tissue regeneration.

Many efforts have been devoted to bone tissue to regenerate damaged tissues, and the development of new biocompatible materials that match the biological, mechanical, and chemical features required for this application is crucial. Herein, a collagen-decorated scaffold was prepared electrospinning using a synthesized unsaturated copolyester (poly(globalide--pentadecalactone)), followed by two coupling reactions: thiol-ene functionalization with cysteine and further conjugation EDC/NHS chemistry with collagen, aiming to design a bone tissue regeneration device with improved hydrophilicity and cell viability. Comonomer ratios were varied, affecting the copolymer's thermal and chemical properties and highlighting the tunable features of this copolyester.

Evaluation of berberine nanoparticles as a strategy to modulate acetylcholinesterase activity.

Researchers have concentrated efforts in the search for natural-based reversible inhibitors for cholinesterase enzymes as they may play a key role in the treatment of degenerative diseases. Diverse plant alkaloids can inhibit the action of acetylcholinesterase and, among them, berberine is a promising bioactive. However, berberine has poor water solubility and low bioavailability, which makes it difficult to use in treatment.

Coating of SPIONs with a Cysteine-Decorated Copolyester: A Possible Novel Nanoplatform for Enzymatic Release.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have their use approved for the diagnosis/treatment of malignant tumors and can be metabolized by the organism. To prevent embolism caused by these nanoparticles, they need to be coated with biocompatible and non-cytotoxic materials. Here, we synthesized an unsaturated and biocompatible copolyester, poly (globalide--ε-caprolactone) (PGlCL), and modified it with the amino acid cysteine (Cys) via a thiol-ene reaction (PGlCLCys).

Photobiomodulation associated with lipid nanoparticles and hyaluronic acid accelerate the healing of excisional wounds.

This article aimed to investigate the effects of the association between photobiomodulation and hyaluronic acid incorporated in lipid nanoparticles in an epithelial lesion model in inflammatory parameters and oxidative stress. Eighty Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: epithelial lesion group (EL); EL+PBM; EL+HA; EL+SLNs; EL+SLNs-HA; EL+PBM+HA; EL+PBM+SLNs; EL+PBM+SLNs-HA. The animals were anesthetized with 4% isofluorane after shaving and induced to an epithelial lesion.

Nanomedicine in leishmaniasis: A promising tool for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease - An update overview.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that has a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from visceral to cutaneous, with millions of new cases and thousands of deaths notified every year. The severity of the disease and its various clinical forms are determined by the species of the causative agent, Leishmania, as well as the host's immune response. Major challenges still exist in the diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis, and there is no vaccine available to prevent this disease in humans.

Preparation and cellular uptake behaviors of uniform fiber-like micelles with length controllability and high colloidal stability in aqueous media.

Fragmentation/disassembly of fiber-like micelles generated by living crystalline-driven self-assembly (CDSA) is usually encountered in aqueous media, which hinders the applications of micelles. Herein, we report the generation of uniform fiber-like micelles consisting of a π-conjugated oligo(-phenylenevinylene) core and a cross-linking silica shell with grafted poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains by the combination of living CDSA, silica chemistry and surface grafting-onto strategy. Owing to the presence of crosslinking silica shell and the outmost PEG chains, the resulting micelles exhibit excellent dispersity and colloidal stability in PBS buffer, BSA aqueous solution and upon heating at 80 °C for 2 h without micellar fragmentation/disassembly.

Peptide-Integrated Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles for the Identification of Epitopes from SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Nucleocapsid Proteins.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the fast transmission and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is currently considered a serious health problem, requiring an effective strategy to contain SARS-CoV-2 dissemination. For this purpose, epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and sucleocapsid (N) proteins were identified by bioinformatics tools, and peptides that mimic these epitopes were chemically synthesized and then conjugated to superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPMNPs). Three peptides from S protein and three from N protein were used as antigens in a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against serum samples from COVID-19-positive patients, or from healthy donors, collected before the pandemic.

Cellulase immobilized on kaolin as a potential approach to improve the quality of knitted fabric.

Biopolishing is a textile process that uses cellulases to improve the pilling resistance of fabrics. Although the process improves the pilling resistance, softness and color brightness of fabrics, it causes a significant loss of tensile strength in treated fabrics. The present work studied the use of cellulase immobilized on kaolin by adsorption and covalent bonding in biopolishing to get around this problem.

Covalently Bonded -Acetylcysteine-polyester Loaded in PCL Scaffolds for Enhanced Interactions with Fibroblasts.

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is commonly used in devices for tissue reconstruction due to its biocompatibility and suitable mechanical properties. However, its high crystallinity and hydrophobicity do not favor cell adhesion and difficult polymer bioresorption. To improve these characteristics, the development of engineered scaffolds for tissue regeneration, based on poly(globalide--ε-caprolactone) (PGlCL) covalently bonded with -acetylcysteine (PGlCL-NAC) was proposed.

Evaluation of the in vivo acute toxicity of poly(thioether-ester) and superparamagnetic poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles obtained by thiol-ene miniemulsion polymerization.

Poly(thioether-ester) (PTEe) nanoparticles obtained by thiol-ene polymerization have received attention of many researchers due to several advantages, including, biocompatibility and biodegradability. The search for new nanomaterials requires toxicity studies to assess potential toxic effects of their administration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo acute toxicity of PTEe and poly(thioether-ester)-coated magnetic nanoparticles prepared by thiol-ene polymerization in miniemulsion.

Bovine Serum Albumin Conjugation in Superparamagnetic/Poly(methyl methacrylate) Nanoparticles as an Alternative for Magnetic Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays.

Nanomaterials, such as magnetic nanoparticles have attracted significant attention of medical area due to their capacity to improve the performance of immunoassays. Therefore the aim of this work was to study the bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugation in superparamagnetic (MNPs)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanoparticles with further characterization and application in enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay. The successful conjugation of BSA in MNPs- PMMA nanoparticles was confirmed by several techniques, including light scattering, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Lowry protein quantification assay.

Immobilization of endoglucanase on kaolin by adsorption and covalent bonding.

In the current research, endoglucanase, one of the enzymes of the cellulolytic complex, was immobilized on kaolin by two different techniques, adsorption, and covalent bonding. A comparative study was conducted between free, adsorbed, and covalently immobilized endoglucanase. For the covalent bonding, the kaolin particles were functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and activated with glutaraldehyde.

In vitro synergic activity of diethyldithiocarbamate and 4-nitrochalcone loaded in beeswax nanoparticles against melanoma (B16F10) cells.

The use of nanoparticles as drug delivery systems to simultaneously carry several therapeutic agents is an attractive idea to create new synergic treatments and to develop the next generation of cancer therapies. Therefore, the goal of this study was the simultaneous encapsulation of a hydrophilic drug, sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC), and a hydrophobic drug, 4-nitrochalcone (4NC), in beeswax nanoparticles (BNs) to evaluate the in vitro synergic activity of this combination against melanoma (B16F10) cells. BNs were prepared by water/oil/water double emulsion in the absence of organic solvents.

Co-encapsulation of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) in liposomes promotes increases phototoxic activity against (MDA-MB 231) human breast cancer cells.

There has been considerable interest in the development of novel photosensitisers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The use of liposomes as drug delivery systems containing simultaneously two or more drugs is an attractive idea to create a new platform for PDT application. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the synergistic effect of diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) and zinc phthalocyanine (PDT) co-encapsulated in liposomes.

4-nitrochalcone exerts leishmanicidal effect on L. amazonensis promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes, and the 4-nitrochalcone encapsulation in beeswax copaiba oil nanoparticles reduces macrophages cytotoxicity.

The Leishmaniasis treatment currently available involves some difficulties, such as high toxicity, variable efficacy, high cost, therefore, it is crucial to search for new therapeutic alternatives. Over the past few years, research on new drugs has focused on the use of natural compounds such as chalcones and nanotechnology. In this context, this research aimed at assessing the in vitro leishmanicidal activity of free 4-nitrochalcone (4NC) on promastigotes and encapsulated 4NC on L.

Antitumor activity associated with hyperthermia and 4-nitrochalcone loaded in superparamagnetic poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles.

The combination of hyperthermia and chemotherapy has a potential synergic effect in antitumor activity. The development of new biocompatible and biodegradable polymers to simultaneously encapsulate magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and antitumoral drugs offer new cancer treatment opportunities. Here, biodegradable and biocompatible poly(thioether-ester) (PTEe) was used to encapsulate MNPs and 4-nitrochalcone (4NC) using miniemulsification and solvent evaporation.

Diethyldithiocarbamate encapsulation reduces toxicity and promotes leishmanicidal effect through apoptosis-like mechanism in promastigote and ROS production by macrophage.

The use of compounds from natural or synthetic sources and nanotechnology may represent an alternative to develop new drugs for the leishmaniasis treatment. DETC is an inhibitor of the SOD1 enzyme, which leads to increased ROS production, important for the elimination of . Thus, our objective was to assess the leishmanicidal effect of free Diethydithiocarbamate (DETC) and DETC loaded in beeswax-copaiba oil nanoparticles (DETC-Beeswax-CO Nps) on forms and elucidate the possible mechanisms involved in the parasite death.

Immobilization of lipase Eversa Transform 2.0 on poly(urea-urethane) nanoparticles obtained using a biopolyol from enzymatic glycerolysis.

In this work, the free lipase Eversa Transform 2.0 was used as a catalyst for enzymatic glycerolysis reaction in a solvent-free system. The product was evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) and showed high conversion related to hydroxyl groups.

Enzymatic Synthesis of a Diene Ester Monomer Derived from Renewable Resource.

The total or partial substitution of fossil raw materials by biobased materials from renewable resources is one of the great challenges of our society. In this context, the reaction under mild condition as enzyme-catalyzed esterification was applied to investigate the esterification of the biobased 10-undecenoic acid with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) to obtain a new diene ester monomer. The environmentally friendly enzymatic reaction presented up to 100% of conversion; moreover, the production of possible by-products was minimized controlling reaction time and amount of enzyme.

Functionalized kaolin as support for endoglucanase immobilization.

Endoglucanases are an enzyme of cellulases complex that has a great potential for many technological applications. One of the issues of its use concerns the recovery and reuse of this enzyme. Thus, in this study, the use of a surface-modified kaolin was evaluated to immobilize endoglucanase and evaluate the enzyme activity for its reuse.

Encapsulation of geranyl cinnamate in polycaprolactone nanoparticles.

Geranyl cinnamate is an ester derived from natural compounds that has excellent antibacterial properties but is susceptible to degradation in the presence of oxygen, light, heat, moisture and other aggressive agents, making it unstable. In this work, the encapsulation of geranyl cinnamate in polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles and its antibacterial properties towards Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were investigated. PCL nanoparticles loaded with geranyl cinnamate were obtained by a miniemulsification/solvent evaporation technique resulting in spherical nanoparticles with an average diameter of 177.

Evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity of superparamagnetic poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles on erythrocytes, non-tumor (NIH3T3), tumor (HeLa) cells and hyperthermia studies.

Magnetic nanoparticles encapsulated in biocompatible and biodegradable polymeric matrices are promising materials for biomedical applications, such as transport of antitumoral drugs and cancer treatment by hyperthermia. In this study, biobased poly(thioether-ester), PTEe, was obtained by thiol-ene polymerization and superparamagnetic nanoparticles, MNPs, were successfully incorporated in PTEe nanoparticles by miniemulsification followed by solvent evaporation. MNPs-PTEe nanoparticles with average diameter around 150 nm presented superparamagnetic behavior as confirmed by magnetization curves analysis.

Increased in vitro leishmanicidal activity of octyl gallate loaded poly(methyl methacrylate) nanoparticles.

The current paucity of effective and affordable drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis renders the search for new therapeutic alternatives a priority. Gallic acid-related compounds display anti-parasitic activities and their incorporation into drug carrier systems, such as polymeric nanoparticles may be a viable alternative for leishmaniasis treatment. Therefore, this study focused on the synthesis and characterization of octyl gallate (G8) loaded poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanoparticles via miniemulsion polymerization in order to increase the leishmanicidal activity of this compound.

Biocatalysis of aromatic benzyl-propionate ester by different immobilized lipases.

Benzyl propionate is an aromatic ester that possesses a fruity odor and is usually found in nature in the composition of some fruits such as plums and melons. This work aimed for the benzyl propionate synthesis by esterification using a new immobilized enzyme preparation with low-cost material from Candida antarctica (NS 88011) and three commercial immobilized lipases (Novozym 435, Lipozyme TL-IM and Lipozyme RM-IM). Novozym 435 had the best performance even when the solvent tert-butanol was absent of the reaction medium.