PEGDA hydrogels as a replacement for animal tissues in mucoadhesion testing.

Utilization of animal parts in ex-vivo mucoadhesion assays is a common approach that presents many difficulties due to animal rights issues and large variance between animals. This study examines the suitability of two PEGDA (poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate) based hydrogels to serve as tissue mimetics for mucoadhesion evaluation. One hydrogel, termed PEGDA-QT, was composed of pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate) and PEG and contained free thiol groups mimicking those found in natural mucosa.

Mucoadhesive acrylated block copolymers micelles for the delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

Blockpolymer micelles having acrylated end groups were fabricated for the development of mucoadhesive drug loaded vehicle. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of Pluronic(®) F127 modified with acrylate end groups (F127DA) was found to be similar to that of the unmodified Pluronic(®) F127 (F127). Small angle X-ray scattering verified existence of micelles with an inner core of 4.

Effect of sex difference on platelet adhesion, spreading and aggregate formation under flow.

There are clear but poorly understood differences in the etiology and prognosis of thrombotic diseases in men and women. Due to the fact that platelets play a central role in the formation of occlusive thrombi in atherosclerotic coronary arteries, previous studies have examined whether sex differences exist for platelets, and have obtained conflicting results. Additionally, due to the increased use of genetically modified mouse models to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying platelet activation and thrombotic disorders, it is critical to determine if sex is a confounding variable.