A spike-based mRNA vaccine that induces durable and broad protection against porcine deltacoronavirus in piglets.

Unlabelled: Coronaviruses (CoVs) are important pathogens for humans and other vertebrates, causing severe respiratory and intestinal infections that have become a threat to public health because of the potential for interspecies transmission between animals and humans. Therefore, the development of safe, effective vaccines remains a top priority for the control of CoV infection. The unique immunological characteristics of vaccines featuring messenger RNA (mRNA) present an advantageous tool for coronavirus vaccine development.

PEDV-spike-protein-expressing mRNA vaccine protects piglets against PEDV challenge.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a swine enteropathogenic coronavirus, causes severe diarrhea in neonatal piglets, which is associated with a high mortality rate. Thus, developing effective and safe vaccines remains a top priority for controlling PEDV infection. Here, we designed two lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-encapsulated mRNA (mRNA-LNP) vaccines encoding either the full-length PEDV spike (S) protein or a multiepitope chimeric spike (Sm) protein.

Novel and wet-resilient cellulose nanofiber cryogels with tunable porosity and improved mechanical strength for methyl orange dyes removal.

Interconnected macro-porous cryogels with robust and pore-tunable structures have been fabricated using chemically crosslinked microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). Periodate oxidation was initially conducted to introduce aldehyde groups into the MFC surface, followed by the freeze-induced chemical crosslinking via the formation of hemiacetal bonds between aldehyde and hydroxyl at -12 °C. The cryogels with pore-tunable structures and sharply enhanced mechanical strengths were finally achieved by re-assembly of MFCs through soaking in NaIO solution.

Shapeable and underwater super-elastic cellulose nanofiber/alginate cryogels by freezing-induced oxa-Michael reaction for efficient protein purification.

Construction of monolithic cryogels that can efficiently adsorb proteins is of great significance in biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. Herein, a novel approach is presented to fabricate microfibrillated cellulose (MFC)/sodium alginate (SA) cryogels by using freezing-induced oxa-Michael reaction at -12 °C. Thanks to the controllable reactiveness of divinyl sulfone (DVS), cryo-concentrated pH increase activates the oxa-Michael reaction between DVS and hydroxyl groups of MFCs and SAs.

Preparation of supermacroporous cryogels with improved mechanical strength for efficient purification of lysozyme from chicken egg white.

A novel, facile, and robust strategy was proposed to increase the pore size and mechanical strength of cryogels. By mixing the monomers of acrylamide and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate as the precursor, a monolithic copolymer cryogel with large interconnected pores and thick pore walls was prepared. Hydrogen bonding between the two monomers contributed to the entanglement and aggregation of the copolymers, thickening the pore walls and resulting in larger pore sizes.

Controlled self-assembly of glycoprotein complex in snail mucus from lubricating liquid to elastic fiber.

The pedal mucus secreted by many gastropod mollusks, such as terrestrial snails and slugs, plays crucial roles in locomotion, osmoregulation, reproduction, and repulsing predators. In this report, we presented an intriguing example that terrestrial snail can utilize the self-assembly of glycoprotein complex in secreted mucus at the nanoscale to enhance adhesive force on smooth plates. With increasing crawling angle, the structural transformation of pedal mucus was found to involve at least four distinct stages: assembly of nanoparticles, aggregation into microspheres, formation of gels and solidification into fibers.

Simultaneous silencing of TGF-β1 and COX-2 reduces human skin hypertrophic scar through activation of fibroblast apoptosis.

Excessive skin scars due to elective operations or trauma represent a challenging clinical problem. Pathophysiology of hypertrophic scars entails a prolonged inflammatory and proliferative phase of wound healing. Over expression of TGF-β1 and COX-2 play key regulatory roles of the aberrant fibrogenic responses and proinflammatory mediators.

Silk fibroin/copolymer composite hydrogels for the controlled and sustained release of hydrophobic/hydrophilic drugs.

In the present study, a composite system for the controlled and sustained release of hydrophobic/hydrophilic drugs is described. Composite hydrogels were prepared by blending silk fibroin (SF) with PLA-PEG-PLA copolymer under mild aqueous condition. Aspirin and indomethacin were incorporated into SF/Copolymer hydrogels as two model drugs with different water-solubility.

Studies of in situ-forming hydrogels by blending PLA-PEG-PLA copolymer with silk fibroin solution.

Hydrogels had been prepared by blending PLA-PEG-PLA copolymer with Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) solution. Copolymers were synthesized by ring opening polymerization of L-lactide in the presence of dihydroxyl PEG with molar mass of 400 and 1000, and characterized by using (1)H NMR and DSC. Hydrogels formed leaf-like lamellar structures with many nanoglobules which may reserve drugs or growth factors more effectively.