Enhancing the in vivo efficacy of anthrax vaccine using trimethylchitosan covalently coated chitosomes in a single-step microfluidic synthesis.

Liposomal vaccines have been developed extensively in recent years, and considerable progress has been made in the prevention of infectious diseases. Quaternary chitosan-coated liposomes were used in the present study. Liposomes coated with TMC (namely chitosomes) were synthesized in a single microfluidic step in which liposomes were formed and coated with trimethylchitosan (TMC) via covalent and/or hydrogen bonds in situ.

Synergistic antiviral potential of N-(2-hydroxy)propyl-3-trimethylammoniumchitosan-functionalized silver nanoparticles with oseltamivir against influenza A viruses.

This study introduced a novel antiviral approach by combining three substances with different antiviral mechanisms: N-(2-hydroxy)propyl-3-trimethylammoniumchitosan (HTC), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and oseltamivir. First, positively surface-charged AgNPs were prepared using an environmentally friendly method. The surfaces of these AgNPs were capped with cationic quaternary chitosan HTC.

Polyelectrolyte-coated liposomes microfluidically assembled in one-step for enhancing cell endocytosis and in-vivo immune responses.

To enhance the cellular uptake of liposomes, we prepared conventional liposomes with targeting molecules and surface-charged liposomes and evaluated their potential as nano-carriers and vaccine adjuvants by comparing their endocytosis efficiencies using immune cells. Surface-charged liposomes were synthesized via a one-step microfluidic method, which provided a novel, simple, fast, and highly reproducible method for preparing liposomes. Flow cytometry revealed that cationic polyelectrolyte-coated liposomes exhibited higher endocytosis efficiencies (of up to a factor of 100) in A774A.

Pathogen inhibition and indication by gelatin nonwoven mats with incorporation of polyphenol derivatives.

There is a need for non-pharmaceutical intervention methods that can prevent and indicate the risk of airborne disease spread. In this study, we developed a nonwoven mat based on the polyphenol gallic acid, which can inhibit pathogens growth and also indicate pathogen levels in the surrounding environment. Using nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography, we characterized this novel gelatin-based nonwoven mat and investigated the mechanism governing its ability to indicate pathogen levels.

Alginate-Capped Silver Nanoparticles as a Potent Anti-mycobacterial Agent Against .

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, (). Although progress has been made in TB control, still about 10 million people worldwide develop TB annually and 1.5 million die of the disease.

Nanoparticular CpG-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein elicits broadly neutralizing and Th1-biased immunoreactivity in mice.

The spike (S) protein is a leading vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The S1 domain of S protein, which contains a critical receptor-binding domain (RBD) antigen, potentially induces protective immunoreactivities against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we presented preclinical evaluations of a novel insect cell-derived SARS-CoV-2 recombinant S1 (rS1) protein as a potent COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Nanoparticles assembled from fucoidan and trimethylchitosan as anthrax vaccine adjuvant: In vitro and in vivo efficacy in comparison to CpG.

Fucoidan/trimethylchitosan nanoparticles (FUC-TMC-NPs) have the potential to improve the immunostimulating efficiency of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA). FUC-TMC-NPs with positive (+) or negative (-) surface charges were prepared via polyelectrolyte complexation, both charged NP types permitted high viability and presented no cytotoxicity on L929, A549 and JAWS II dendritic cells. Flow cytometry measurements indicated lower (+)-FUC-TMC-NPs internalization levels than (-)-FUC-TMC-NPs, yet produced high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, IL12p40, and IL-4.

A fucoidan-quaternary chitosan nanoparticle adjuvant for anthrax vaccine as an alternative to CpG oligodeoxynucleotides.

We examined the efficacy of fucoidan-N-(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propylchitosan nanoparticles (FUC-HTCC NPs) as adjuvants for anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA). Positively and negatively surface-charged FUC-HTCC NPs were prepared via polyelectrolyte complexation by varying the mass ratio of FUC and HTCC. When cultured with L929 cells or JAWS II dendritic cells, both charged NPs showed high cell viability and low cytotoxicity, observed via MTT assay and lactate dehydrogenase release assay, respectively.

Fungicidal and anti-biofilm activities of trimethylchitosan-stabilized silver nanoparticles against Candida species in zebrafish embryos.

Herein, positively surface-charged silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) capped with trimethylchitosan nitrate (TMCN) were synthesized using an environmentally friendly method. Nano-sized TMCN-AgNPs (~80 nm) with high zeta potential (>30 mV) provide sufficient static repulsion to stabilize colloid AgNPs in aqueous solutions without aggregation for >3 months. In in vitro cell cycle assays, TMCN-AgNPs showed low cytotoxicity towards L929 cells.

Visibility Graph Feature Model of Vibration Signals: A Novel Bearing Fault Diagnosis Approach.

Reliable fault diagnosis of rolling bearings is an important issue for the normal operation of many rotating machines. Information about the structure dynamics is always hidden in the vibration response of the bearings, and it is often very difficult to extract them correctly due to the nonlinear/chaotic nature of the vibration signal. This paper proposes a new feature extraction model of vibration signals for bearing fault diagnosis by employing a recently-developed concept in graph theory, the visibility graph (VG).

Chondroitin sulfate-stabilized silver nanoparticles: Improved synthesis and their catalytic, antimicrobial, and biocompatible activities.

Herein, we describe an improved procedure for the green synthesis of chondroitin sulfate stabilized silver nanoparticles (ChS-AgNPs). Glucose was used as a reducing agent under alkaline conditions to obtain a small particle size (<10 nm), and the reduction was complete within one hour at room temperature. The concentration of NaOH affected the reaction rate, formation yield, and particle size of ChS-AgNPs.

Protective effect of mulberry fruit anthocyanin on human hepatocyte cells (LO2) and Caenorhabditis elegans under hyperglycemic conditions.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease and hyperglycemia is important in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Exposure of LO2 cells to high glucose resulted in cellular glucose consumption and uptake decreases, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superoxide anion (O) accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction, which could be partly recovered by mulberry anthocyanin extract (MAE). And these protective effects were partly associated with regulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream targets.

Photoelectric conversion switch based on quantum dots with i-motif DNA scaffolds.

Combining the best features of both inorganic quantum dots and i-motif DNA, a dynamic pH-driven modulation system of photoelectric conversion was realized by making use of their conjugates immobilized on a Au electrode.