Cephalopod-inspired jetting devices for gastrointestinal drug delivery.

Needle-based injections currently enable the administration of a wide range of biomacromolecule therapies across the body, including the gastrointestinal tract, through recent developments in ingestible robotic devices. However, needles generally require training, sharps management and disposal, and pose challenges for autonomous ingestible systems. Here, inspired by the jetting systems of cephalopods, we have developed and evaluated microjet delivery systems that can deliver jets in axial and radial directions into tissue, making them suitable for tubular and globular segments of the gastrointestinal tract.

Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Directly Affects Sebocytes and Modulates Oleic Acid-Induced Lipogenesis.

Excess sebum (seborrhea) results in oily skin and is associated with large pore size and acne. Studies in healthy, seborrheic volunteers have reported that intradermal injection of commercial preparations of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) (onabotulinumtoxinA, abobotulinumtoxinA, and incobotulinumtoxinA) reduced sebum production, and thus, skin oiliness and pore size. The mechanism for these effects has not been fully elucidated; however, several theories involving direct or indirect effects of BoNT/A on neuronal and/or dermal cells (e.

Identification of residues in domain III of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac toxin that affect binding and toxicity.

Alanine substitution mutations in the Cry1Ac domain III region, from amino acid residues 503 to 525, were constructed to study the functional role of domain III in the toxicity and receptor binding of the protein to Lymantria dispar, Manduca sexta, and Heliothis virescens. Five sets of alanine block mutants were generated at the residues (503)SS(504), (506)NNI(508), (509)QNR(511), (522)ST(523), and (524)ST(525). Single alanine substitutions were made at the residues (509)Q, (510)N, (511)R, and (513)Y.