Beeswax Alcohol (BWA, Raydel) Improved Blood Oxidative Variables and Ameliorated Severe Damage of Zebrafish Kidneys, Testes, and Ovaries Impaired by 24-Week Consumption of a High-Cholesterol and High-Galactose Diet: A Comparative Analysis with Coenzyme Q.

Objectives: The present study describes the comparative effect of 24-week supplementation of beeswax alcohol (BWA, Raydel, 0.5% and 1.0%, wt/wt) and coenzyme Q (CoQ, 0.

Two Steps Li Ion Storage Mechanism in Ruddlesden-Popper LiLaTiO.

Innovative anode materials are essential for achieving high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with longer lifetimes. Thus far, only a few studies have explored the use of layered perovskite structures as LIB anode materials. In this study, the study demonstrates the performance and charge/discharge mechanism of the previously undefined Ruddlesden-Popper Li₂La₂Ti₃O₁₀ (RPLLTO) as an anode material for LIBs.

The Consumption of Beeswax Alcohol (BWA, Raydel) Improved Zebrafish Motion and Swimming Endurance by Protecting the Brain and Liver from Oxidative Stress Induced by 24 Weeks of Supplementation with High-Cholesterol and D-Galactose Diets: A Comparative Analysis Between BWA and Coenzyme Q.

The prolonged consumption of D-galactose (Gal) has been associated with severe damage in the liver and brain via exacerbation of oxidative stress, non-enzymatic glycation, and the aging process. The current study was initiated for a comparative assessment of beeswax alcohol (BWA, final 0.5% and 1.

Twenty-Week Dietary Supplementation with Beeswax Alcohol (BWA; Raydel) Ameliorates High-Cholesterol-Induced Long-Term Dyslipidemia and Organ Damage in Hyperlipidemic Zebrafish in a Dose-Dependent Manner: A Comparative Analysis Between BWA and Coenzyme Q.

Background/objectives: Beeswax alcohol (BWA; Raydel) is a blend of six long-chain aliphatic alcohols extracted from honeybee wax and is well known for its diverse functionality and health benefits. Herein, the efficacy of a BWA dietary intervention for 20 weeks was assessed to ameliorate high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced dyslipidemia and adverse effects on the vital organs of adult zebrafish.

Methods: Adult zebrafish were fed different high-cholesterol diets (HCDs; final concentration of 4%, /) supplemented with BWA (final concentrations of 0.

Comparative Assessment of Beeswax Alcohol and Coenzyme Q (CoQ) to Prevent Liver Aging, Organ Damage, and Oxidative Stress in Hyperlipidemic Zebrafish Exposed to D-Galactose: A 12-Week Dietary Intervention.

The current study was designed to compare in vivo efficacy between beeswax alcohol (BWA) and coenzyme Q (CoQ) to treat fatty liver changes, oxidative stress, and damages in major organs of zebrafish by 12 weeks with high-cholesterol (HC) and galactose (Gal) supplementation. At week 12, the HC control and HC+Gal control groups showed 96% and 92% survivability, respectively, while co-supplementation of the 0.5% BWA and 1.

Enhancing Wound Healing and Anti-Inflammatory Effects by Combination of CIGB-258 and Apolipoprotein A-I against Carboxymethyllysine Toxicity in Zebrafish: Insights into Structural Stabilization and Antioxidant Properties.

CIGB-258 is known to exert anti-inflammatory activity via structural stabilization of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and functional enhancement of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) against acute toxicity of carboxymethyllysine (CML). The co-presence of CIGB-258 in reconstituted HDL (rHDL) formed larger rHDL particles and enhanced anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner of apoA-I:CIGB-258, 1:0, 1:0.1, 1:0.

Synergistic Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Lipid-Free Apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and CIGB-258 in Acute-Phase Zebrafish via Stabilization of the apoA-I Structure to Enhance Anti-Glycation and Antioxidant Activities.

CIGB-258, a 3 kDa peptide from heat shock protein 60, exhibits synergistic anti-inflammatory activity with apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) in reconstituted high-density lipoproteins (rHDLs) via stabilization of the rHDL structure. This study explored the interactions between CIGB-258 and apoA-I in the lipid-free state to assess their synergistic effects in the structural and functional enhancement of apoA-I and HDL. A co-treatment of lipid-free apoA-I and CIGB-258 inhibited the cupric ion-mediated oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and a lowering of oxidized species in the dose-responsive manner of CIGB-258.

Large-scale smart bioreactor with fully integrated wireless multivariate sensors and electronics for long-term in situ monitoring of stem cell culture.

Achieving large-scale, cost-effective, and reproducible manufacturing of stem cells with the existing devices is challenging. Traditional single-use cell-bag bioreactors, limited by their rigid and single-point sensors, struggle with accuracy and scalability for high-quality cell manufacturing. Here, we introduce a smart bioreactor system that enables multi-spatial sensing for real-time, wireless culture monitoring.

Stimuli-responsive pressure-strain sensor-based conductive hydrogel for alleviated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by scavenging reactive oxygen species in adipose tissue.

A visible light- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive pressure/strain sensor based on carbon dot (CD)-loaded conductive hydrogel was developed for detecting high-fat diet (HFD) and preventing the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The designed nanoparticle consisted of a diselenide polymer dot (dsPD) loaded with a visible light-responsive CD to form dsPD@CD (DSCD). The influence of visible light irradiation and ROS on DSCD facilitated the electron transport, enhancing the conductivity of DSCD-embedded hydrogel (DSCD hydrogel) from 1.

Soft implantable printed bioelectronic system for wireless continuous monitoring of restenosis.

Atherosclerosis is a prominent cause of coronary artery disease and broader cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death worldwide. Angioplasty and stenting is a common treatment, but in-stent restenosis, where the artery re-narrows, is a frequent complication. Restenosis is detected through invasive procedures and is not currently monitored frequently for patients.

Peptides as multifunctional players in cancer therapy.

Peptides exhibit lower affinity and a shorter half-life in the body than antibodies. Conversely, peptides demonstrate higher efficiency in tissue penetration and cell internalization than antibodies. Regardless of the pros and cons of peptides, they have been used as tumor-homing ligands for delivering carriers (such as nanoparticles, extracellular vesicles, and cells) and cargoes (such as cytotoxic peptides and radioisotopes) to tumors.

Injectable reactive oxygen and nitrogen species-controlling hydrogels for tissue regeneration: current status and future perspectives.

The dual role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in physiological and pathological processes in biological systems has been widely reported. It has been recently suggested that the regulation of RONS levels under physiological and pathological conditions is a potential therapy to promote health and treat diseases, respectively. Injectable hydrogels have been emerging as promising biomaterials for RONS-related biomedical applications owing to their excellent biocompatibility, three-dimensional and extracellular matrix-mimicking structures, tunable properties and easy functionalization.

Immediate detachment of microneedles by interfacial fracture for sustained delivery of a contraceptive hormone in the skin.

Despite their high efficacy and safety, long-acting contraceptive methods are underutilized among women in some settings because they usually require injection or implantation by healthcare personnel. Here, we report a self-administrable microneedle (MN) patch for the rapid administration of a sustained-release contraceptive hormone delivery system into the skin that increases the simplicity and reliability of the MN delivery. We developed an immediate microneedle detachment system using a porous patch backing that has sufficient strength during MN insertion into skin under compression, but enables immediate detachment (< 1 s) of the MNs due to fracture at the MN - backing interface upon patch removal under tension from the skin surface.

Identification of novel CD44v6-binding peptides that block CD44v6 and deliver a pro-apoptotic peptide to tumors to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in mice.

CD44v6, a splice variant of the cell surface glycoprotein CD44, acts as a co-receptor for c-Met and is upregulated in tumors with high metastatic potential. We screened a phage-displayed peptide library for peptides that selectively bind to CD44v6-overexpressing cells and exploited them to block CD44v6 and deliver a pro-apoptotic peptide to tumors for cancer therapy. CNLNTIDTC (NLN) and CNEWQLKSC (NEW) peptides bound preferentially to CD44v6-high cells than to CD44v6-low cells.

Calcium peroxide-mediated formation of multifunctional hydrogels with enhanced mesenchymal stem cell behaviors and antibacterial properties.

Injectable hydrogels can serve as therapeutic vehicles and implants for the treatment of various diseases as well as for tissue repair/regeneration. In particular, the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-catalyzed hydrogelation system has attracted much attention, due to its ease of handling and controllable gel properties. In this study, we introduce calcium peroxide (CaO2) as a H2O2-generating reagent to gradually supply a radical source for the HRP-catalyzed crosslinking reaction.

Engineered Heterochronic Parabiosis in 3D Microphysiological System for Identification of Muscle Rejuvenating Factors.

Exposure of aged mice to a young systemic milieu revealed remarkable rejuvenation effects on aged tissues, including skeletal muscle. Although some candidate factors have been identified, the exact identity and the underlying mechanisms of putative rejuvenating factors remain elusive, mainly due to the complexity of parabiosis. Here, we present an muscle parabiosis system that integrates young- and old-muscle stem cell vascular niche on a three-dimensional microfluidic platform designed to recapitulate key features of native muscle stem cell microenvironment.

MSC-Encapsulating in Situ Cross-Linkable Gelatin Hydrogels To Promote Myocardial Repair.

Current stem cell-based therapy for cardiac repair and regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI) is not readily translatable into clinical scenarios due to the low retention and survival of the transplanted cells. Here, we evaluated a simple and feasible design of gelatin-hydroxyphenyl propionic acid (GH) hydrogel as an in situ cross-linkable and injectable cell delivery platform for cardiac tissue regeneration. The GH hydrogel exhibited improved cell retention and survival in vitro and in vivo when encapsulating mouse bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that were used as promising therapeutic candidates for stem cell therapy.

In situ forming and reactive oxygen species-scavenging gelatin hydrogels for enhancing wound healing efficacy.

The overexpression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to the pathogenesis of numerous diseases such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, cancer, and chronic inflammation. Therefore, the development of materials that can locally control the adverse effects resulting from excessive ROS generation is of great significance. In this study, the antioxidant gallic acid-conjugated gelatin (GGA) was introduced into gelatin-hydroxyphenyl propionic (GH) hydrogels to create an injectable hydrogel with enhanced free radical scavenging properties compared to pure GH hydrogels.

Imaging of bioluminescent Acinetobacter baumannii in a mouse pneumonia model.

Bioluminescence imaging is a non-invasive tool for in vivo real-time monitoring of infectious disease progression in animal models. However, no bioluminescence imaging assay has been developed to monitor Acinetobacter baumannii infections. In the current study, bioluminescent strains of A.

Catechol-rich gelatin hydrogels in situ hybridizations with silver nanoparticle for enhanced antibacterial activity.

Recently, the interest in antimicrobial hydrogels with impregnated antibacterial agents has significantly increased because of their ability to combat infection in biomedical applications, including wound management, tissue engineering, and biomaterial surface coating. Among these antibacterial reagents, silver nanoparticles (AgNP) show good antibacterial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, including highly multi-resistant strains. However, the entrapment of AgNP within a hydrogel matrix is often associated with toxicity issues because of the use of chemical reductants (e.

Tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cell-embedded in situ crosslinkable gelatin hydrogel therapy recovers postmenopausal osteoporosis through bone regeneration.

We investigated therapeutic potential of human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells (TMSC) subcutaneously delivered to ovariectomized (OVX) mice for developing more safe and effective therapy for osteoporosis. TMSC were isolated from tonsil tissues of children undergoing tonsillectomy, and TMSC-embedded in situ crosslinkable gelatin-hydroxyphenyl propionic acid hydrogel (TMSC-GHH) or TMSC alone were delivered subcutaneously to the dorsa of OVX mice. After 3 months, three-dimensionally reconstructed micro-computed tomographic images revealed better recovery of the femoral heads in OVX mice treated with TMSC-GHH.

Hydrogen Peroxide-Releasing Hydrogels for Enhanced Endothelial Cell Activities and Neovascularization.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated as a critical modulator for various therapeutic applications such as treatment of vascular disorders, wound healing, and cancer treatment. Specifically, growing evidence has recently demonstrated that transient or low levels of hydrogen peroxide (HO) facilitates tissue regeneration and wound repair through acute oxidative stress that can evaluate intracellular ROS levels in cells or tissues. Herein, we report a gelatin-based HO-releasing hydrogel formed by dual enzyme-mediated reaction using horseradish peroxidase and glucose oxidase (GO ).