Neurological disorders affect millions of Americans and this number is expected to rise with the aging population. Development of drugs to treat these disorders may be facilitated by improved in vitro models that faithfully reproduce salient features of the relevant brain regions. Current 3D culture methods face challenges with reliably reproducing microarchitectural features of brain morphology such as cortical or hippocampal layers. In this work, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mini-wells were used to create low aspect ratio, adherent 3D constructs where neurons self-assemble into layers. Layer self-assembly was determined to depend on the size of the PDMS mini-well. Layer formation occurred in cultures composed of primary rat cortical neurons or human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons and astrocytes and was robust and reproducible. Layered 3D constructs were found to have spontaneous neural activity characterized by long bursts similar to activity in the developing cortex. The responses of layered 3D cultures to drugs were more similar to in vivo data than those of 2D cultures. 3D constructs created with this method may be thus suitable as in vitro models for drug discovery for neurological disorders.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ab2d3f | DOI Listing |
Langmuir
December 2024
Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
In the present study, we deposited buffer solutions containing hydrophobic (GA) fibrils onto highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and imaged the surfaces through atomic force microscopy (AFM). Within 3 h of applying ambient (nondegassed) buffers, we observed the formation of two-dimensional stripe-like domains on the HOPG surfaces surrounding the (GA) fibrils. However, these stripe domains did not form under degassed buffers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2024
School of Food and Bioengineering, Xihua University, Food Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 611130, China. Electronic address:
In this study, physicochemical and structural properties of gelatin-zein blending films and bilayer films prepared through blending and layer-by-layer self-assembly method under TGase crosslinking were systematically compared. The ratios of gelatin to zein examined were 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2. Results showed that the tensile strength of both blending films and bilayer films was the highest when the ratio of gelatin to zein was 2:1, which was 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2024
Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation, Ministry of education & Hubei province, National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China. Electronic address:
Tannic acid (TA) has attracted the attention of researchers as a promising organic ligand capable of forming metal-organic coordination networks with various metal ions at interfaces to impact surface properties. In this study, we innovatively reported a self-assembly method for surface decoration by depositing TA/Fe coatings on the surface of desalted duck egg white nanoparticles (DEWN), further studying the oil/water interfacial properties of the modified particles. The results showed that the ratio and concentration of TA to Fe could modulate interfacial properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Struct Biol
December 2024
Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT-CSIC), Armilla 18100, Granada, Spain. Electronic address:
The nacre formation process is a fascinating phenomenon involving mineral phase transformations, self-assembly processes, and protein-mineral interactions, resulting in a hierarchical structure that exhibits outstanding mechanical properties. However, this process is only partially known, and many aspects of nacre structure are not well understood, especially at the molecular scale. To understand the interplay between components-aragonite, protein and chitin-of the structure of nacre observed experimentally, we investigate the interactions of a peptide that is part of the protein lustrin A, identified in the nacreous layer of the shell of the abalone Haliotis rufescens, with the (001) crystal surface of aragonite and the chitin molecule.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
December 2024
Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, Foundation of Research and Technology- Hellas (FORTH/ICE-HT), Stadiou Street, Platani, Patras 26504, Greece.
Due to their outstanding electrical and thermal properties, graphene and related materials have been proposed as ideal candidates for the development of lightweight systems for thermoelectric applications. Recently, the nanolaminate architecture that entails alternation of continuous graphene monolayers and ultrathin polymer films has been proposed as an efficient route for the development of composites with impressive physicochemical properties. In this work, we present a novel layer-by-layer approach for the fabrication of highly ordered, flexible, heat-resistant, and electrically conductive freestanding graphene/polymer nanolaminates through alternating Marangoni-driven self-assembly of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and poly(ether imide) (PEI) films.
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