From human tissue to fruits, many soft materials are coated by a thin layer of a stiffer material. While the primary role of such a coating is often to protect the softer material, the thin, stiff coating also has an important effect on the mechanical behaviour of the composite material, making it appear significantly stiffer than the underlying material. We study this cloaking effect of a coating for the particular case of indentation tests, which measure the 'firmness' of the composite solid: we use a combination of theory and experiment to characterize the firmness quantitatively. We find that the indenter size plays a key role in determining the effectiveness of cloaking: small indenters feel a mixture of the material properties of the coating and of the substrate, while large indenters sense largely the unadulterated substrate.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c9sm02511a | DOI Listing |
Mol Pharm
January 2025
Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Biomimetic Synthesis of Natural Drugs, School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China.
Developing low-toxicity, high-efficacy, and fast-acting strategies to manage acute liver injury (ALI) is critical due to its rapid progression and potential for severe outcomes. Curcumin (CUR) has shown promise in ALI therapy due to its ability to modulate the inflammatory microenvironment by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). Nevertheless, CUR is highly hydrophobic limiting its bioavailability and effective in vivo transport, which hinders its further application.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Control Release
December 2024
Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266021, People's Republic of China; Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266000, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:
Aortic dissection/aneurysm (AAD) is a critical and life-threatening condition marked by a lack of effective pharmacological treatments. Gene therapy has emerged as a promising approach to treat AAD and slow its advancement. However, the clinical utility of gene therapy is impeded by significant challenges, including the scarcity of innovative genetic drugs in current medical practices and the absence of a streamlined gene delivery mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Colloid Interface Sci
November 2024
Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Departamento de Física de Partículas, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address:
This investigation demonstrates the development and functionality of cell membrane-cloaked UiO-67 nanosized metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs), which are engineered for precise intracellular delivery of encapsulated cargoes. Utilizing the robust and porous nature of UiO-67, we enveloped these NMOFs with fusogenic cell membrane-derived nanovesicles (FCSMs) sourced from adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial (A549) cells. This biomimetic coating enhances biocompatibility and leverages the homotypic targeting capabilities of the cell-derived coatings, facilitating direct cytoplasmic delivery and avoiding endolysosomal entrapment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomater Res
September 2024
Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
Ischemic stroke is a devastating disease and one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species and inflammatory response contribute to secondary damage following ischemic insult. Nanozymes with robust anti-oxidative stress properties possess therapeutic possibility for ischemic insult.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Pharm
November 2024
Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address:
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has poor prognosis. Carboplatin (Crb) is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, in TNBC but with serious systemic toxicity and poor tumor targeting. Bioinspired drug-loaded platelets (Plt) and Plt-coated nanocarriers evade macrophage phagocytosis by membrane proteins like CD47.
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