Improper use of conventional plastics poses challenges for sustainable energy and environmental protection. Algal derivatives have been considered as a potential renewable biomass source for bioplastic production. Algae derivatives include a multitude of valuable substances, especially starch from microalgae, short-chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from cyanobacteria, polysaccharides from marine and freshwater macroalgae. The algae derivatives have the potential to be used as key ingredients for bioplastic production, such as starch and PHAs or only as an additive such as sulfated polysaccharides. The presence of distinctive functional groups in algae, such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, and sulfate, can be manipulated or tailored to provide desirable bioplastic quality, especially for food, pharmaceutical, and medical packaging. Standardizing strains, growing conditions, harvesting and extracting algae in an environmentally friendly manner would be a promising strategy for pollution control and bioplastic production.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.126698 | DOI Listing |
Cells
December 2024
AO Research Institute Davos, Clavadelerstrasse 8, 7270 Davos, Switzerland.
In the context of bone fractures, the influence of the mechanical environment on the healing outcome is widely accepted, while its influence at the cellular level is still poorly understood. This study explores the influence of mechanical load on naïve mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation, focusing on hypertrophic chondrocyte differentiation. Unlike primary bone healing, which involves the direct differentiation of MSCs into bone-forming cells, endochondral ossification uses an intermediate cartilage template that remodels into bone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvestig Clin Urol
January 2025
Institut Alfred Fournier, Paris, France.
Purpose: Recurrent cystitis, particularly common in women, substantially diminishes patient quality of life and represents a major clinical practice and public health burden. Increasing development of resistance to antibiotics has encouraged the search for alternative treatments. The benefits of a food supplement associating two strains with proanthocyanidin A-rich cranberry and cinnamon extracts were evaluated in 80 women with a history of cystitis recurrence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban
August 2024
Xiangya Stomatological Hospital and Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University; Hunan Engineering Research Center for Oral Digital Intelligence and Personalized Medicine; Hunan 3D Printing Engineering Research Center of Oral Care; WANG Songling Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078.
Objectives: Drug-loaded mucoadhesive silk fibroin (SF) microneedle patch can overcome the limitations of low bioavailability and significant pain associated with traditional treatment methods, such as topical application or injection of triamcinolone for oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). However, these systems release the drug too quickly, failing to meet the clinical requirements. This study aims to construct a mucoadhesive SF microneedle patch pre-assembled with silk fibroin nanospheres (SFN) and explore its ability to sustain the release of triamcinolone in the treatment of OSF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Comput Biol
January 2025
Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Cell collectives, like other motile entities, generate and use forces to move forward. Here, we ask whether environmental configurations alter this proportional force-speed relationship, since aligned extracellular matrix fibers are known to cause directed migration. We show that aligned fibers serve as active conduits for spatial propagation of cellular mechanotransduction through matrix exoskeleton, leading to efficient directed collective cell migration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlanta
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Natural Products, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
The evolutionary conservation of type III polyketide synthases (PKS) in Selaginella has been elucidated, and the critical amino acid residues of the anther-specific chalcone synthase-like enzyme (SmASCL) have been identified. Selaginella species are the oldest known vascular plants and a valuable resource for the study of metabolic evolution in land plants. Polyketides, especially flavonoids and sporopollenin precursors, are essential prerequisites for plant land colonization.
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