Biomimetic fabrication of mineralized composite films of nanosilver loaded native fibrillar collagen and chitosan.

Silver nanoparticles loaded fibrillar collagen-chitosan matrix (CC) was prepared by biomimetic approach by blending silver nanoparticles (tAgNPs), collagen fibril and chitosan hydrogel followed by cross-linking and biomineralization. Electron micrograph showed that the surface of the composites exhibited native fibrillar morphology of collagen and their cross-section revealed layer-like arrangement of native fibrillar collagen. The mineralized composites exhibited surface mineralization of calcium phosphates incorporated with magnesium.

Integrated thermophilic enzyme-immobilized reactor and high-rate biological reactors for treatment of palm oil-containing wastewater without sludge production.

Bacillus pumilus, the thermophilic microorganism, was used to biosynthesise lipase of specific activity 5173 U. The purified lipase was highly stable in the pH range from 1 to 7 and temperature at 50 °C. The functionalized nanoporous activated carbon matrix was used for the immobilization of lipase at the optimum conditions and was used for the hydrolysis of palm oil-containing wastewater at optimum time, 3 h, pH 7, and at temperature 50 °C.

Effect of aeration and agitation on yeast inulinase production: a biocalorimetric investigation.

Air flow rate and agitation speed for inulinase production by Kluyveromyces marxianus were optimized based on metabolic heat release profiles. Shear stress and oxygen transfer (ka) values were compared to assess the effects of aeration and agitation. At agitation rates of ≤ 100 rpm, the oxygen mass transfer rates were small and eventually led to less inulinase production, but at agitation rates > 150 rpm, loss of biomass resulted in less inulinase activity.

Conformational Preferences of Aβ25-35 and Aβ35-25 in Membrane Mimicking Environments.

Background: The structural transition of aggregating Abeta peptides is the key event in the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

Objective: In the present work, the structural modifications of toxic Aβ25-35 and the scrambled Aβ35-25 were studied in Trifluoroethanol (TFE) and in aqueous SDS micelles.

Methods: Using CD spectroscopic investigations, the conformational transition of Aβ25-35 and Aβ35-25 peptides were determined in different membrane mimicking environments such as TFE and SDS.

A novel protease-immobilized carbon catalyst for the effective fragmentation of proteins in high-TDS wastewater generated in tanneries: Spectral and electrochemical studies.

The aim of this study was to degrade proteins in high-total dissolved solids (TDS)-containing wastewater produced during the soaking process in tanneries (tannery-TDS wastewater) using a halotolerant protease-assisted nanoporous carbon catalyst (STPNPAC). A halotolerant protease was obtained from the halophile, Lysinibacillus macroides, using animal fleshing as the substrate. The protease was immobilized using ethylene diamine (EDA)/glutaraldehyde functionalized nanoporous activated carbon (EGNPAC).

Photocrosslinking of collagen using Ru(II)-polypyridyl complex functionalized gold nanoparticles.

Collagen, an extracellular matrix protein, has been used for diverse biological applications due to its clinically safe in nature and for the development of various biomedical devices. As the ECM protein is prone to degradation process, it is necessary to stabilize the collagen. In the present study, we have carried out the stabilization of collagen using newly synthesized gold nanoparticles conjugated with Ru(II) complexes (NCs) possessing different ligand environment.

Excited State Electronic Interconversion and Structural Transformation of Engineered Red-Emitting Green Fluorescent Protein Mutant.

Red fluorescent proteins with a large Stokes shift offer a limited autofluorescence background and are used in deep tissue imaging. Here, by introducing the free amino group in Aequorea victoria, the electrostatic charges of the p-hydroxybenzylidene imidazolinone chromophore of green fluorescent protein (GFP) have been altered resulting in an unusual, 85 nm red-shifted fluorescence. The structural and biophysical analysis suggested that the red shift is due to positional shift occupancy of Glu222 and Arg96, resulting in extended conjugation and a relaxed chromophore.

Strategic design of peptide-decorated aligned nanofibers impregnated with triiodothyronine for neural regeneration.

Nerve injuries are often debilitating as its regeneration occurs in a slow and laborious manner. Remediation of nerve injury is a colossal task as functional restoration in larger gaps seldom occurs due to the complex nerve regeneration mechanism. A nanofiber-based graft material has been fabricated to provide topographical and biochemical cues to encourage neural differentiation.

Nanofiber-Mediated Sustained Delivery of Triiodothyronine: Role in Angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis is a vital component of the orchestrated wound healing cascade and tissue regeneration process, which has a therapeutic prominence in treatment of ischemic vascular diseases and certain cardiac conditions. Based on its eminence, several strategies using growth factors have been studied to initiate angiogenesis. However, growth factors are expensive and have short half-life.

Exploring the effect of sintering temperature on naturally derived hydroxyapatite for bio-medical applications.

The current work describes the influence of sintering temperatures on biological and mechanical properties of naturally derived hydroxyapatite (HAp). The phase pure hydroxyapatite developed from the goat bone has been obtained by optimizing the calcination temperature from 600-900 °C. Further, HAp calcined at 900 °C was subjected to various sintering temperature (1100-1400 °C).

Gait changes in persons with diabetes: Early risk marker for diabetic foot ulcer.

Background Increasing prevalence of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and subsequent foot amputation in persons with type 2 diabetic neuropathy is a well known fact. The present study was aimed to identify the initial risk marker for DFU. Methods Dynamic plantar pressure analysis was done for persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without neuropathy (D), patients with diabetic neuropathy (DN) with normal foot profile and healthy persons with normal foot profile (C).

A Facile Approach to Fabricate Dual Purpose Hybrid Materials for Tissue Engineering and Water Remediation.

Creating hybrid materials with multifunctionality and robust mechanical stability from natural resources is a challenging proposition in materials science. Here, we report the scalable synthesis of hybrid collagen scaffolds using collagen extracted from leather industry wastes and sago starch derived from agro-industry. The hybrid scaffolds were incorporated with TiO nanoparticles and cross-linked with oxidized sago starch.

Adsorption of Proteins on Dual Loaded Silica Nanocapsules.

The design of nanocarriers containing hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds represents a powerful tool for cocktail delivery. Water-in-oil-in-water emulsions constitute an attractive approach, as they offer dual encapsulation and provide a template for the constitution of a capsule. A limitation in the preparation of nano double emulsions is their instability resulting from high curvature radii.

Theoretical Insights into the Role of Water Molecules in the Guanidinium-Based Protein Denaturation Process in Specific to Aromatic Amino Acids.

Noncovalent interactions between the guanidinium cation (Gdm) and aromatic amino acids (AAs) in the water molecules have been studied using quantum chemical calculation and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our studies show that there are two different modes of interactions between Gdm and AAs with and without water molecules. It is observed that nonhydrated Gdm interacts with AAs through N-H···π interactions, whereas hydrated clusters of Gdm are stabilized by stacking interactions with the help of the water-mediated hydrogen bond.

Stability of collagen in ionic liquids: Ion specific Hofmeister series effect.

In protein-ionic liquids (ILs) interactions, anions play an important role. In this work, imidazolium-based ILs (IILs) with varying anions namely dicyanamide (DCA), hydrogen sulfate (HS), dimethyl phosphate (DP), acetate (A), sulfate (S) and dihydrogen phosphate (DHP) have been chosen with the aim of understanding the role of anions in bringing about the destabilization effect on collagen based on the kosmotropicity and chaotropicity of ions. Imidazolium-based ILs destabilized the triple helical structure of collagen, thereby proving as strong denaturants for collagen and this was confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques viz.

Synthesis of ecofriendly copper oxide nanoparticles for fabrication over textile fabrics: Characterization of antibacterial activity and dye degradation potential.

Growing concerns over the toxicity of metallic nanoparticles synthesized using physical and chemical techniques seems to be a major hurdle for researchers. Green synthesis of nanoparticles is one of the promising, ecofriendly and safer methods. Utilizing plant sources as reducing agents will replace the use of toxic chemicals for nanoparticle synthesis.

Green processing: minimising harmful substances in leather making.

Conventional leather processing poses serious threat to the environment due to its numerous chemical treatments which include hazardous chemicals such as sodium sulphide and lime. To minimise the pollutants and harmful substances during leather processing, an enzymatic rehydration-dehairing-fibre-opening process has been achieved in shortest possible time compared to conventional process. The physicochemical characteristics of experimental leathers were found to be comparable with those of conventionally processed leathers.

Destabilization of amyloid fibrils on interaction with MoS-based nanomaterials.

The present work is motivated by the established concept that the structure and energetics of biomacromolecules can be modulated by confining their dimensions in the nanoscale. In particular, here we use force-field methods to understand the stability of amyloid fibrils at nanostructured interfaces, which can be useful for the development of new therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease. We explore the binding modes and structural properties of fibrils at the interface of molybdenum disulphide nanotubes and the nanosurface using classical molecular dynamics simulations.

Governing the Inhibition of Reconstituted Collagen Type I Assemblies Mediated Through Noncovalent Forces of (±)-α Lipoic Acid.

Type I collagen is a fibrous protein, which is highly biocompatible and biodegradable and exhibits low immunogenicity with its unique feature of undergoing a spontaneous self-assembly process. However, the excessive accumulation of collagen may lead to a condition known as fibrosis in vertebrates. Recently, saturated fatty acids have gained much attention as biomedical and therapeutic agents.

Positive effects of compost and vermicompost produced from tannery waste-animal fleshing on the growth and yield of commercial crop-tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plant.

Accumulation of solid waste has intensified with the increase in world population and industrialization. Most importantly, wastes of animal origin such as animal manures and tannery wastes are a major under-utilized resource in most countries with potential for utilization in crop production. This study evaluated the potential of solid state hydrolyzed tannery animal fleshing (SSF-ANFL) and submerged state hydrolyzed tannery ANFL (SmF-ANFL) vermicompost and compost amended soils on the growth, yield and chemical characteristics of tomatoes.

Importance of crosslinking strategies in designing smart biomaterials for bone tissue engineering: A systematic review.

Biomaterials are of significant importance in biomedical applications as these biological macromolecules have moderately replaced classical tissue grafting techniques owing to its beneficial properties. Despite of its favourable advantages, poor mechanical and degradative properties of biomaterials are of great concern. To this regard, crosslinkers have emerged as a smart and promising tool to augment the biological functionality of biopolymers.

Type I collagen peptides and nitric oxide releasing electrospun silk fibroin scaffold: A multifunctional approach for the treatment of ischemic chronic wounds.

Biomimetic nanofibrous scaffolds targeting multiple dysfunctional processes provide a multi-pronged strategy to restore functions and regenerate the damaged tissue. This study investigates a strategy of combining a regenerative component, Type I collagen Peptide (CP), along with a nitric oxide donor, S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), in the form of nanofibrous scaffold to address the non-healing diabetic ulcer. Silk Fibroin-Polyvinyl alcohol (SF-PVA) nanofibrous scaffold is used as a carrier for delivering functional moieties.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of two imidazo[1,2-]pyridine derivatives: --butyl-2-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)-5-methyl-imidazo[1,2-]pyridin-3-amine and --butyl-2-[4-(di-methyl-amino)-phen-yl]imidazo[1,2-]pyridin-3-amine.

In the title imidazo[1,2-]pyridine derivatives, --butyl-2-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)-5-methyl-imidazo[1,2-]pyridin-3-amine, CHNO, (I), and --butyl-2-[4-(di-methyl-amino)-phen-yl]imidazo[1,2-]pyridin-3-amine, CHN, (II), the 4-meth-oxy-phenyl ring in (I) and the 4-(di-methyl-amino)-phenyl ring in (II) are inclined to the respective imidazole rings by 26.69 (9) and 31.35 (10)°.

A facile method for high level dual expression of recombinant and congener protein in a single expression system.

Protein engineering is an emerging field for developing novel therapeutic proteins and commercial enzymes, along with a major impact on the global market. In recent decades, advanced methods employing protein modification through expansion of the genetic code have led to the development of proteins with new biochemical and physical properties. These techniques have produced engineered proteins with improved attribute comprising substrate relaxation, protein drug conjugation and high stability under extreme conditions of high temperatures, pH and organic solvents.