Arthrospira platensis accelerates the formation of an endothelial cell monolayer and protects against endothelial cell detachment after bacterial contamination.

Within the last years a comprehensive number of scientific studies demonstrated beneficial effect of Arthropira platensis (AP) as dietary supplement due to a high content of proteins, minerals and vitamins. Positive effects like promoting the immune system, reducing inflammation and an anti-oxidant capacity are reported. In this study, the effect of an aqueous AP extract on primary human venous endothelial cells (HUVEC) was investigated.

Phycocyanin from as Potential Anti-Cancer Drug: Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

The application of cytostatic drugs or natural substances to inhibit cancer growth and progression is an important and evolving subject of cancer research. There has been a surge of interest in marine bioresources, particularly algae, as well as cyanobacteria and their bioactive ingredients. Dried biomass products of and have been categorized as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Actuating Shape Memory Polymer for Thermoresponsive Soft Robotic Gripper and Programmable Materials.

For soft robotics and programmable metamaterials, novel approaches are required enabling the design of highly integrated thermoresponsive actuating systems. In the concept presented here, the necessary functional component was obtained by polymer syntheses. First, poly(1,10-decylene adipate) diol (PDA) with a number average molecular weight of 3290 g·mol was synthesized from 1,10-decanediol and adipic acid.

Analysis of the molecular heterogeneity of poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) blends by hyphenating size exclusion chromatography with nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy.

The compositional and stereochemical heterogeneity of copolymers are key molecular metrics, and their knowledge is of pivotal importance for evidence based material development. Yet, while it is state of the art to determine these parameters for many petroleum based polymers, little insight exists in that regard for bio-based materials. Towards this end, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was hyphenated with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in an offline manner and a blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) investigated.

Developing non-isocyanate urethane-methacrylate photo-monomers for 3D printing application.

Urethane-methacrylate photo-monomers were prepared a non-isocyanate route for the 3D printing application. The monomers were synthesized through reacting aliphatic amines, 1,6-hexanediamine, 1,4-butanediol bis(3-aminopropyl) ether, or -butylamine, with cyclic carbonates, ethylene carbonate or propylene carbonate, followed by the methacrylation of the generated hydroxylurethanes. The effects of the chemical structure of monomers on their photo-reactivity and physicomechanical properties of the cured samples were studied.

Optimization of the Microwave Assisted Glycosylamines Synthesis Based on a Statistical Design of Experiments Approach.

Glycans carry a vast range of functions in nature. Utilizing their properties and functions in form of polymers, coatings or glycan derivatives for various applications makes the synthesis of modified glycans crucial. Since amines are easy to modify for subsequent reactions, we investigated regioselective amination conditions of different saccharides.

Effects of gut microbial metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) on platelets and endothelial cells.

Thrombotic events result from different pathologies and are the underlying causes of severe diseases like stroke or myocardial infarction. Recent basic research now revealed a link between food uptake, food conversion and gut metabolism. Gut microbial production of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) from dietary nutrients like choline, lecithin and L-carnitine was associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases.

Shape Memory Polymer Foam with Programmable Apertures.

In this work, a novel type of polyester urethane urea (PEUU) foam is introduced. The foam was produced by reactive foaming using a mixture of poly(1,10-decamethylene adipate) diol and poly(1,4-butylene adipate) diol, 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 1,4-butanediol, diethanolamine and water as blowing agent. As determined by differential scanning calorimetry, the melting of the ester-based phases occurred at temperatures in between 25 °C and 61 °C, while the crystallization transition spread from 48 °C to 20 °C.

Recent advances and remaining barriers to producing novel formulations of fungicides for safe and sustainable agriculture.

Background: Fungi have evolved for 1 billion years and due to their adaptability and resilience can be found in multiple habitats around the globe. Among numerous species of fungi, some are pathogenic, and humans have battled since the dawn of organized agriculture to reduce production losses. With the arrival of fungicides many gains have been made in this struggle.

COVID-19 and the endothelium.

There is growing evidence that COVID-19 not only affects the lungs but beyond that the endothelial system. Recent studies showed that this can lead to microcirculatory impairments and in consequence to functional disorders of all inner organs. The combination of endothelial dysfunction with a generalized inflammatory state and complement elements may together contribute to the overall pro-coagulative state described in COVID-19 patients leading to venular as well as to arteriolar occlusions.

Impact of Multivalence and Self-Assembly in the Design of Polymeric Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics.

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious challenge for public health and could result in dramatic negative consequences for the health care sector during the next decades. To solve this problem, antibacterial materials that are unsusceptible toward the development of bacterial resistance are a promising branch of research. In this work, a new type of polymeric antimicrobial peptide mimic featuring a bottlebrush architecture is developed, using a combination of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP).

Self-Assembly Behavior of Oppositely Charged Inverse Bipatchy Microcolloids.

A directed attractive interaction between predefined "patchy" sites on the surfaces of anisotropic microcolloids can provide them with the ability to self-assemble in a controlled manner to build target structures of increased complexity. An important step toward the controlled formation of a desired superstructure is to identify reversible electrostatic interactions between patches which allow them to align with one another. The formation of bipatchy particles with two oppositely charged patches fabricated using sandwich microcontact printing is reported.

Shaping Metallic Nanolattices: Design by Microcontact Printing from Wrinkled Stamps.

A method for the fabrication of well-defined metallic nanostructures is presented here in a simple and straightforward fashion. As an alternative to lithographic techniques, this routine employs microcontact printing utilizing wrinkled stamps, which are prepared from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and includes the formation of hydrophobic stripe patterns on a substrate via the transfer of oligomeric PDMS. Subsequent backfilling of the interspaces between these stripes with a hydroxyl-functional poly(2-vinyl pyridine) then provides the basic pattern for the deposition of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles promoted by electrostatic interaction.

Plasmonic biosensors fabricated by galvanic displacement reactions for monitoring biomolecular interactions in real time.

Optical sensors are prepared by reduction of gold ions using freshly etched hydride-terminated porous silicon, and their ability to specifically detect binding between protein A/rabbit IgG and asialofetuin/Erythrina cristagalli lectin is studied. The fabrication process is simple, fast, and reproducible, and does not require complicated lab equipment. The resulting nanostructured gold layer on silicon shows an optical response in the visible range based on the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance.

Switching enzyme activity by a temperature responsive inhibitor modified polymer.

A thermoresponsive NIPAAm-based polymer is combined with the selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor tacrine in order to create a strict in sense on/off switch for enzymatic activity. This polymer-inhibitor conjugate inhibits AChE at room temperature and enables reactivation of AChE by heating above the cloud point of the conjugate.

HELP-(Heparin-induced Extracorporeal LDL Precipitation)-apheresis in heart recipients with cardiac allograft vasculopathy and concomitant hypercholesterolemia: Influence of long-term treatment on the microcirculation.

Hyperlipidemic heart transplant patients who develop cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) benefit from HELP-apheresis (Heparin-induced Extracorporeal LDL Precipitation) which enables drastic lowering of plasma low-density lipoprotein, lipoprotein (a), and fibrinogen. There is evidence that HELP-apheresis also improves microcirculation by an immediate improvement of impaired endothelial-dependent vasodilatation and additive hemorheological effects.Therefore, cutaneous microcirculation was examined before, during, and after the first HELP-apheresis in eight hyperlipidemic cardiac transplant recipients with CAV.

Vascular Endothelial Cell Biology: An Update.

The vascular endothelium, a monolayer of endothelial cells (EC), constitutes the inner cellular lining of arteries, veins and capillaries and therefore is in direct contact with the components and cells of blood. The endothelium is not only a mere barrier between blood and tissues but also an endocrine organ. It actively controls the degree of vascular relaxation and constriction, and the extravasation of solutes, fluid, macromolecules and hormones, as well as that of platelets and blood cells.

Biocatalytically active microgels by precipitation polymerization of -isopropyl acrylamide in the presence of an enzyme.

We present a novel protocol for the synthesis of enzymatically active microgels. The protocol is based on the precipitation polymerization of -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) in the presence of an enzyme and a protein binding comonomer. A basic investigation on the influence of different reaction parameters such as monomer concentration and reaction temperature on the microgel size and size distribution is performed and immobilization yields are determined.

Temperature-Controlled Solvent Vapor Annealing of Thin Block Copolymer Films.

Solvent vapor annealing is as an effective and versatile alternative to thermal annealing to equilibrate and control the assembly of polymer chains in thin films. Here, we present scientific and practical aspects of the solvent vapor annealing method, including the discussion of such factors as non-equilibrium conformational states and chain dynamics in thin films in the presence of solvent. Homopolymer and block copolymer films have been used in model studies to evaluate the robustness and the reproducibility of the solvent vapor processing, as well as to assess polymer-solvent interactions under confinement.

Tailoring patches on particles: a modified microcontact printing routine using polymer-functionalised stamps.

Herein, we report a modified microcontact printing (μCP) routine suitable to introduce particle patches of a low molecular weight ink (LMWI) on porous SiO2 microparticles. Thereby, patch precision could be significantly improved by utilising stamps which have been surface-functionalised with grafted polymers. This improvement was evaluated by a profound software-assisted statistical analysis.

In Situ Monitoring of Membrane Protein Insertion into Block Copolymer Vesicle Membranes and Their Spreading via Potential-Assisted Approach.

Synthosomes are polymer vesicles with transmembrane proteins incorporated into block copolymer membranes. They have been used for selective transport in or out of the vesicles as well as catalysis inside the compartments. However, both the insertion process of the membrane protein, forming nanopores, and the spreading of the vesicles on planar substrates to form solid-supported biomimetic membranes have been rarely studied yet.

Switch It Inside-Out: "Schizophrenic" Behavior of All Thermoresponsive UCST-LCST Diblock Copolymers.

This feature article reviews our recent advancements on the synthesis, phase behavior, and micellar structures of diblock copolymers consisting of oppositely thermoresponsive blocks in aqueous environments. These copolymers combine a nonionic block, which shows lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior, with a zwitterionic block that exhibits an upper critical solution temperature (UCST). The transition temperature of the latter class of polymers is strongly controlled by its molar mass and by the salt concentration, in contrast to the rather invariant transition of nonionic polymers with type II LCST behavior such as poly(-isopropylacrylamide) or poly(-isopropyl methacrylamide).

Epigenetics-Shedding Light on the Path Ahead for Material Sciences.

The harmonious regulation of bodily function is a necessity for healthy individuals. Looking from the viewpoint of material sciences, one can only marvel at the cellular factories, their renewal, and the overall control of messaging and control of responses. As aging progresses and/or pathologies arise, clinicians may be forced to look for replacement of organs/tissues with medical devices.

Additive Manufacturing of Information Carriers Based on Shape Memory Polyester Urethane.

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are stimuli-responsive materials, which are able to retain an imposed, temporary shape and recover the initial, permanent shape through an external stimulus like heat. In this work, a novel manufacturing method is introduced for thermoresponsive quick response (QR) code carriers, which originally were developed as anticounterfeiting technology. Motivated by the fact that earlier manufacturing processes were sometimes too time-consuming for production, filaments of a polyester urethane (PEU) with and without dye were extruded and processed into QR code carriers using fused filament fabrication (FFF).