Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces最新文献

Fucoxanthin (FX) is a carotenoid found in marine environments with a range of nutritional functions. However, its application in the food industry has been restricted by its vulnerability to deterioration and absorption challenges. This study employed zein to develop hydrophilic colloids to enhance the thermal processing adaptability, gastrointestinal digestive stability, and oral bioavailability of FX. The findings demonstrated that the using glucose for the grafting modification of zein caused a deviation in its isoelectric point, reduced its water contact angle, and altered its secondary structure, resulting in higher hydrophilicity. Using glycosylated zein (GZ) for FX loading yielded homogenous, stable aqueous GZ-FX complex dispersion solutions with an encapsulation efficiency (EE) > 85.00 %, a particle size < 210.00 nm, a zeta-potential > -30.00 mV, and a polydispersity index (PDI) < 0.30. GZ-based encapsulation notably enhanced the thermal stability of FX, retaining approximately 90.00 % and 80.00 % of the FX at 65 ℃ and 100 ℃, respectively. During in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, GZ-encapsulation of FX demonstrated a retention increase of 30.63 % and a 2.31-fold higher micellization rate. The in vivo absorption results showed that GZ-based encapsulation dramatically increased FX oral bioavailability, while its serum, liver, and kidney response levels were 51.49-fold, 5.13-fold and 6.73-fold higher. This study suggests that glycosylated alcohol-soluble proteins are highly effective carriers for delivering carotenoids, with significant application potential in the food industry.

Rational design and tailoring of the surface microenvironment surrounding the catalytic sites, such as noble metal nanoparticles, is an effective way to enhance the catalytic activity of mimicking enzymes. However, it remains on-going challenges to regulate the microenvironment of the catalytic sites due to the lack of tunable variability in structural precision of conventional solid catalysts. Herein, three types of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) with different major crystal facet orientations, i.e., cubic with (100) facets (denoted ZIF-8_c), truncated dodecahedral with (100), (110) facets (denoted ZIF-8_tr), and dodecahedral with (110) facets (denoted ZIF-8_r), were developed facilely using an electrochemical method by switching the potential at ambient temperature. Because the Zn²⁺ nodes were predominantly exposed on the (100) facets of ZIF-8, while the ligands were mainly exposed on the (110) facets. Hence, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) showed differential glucose oxidase (GOx)-like activities when anchored in situ on different crystal facets of ZIF-8 and obeyed the following order ZIF-8_c/Au>ZIF-8_tr/Au>ZIF-8_r/Au. Notably, both the metal nodes and aromatic linkers of ZIF-8 interacted with AuNPs through coordination and π-π interactions. The Zn²⁺ nodes facilitated the formation of the electron-deficient Au species. The electron transfer from AuNPs to Zn²⁺ sites effectively boosted the catalytic activity. It was known that directly tailoring the microenvironment at the supporting sites of noble metal catalysts to boost catalysis through a facile electrochemical method was not reported. Based on the favorable GOx-like activity and long-term stability of ZIF-8_tr/Au, a highly sensitive electrochemical biosensing platform for assaying squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) was developed. It enabled fg-level detection of cancer marker.

Probiotics and live therapeutic bacteria (LTB), their strictly regulated therapeutic counterpart, are increasingly important in treating and preventing biofilm-related diseases. This necessitates new approaches to (i) preserve bacterial viability during manufacturing and storage and (ii) incorporate LTB into delivery systems for enhanced therapeutic efficacy. This review explores advances in probiotic and LTB product development, focusing on preservation, protection, and improved delivery. Preservation of bacteria can be achieved by drying methods that decelerate metabolism. These methods introduce stresses affecting viability which can be mitigated with suitable excipients like polymeric or low molecular weight stabilizers. The review emphasizes the incorporation of LTB into polymer-based nanofibers via electrospinning, enabling simultaneous drying, encapsulation, and delivery system production. Optimization of bacterial survival during electrospinning and storage is discussed, as well as controlled LTB release achievable through formulation design using gel-forming, gastroprotective, mucoadhesive, and pH-responsive polymers. Evaluation of the presence of the actual therapeutic strains, bacterial viability and activity by CFU enumeration or alternative analytical techniques is presented as a key aspect of developing effective and safe formulations with LTB. This review offers insights into designing delivery systems, especially polymeric nanofibers, for preservation and delivery of LTB, guiding readers in developing innovative biotherapeutic delivery systems.

In Hepatitis B patients, the virus targets liver cells, leading to inflammation and liver damage, which can result in severe complications such as liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Therapeutic options for liver disease are currently limited. Curcumin, a polyphenol with potential protective effects against chronic diseases like cancer, suffers from poor water solubility, restricting its pharmacological applications. This study explores the encapsulation of curcumin in glucan nanoparticles (NPs) and its impact on oxidative stress in liver cancer cells. Two sizes of curcumin-loaded glucan NPs, GC111 (111 nm) and GC398 (398 nm), were produced with nearly 100 % encapsulation efficiency. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that particle size influences the extent of observed effects, with GC111 NPs causing a greater reduction in cell viability. Additionally, the smaller GC111 NPs demonstrated a higher capacity to induce oxidative stress in cancer cells by stimulating the production of ROS, NO, and the chemokine RANTES in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that the smaller GC111 NPs are promising candidates for future studies aimed at evaluating oxidative stress-induced tumor cell death mechanisms.

Clinical trials based on a single molecular target continue to fail, and the adverse effects of Aβ protein aggregation and neuroinflammation need to be solved and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Herein, by designed a nano-sized flower mesoporous selenium transport carrier (Met@MSe@Tf) with high enzyme-like activity, metformin (Met) was loaded, and transferrin (Tf) was modified to bind to transferrin receptor to promote receptor-mediated transport across the BBB. In the AD lesion environment, with the acidic environment response dissociation, promote the release of metformin by nanoflower to achieve therapeutic effect in the brain lesion site. Metformin, a major anti-diabetic drug in diabetic metabolism, has been found to be a promising new therapeutic target in neurodegenerative diseases. Further studies showed that the metformin drug release from the designed and synthesized transport nanoparticles showed high intrinsic activity and the ability to degrade the substrate involved, especially the degradation of Aβ deposition in the cortex and hippocampus, increased the phagocytosis of microglia, thus relieving neuroinflammation simultaneously. Collectively, in vivo experiments demonstrated that Met@MSe@Tf significantly increased the number of NeuN-positive neurons in the hippocampus of AD mice, promoted neurovascular normalization in the brain, and improved cognitive dysfunction in AD transgenic AD mice. Thus, it provides a preclinical proof of concept for the construction of a highly modular accurate drug delivery platform for Alzheimer's disease.

Implants and various medical devices possess surfaces that are prone to bacterial colonization due to bacterial adhesion and the formation of biofilms. Therefore, inhibiting bacterial colonization is a crucial strategy for preventing infections. Although there have been reports on antibacterial surfaces, the synthetic processes involved are often complex and labor-intensive, which significantly limits their practical applications. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies investigating the interplay between antibacterial performance and stability. In this study, silver ions were reduced to form silver nanoparticles, which were then loaded onto polydopamine (PDA) particles. The successful assembly of PDA-Ag on the surface of the titanium alloy was confirmed through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The morphologies of the micro- and nanoparticles, as well as the surface morphology after deposition, were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and a 3D optical profilometer. The abrasion experiments conducted on the three surfaces demonstrated that the TC4@PDA-Ag3 surface exhibited superior friction performance compared to the other two surfaces. Antibacterial and antibacterial stability experiments were conducted on this series of surfaces. The results indicated that the adhesion rate of TC4@PDA-Ag3 on Escherichia coli (E. coli) was 99.68 %, while the antibacterial efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was 95.97 %. This study presents a novel approach to address the issue of implant surface infections by demonstrating resistance to bacterial adhesion and colonization, specifically against E. coli and S. aureus.

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the most effective and widely used treatment methods for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, its efficacy is often compromised by the inherent radioresistance of tumor cells, while the restrictive nature of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) specifically impedes the delivery of radiosensitizer. Thus, we constructed and characterized polyethylene glycol (PEG)-functionalized silver-gold core-shell nanoparticles (PSGNPs) targeting both BBB (TfRA4) and GBM (DNA1) (TDSGNPs). Afterwards, studies conducted both in vitro and in vivo were employed to assess the BBB penetration capabilities, abilities of GBM targeting and radiosensitization effect. Transmission electron microscope images of PSGNPs showed a core-shell structure, and the results of ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering displayed that TDSGNPs were successfully constructed with excellent dispersion properties. TDSGNPs could be specifically taken up by U87MG cells and the uptake peaked at 24 h. TDSGNPs combined with RT obviously increased the apoptosis proportion of the cells. It was shown by the in vitro and in vivo investigations that TDSGNPs could target U87MG cells after crossing the BBB, and further study revealed that TDSGNPs showed an uptake peak in the tumor sites after 3 h intravenous injection. The radiosensitization of TDSGNPs was better than that of the nanoparticles modified with single aptamers and the median survival of tumor-bearing mice was greatly extended. This study demonstrated that TDSGNPs could penetrate BBB to target GBM, functioning as a promising radiosensitizer for the targeted therapy of GBM.

Pulmonary embolism remains the third leading cause of human mortality after malignant tumors and myocardial infarction. Commonly available thrombolytic therapeutic agents suffer from the limitations of very short half-life, inadequate targeting, limited clot penetration, and a propensity for severe bleeding. Inspired by the trident, we developed the armor-piercing microcapsule (MC), fucoidan-urokinase-S-nitrosoglutathione-polydopamine@MC (FUGP@MC), which exhibited a triple combination of photothermal, mechanical and pharmacological thrombolysis for the therapeutic treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (APE). Briefly, the outermost fucoidan layer was utilized for targeting to the APE area. Programmed APE treatment was triggered by near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. Photothermal thrombolytic therapy was carried out by photothermal conversion of polydopamine. The photothermal conversion broke the S-nitroso bond in S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) and produced large amounts of nitric oxide (NO) for mechanical thrombolysis, which subsequently disrupted the interfacial structure of microcapsule to stimulate the release of the urokinase (UK), leading to a triple synergistic thrombolytic effect. The results demonstrated that the embolization residual rate of FUGP@MC (contained ≈ 1452.5 IU/kg UK) group was significantly lower than that of UK (10,000 IU/kg) group (6.35 % VS 16.78 %). Remarkably, FUGP@MC demonstrated a reliable in vivo biosafety proficiency. In summary, trident-inspired armor-piercing microcapsule FUGP@MC reveals a potential avenue for advancing pulmonary embolism therapeutics and promises to be a safer alternative candidate to current drug approaches.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) remains an urgent issue due to its huge financial burden and high rate of disability. Here, an injectable HAP/PDA thermosensitive pluronic F-127 (PF-127) hydrogel is proposed for peripheral nerve repair. We investigated the surface characteristics of HAP/PDA and evaluated biocompatibility, cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in vitro. After injecting the hydrogel into the injured site of rats, we recorded the recovery of motor function and judged the degree of nerves through electrophysiological and morphological changes. The hydrogel was found to accelerate the nerve regeneration. Collectively, the HAP/PDA thermosensitive PF-127 hydrogel has potential in promoting sciatic nerve repair.

The macula, a small but highly important area in the retina, is crucial for healthy vision. Age-related macular degeneration is responsible for approximately 8.7 % of blindness worldwide, and affected individuals are burgeoning. The age-related macular degeneration is often triggered by oxidative stress and excessive inflammation that damage the retinal pigment epithelial cells in the macula. Curcumin, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory carotenoid, is hampered by low compatibility and stability issues in food science. Innovatively, this study harnessed milk-derived exosomes as a novel delivery method yielding a curcumin-infused system (curcumin@exosome) to increase its biocompatibility and stability. This fusion not only curbed excessive reactive oxygen species but also neutralized H₂O₂-induced mitochondrial disruption in cellular models. It revitalized retinal pigment epithelial cells, reverting their function near to baseline in vitro. The curcumin@exosome outshined in subduing pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β induced by sodium iodate. This study illuminates that the curcumin@exosome is promise as a therapeutic intervention for retinal ailments marked by oxidative and inflammatory distress.