Article
Energy & Fuels
Kai Li, Wei Wang, Zhi-Peng Yu, Hang Jin, Yun-Tong Ge, Wei-Wei Gao, Fan Xiao, Hui-Rong Huang, Ze-Heng Peng, Jing Gong
Summary: In this study, the interaction mechanism of specific PEMs fabricated by PDDA and PSS through layer-by-layer deposition was investigated, along with exploring the underwater oil-repellency of PSS-capped PEMs. Consistency was achieved between experimental and theoretical calculations at low NaCl concentrations, but underestimation of attractive force was found as NaCl concentration increased, possibly due to reduced surface charge density and the presence of brush effect. The stable underwater lipophobicity of PSS-capped PEMs against high salinity suggests potential applications in surface wetting modification and anti-fouling.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ettore Virga, Klara Zvab, Wiebe M. de Vos
Summary: This study investigates the effect of membrane surface chemistry on fouling in surface water treatment for polyelectrolyte multilayer based nanofiltration membranes. Different surface chemistries were found to affect the adsorption of various foulants, with zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine surface chemistry demonstrating excellent fouling resistance.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Carolin Naas, Ulrich Scheler, Uwe Lappan
Summary: The growth and mobility of polyelectrolyte multilayers can be influenced by adjusting the pH value during preparation. Changes in pH lead to non-linear growth behavior and affect the formation and properties of the multilayers.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Muhammad Haseeb Iqbal, Faratiana Jeanne Rosine Revana, Emeline Pradel, Varvara Gribova, Kamel Mamchaoui, Catherine Coirault, Florent Meyer, Fouzia Boulmedais
Summary: The engineering of skeletal muscle tissue is a promising approach for the treatment of muscle injuries and diseases. In this study, a hydrogen-bonded nanofilm was developed using a brushing method to promote muscle tissue development. The nanofilm successfully guided the alignment and differentiation of muscle cells, resulting in the formation of aligned myofibers.
Article
Polymer Science
Cassia Lux, Thomas Tilger, Ramsia Geisler, Olaf Soltwedel, Regine von Klitzing
Summary: The study investigates tailored functionalization of cellulose based papers by preparing polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs), revealing that different polycations lead to PEMs with different surface topographies, and these PEMs exhibit high water uptake in humid environments.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Manuella Cerbelaud, Yasmine Bennani, Claire Peyratout
Summary: This study investigates the behavior of suspensions composed of a mixture of particles with positive and negative charges, created by the adsorption of poly-electrolyte multilayers on their surface. The study shows that surface modifications allow for heteroaggregation in the absence of salt, and the addition of salt has a different effect on the suspension behavior depending on the number of adsorbed layers. This study highlights the importance of studying heteroaggregation in these systems as a simple way to analyze the screening effect.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Moritz A. Junker, Esra te Brinke, Clara M. Vall Compte, Rob G. H. Lammertink, Joris de Grooth, Wiebe M. de Vos
Summary: Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) show promise as selective layers in nanofiltration (NF) due to their simplicity, controlled layer thickness, and versatility. Combining two different PEMs in an asymmetric structure allows further optimization. This study combines experimental filtration and theoretical models to describe the effective structure of an asymmetric PEM made of PAH/PSS and PAH/PAA. The obtained membrane properties suggest a distinct layer structure, and there is a fundamental difference in the retention of salt and polyethylene glycol molecules, attributed to different exclusion mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Charlotte Roupie, Beatrice Labat, Sandrine Morin-Grognet, Pascal Thebault, Guy Ladam
Summary: In order to prevent infections and alterations of medical devices, coatings with antiadhesive properties and antibacterial activity were developed. These coatings, composed of biocompatible polyelectrolytes and crosslinked with a natural agent, showed enhanced stability and strong antibacterial effects through immobilizing antimicrobial peptides.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Raul Cazorla-Luna, Araceli Martin-Illana, Fernando Notario-Perez, Roberto Ruiz-Caro, Maria-Dolores Veiga
Summary: Biopolymers have advantages such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and adhesion to biological tissues. Polyelectrolytes formed by combining with opposite charges can be used to develop mucoadhesive dosage forms with the potential to enhance drug delivery.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhuquan Zhou, Zerong Xing, Qian Wang, Jing Liu
Summary: A generalized method is proposed to fabricate oxide wrinkles on liquid metal surfaces with multi-scale and diverse dimensional hierarchies. By altering the substrate geometry, the distribution of growth stress is changed, leading to different wrinkle morphologies such as one-dimensional stripes and two-dimensional labyrinths. Furthermore, radial wrinkles are obtained under hoop stress induced by surface tension difference. These hierarchical wrinkles of different scales can coexist on the liquid metal surface. Wrinkles on liquid metal surfaces may have potential applications in flexible electronics, sensors, displays, etc.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhifei Yan, Jeremy L. Hitt, Zichen Zeng, Michael A. Hickner, Thomas E. Mallouk
Summary: This study investigates the effects of local environments on ionic flows in membrane electrolysers, and demonstrates the measurement and manipulation of local pH to improve CO₂ reduction efficiency.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Barbara Helena Barcaro Machado, Ivy Dantas De Melo E. Silva, Walter Marou Pautrat, James Frame, Mohammad Najlah
Summary: This study compared the accuracy of 3D stereophotogrammetry with scale-based peer evaluation in assessing topographical changes to the skin surface following laser treatment. The results showed consistency between 3D SPM measurements and raters in evaluating improvement trends and topographical changes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Konstantinos T. Kotoulas, Jack Campbell, Andre G. Skirtach, Dmitry Volodkin, Anna Vikulina
Summary: The coating of particles or decomposable cores with polyelectrolytes via Layer-by-Layer assembly creates free-standing functional particles. However, previous literature lacks discussion on how these particles immobilize onto solid surfaces. This review evaluates examples of immobilized LbL-assembled particles, examining the forces and factors that influence immobilization and proposing a fundamental theory for immobilization pathways.
Article
Polymer Science
Biswa P. Das, Marina Tsianou
Summary: Multilayer thin film assembly by the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique is an inexpensive and versatile route for the synthesis of functional nanomaterials. This study achieves exponential growth in clay-containing polyelectrolyte films with high clay loading and tailored properties by incorporating a weak polyelectrolyte and a clay with high charge density and small particle size. The findings include novel pathways to manipulate film characteristics. The presented strategy can lead to novel approaches to fabricate tailor-made nanomaterials for distinct applications.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessie L. Webber, Rashin Namivandi-Zangeneh, Slawomir Drozdek, Kazimiera A. Wilk, Cyrille Boyer, Edgar H. H. Wong, Bronwyn H. Bradshaw-Hajek, Marta Krasowska, David A. Beattie
Summary: The study embedded an antimicrobial peptide, Nisin Z, within polyelectrolyte multilayers composed of natural polysaccharides to create a multilayer with antimicrobial properties. The peptide-containing films showed excellent antimicrobial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA strains, unaffected by its location within the multilayer, demonstrating the potential for creating functionalized coatings in industries such as food, biomaterials, and pharmaceuticals.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Akhilesh Rai, Rafaela Ferrao, Paulo Palma, Tatiana Patricio, Paula Parreira, Elsa Anes, Chiara Tonda-Turo, M. Cristina L. Martins, Nuno Alves, Lino Ferreira
Summary: This review discusses the therapeutic potential of AMP-based materials for the treatment of various diseases. Compared to bare AMPs, AMP-based materials can overcome the limitations of short residence time in the bloodstream and susceptibility to environmental factors, providing better therapeutic efficacy. In addition to treating microbial infections, AMP-based materials also have applications in skin/bone regeneration, prevention of implant-associated infections, detection/imaging of bacteria, cancer therapy, and gene delivery.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Akhilesh Rai, Rafaela Ferrao, Denise Marta, Andreia Vilaca, Miguel Lino, Tiago Rondao, Jian Ji, Artur Paiva, Lino Ferreira
Summary: Currently, there is a lack of effective therapeutic dressings in the market that can prevent bacterial infection and promote skin regeneration in diabetic patients. A study has evaluated the antimicrobial and pro-regenerative effect of LL37 peptide immobilized in polyurethane-based wound dressings. The results showed that the LL37 peptide dressing effectively killed bacteria without inducing resistance and accelerated wound healing and re-epithelialization in diabetic mice.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lara Ottaviani, Rio P. Juni, Ricardo C. de Abreu, Marida Sansonetti, Vasco Sampaio-Pinto, Julie Halkein, Jana C. Hegenbarth, Nadja Ring, Kevin Knoops, Jordy M. M. Kocken, Carlos de Jesus, Auriane C. Ernault, Hamid El Azzouzi, Frank Ruhle, Serve Olieslagers, Hugo Fernandes, Lino Ferreira, Luca Braga, Monika Stoll, Diana S. Nascimento, Leon J. de Windt, Paula A. da Costa Martins
Summary: miR-200c-3p in extracellular vesicles secreted by cardiac myocytes plays a crucial role in the communication between cardiac cells and endothelial cells, affecting cardiac function and disease development.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Hugo Fernandes, Alessandra Zonnari, Ricardo Abreu, Sezin Aday, Marta Barao, Ines Albino, Miguel Lino, Ana Branco, Catia Seabra, Tania Barata, Ermelindo C. Leal, Jose Guilherme Tralhao, Lino Goncalves, Alwin de Jong, Hendrika A. B. Peters, Margreet R. de Vries, Paula da Costa Martins, Paul H. A. Quax, Lino Ferreira
Summary: The study identified miR-425-5p as a molecule capable of enhancing endothelial cell survival and migration, modulating the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway to promote cell survival, and successfully delivering it in vivo through modulation of small extracellular vesicles, ultimately enhancing wound healing.
MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yue Huang, Dan Li, Deliang Wang, Xiaohui Chen, Lino Ferreira, M. Cristina L. Martins, Youxiang Wang, Qiao Jin, Dong Wang, Ben Zhong Tang, Jian Ji
Summary: The development of antibiotics resistance has become a global health issue. Photothermal therapy offers a potential solution for treating multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. In this study, a polymeric luminogen with aggregation-induced emission was synthesized and used as a photothermal agent. The effectiveness of the agent was demonstrated in animal models of infected wounds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Federico Traldi, Pengfei Liu, Ines Albino, Lino Ferreira, Ali Zarbakhsh, Marina Resmini
Summary: A fundamental understanding of the interactions and behavior of nanoparticles with biological interfaces is crucial for their biomedical applications. The formation of a protein corona complex and its impact on the properties of nanomaterials can be analyzed using various analytical techniques. This study evaluated the interactions between acrylamide-based nanogels with different charges and abundant serum proteins, providing insights into the factors that influence the bio-nano interface and aiding the design of nanomaterials for drug delivery.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Artur Filipe Rodrigues, Ana P. M. Tavares, Susana Simoes, Rui P. F. F. Silva, Tomas Sobrino, Bruno R. Figueiredo, Goreti Sales, Lino Ferreira
Summary: Graphene-based materials (GBMs) have been explored for developing flexible interfaces to treat neurological disorders by improving brain function and tissue regeneration through electrical stimulation. Recent findings of GBM electrodes generating electrical response under light exposure have inspired the development of non-genetic approaches, such as optogenetics, to selectively modulate brain cells. In this study, graphene was conjugated with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to enable wireless transcranial activation using near-infrared (NIR) radiation. The optimized UCNP formulations attached to graphene nanoplatelets showed enhanced electrical conductivity upon NIR activation, promoting cell proliferation and downregulating neuronal and glial differentiation markers in human neuroblastoma cells.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andreia Vilaca, Leon J. de Windt, Hugo Fernandes, Lino Ferreira
Summary: Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as miRNAs and lncRNAs, have shown potential as regulators of cardiovascular pathophysiology and offer therapeutic opportunities for cardiovascular diseases. However, the physico-chemical features of RNA hinder efficient cellular delivery. This review highlights recent advancements in ncRNA delivery for the cardiovascular system and suggests potential solutions for clinical translation.
TRENDS IN MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Artur Filipe Rodrigues, Catarina Rebelo, Susana Simoes, Cristiana Paulo, Sonia Pinho, Vitor Francisco, Lino Ferreira
Summary: Messenger RNA (mRNA)-based therapies require safe and effective delivery formulations. Polymeric nanoparticles can be designed to modulate cell targeting and have shown superior performance over lipid-based agents in the delivery of mRNA. A polymeric nanoformulation based on specific monomers has been identified to efficiently transfect fibroblasts and target fibrotic diseases, with receptor-mediated endocytosis playing a role in this tropism. Structure-activity analysis reveals the importance of high buffering capacity and low mRNA binding affinity for efficient mRNA delivery.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Sara Bernardo-Castro, Joao Andre Sousa, Emanuel Martins, Helena Donato, Cesar Nunes, Otilia C. d'Almeida, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Antero Abrunhosa, Lino Ferreira, Joao Sargento-Freitas
Summary: This study aims to assess the evolution of blood-brain barrier permeability (BBBp) throughout different phases of ischemic stroke and its impact on patient outcomes. The results showed that BBBp consistently increases after stroke, peaking in the acute phase. The degree of BBBp influences patient outcomes depending on the stroke phase, highlighting the clinical relevance of BBBp dynamics in stroke care.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Sahadevan Seena, Rafaela Ferra, Melike Pala, S. L. K. W. Roelants, Wim Soetaert, Christian V. V. Stevens, Lino Ferreira, Akhilesh Rai
Summary: The combination of acidic sophorolipid nanoparticles (ASL NPs) and LL37 peptides demonstrates an effective antimicrobial effect against various bacteria in the presence of human serum and trypsin. It also prevents the formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm and eradicates existing biofilm. The combination has a rapid damaging effect on the bacterial membrane, particularly on Escherichia coli, and is biocompatible to human keratinocyte cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
BIOMATERIALS ADVANCES
(2023)
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Marta Machado-Pereira, Alba Grayston, Miguel Garcia-Gabilondo, Vitor Francisco, Ana Cristovao, Joao Marto, Helena Vieira, Miguel Viana-Baptista, Lino Ferreira, Liliana Bernardino, Anna Rosell, Raquel Ferreira
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Joao Andre Sousa, Catarina Bernardes, Sara Bernardo-Castro, Miguel Lino, Ines Albino, Lino Ferreira, Jose Bras, Rita Guerreiro, Miguel Tabuas-Pereira, Ines Baldeiras, Isabel Santana, Joao Sargento-Freitas
Summary: The existence of a selective blood-brain barrier (BBB) and neurovascular coupling result in a close relationship between neurons, glia, and blood vessels, leading to overlapping pathophysiology between neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, with vascular dysfunction being an early component of its pathological conundrum. Genetic and molecular changes, such as the Apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 isoform, contribute to BBB dysfunction in AD. The BBB represents a potential therapeutic opportunity in the treatment of AD. This review explores the role of BBB in AD pathogenesis and discusses its potential as a target for future therapeutic research.
FRONTIERS IN AGING NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Catarina Rebelo, Tiago Reis, Joana Guedes, Claudia Saraiva, Artur Filipe Rodrigues, Susana Simoes, Liliana Bernardino, Joao Peca, Sonia L. C. Pinho, Lino Ferreira
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Artur Filipe Rodrigues, Catarina Rebelo, Tiago Reis, Susana Simoes, Liliana Bernardino, Joao Peca, Lino Ferreira
Summary: Neurological disorders pose a major challenge in the medical field due to the inefficacy of current treatments. Despite efforts to regulate neuronal activity and promote tissue regeneration, relapse and progression remain common. Recent advancements in drug delivery systems and neuromodulation strategies show promise in addressing these limitations, but lack precision. External stimuli like electromagnetic fields and ultrasound have been used for non-invasive neuromodulation, but lack the spatial resolution of light stimulation. This review explores the potential of light-responsive nanomaterials for on-demand drug delivery and neuromodulation in brain stimulation and regeneration.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
