Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tina Helmecke, Dominik Hahn, Nadine Matzke, Lisa Ferdinand, Lars Franke, Sebastian Kuehn, Gunter Fischer, Carsten Werner, Manfred F. Maitz
Summary: This paper introduces a new polymer hydrogel platform that releases anti-inflammatory molecules in response to the inflammatory activation of human blood. The hydrogel is conjugated with anti-inflammatory peptide drugs through a peptide sequence cleaved by elastase released from activated granulocytes. The adaptive drug delivery triggered by activated granulocytes and the effect of the released drug on the respective inflammatory pathways are demonstrated.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yong Liu, Lichen Yin
Summary: Gene therapy has gained significant attention for disease prevention and treatment. Polypeptides are commonly used for nucleic acid delivery due to their versatility and low cytotoxicity, with chemistry playing a crucial role in developing innovative polypeptides for efficient gene vectors. Recent chemical advances in polypeptide-based nucleic acid delivery vehicles have shown promise in overcoming extracellular and intracellular barriers, enabling successful gene transfection in vitro and in vivo.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhiqiang Lin, Junfeng Ding, Xuesi Chen, Chaoliang He
Summary: pH- and temperature-responsive hydrogels based on mPEG-polypeptide block copolymers were developed in this study. The hydrogels exhibited an alpha-helix-to-beta-sheet transition at increased pH and underwent thermo-induced sol-gel phase transitions at elevated polymer concentrations, dependent on the pH. They demonstrated good histocompatibility and almost complete degradation in the subcutaneous layer of mice. The doxorubicin-loaded hydrogels showed pH-responsive drug release profiles with rapid release at acidic pH and sustained release at neutral pH, suggesting their potential as environment-responsive depots for drug delivery.
CHEMISTRY-AN ASIAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Peripheral Vascular Disease
J. David Spence, Tilo Grosser, Garret A. FitzGerald
Summary: Recent studies have questioned the safety of using acetaminophen for pain relief and fever reduction in patients with cardiovascular disease and those taking anticoagulants. The studies suggest that acetaminophen, like most nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can increase blood pressure and formulations containing sodium can increase cardiovascular risk. The influence of acetaminophen on coagulation through its effects on vitamin K metabolism is also discussed.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sonia N. Pedro, Maria S. M. Mendes, Bruno M. Neves, Isabel Filipa Almeida, Paulo Costa, Ines Correia-Sa, Carla Vilela, Mara G. Freire, Armando J. D. Silvestre, Carmen S. R. Freire
Summary: This study found that aqueous solutions of bio-based deep eutectic solvents (DES) can significantly improve the solubility of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. These solutions showed no toxicity to cells and preserved the anti-inflammatory action of the drug. Incorporation into alginate-based hydrogels resulted in materials with a regular structure and high flexibility, and demonstrated sustained release of the drug.
Article
Polymer Science
Yingge Shi, Dong Li, Junfeng Ding, Chaoliang He, Xuesi Chen
Summary: A series of polypeptide hydrogels, responsive to both pH and temperature, have been prepared and shown to have tunable properties and unique adhesive properties, primarily based on the self-assembly of amphiphilic polymers.
Article
Immunology
Jing Zhang, Hongguang Sheng, Xiaoyi Tang, Panpan Xia, Zhangwang Li, Minxuan Xu, Jianyong Ma, Yunfeng Shen, Peng Yu, Xiao Liu
Summary: According to a post-hoc analysis from the ORCHID trial, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in hospitalized American adult COVID-19 patients is not associated with worse clinical outcomes, including 28-day mortality or hospital discharge. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 14 studies involving 48,788 COVID-19 patients showed that NSAID use had a survival benefit and decreased the risk of severe COVID-19.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Xu Wang, Ziyuan Song, Shiqi Wei, Guonan Ji, Xuetao Zheng, Zihuan Fu, Jianjun Cheng
Summary: Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in using ring-opening polymerization of NCAs to prepare synthetic polypeptides for various biomedical applications. Polypeptides, with their rich side-chain functionalities, diverse hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity profiles, and stable secondary structures, can assemble into well-organized nano-structures that offer unique advantages in drug delivery and controlled release. This review focuses on the design and use of polypeptide-based drug delivery systems derived from NCA chemistry, discussing their potential to change the landscape of next-generation therapeutics and diagnosis.
Article
Oncology
Kate R. Pawloski, Regina Matar, Varadan Sevilimedu, Audree B. Tadros, Laurie J. Kirstein, Hiram S. Cody, Kimberly J. Van Zee, Monica Morrow, Tracy-Ann Moo
Summary: A retrospective study found that NSAIDs are associated with a low risk of hematoma after lumpectomy and SLNB. Discharge with NSAIDs did not increase the risk of hematoma compared to opioid discharge, and NSAIDs should be prescribed as the preferred option.
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Pan He, Bingtong Tang, Yusheng Li, Yu Zhang, Xinming Liu, Xin Guo, Dong Wang, Peng She, Chunsheng Xiao
Summary: This study demonstrates the feasibility of a novel oxidation-sensitive nanocarrier for curcumin in anti-inflammatory therapy, with significant potential shown in both in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Jinlong Qin, Min Sun, Wei Hu, Jiajing Cheng, Zhen Fan, Jianzhong Du
Summary: Immunotherapy plays an important role in cancer treatment, but there are challenges in delivering immunotherapeutic agents and activating them effectively at tumor sites. Hydrogels, combined with immunotherapies, offer a chance to enhance the immune response against tumors with reduced side effects. Stimuli-responsiveness is also applied to optimize pharmacokinetics and improve therapeutic outcomes. This review discusses the opportunities of combining immunotherapy with stimuli-responsive hydrogels, such as light, temperature, ultrasound, and magnetically responsive hydrogels, for effective cancer treatment. It also explores the potential of stimuli-responsive hydrogels as vaccine implants against cancer and Covid-19.
Review
Polymer Science
Rafaela Malta, Ana Camila Marques, Paulo Cardoso da Costa, Maria Helena Amaral
Summary: Proteins and peptides have the potential to be used as therapeutic agents, but their physiochemical properties make their use challenging. Hydrogels, which are hydrophilic polymeric networks, have gained prominence as ideal carriers for these molecules due to their biocompatibility, porous structure for protein and peptide transport, and protective effect against degradation. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels can undergo physicochemical transitions in response to changes in the surrounding environment, enabling controlled release of proteins and peptides.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Nga H. N. Do, Thinh H. Pham, Phung K. Le, Anh C. Ha
Summary: In this study, thermo-sensitive hydrogels made from chitosan and beta-glycerophosphate (GP) were used to post-load diclofenac sodium (DS) for temperature-controlled-release at inflammatory sites. The hydrogels showed sol-gel and swelling behaviors in response to temperature changes. The developed chitosan hydrogels had specific surface area, pore size, and pore volume within certain ranges. The hydrogels exhibited adaptive swelling to temperature changes and showed significantly improved DS loading capacity compared to previous studies.
JOURNAL OF SOL-GEL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Junhao Liang, Xingsen Yang, Chang Li, Beibei Zhang, Danqing Liu, Yu Fan, Yong Hu, Jianzhong Du
Summary: This study proposes a novel injectable supersoft DNA hydrogel dressing with antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic functions, which can effectively promote the healing of infected diabetic wounds.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yanghui Xing, Buhui Zeng, Wang Yang
Summary: Light responsive hydrogels are an important drug delivery system that can accurately control drug release by incorporating photosensitive moieties into their structures. Advances in photosensitizers have enabled the use of different light sources, and hydrogels with photosensitizers have improved therapeutic effects. Existing light responsive drug delivery systems have been applied in chemotherapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, and other fields.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Vincent P. A. Gray, Connor D. J. Amelung, Israt Jahan Duti, Emma G. Laudermilch, Rachel A. Letteri, Kyle J. Lampe
Summary: The rational design of bioactive microenvironments using peptides presents a significant challenge in biomaterials. By understanding the molecular and macroscopic features that govern assembly and morphology, peptides can be designed to mimic native tissue microenvironments. Characterization tools enable researchers to study molecular structure, morphology, and biological functionality. Peptide-based biomaterials have the potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nari Kang, Sangho Cho, Eric E. Leonhardt, Chun Liu, Stanislav V. Verkhoturov, William Henry Hunter Woodward, Michael J. Eller, Tianyu Yuan, Thomas C. Fitzgibbons, Yannick P. Borguet, Ashlee A. Jahnke, Anatoliy N. Sokolov, Travis McIntire, Carl Reinhardt, Lei Fang, Emile A. Schweikert, Liam Patrick Spencer, Guorong Sun, Guohua Xie, Peter Trefonas, Karen L. Wooley
Summary: By constructing brush-like polymers, the vertical alignment of polymer side chains in thin films was achieved, leading to an improvement in the efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Juanjuan Yang, Xiaojin Wang, Bingshun Wang, Kinam Park, Karen Wooley, Shiyi Zhang
Summary: Nanomedicines for cancer treatment have been extensively studied, but only a few have been approved by the FDA. The mismatch between effort and return raises questions about the field's understanding. The concept of tumor-targeted drug delivery has been based on assumptions that increased drug delivery to tumors improves efficacy and decreased delivery to healthy organs reduces side effects. However, clinical evidence shows that the maximum drug delivery limit to solid tumors has already been reached in humans, yet the efficacy and safety remain unchanged. The approvals of nanomedicine formulations were mostly based on changes in dose-limiting toxicity rather than improved tumor delivery.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lu Su, Kellie S. Dalby, Hannah Luehmann, Sussana A. Elkassih, Sangho Cho, Xun He, Lisa Detering, Yen -Nan Lin, Nari Kang, Dennis A. Moore, Richard Laforest, Guorong Sun, Yongjian Liu, Karen L. Wooley
Summary: A facile strategy to prepare ultrasmall nanoparticulate X-ray contrast media has been established for noninvasive clinical and preclinical cancer imaging. The synthesized amphiphilic statistical iodocopolymers can dissolve in water to form stable solutions with high aqueous iodine concentrations. In a breast cancer mouse model, the iodinated nano-XRCM showed extended blood residency and higher tumor accumulation, allowing for longitudinal monitoring of tumor retention for imaging or potential therapeutic effect.
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Mara K. Kuenen, Alexa M. Cuomo, Vincent P. Gray, Rachel A. Letteri
Summary: By modifying the charge, poly(beta-amino ester)s can be transformed into degradable anionic polymers, which can be utilized to create fully degradable polyelectrolyte complexes and delivery vehicles for cationic therapeutics.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Matthew A. Crawford, Amanda E. Ward, Vincent Gray, Peter Bailer, Debra J. Fisher, Ewa Kubicka, Zixian Cui, Qinmo Luo, Mary C. Gray, Alison K. Criss, Lawrence G. Lum, Lukas K. Tamm, Rachel A. Letteri, Molly A. Hughes
Summary: CXCL10 is a pro-inflammatory chemokine that can directly kill a broad range of pathogenic bacteria. This study identifies and characterizes the antimicrobial regions of CXCL10 through peptide-based mapping and structure/function analyses, and demonstrates their potential therapeutic utility against difficult-to-treat pathogens.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Ching Pang, Hai Wang, Fuwu Zhang, Ami K. Patel, Hung Pang Lee, Karen L. Wooley
Summary: A series of glucose-based degradable superabsorbent hydrogels have been designed and fabricated to address issues related to sustainability, flooding, and drought. These hydrogels were constructed by integrating glucose into cyclic oligomers and block polymers, which were further combined into mechanically-interlocked slide-ring crosslinked materials. The optimized hydrogels exhibited water uptake capacities >30 times their own mass and were derived from renewable natural products, showing potential for high-performance applications.
JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Israt Jahan Duti, Jonathan R. Florian, Anna R. Kittel, Connor D. Amelung, Vincent P. Gray, Kyle J. Lampe, Rachel A. Letteri
Summary: Stereocomplexation, the specific interactions among macromolecules, is a powerful design tool in biomaterials. By blending l- and d-KYFIL pentapeptides, we achieved mechanical and morphological transformations from hydrogels to networks of plates. The blends protect l-KYFIL from degradation and maintain stability, while promoting distinct 2D plate morphologies. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the changes in molecular packing.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yidan Shen, Mingwan Leng, Yunchong Yang, Senthil Kumar Boopathi, Guorong Sun, Karen L. Wooley
Summary: The substituents on the five-membered bicyclic glucose carbonate monomers have significant effects on the reactivity and regioselectivity during ring-opening polymerization. The thermal properties of the resulting polycarbonates are also influenced by these substituents.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Justin A. Smolen, Karen L. Wooley
Summary: This study demonstrates that convolutional neural networks can achieve high accuracy in cell detection and classification when applied to histology images acquired by FLIM, without the need for large amounts of data. The generated FLIM images show high similarity to ground truth images, leading to improved accuracy in cell detection and classification.
Article
Polymer Science
Maninderjeet Singh, Mei Dong, Wenjie Wu, Roushanak Nejat, David K. Tran, Nihar Pradhan, Dharmaraj Raghavan, Jack F. Douglas, Karen L. Wooley, Alamgir Karim
Summary: The maximum capacitive energy stored in polymeric dielectric capacitors is limited by the dielectric breakdown strength of the dielectric polymer. However, cyclic polymers have higher dielectric breakdown strength and capacitive energy density compared to linear polymers. Additionally, cyclic polymers exhibit a higher packing density.
Article
Polymer Science
Maninderjeet Singh, Mei Dong, Wenjie Wu, Roushanak Nejat, David K. Tran, Nihar Pradhan, Dharmaraj Raghavan, Jack F. Douglas, Karen L. Wooley, Alamgir Karim
Summary: The maximum capacitive energy stored in polymeric dielectric capacitors is determined by the dielectric breakdown strength of the dielectric polymer. The mechanisms of dielectric breakdown are not clear, but it was found that cyclic polymers exhibit enhanced stability in comparison to linear polymers, resulting in increased dielectric breakdown strength and capacitive energy density. Furthermore, cyclic polymers have a denser packing density than linear polymers.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rana A. Eissa, Hesham A. Saafan, Aliaa E. Ali, Kamilia M. Ibrahim, Noura G. Eissa, Mostafa A. Hamad, Ching Pang, Hongming Guo, Hui Gao, Mahmoud Elsabahy, Karen L. Wooley
Summary: This tutorial review discusses recent advances in the synthesis and fabrication of degradable hemostatic nanomaterials and nanocomposites. The development of degradable smart devices and scaffolds has enabled efficient control of bleeding and gradual degradation.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhiming Liang, Tan P. Nguyen, N. Harsha Attanayake, Alexandra D. Easley, Jodie L. Lutkenhaus, Karen L. Wooley, Susan A. Odom
Summary: Non-aqueous organic redox flow batteries (NAORFBs) are emerging large-scale energy storage systems with a larger voltage window and metal-free nature. However, low solubility, sustainability, and crossover of redox materials are major challenges. In this study, redox active alpha-helical polypeptides suitable for NAORFBs are used, which demonstrate less crossover than small molecule analogs and exhibit low capacity fade and high coulombic efficiency. The polypeptides offer naturally-derived, deconstructable platforms for metal-free energy storage.
MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yidan Shen, Xin Yang, Yue Song, David K. Tran, Hai Wang, Jaye Wilson, Mei Dong, Mariela Vazquez, Guorong Sun, Karen L. Wooley
Summary: Rigorous investigations of organobase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) of cyclic carbonate monomers derived from glucose revealed the scrambling of polycarbonate backbones due to competing transcarbonylation reactions. Experimental and computational studies provided insights into the regiochemistry resulting from the ring-opening and transcarbonylation reactions, which can guide the design and development of advanced carbohydrate-derived polymer materials.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Faiza Diaba, Gisela Trenchs
Summary: The first violet light-mediated synthesis of gamma- and delta-lactams from N-alkenyl trichloroacetamides is reported in this paper. The reactions are conducted in tetrahydrofuran or 2-methyltetrahydrofuran as the sole solvent without catalysts or additives, under non-anhydrous conditions in an air atmosphere where the solvent serves as the radical initiator.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Feroze Hussain, Sajjad Ahmed, Ashiq Hussain Padder, Qazi Naveed Ahmed
Summary: This study reports a novel and efficient one-pot synthesis method for mixed phosphorotrithioates, which does not require supplementary additives and shows broad applicability.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Hyunjin Oh, Ikyon Kim
Summary: A new 1,2,4-triazole-pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine hybrid system, 6-acylpyrrolo[1,2-a][1,2,4]triazolo[5,1-c]pyrazine, was synthesized using a catalyst-free method. This method involved sequential exposure of pyrrole-2-carbonitrile-derived substrates to DMF-DMA and acyl hydrazide, resulting in the formation of acylated pyrazine and 1,2,4-triazole rings, enabling the installation of various substituents at specific positions on the core skeleton.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Ming Yan, Si-fan Wang, Yong-po Zhang, Jin-zhong Zhao, Zhuo Tang, Guang-xun Li
Summary: Here we developed an efficient photocatalytic approach for the convenient preparation of sulfinamides. The reaction allows for the gram-scale preparation of sulfinamides and the one-pot synthesis of various sulfonyl amides.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Farzaneh Bandehali-Naeini, Zahra Tanbakouchian, Noushin Farajinia-Lehi, Nicolas Mayer, Morteza Shiri, Martin Breugst
Summary: Two tandem catalytic systems were developed for the synthesis of novel 3,4-disubstituted maleimides using the same Ugi adducts. Different maleimide structures can be synthesized using either Pd or Cu catalysis.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Tanya Raghava, Anjan Chattopadhyay, Subhadeep Banerjee, Nivedita Sarkar
Summary: Amine substitution of two ortho fluorine atoms of tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile through SNAr chemistry is easily achievable. But further fluorine substitution is only possible under forcing conditions, yielding valuable fluorophores for bioimaging.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2024)
Review
Chemistry, Organic
Anju Chadha, Santosh Kumar Padhi, Selvaraj Stella, Sowmyalakshmi Venkataraman, Thangavelu Saravanan
Summary: Alcohol dehydrogenases are enzymes that use cofactors for oxidation or reduction reactions of alcohols or carbonyl compounds. They are utilized in green chemistry and have applications in the production of pharmaceuticals. Recombinant enzymes have solved the challenge of producing purified enzymes in large quantities. Engineered alcohol dehydrogenases have been used in asymmetric synthesis in industry. Various methods have been established for regenerating expensive cofactors to make the enzymatic process more efficient and economically viable.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2024)
