Article
Polymer Science
Narmin Suvarli, Iris Perner-Nochta, Juergen Hubbuch, Michael Woerner
Summary: Spherical polymer nanoparticles with functional -SH groups were successfully synthesized via aerosol photopolymerization using radically initiated thiol-ene chemistry. The nanoparticles were shown to be spherical and individual when higher monomer functionalities and equal overall stoichiometry of functional groups were used, with potential for post-polymerization modifications.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Wenwen Guo, Fuwei Liang, Shun Chen, Kejing Yu, Jie Sun, Zengyuan Pang, Bin Fei
Summary: A phosphorus-containing bio-based monomer was synthesized and photo-cured with tri-thiol or tetra-thiol monomers to form membranes with excellent flame resistance, transparency, and flexibility, making them suitable as intumescent flame retardant coating materials.
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Alicia De San Luis, Maximilian Kleinsteuber, Timo Schuett, Stephanie Schubert, Ulrich S. Schubert
Summary: This study developed a miniemulsion polymerization technique at low temperature using poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) as a surfactant to produce poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-lactic acid) and poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles. The results showed that this technique can achieve monodisperse spherical particles ranging between 170 and 250 nm in diameter in long-term stable and non-toxic waterborne dispersions, with drug encapsulation efficiencies up to 66%.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Felicitas Jansen, Philipp A. Schuster, Markus Lamla, Christian Trautwein, Alexander J. C. Kuehne
Summary: The study introduced polymer particles consisting purely of polyimidazole, prepared uniform and narrowly dispersed nanoparticles through a specific polymerization method, tuned optical properties, and demonstrated that the particles can be degraded by reactive oxygen species produced by cells.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mathilde Laird, Niklas Herrmann, Carole Carcel, Philippe Trens, Erwan Oliviero, Guillaume Toquer, Rozenn Le Parc, Jean-Louis Bantignies, John R. Bartlett, Michel Wong Chi Man
Summary: This study describes the synthesis of multifunctional dendrimers with a cleavable disulfide linker and condensable triethoxysilyl groups, which are embedded in silsesquioxane networks. Treatment with dithiothreitol allows selective cleavage of the dendrimer's core, creating thiol functions within the pores. Impregnation with gold salts and reduction results in the formation of gold nanoparticles. The dendrimer generation affects the size of the nanoparticles, and surface functionalization controls the formation of clusters and nanoparticles.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Chengyuan Zhu, Zhengxi Guo, Aijia Yang, Bang-Ping Jiang, Hong Liang, Xing-Can Shen
Summary: A novel metallopolysaccharide-based nanotheranostic (Cu-NH2-HA) was developed through a one-step coordination-driven nanoassembly. It can achieve photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal therapy in laser-focused fields and in non-laser-focused fields, it can be transformed by overexpressed endogenous hyaluronidase. This study demonstrates the potential of metallopolysaccharide-based smart nanotheranostics for precise phototheranostic and enzyme-driven programmed chemotherapy in solid tumors.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sang Jun Kim, Youngbo Choi, Khee Tae Min, Surin Hong
Summary: This study proposes radially mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a carrier for dexamethasone, achieving sustained anti-inflammatory effects in rheumatoid arthritis. The nanoparticles demonstrate high-capacity loading and sustained release of the drug, resulting in improved delivery efficiency compared to traditional silica nanoparticles. In vivo evaluation confirms the sustained anti-inflammatory effects and cartilage recovery in a rat model of the disease.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jie Tang, Xiaojing Tong, Yongjun Chen, Yue Wu, Zhiyuan Zheng, A. Basak Kayitmazer, Ayyaz Ahmad, Naveed Ramzan, Jintao Yang, Qingchun Huang, Yisheng Xu
Summary: This study presents the development of a nanopesticide formulation that enhances adhesion and deposition of pesticides, improving their utilization efficiency. The nanopesticides, prepared using temperature-responsive copolymers as carriers, show increased anti-washing efficiency and reduced toxicity to zebrafish compared to commercial formulations. This work addresses an important challenge in pesticide applications and has potential to maximize pesticide usage.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gadi Slor, Alis R. Olea, Silvia Pujals, Ali Tigrine, Victor R. De La Rosa, Richard Hoogenboom, Lorenzo Albertazzi, Roey J. Amir
Summary: Research suggests that the properties of enzymatically degradable polymeric micelles are influenced by the composition of their hydrophilic shell and hydrophobic core. Micelle diameter is mainly dependent on the hydrophobicity of the dendritic hydrophobic core, while the enzymatic degradation rate relies on the composition of both blocks. Additionally, drug encapsulation capacity is highly sensitive to the type of the hydrophilic shell, indicating that the shell also plays a significant role in drug encapsulation.
Article
Polymer Science
Isabel Quijada-Garrido, Olga Garcia
Summary: The development of fluorescent water stable copper nanoclusters using amphiphilic block copolymers as templates shows promising results for synthesizing high luminescent nanohybrids in water. The composition and architecture of the polymers, thiol content, and nanoparticle size are key factors influencing the emission properties of the CuNC nanohybrids.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Prithwiraj Mandal, Pierre Marcasuzaa, Laurent Billon
Summary: A block copolymer consisting of polystyrene and polypentafluorostyrene was synthesized and its nano-structure was controlled through a click reaction.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Matthew C. Urquhart, Francesca Ercole, Andrew J. Clulow, Thomas P. Davis, Michael R. Whittaker, Ben J. Boyd, John F. Quinn
Summary: This study discovers that an amphiphilic trisulfide can alter the behavior of lipid particles and enable triggered release of H2S, providing potential applications in stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ahmad Y. Sheikh, Alessandra Mattei, Rajni Miglani Bhardwaj, Richard S. Hong, Nathan S. Abraham, Gabriela Schneider-Rauber, Kenneth M. Engstrom, Moiz Diwan, Rodger F. Henry, Yi Gao, Vivian Juarez, Erin Jordan, David A. DeGoey, Charles W. Hutchins
Summary: Direct-acting antiviral regimens have revolutionized therapeutic management of hepatitis C. The conformational flexibility and presence of a macrocyclic ring in molecules play a crucial role in their properties and interactions. Crystal packing and protein binding significantly affect the intramolecular interactions and molecular properties.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Alessandra Partenope, Fabio Pizzetti, Valeria Vanoli, Mose Casalegno, Alberto Cingolani, Liebert Parreiras Nogueira, Franca Castiglione, Havard J. Haugen, Filippo Rossi
Summary: This study proposes a strategy to use colloidal nanoparticles to form biphasic, stable, and porous structures at the polymer-water interface, which can enhance the mechanical properties of the devices and have wide applications in various fields.
MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lun Wang, Qianyu Yu, Li Liu, Hanying Zhao
Summary: Thiol chemistry is an efficient chemical reaction that has been widely applied in the synthesis and modification of polymers. This research reports the synthesis and modification of polymers through thiol-phenylsulfone substitution reactions, demonstrating the step-growth polymerization process through experimental results such as differential scanning calorimetry. Thiol-disulfide reactions are also used for post-polymerization modification.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Lisa-Cathrin Leitner, Rika Schneider, Thomas Steiner, Martina H. Stenzel, Ruth Freitag, Andreas Greiner
Summary: This study proposes a concept of microbial remediation for the contamination of wastewater by microplastic particles (MPs). Degradable block copolymers are synthesized to adhere to the surfaces of MPs and attract degrading microbes for accelerated biofilm formation. The properties of the block copolymers, including thermal analysis, colloidal properties, adhesion behavior on MP surfaces, and their potential for supporting microbial growth, are investigated.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Andrew M. K. Law, Jiamin Chen, Yolanda Colino-Sanguino, Laura Rodriguez de la Fuente, Guocheng Fang, Susan M. Grimes, Hongxu Lu, Robert J. Huang, Sarah T. Boyle, Jeron Venhuizen, Lesley Castillo, Javad Tavakoli, Joanna N. Skhinas, Ewan K. A. Millar, Julia Beretov, Fernando J. Rossello, Joanne L. Tipper, Christopher J. Ormandy, Michael S. Samuel, Thomas R. Cox, Luciano Martelotto, Dayong Jin, Fatima Valdes-Mora, Hanlee P. Ji, David Gallego-Ortega
Summary: ALTEN is a biomimetic tissue platform that enables ex vivo analysis of tissue biopsies while preserving the original cellular milieu. Its use of single-cell genomics allows for rapid and accurate analysis of cellular responses to perturbations.
Article
Polymer Science
Russul Mamdooh Al-Nakashli, Cheng Cao, Radhika Raveendran, Hongxu Lu, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Polymeric micelles with different drug loading contents were studied to investigate their cellular uptake, penetration, and effects on biological activities. The results showed that micelles with high drug loading content exhibited higher cellular uptake and toxicity.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mingxia Lu, Sen Wang, Yee Yee Khine, Yanchen Hong, Jiayu Zheng, Hongxu Lu, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Ruthenium complexes have potential as alternative anticancer drugs, but their non-specific biodistribution and weak lethality to cancer cells limit their medical use. Drug delivery systems can integrate multiple drugs to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy and potentially achieve a synergistic effect.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yiling Liu, Stephanie Nemec, Chantal Kopecky, Martina H. Stenzel, Kristopher A. Kilian
Summary: Nanoparticle drug formulations have advantages in cancer therapy, but the assessment of new drugs is limited by preclinical models. This study demonstrates a new approach to test nanomedicine using a microtumor array formed through hydrogel micropatterning. It allows simultaneous evaluation of drug uptake and efficacy in different cancer cell fractions with high reproducibility. The findings suggest that nanoparticle drug formulations are well suited for targeting the stem cell-like population in cancer therapy due to their relationship with drug resistance, recurrence, and metastasis.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Guocheng Fang, Yu-Cheng Chen, Hongxu Lu, Dayong Jin
Summary: Multicellular spheroids and organoids are promising models in personalized medicine and drug screening, replicating the structural and functional characteristics of human organs. Microfluidic technology and micro-nano fabrication meet the high requirements of engineering approaches in spheroids and organoids research. This review discusses how spheroids- and organoids-on-a-chip technology facilitates their establishment, expansion, and application through spatial-temporal control, mechanical cues modeling, high-throughput analysis, co-culture, multi-tissue interactions, biosensing, and bioimaging integration. The potential opportunities and challenges in developing spheroids- and organoids-on-a-chip technology are also highlighted.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mitchell D. Nothling, John E. Daniels, Yen Vo, Ivan Johan, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Piezocatalysis is capable of converting mechanical energy into chemical potential, driving redox reactions using physical force. In this study, we demonstrate that piezoelectric BaTiO3 nanoparticles in the solid state can generate reactive hydroxyl radicals (·OH) by transducing mechanical load, leading to the initiation of solid state free radical polymerization. Chemisorbed water on the surface of BaTiO3 nanoparticles plays a crucial role by being oxidized to (·OH) via mechanoredox catalysis. This force-induced radical production in dry piezoelectric materials offers a promising new approach for harnessing mechanical energy in solid state radical synthesis.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lin Zhang, Cheng Cao, Szun S. Tay, Chaohao Chen, Alexander Macmillan, Shihui Wen, Dayong Jin, Joshua McCarroll, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Polymer-coated inorganic nanoparticles have unique magnetic, optical, and thermal properties that make them promising drug delivery systems. However, the biological behavior of these nanoparticles is affected by various factors such as size, shape, and protein corona. This study focuses on the effect of drug loading amount on the biological activity of inorganic nanoparticles and highlights the importance of optimizing drug loading amounts in order to achieve optimal drug delivery.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ilona Wagner, Simon Spiegel, Julian Brueckel, Matthias Schwotzer, Alexander Welle, Martina H. H. Stenzel, Stefan Braese, Salma Begum, Manuel Tsotsalas
Summary: Surface engineering of MOF NPs using dynamic modification strategies enables the tailoring of PEG-grafted MOF NPs with improved colloidal stability and high dispersity, while maintaining their morphology and lattice crystallinity. The PEG-grafted MOF NPs show reduced adsorption of HSA protein compared to uncoated ones, indicating the potential for reducing nonspecific interactions and introducing targeting moieties for specific interactions. This approach expands the applications of colloidal MOF NPs in biologically relevant fields.
MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Jordan T. Lovegrove, Ben A. Humphreys, Chin Ken Wong, Liliana de Campo, Anna Wang, Christopher J. Garvey, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: This article investigates a synthetic pathway to produce biologically compatible, crosslinked, multicompartment worms (MCWs) in aqueous solution by incorporating thermoresponsive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) to direct assembly above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). The self-assembly process and mechanism of MCWs starting from primary micelles were observed and controlled by adjusting the temperature.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Russul Al-Nakashli, Radhika Raveendran, Yee Yee Khine, Cheng Cao, Sophie McKay, Hongxu Lu, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: This study found that drug loading has an impact on cellular uptake of nanoparticles, which has been overlooked in previous studies focusing on properties such as shape and size. With increasing drug loading content, there was greater dehydration of the polymer shell, leading to increased protein adsorption and particle aggregation. The nanoparticle with the highest drug loading content showed reduced cellular uptake and toxicity in various cell lines. It was concluded that an intermediate drug loading content allows for sufficient cellular uptake and toxic drug concentration.
MOLECULAR PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Jordan Thomas Lovegrove, Radhika Raveendran, Patrick Spicer, Stephan Foerster, Christopher J. Garvey, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Margination refers to the movement of particles towards the endothelial wall within blood vessels. This study focused on 2D platelet particles as a potential drug delivery system and quantified their margination propensity. The results showed that 2D platelet particles exhibited increased margination compared to spherical particles, with higher margination observed at higher shear rates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zifei Han, Zihao Li, Radhika Raveendran, Shegufta Farazi, Cheng Cao, Robert Chapman, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells, but its clinical development is hindered by its short circulation half-life. Researchers have developed core-cross-linked micelles that successfully induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells, offering a potential alternative to TRAIL.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chin Ken Wong, Rebecca Y. Lai, Martina H. Stenzel
Summary: Polymersomes, as polymeric analogues of liposomes, have unique physical and chemical properties. However, their translation into clinical or industrial applications has been limited. This study presents a continuous flow methodology for the production of near-monodisperse polymersomes at scale, allowing for downstream polymersome manipulation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)