Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ankan Kumar Sarkar, Koushik Debnath, Himali Arora, Pankaj Seth, Nihar R. Jana, Nikhil R. Jana
Summary: The direct cytosolic delivery of large biomolecules bypassing endocytic pathways is a promising strategy for therapeutic applications. Recent research has shown that surface chemistry of carriers, nanoscale assembly, colloidal stability, and low surface charge are critical for non-endocytic uptake processes. The guanidinium-terminated polyaspartic acid micelle can deliver protein/DNA directly to the cytosol by forming a nano-assembly with <200 nm size and near-zero surface charge, highlighting the importance of size and colloidal properties for efficient cytosolic delivery of large biomolecules.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Review
Polymer Science
Ketan Kuperkar, Dhruvi Patel, Leonard Ionut Atanase, Pratap Bahadur
Summary: This article mainly introduces the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers in aqueous media forming various core-shell structures, and discusses different types of polymer micelles. The latest updates on polymerization-induced self-assembly and crystallization-driven self-assembly, as well as discussions on polyion complexes and polyion complex micelles, are also mentioned.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masaru Yamanaka, Tsuyoshi Mashima, Michio Ogihara, Mei Okamoto, Takayuki Uchihashi, Shun Hirota
Summary: Ferritin can form a hydrogel from concentrated apoferritin solutions through acid denaturation and subsequent neutralization, with a water content of approximately 80%. The hydrogel exhibits stability and the ability to adsorb and release metal ions, demonstrating a unique property of ferritin as a potential material for future biomaterial design.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mariia Levit, Alena Vdovchenko, Apollinariia Dzhuzha, Natalia Zashikhina, Elena Katernyuk, Alexey Gostev, Eugene Sivtsov, Antonina Lavrentieva, Tatiana Tennikova, Evgenia Korzhikova-Vlakh
Summary: Novel bio-inspired amphiphilic block-copolymers were synthesized and self-assembled into nanoparticles of approximately 200 nm in aqueous media, demonstrating enhanced thermal stability, low cytotoxicity, and retained biological activity against lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Stuart T. Johnston, Matthew Faria
Summary: Designing nano-engineered particles for targeted delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents is a challenging task. This study presents a machine learning framework that can interpret particle-cell interactions from experimental data, providing insights into the design choices. The framework reveals consistent models of particle-cell interactions for different particle-cell pairs, highlighting the importance of nonlinear saturation effects. Additionally, the framework facilitates quantitative evaluation of particle design choices by providing robust estimates of particle performance.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Milena Timcenko, Anton A. A. Autzen, Henriette E. Autzen
Summary: Amphiphilic copolymers have the potential to extract membrane proteins directly from lipid bilayers into native nanodiscs. However, many such copolymers are polyanionic and sensitive to divalent cations. In this study, we characterized the Ca2+ and Mg2+ sensitivity of poly(acrylic acid-co-styrene) (AASTY) copolymers and found that divalent cations promote aggregation and precipitation of both free and lipid-bound copolymers. Excess, free copolymer acts as a cation sink that protects nanodiscs from Ca2+-induced aggregation. Removal of the free copolymer induces aggregation, which can be mitigated by KCl. Our findings also revealed that the size of the nanodiscs is dynamic and dependent on lipid concentration.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Feng Yuan, Haleh Alimohamadi, Brandon Bakka, Andrea N. Trementozzi, Kasey J. Day, Nicolas L. Fawzi, Padmini Rangamani, Jeanne C. Stachowiak
Summary: "Membrane bending is primarily driven by proteins with specific structural features, such as amphipathic helices and crescent-shaped scaffolds. Recent studies show that disordered protein domains can form liquid phases on membrane surfaces, creating compressive stress that leads to membrane curvature and the formation of protein-lined membrane tubules."
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Rui Qi, Yulin Zhu, Liang Han, Meijing Wang, Feng He
Summary: Fabrication of nanomaterials by hierarchical self-assembly is of great research interest, but controlling the sophisticated structures of hierarchical architectures is still challenging. In this study, a diblock copolymer was developed and used to fabricate ultrathin 2D micelles and 2D hierarchical architectures containing multiple 2D lamellar structures through a heating, cooling, and aging process. The number of layers in the 2D hierarchical architectures can be controlled by adjusting the polymer concentration.
Article
Polymer Science
Daisuke Aoki, Gota Aibara, Toshikazu Takata
Summary: The study presents a reversible cyclic-linear topological transformation of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) facilitated by a long-range rotaxane switch. The linear polymer is fixed by a protonated tert-amine/crown ether interaction at the center of the polymer chain and can be reversibly transformed into a cyclic polymer fixed by urethane linkage/crown ether interaction at the polymer end upon neutralization/acidification of the tert-amine moiety.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ankan Kumar Sarkar, Santanu Shaw, Himali Arora, Pankaj Seth, Nikhil R. R. Jana
Summary: Subcellular targeting of drugs can be enhanced by designing nanocarriers for direct cell membrane translocation, bypassing endosomal/lysosomal trafficking. This approach allows rapid and extensive delivery of drugs to the cell nucleus within a few minutes, without undergoing vesicular coating and lysosomal trafficking. This nonendocytic uptake method provides a potential strategy for nanocarrier-based subcellular targeting of drugs for more effective therapy.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
James M. Anderson, David W. Grainger
Summary: Sung Wan Kim's initial efforts as an independent investigator were focused on improving the understanding of early events in blood/material interactions, leading to the development of blood compatible materials. His studies were supported by NIH grants for over 40 years and contributed to the fields of biomaterials and non-thrombogenic biomaterial research.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francesca Ripanti, Almerinda Di Venere, Mariangela Cestelli Guidi, Martina Romani, Alessandra Filabozzi, Marina Carbonaro, Maria Cristina Piro, Federica Sinibaldi, Alessandro Nucara, Giampiero Mei
Summary: This study used infrared and fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the interaction of cytochrome c with cardiolipin, revealing a multi-phase process involving protein-lipid interaction, protein anchorage on the membrane surface, and a long-distance order/disorder transition of cardiolipin acyl chains. These effects were quantitatively interpreted with specific order parameters and discussed in the context of previous models on cytochrome c activity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Tao Wen, Yuting Gao, Jiajia Zhou, Jie Qiu, Shuo Wang, Joachim Loos, Dujin Wang, Xia Dong
Summary: In this study, we introduce a simple method for fast fabrication of porous films and coatings of long-chain polyamides through a nonconventional evaporation induced phase separation. The amphiphilic nature of polyamide 12 allows it to be dissolved in a mixture of high-polarity and low-polarity solvents, leading to the formation of porous structures within 1 min through sequential and fast evaporation. We also investigate the dependence of pore structures on the composition of solutions and demonstrate the applicability of our approach to other long-chain polycondensates. Our findings provide valuable insights into the fabrication of porous materials using amphiphilic polymers.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Paulo H. Jr Jr Olivieri, Marcelo B. Jesus, Helena B. Nader, Giselle Z. Justo, Alioscka A. Sousa
Summary: This study reveals that surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) can regulate the cellular internalization of nanoparticles. Anionic nanoparticles are hindered by the charged surface GAGs, while cationic nanoparticles interact favorably with GAGs. Further investigation shows that the interaction of nanoparticles with GAGs is different, and heparan sulfate plays a crucial role in the cellular internalization of cationic nanoparticles.
Review
Polymer Science
Antiopi Vardaxi, Martha Kafetzi, Stergios Pispas
Summary: Proteins and peptides are important drugs for treating various diseases, but their delivery faces challenges. Polymeric nanostructures can serve as effective carriers to improve the bioavailability and biocompatibility of proteins.
