Article
Polymer Science
Syed Ragib Safi, Toshiki Kaneko, Katsuhiro Nakahara, Takehiko Gotoh, Takashi Iizawa
Summary: A thermosensitive gel has been studied for its use in a system for absorbing hydrophobic organic matters. By exploiting the properties of the gel, a method for removing accumulated substances has been developed and the thermosensitive behavior of the gel has been evaluated.
Article
Polymer Science
Priyanka Dinda, Mahammad Anas, Palash Banerjee, Tarun K. Mandal
Summary: This study focuses on the design of a Boc-lysine-based monomer and its reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization to synthesize polymers with controllable molecular weights and low dispersities. These polymers show interesting upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and cloud point behavior in mixed solvents, as well as a tunable lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and cloud point under different conditions.
Article
Polymer Science
Aline-Sarah Glaive, Catherine Amiel, Gisele Volet
Summary: This study describes a biocompatible platform of double hydrophilic graft copolymers based on poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline), which can form stimuli-responsive self-assemblies. The copolymers showed self-assembly behavior in aqueous solution, forming spherical structures. In addition, the copolymers exhibited temperature-responsive behavior.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gang Xu, Jiaxing Zhang, Mengyuan Qi, Xiacong Zhang, Wen Li, Afang Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the thermoresponsive properties of a series of monodispersed dendritic macromolecules. It finds that these macromolecules exhibit sharp phase transitions when suitable structural units are combined. The core, branching density, and peripheral terminals are important factors determining the phase transition temperatures. The dendritic macromolecules can undergo fast exchange between the dehydrated and hydrated states at elevated temperature, and can provide structure-dependent confinement to guest dyes through their multi-valent interactions.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Jian Zhang, Siyu Li, Zhigang Wang, Peng Liu, Youliang Zhao
Summary: The incorporation of asymmetric Y junctions in thermoresponsive polymers allows for hierarchical self-assembly, and self-assembly of cyclic polymers can amplify topology effects. Research on the influence of Y junctions on physicochemical properties is still in the early stages, with a variety of copolymers designed to explore the effects of topology, chain length, composition, concentration, and temperature.
Article
Polymer Science
Tingyu He, Yanqiu Wang, Atsushi Narumi, Liang Xu, Shin-ichiro Sato, Xiande Shen, Toyoji Kakuchi
Summary: This paper presents a comprehensive study on the thermoresponsive properties of statistic copolymers and multiblock copolymers synthesized with different copolymerization methods. It was found that the disorder of copolymers plays a decisive role in phase-transition behavior, with some copolymers exhibiting a two-stage phase transition in water.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natalie Solfrid Gjerde, Alessandra Del Giudice, Kaizheng Zhu, Kenneth D. Knudsen, Luciano Galantini, Karin Schillen, Bo Nystrom
Summary: In this study, a diblock copolymer called methoxy-poly(ethyleneglycol)-block-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (MPEG-b-PCL) was synthesized with a unique block composition that allows it to exhibit both an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in aqueous solutions. The UCST value was found to be 32°C upon heating and 23°C upon cooling, while the LCST remained unaffected. Various characterization techniques revealed that the solution consisted of spherical core-shell particles and rodlike objects at intermediate temperatures, cylindrical core-shell crystals at low temperatures, and large aggregation complexes at temperatures above 52°C. This work provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between UCST and LCST and the resulting structures formed in aqueous solutions of MPEG-b-PCL diblock copolymers.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yue Zhang, Changlan Xu, Daowen Zhang, Xiaoai Chen
Summary: Nanoscale proteinosomes were fabricated through molecular recognition between CD-BSA and adamantyl group anchored at the junction of a thermoresponsive block copolymer. The self-assembly of two PDEGMA copolymers into polymersomes led to the formation of miktoarm star-like bioconjugates. These bioconjugates self-assembled into proteinosomes above their LCSTs, maintaining the secondary structure and esterase activity of BSA. The proteinosomes showed low toxicity and could deliver doxorubicin into 4T1 cells.
Article
Polymer Science
Xiangming Fu, Yanqiu Wang, Liang Xu, Atsushi Narumi, Shin-ichiro Sato, Xiaoran Yang, Xiande Shen, Toyoji Kakuchi
Summary: Poly(N,N-bis(2-ethoxyethyl)acrylamide) (PEOEAm), a new thermoresponsive polyacrylamide, was studied in terms of synthesis and thermal phase transition. PEOEAm without initiator residue at the chain end was synthesized via hydrosilylation-promoted group transfer polymerization (GTP) to exclude the effect of polymer end groups on its thermoresponsive properties. By copolymerizing PEOEAm and DMAm, various block copolymer architectures were synthesized and their thermoresponsive properties were evaluated.
Review
Polymer Science
Bo Pang, Yuewen Yu, Wangqing Zhang
Summary: In recent years, significant progress has been made in the research of thermoresponsive polymers based on tertiary amine moieties, which exhibit unique phase transition properties in aqueous solutions and can be modulated by the solution's pH value and CO2.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Svitlana Tymetska, Yana Shymborska, Yurij Stetsyshyn, Andrzej Budkowski, Andrzej Bernasik, Kamil Awsiuk, Volodymyr Donchak, Joanna Raczkowska
Summary: In this study, novel smart copolymer brush coatings were prepared using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and their ability to control cell morphology and adhesion was demonstrated through experiments and tests.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Adil Usman, Cheng Zhang, Jiacheng Zhao, Hui Peng, Nyoman D. Kurniawan, Changkui Fu, David J. T. Hill, Andrew K. Whittaker
Summary: A series of terpolymers with thermoresponsive properties were synthesized, and it was found that above the LCST, the F-19 MRI imaging intensity decreased due to enhanced dipolar interactions of the F-19 spins. By incorporating a hydrophobic model drug through an acid cleavable hydrazone linkage, a thermo- and pH-responsive F-19 MRI agent was designed.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nancy C. Forero-Martinez, Robinson Cortes-Huerto, Antonio Benedetto, Pietro Ballone
Summary: This review focuses on the thermodynamics, structures, and applications of thermoresponsive systems, specifically organic salts of low melting temperatures. These systems undergo a temperature-driven transition between a homogeneous liquid state and a biphasic state, with potential applications in extraction, separation, and catalysis.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Nikola Majstorovic, Jens Pechtold, Seema Agarwal
Summary: Functional thermoresponsive copolymers were synthesized and used to form water-soluble biohybrid nanogels through a reaction with an enzyme. The size of the nanogels increased with temperature, leading to an increase in enzyme activity. These reactive copolymer nanogels can be used to modulate enzyme activity and serve as initiation sites for further polymerization reactions.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Nikola Majstorovic, Seema Agarwal
Summary: Dual-responsive nano-structured PNAGA hydrogels were prepared by cross-linking PNIPAM nanogels with NAGA. The hydrogels exhibited high mechanical strength, elasticity, and LCST and UCST-type swelling properties. The dual-responsive UCST and LCST-type rheological behavior and self-healing properties were also demonstrated. The nano-structured PNAGA hydrogels have potential applications in temperature sensors and biological scaffolds.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Meike N. Leiske, May Lai, Thakshila Amarasena, Thomas P. Davis, Kristofer J. Thurecht, Stephen J. Kent, Kristian Kempe
Summary: The study demonstrates that PMeOx polymer structures show weaker interactions with immune cells in human blood, indicating their potential advantages in biomedical applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aria Ahmed-Cox, Elvis Pandzic, Stuart T. Johnston, Celine Heu, John McGhee, Friederike M. Mansfeld, Edmund J. Crampin, Thomas P. Davis, Renee M. Whan, Maria Kavallaris
Summary: Nanoparticles show promise in cancer therapy, but face challenges in clinical trials. Developing advanced 3D cell models like tumor spheroids can help evaluate nanoparticle designs and understand how different cell characteristics influence uptake. A new analysis platform, DONUTS, allows for spatial and temporal quantification of nanoparticle uptake in 3D tumor spheroids, offering insight into penetration kinetics and cell type variations.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Holly Holliday, Jessica Yang, Eoin Dodson, Iva Nikolic, Alvin Kamili, Madeleine Wheatley, Niantao Deng, Sarah Alexandrou, Thomas P. Davis, Maria Kavallaris, C. Elizabeth Caldon, Joshua McCarroll, Katleen De Preter, Pieter Mestdagh, Glenn M. Marshall, Kaylene J. Simpson, Jamie Fletcher, Alexander Swarbrick
Summary: This study discovered that miR-99b-5p, miR-380-3p, and miR-485-3p enhance the chemotherapeutic effects of doxorubicin in high-risk neuroblastoma. These miRNAs are often lost in patients and their low expression predicts poor survival outcomes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Francesco De Logu, Romina Nassini, Alan Hegron, Lorenzo Landini, Dane D. Jensen, Rocco Latorre, Julia Ding, Matilde Marini, Daniel Souza Monteiro de Araujo, Paulina Ramirez-Garcia, Michael Whittaker, Jeffri Retamal, Mustafa Titiz, Alessandro Innocenti, Thomas P. Davis, Nicholas Veldhuis, Brian L. Schmidt, Nigel W. Bunnett, Pierangelo Geppetti
Summary: This study reveals that the CGRP-mediated neuronal/Schwann cell pathway mediates allodynia associated with neurogenic inflammation, contributing to the algesic action of CGRP in mice.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xumin Huang, Tianhong Xu, Ao Shen, Thomas P. Davis, Ruirui Qiao, Shi-Yang Tang
Summary: This study investigates the effect of different anchoring groups on the stability of liquid metal nanoparticles (LMNPs), and finds that increasing the number of anchoring groups enhances the colloidal stability of LMNPs, while polymers bearing multidentate phosphonic acids provide the optimum chemical stability for LMNPs.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meike N. Leiske, Zihnil A. I. Mazrad, Aykut Zelcak, Kanu Wahi, Thomas P. Davis, Joshua A. McCarroll, Jeff Holst, Kristian Kempe
Summary: This study presents a method for synthesizing new amino acid-containing, cell-specific, therapeutically active polymers. Starting materials were amino acids, which were used to prepare tailored polymers with different amino acids in the side chain. The reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization of acrylate monomers resulted in polymers with narrow size distribution. Glutamate-functionalized, zwitterionic polymers exhibited high cytocompatibility and cellular specificity, showing association with cancer cell lines but not with nontumor fibroblasts. Cellular uptake experiments and confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed energy-dependent uptake mechanisms and localization of the polymers in cellular lysosomes. Copolymers with a specific monomer ratio of Glu acrylate and BzlSer acrylate demonstrated targeted cytotoxicity against cancer cells while leaving fibroblasts unaffected. These results highlight the importance of incorporating biologically derived materials in synthetic polymers and the potential of zwitterionic, amino acid-derived materials for cellular targeting.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Z. Ma, S. W. Wong, H. Forgham, L. Esser, M. Lai, M. N. Leiske, K. Kempe, G. Sharbeen, J. Youkhana, F. Mansfeld, J. F. Quinn, P. A. Phillips, T. P. Davis, M. Kavallaris, J. A. McCarroll
Summary: The study demonstrated that star-shaped siRNA nanoparticles can effectively inhibit target gene expression in lung cancer cells and delay tumor growth in mouse lung tumors. This provides a proof-of-concept for aerosol delivery of star-siRNA nanoparticles as a novel therapeutic strategy to inhibit lung tumor growth.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Rocco Latorre, Paulina D. Ramirez-Garcia, Alan Hegron, James L. Grace, Jeffri S. Retamal, Priyank Shenoy, Mai Tran, Luigi Aurelio, Bernard Flynn, Daniel P. Poole, Rafael Klein-Cloud, Dane D. Jensen, Thomas P. Davis, Brian L. Schmidt, John F. Quinn, Michael R. Whittaker, Nicholas A. Veldhuis, Nigel W. Bunnett
Summary: Stable star polymer nanostars that release antagonists continuously for 24 hours provide effective and long-lasting relief from chronic pain by disrupting endosomal signaling.
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
Polymer Science
Elena Dallerba, David Hartnell, Mark J. Hackett, Massimiliano Massi, Andrew B. Lowe
Summary: Copolymers containing luminescent iridium and iridium/rhenium fragments were prepared through modification of a precursor polymer. These materials exhibit excellent luminescent properties and have potential applications in tissue imaging.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Amber Nguyen, Elena Dallerba, Andrew B. Lowe
Summary: A new family of polyampholytes (PAMs) with nitrogen functional groups as both the basic and acidic groups is described. The synthesis of the well-defined statistical PAMs is confirmed through various spectroscopic techniques. Aqueous electrophoresis results indicate the isoelectric points (pI) of the PAMs, which are somewhat insensitive to the copolymer composition.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
John R. Finnegan, Thomas P. Davis, Kristian Kempe
Summary: Poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) are promising biomaterials with biocompatibility and versatile functionality. This study successfully prepared POx nanorods of tunable length using a heat-induced living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) method and examined the essential steps of this process. The disassembly and freeze-drying protocols of the POx nanorods were also investigated.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Paulina D. Ramirez-Garcia, Nicholas A. Veldhuis, Nigel W. Bunnett, Thomas P. Davis
Summary: In this article, we propose a new opportunity to target intracellular compartments by delivering antagonists via nanoparticles to G-protein coupled receptors. We specifically discuss the application of this approach in antagonizing endosomal receptors involved in pain for developing long-lasting analgesics, and also highlight the potential broader applications. We also discuss the materials used and provide design requirements for future successful applications.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nicholas Andrikopoulos, Huayuan Tang, Yue Wang, Xiufang Liang, Yuhuan Li, Thomas P. Davis, Pu Chun Ke
Summary: Therapeutic peptides are important drugs that specifically target abnormal protein-protein interactions associated with amyloid diseases. The use of nanoparticles in combination with peptide drugs has emerged as a promising strategy for enhancing their efficacy against amyloid aggregation and cellular inflammation. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the chemistry and function of peptido-nanocomposites, and a systematic analysis of their application against a range of amyloid pathogeneses is missing.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Zihnil A. I. Mazrad, May Lai, Thomas P. Davis, Joseph A. Nicolazzo, Kristofer J. Thurecht, Meike N. Leiske, Kristian Kempe
Summary: This study explores the application of a new initiator in polymer synthesis. The results show that this initiator can achieve a higher degree of control over the polymerization process under irradiation, resulting in well-defined polymers. In addition, tailored amine-based polymers can be prepared by using different terminating agents.
