Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jonas Rickhoff, Nicolas Cornelissen, Thomas Beuse, Andrea Rentmeister, Bart Jan Ravoo
Summary: DNC is a readily accessible amino acid that acts as an ultra-low molecular weight gelator, capable of gelation triggered by sonication in water or organic solvents and pH adjustment in water. Various stimuli such as UV irradiation, oxidation, heat, or pH changes can induce a gel-sol transition, with photo-triggered transition used for controlled cysteine release from the hydrogel.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jiaojiao Wang, Hongbo Guo, Dihui Xu, Chengli Yu, Ruoxian Xv, Qinan Wu, Liuqing Di, Haibo Cheng, Jinao Duan, Jing Zhou, Edyta Marcon, Hongyue Ma
Summary: Animal venoms are valuable sources of potential drugs due to the high specificity and selectivity of peptides against their protein targets. This study identified cancer cell binding peptides from Asiatic toad venom using cell-affinity assays and nanoLC-MS/MS peptidomics, some of which demonstrated anti-tumor properties in vitro. These specific peptides could be used as templates for peptide-based drug design or optimization.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL ANALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Di Wu, Jiangtao Zhou, Yang Shen, Cristina Lupo, Qiyao Sun, Tonghui Jin, Shana J. Sturla, Hongshan Liang, Raffaele Mezzenga
Summary: A novel soft hydrogel scaffold was successfully constructed by incorporating polyphenol modules with lysozyme amyloid fibrils. This hydrogel not only showed good biocompatibility, but also exhibited superior cell adhesion efficiency, promoting cell proliferation and spreading. This study is significant for the design and development of future biomaterials.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Scott D. Kimmins, Saltuk B. Hanay, Robert Murphy, Joanne O'Dwyer, Jessica Ramalho, Emily J. Ryan, Cathal J. Kearney, Fergal J. O'Brien, Sally-Ann Cryan, Deirdre Fitzgerald-Hughes, Andreas Heise
Summary: Hydrogels are versatile materials for tissue engineering and wound treatment due to their modulable properties and antimicrobial capabilities. The research demonstrates that copolypeptide hydrogels with higher tryptophan ratio exhibit faster crosslinking and higher modulus, while samples containing more l-amino acids degrade faster enzymatically. The antimicrobial activity of the hydrogels was tested against E. coli and S. aureus, showing log reductions of 2.8-3.4 for the most effective hydrogels, with non-cytotoxicity confirmed in vitro.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lidya Abune, Yong Wang
Summary: Affinity hydrogels offer the potential to stably retain and sustainably release proteins through a binding reaction, different from traditional hydrogels. Future research may focus on developing intelligent affinity hydrogels to mimic human tissue properties and release single or multiple proteins on demand in response to environmental stimuli.
TRENDS IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Klaas W. Decoene, Kamil Unal, An Staes, Olivier Zwaenepoel, Jan Gettemans, Kris Gevaert, Johan M. Winne, Annemieke Madder
Summary: This study presents a new method for site-selective labeling of tyrosine and tryptophan residues in peptides and proteins. By lowering the pH of the solution, selective labeling of tryptophan can be achieved. This method does not rely on enzymes or unnatural amino acids, making it a promising approach for bioconjugation.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Smriti Bohara, Nathan Rohner, Emily Budziszewski, Jackrit Suthakorn, Horst A. von Recum, Agata A. Exner
Summary: This study developed a slow, sustained drug delivery system that can provide on-demand drug delivery bursts through the application of pulsed therapeutic ultrasound. The results showed that the addition of pulsed ultrasound significantly increased the drug release rate and improved bacterial eradication efficacy.
ANNALS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Libby J. Marshall, Olga Matsarskaia, Ralf Schweins, Dave J. Adams
Summary: Exposure of lysine-containing peptide-based gelators to glutaraldehyde allows tuning of gel mechanical properties through cross-linking, which leads to increased gel strength depending on the position of the lysine residue in the peptide chain, the concentration of gelator, and the conditions of cross-linking.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicolo Alvisi, Chuanbao Zheng, Meike Lokker, Victor Boekestein, Robbert de Haas, Bauke Albada, Renko de Vries
Summary: In this study, the researchers propose a method of physically attaching antifouling polypeptide brushes to solid surfaces using multivalent binding of solid-binding peptides (SBPs). Through a model study on silica-binding peptides, it is found that both tandem-repeated SBPs and SBPs repeated in branched architectures can effectively improve the binding strength of polypeptide brushes. However, solubility or yield of recombinant production is low for many designed sequences. By incorporating a silica-binding peptide, a highly thermostable trimerization domain, and a hydrophilic elastin-like polypeptide into the B-M-E domain structure, high solubility and yield of recombinant production can be achieved. Furthermore, the B-M-E triblock polypeptide can rapidly assemble into highly stable polypeptide brushes on silica surfaces, exhibiting excellent antifouling properties against high concentrations of serum albumin. Given the wide range of materials to which SBPs can attach, the B-M-E triblock design serves as a template for the development of polypeptides for coating other materials such as metals or plastics.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aleena Mir, Amit Kumar, Javed Alam, Ufana Riaz
Summary: Composite hydrogels with conducting polymers were synthesized and studied for drug release. The release kinetics showed prolonged and sustained release at different pH values.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lingling Zhao, Yifan Zhou, Jiaying Zhang, Hongze Liang, Xianwu Chen, Hui Tan
Summary: Hydrogels prepared from natural polymers have gained significant attention in biomedical fields due to their excellent biocompatibility, degradability, and flexibility. This review provides an overview of commonly used natural polymers in hydrogel preparation and elaborates on the formation, properties, and biomedical applications of natural polymer-based hydrogels, such as drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and wound healing. Furthermore, the future perspectives of natural polymers and hydrogels based on them are discussed, including the development of novel technologies and strategies for improving their structural properties and fabricating advanced hydrogel materials for biomedical applications.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Heldeney Rodrigues Sousa, Idglan Sa Lima, Lucas Matheus Lima Neris, Albert Santos Silva, Ariane Maria Silva Santos Nascimento, Francisca Pereira Araujo, Rafael Felippe Ratke, Durcilene Alves Silva, Josy Anteveli Osajima, Leilson Rocha Bezerra, Edson Cavalcanti Silva-Filho
Summary: The study developed superabsorbent hydrogels based on polyacrylamide, cashew tree gum, and potassium hydrogen phosphate for fertilizer and water release. Incorporating potassium hydrogen phosphate favored crosslinking of chains, increasing thermal stability but decreasing hardness and adhesion properties. Hydrogels demonstrated better swelling in alkaline environments and phosphorus release followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, with Fickian diffusion as the main release mechanism.
Article
Polymer Science
Abigail J. Clevenger, Andrea C. Jimenez-Vergara, Erin H. Tsai, Gabriel de Barros Righes, Ana M. Diaz-Lasprilla, Gustavo E. Ramirez-Caballero, Dany J. Munoz-Pinto
Summary: Growth factors are important in wound healing, but their direct delivery into a wound site is costly and can cause immunological responses. To overcome this, a PEGDA hydrogel was designed to sequester autologous growth factors from the wound site. The hydrogel successfully retained transforming growth factor beta 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor and enhanced cell surface area and proliferation. The response of the cells to the growth factors aligned with the expected response during wound healing.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Carter J. Teal, Marian H. Hettiaratchi, Margaret T. Ho, Arturo Ortin-Martinez, Ahil N. Ganesh, Andrew J. Pickering, Alex W. Golinski, Benjamin J. Hackel, Valerie A. Wallace, Molly S. Shoichet
Summary: By using directed evolution, specific affibody binding partners have been engineered to independently control the release rates of therapeutic proteins. In vivo testing on mice demonstrated the sustained activity of the controlled release, leading to improved efficacy.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bomin Wei, Yue Zhang, Xiang Gong
Summary: The high cost of new drug research and development has been a burden for pharmaceutical companies and patients. Repurposing existing drugs can help reduce costs and development failures. In this study, the authors propose a deep learning-based model called DeepLPI to predict protein-ligand interactions. The experimental results show that DeepLPI has high accuracy and potential in predicting protein-ligand interactions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Iljae Min, Takanori Uzawa, Takeshi Serizawa, Yoshihiro Ito
Summary: Using PCR-mediated recombination, researchers prepared single RNA chains containing bifunctional RNA sequences for substrate binding and phosphorescent signaling. Structural and functional analyses confirmed that the conjugated RNAs maintained the binding abilities and functions of the original aptamers, making them suitable as phosphorescent RNA probes for protein cognates. This one-step drawing strategy shows promise as a biological method for generating phosphorescent RNA probes without loss of function from the original aptamers.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuuki Hata, Shohei Yoneda, Shoki Tanaka, Toshiki Sawada, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: The study demonstrates that using nonionic crystalline surfactants can form a crystalline monolayer at water-organic solvent interfaces, allowing arrested shape changes of liquid-liquid interfaces. This enables the successful creation of irregular-shaped liquid droplets under various solution conditions.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Misaki Hanamura, Toshiki Sawada, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: This study demonstrates a new strategy for noncovalently modifying cellulose paper through heterogeneous nucleation based self-assembly of functional cellulose oligomers, achieving efficient and stable modification. The chemically reactive all-cellulose paper prepared in this way showed successful detection of anti-biotin immunoglobulin G with high signal-to-background ratio, showcasing its potential for constructing various sustainable paper-based devices.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuuki Hata, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: Dynamic properties are not essential to molecular assemblies, and statically assembled molecular gels also have unique applications.
BULLETIN OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Kai Sugiura, Toshiki Sawada, Hiroshi Tanaka, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: The use of bifunctional oligomeric primers has been shown to propagate cellulose oligosaccharide chains from both ends, providing a new method for the synthesis of unique cellulose block co-oligomers. This finding is significant for the CDP-catalyzed synthesis of various cellulose block co-oligomers and has the potential to produce novel cellulose materials at different scales.
Article
Polymer Science
Tomio Iwasaki, Masashi Maruyama, Tatsuya Niwa, Toshiki Sawada, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: By utilizing materials informatics technology and molecular dynamics simulation, peptides with strong binding affinities for PMMA resin were designed to cover the resin surface, aiming to create eco-friendly and biocompatible biomaterials. By analyzing simulation data, it was found that three peptides containing arginine, tryptophan, and proline exhibited strong binding affinities to PMMA resin components. Experimental verification confirmed the strong binding affinities of these peptides.
Article
Polymer Science
Yuta Sakurai, Toshiki Sawada, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: The modulation of intermolecular interactions between cellulose oligomers by protein denaturants under suitable synthesis conditions can lead to the production of oligomers with different crystal structures and higher degrees of polymerization, providing important fundamental knowledge for the development of novel cellulose materials.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kai Sugiura, Masashi Saito, Toshiki Sawada, Hiroshi Tanaka, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: Artificial organic-inorganic hybrid hydrogels were synthesized by mineralizing biomolecular assemblies in an aqueous solution. The resulting hybrid hydrogels exhibited excellent chemical and crystallographic properties, and it was found that the hybridization of hydroxyapatite with surface-carboxylated cellulose oligomers significantly improved the mechanical properties of the hydrogels.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Takeshi Serizawa, Saeko Yamaguchi, Moe Amitani, Sawa Ishii, Hiromi Tsuyuki, Yukiko Tanaka, Toshiki Sawada, Izuru Kawamura, Go Watanabe, Masaru Tanaka
Summary: Cellulose-based crystalline assemblies constructed in a bottom-up manner are gaining attention as chemically stable and designable materials at the nano-to macroscale. However, there is limited understanding of their interactions with biomolecules and how to control them through molecular design.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Yuichi Kida, Toshiki Sawada, Tomio Iwasaki, Tetsuya Kadonosono, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: In this study, peptides with affinity to PTFE were identified from a phage-displayed peptide library. These peptides have the potential to serve as molecular glues to immobilize functional proteins and biomolecular assemblies, such as phages, onto PTFE film.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Koichi Shirokawa, Shoki Tanaka, Izuru Kawamura, Toshiki Sawada, Takeshi Serizawa
Summary: In this study, alkyl beta-celluloside assemblies loaded with fluorescent molecules were synthesized and characterized. The fluorescence intensities of these assemblies decreased upon enzymatic degradation of the cellulose moieties, indicating the release of fluorescent molecules into the aqueous phase. The rate of fluorescence decrease was dependent on the concentration and source of cellulase. Therefore, these assemblies can serve as substrates for cellulase detection assays by measuring changes in fluorescence intensities. Additionally, the assemblies can be used as carriers for the controlled release of loaded molecules triggered by enzymatic degradation.
Article
Polymer Science
Han Jia, Ning Xu, Yoshiki Nagai, Marina Doi, Toshiki Sawada, Takeshi Serizawa, Shinji Ando, Satoshi Habuchi, Tsuyoshi Michinobu
Summary: Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) polymers have been extensively studied for their potential applications in developing new polymer nanoparticles or polymer dots (Pdots) with excellent fluorescence properties. We synthesized conjugated copolymers based on carbazole (Cz) and tetraphenylethene (TPE), a common AIEgen, and found that the presence of an ethynylene spacer between Cz and TPE units resulted in aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) properties. The ethynylene spacer played a critical role in determining the fluorescent properties of the copolymers in solid states.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dan He, Yawen Li, Fuwen Zhao, Yuze Lin
Summary: High trap density in organic solar cells leads to localized charge carriers and reduced carrier lifetime, limiting device efficiency. This feature article summarizes the recent advances of trap suppression by material design and device engineering.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Olivier Monfort, Arshitha Madhusudhan, Martin Motola
Summary: This article presents the advantages of coupling photocatalysis and Fenton-based processes for environmental remediation and discusses their synergy. It critically examines the simultaneous triggering of these two processes and provides insights into research approaches. The study aims to enhance understanding of this complex process and highlight the potential integration of new catalysts in current wastewater treatment technology.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Manideepa Dhar, Chittaranjan Mishra, Avijit Das, Uttam Manna
Summary: An approach of 'polymerization of monomers in its aggregated form' has been introduced to tailor the water wettability of fibrous and porous substrates, achieving hydrophobicity to superhydrophobicity transition, as well as patterned wettability. This facile chemical method provides a durable coating with adjustable and patterned wettability for various potential applications.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Saswat Ranjan Bhoi, Chhanda Debnath, Shikha Gandhi
Summary: In this article, a novel catalytic reaction using Pd(0) and Bronsted acid is reported for the synthesis of biologically important imidazolidinone-fused N-heterocycles through redox-neutral intramolecular N-allylation of indoles and pyrroles with alkynes. This atom-economical method is applicable to a wide range of substrates and eliminates the need for leaving groups or oxidizing agents commonly used in traditional allylation reactions.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Longkun Chen, Mingshuai Zhang, Meichen Liu, Zhuoyuan Liu, Yuetong Qiu, Zhilai Zhang, Fuchao Yu, Jiuzhong Huang
Summary: In this study, an efficient Rh(III)-catalyzed selective mono- and dual-C-H bond functionalization/cyclization with iodonium ylide as the sole coupling partner was demonstrated. Fused benzodiazepine skeletons were obtained in excellent yields, providing an improved approach to dual C-H unsymmetrical functionalization.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alice Kennett, Sven Epple, Gabriella van der Valk, Irene Georgiou, Evelyne Gout, Romain R. Vives, Angela J. Russell
Summary: This study presents the design and synthesis of sulfated disaccharide inhibitors based on IdoA(2S)-GlcNS(6S), which showed potent inhibition of Sulf-2. The results suggest that IdoA(2S)-GlcNS(6S) is the shortest fragment size required for effective inhibition of Sulfs, and a trisulfated disaccharide is identified as the minimal fragment size of heparan sulfate for effective endosulfatase inhibition.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mauro Garbini, Andrea Brunetti, Riccardo Pedrazzani, Magda Monari, Massimo Marcaccio, Giulio Bertuzzi, Marco Bandini
Summary: The self-adaptability of galvanostatic electrolysis was found to be helpful in a multistage chemo- and diastereoselective electrochemically promoted cyclodimerization of chalcones. Through a series of reductive events, densely functionalized cyclopentanes with five contiguous stereocenters were obtained (25 examples, yields up to 95%, dr values up to >20:1). Further experimental and electrochemical investigations indicated the crucial role of dynamic kinetic resolution of the aldol intermediate in the reaction mechanism.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dhananjay S. Nipate, Neha Meena, Prakash N. Swami, Krishnan Rangan, Anil Kumar
Summary: In this study, the synthesis of functionalized benzo[a]phenazines and indazolo[2,3-a]quinolines was achieved through Rh(III)-catalyzed oxidative annulation of 2-arylquinoxalines and 2-aryl-2H-indazoles with allyl alcohols. The method showed a wide substrate scope, excellent functional group tolerance, good to high yields of annulated products, and the capability for scaled-up synthesis. A tentative mechanism of the annulation reaction was proposed based on a preliminary mechanistic investigation.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ruonan Zhang, Abudukadi Tudi, Xia Yang, Xuping Wang, Zhihua Yang, Shujuan Han, Shilie Pan
Summary: A new lead tellurium borate material with a unique fundamental building block [B4O10] was synthesized and found to exhibit high birefringence. The structure-property relationship was discussed using first-principles calculations.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amresh Kumar Singh, Baishali Thakurta, Anupam Giri, Monalisa Pal
Summary: This study introduces three key concepts for the quick synthesis of large-scale high-quality 2D materials films and their utilization in device fabrication.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Reina Hagiwara, Shun Nishimura, Kosuke Okeyoshi
Summary: A copolymer-conjugated nanocatalytic system has been developed to improve electron transfer and enhance photoinduced H2 generation.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
