Article
Chemistry, Physical
Faniry Andriamiseza, Delphine Bordignon, Bruno Payre, Laurence Vaysse, Juliette Fitremann
Summary: It has been shown that low molecular weight gels based on N-heptyl-D-galactonamide hydrogels can be 3D printed by solvent exchange, but they tend to dissolve in the printing bath. This study explores the printing of less soluble N-alkyl-D-galactonamides with longer alkyl chains. The solubilization and stability of the gels, as well as their suitability for cell culture scaffolds, are investigated.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Polymer Science
Ruben Van Lommel, Wim M. De Borggraeve, Frank De Proft, Mercedes Alonso
Summary: Supramolecular gels, a class of soft materials explored heavily in the past 20 years, have potential value in computational techniques that has been less emphasized. This review provides an overview of studies using computational tools to better understand the self-assembly behavior of supramolecular gels and accelerate their development through prediction. Future challenges in the field are discussed, along with how computational methods could help overcome them.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Delphine Bordignon, Barbara Lonetti, Christophe Coudret, Pierre Roblin, Pierre Joseph, Laurent Malaquin, Anais Chalard, Juliette Fitremann
Summary: A low molecular weight hydrogel based on carbohydrate alkyl amide has been successfully used for neuron cell culture and 3D printing. Thirteen molecules designed for potential biocompatibility were prepared and investigated for their gelation properties in thermal and wet spinning conditions. The study showed that different molecular structures can lead to varied microstructures of the hydrogels, impacting their potential applications in 3D printing.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
G. de Araujo Lima e Souza, M. E. Di Pietro, V. Vanoli, W. Panzeri, F. Briatico-Vangosa, F. Castiglione, A. Mele
Summary: Hydrophobic non-ionic eutectogels (HEG) were prepared from hydrophobic non-ionic (type V) eutectic solvents (HES) using a simple one-pot procedure and a low-cost low molecular weight gelator. The gels were stable and homogeneous, and exhibited increased diffusive motion compared to pure HES, indicating potential applications for solid-like yet mobile systems.
MATERIALS TODAY CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Baotong Ye, Zhi Cai, Qimeng Wang, Yan Zhang, Jinghua Chen
Summary: Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) play important roles in biological processes, but their synthesis is challenging. This study developed a new format of GAG mimetic structure using easily prepared supramolecularly assembled polymers. Highly sulfated glycol groups showed strong promotion effect for cell proliferation, indicating potential for tissue engineering applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lifei Xu, Mingming Zhang, Xuefeng Zhu, Chenlu Xue, Han-Xiao Wang, Minghua Liu
Summary: This study found that amphiphiles self-assembled into different chiral nanomaterials in different solvents, showing opposite handedness and modulation of energy transfer efficiency.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Aoli Wu, Yongxian Guo, Xianbao Li, Qi Li, Guixin Chen, Hengchang Zang, Junbai Li
Summary: The development of peptide-based supramolecular materials with hierarchical morphology and tunable guest loading shows great potential as a drug carrier due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, a facile Schiff base nanoarchitectonic was reported for the supramolecular assembly of diphenylalanine (FF) metastable gel. The competitive assembly between FF-H2O and FF-GA oligomer resulted in the formation of FF nanoparticles and hierarchical beaded nanofibers. These assembled particles can easily load various guest molecules and release them under weak alkaline conditions, demonstrating their potential application as drug carriers.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Changmin Shao, Yuxiao Liu, Junjie Chi, Fangfu Ye, Yuanjin Zhao
Summary: The novel hierarchically inverse opal porous scaffold fabricated via a simple microfluidic approach allows for promoting 3D cell co-culture techniques, ensuring sufficient nutrient supply during cell culture, and demonstrating promising performance in constructing certain functional tissues.
Review
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Xinhua Cao, Aiping Gao, Ji-ting Hou, Tao Yi
Summary: Low molecular weight gels are extensively studied and used in supramolecular chemistry due to their ability to construct functional soft materials through noncovalent interactions. Fluorescent LMWGs in particular have received attention for their excellent photophysical properties and sensing abilities, allowing them to selectively detect specific substances in various states.
COORDINATION CHEMISTRY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rafael Contreras-Montoya, James P. Smith, Stephen C. Boothroyd, Juan A. Aguilar, Marzieh Mirzamani, Martin A. Screen, Dmitry S. Yufit, Mark Robertson, Lilin He, Shuo Qian, Harshita Kumari, Jonathan W. Steed
Summary: Pathway complexity results in the formation of unique materials from the same components according to assembly conditions. A gelator in this study forms three different gels with contrasting morphology and rheological properties. The formation of a hyperhelical gel involves association with a non-gelling conformer. This research demonstrates the importance of pathway complexity in self-assembly processes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rafael Contreras-Montoya, James P. Smith, Stephen C. Boothroyd, Juan A. Aguilar, Marzieh Mirzamani, Martin A. Screen, Dmitry S. Yufit, Mark Robertson, Lilin He, Shuo Qian, Harshita Kumari, Jonathan W. Steed
Summary: The pathway complexity results in the formation of unique materials from the same components according to the assembly conditions. In this study, a chiral acyl-semicarbazide gelator forms three different gels and lyotropic liquid crystalline droplets depending on the assembly pathway. The gels have distinct morphologies and rheological properties due to the different conformers of the gelator. The emergence of different materials with contrasting properties is attributed to the emergent interactions during the assembly process.
Review
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Aiping Gao, Qingqing Wang, Huijuan Wu, Jun-Wei Zhao, Xinhua Cao
Summary: This review summarizes the recent progress of supramolecular gels based on cyanostilbene derivatives, including their applications in the regulation of self-assembly process and emission behavior, multifunctional sensors, photoresponsive materials, circularly polarized luminescence, and biological fields. The future development of cyanostilbene-based supramolecular self-assembly materials is also discussed.
COORDINATION CHEMISTRY REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Beijia Chen, Frieder Jaekle
Summary: This Minireview provides an overview of the advances in the use of Lewis pairs for assembly of functional materials, including reversible polymers, molecular cages, covalent organic frameworks, and soft polymer networks.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xin Li, Honglei Jian, Qingquan Han, Anhe Wang, Jieling Li, Ningyuan Man, Qi Li, Shuo Bai, Junbai Li
Summary: Short peptide self-assembled hydrogels have excellent biocompatibility and functional expansion, making them promising in cell culture and tissue engineering. However, the preparation of bio-inks with adjustable mechanical strength and controlled degradation for 3D bioprinting is challenging.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xuejiao Yang, Honglei Lu, Yinghua Tao, Hongyue Zhang, Huaimin Wang
Summary: This study reports a method to control the fiber alignment, chirality, and stiffness of aromatic peptide hydrogels through heterodimerization of enantiomeric mixtures. The relative ratio of L and D enantiomers can also regulate the adhesion and morphology of mammalian cells. This work provides a new strategy for controlling supramolecular chirality in materials science.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mina Raileanu, Barbara Lonetti, Charles-Louis Serpentini, Dominique Goudouneche, Laure Gibot, Mihaela Bacalum
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides, originally synthesized for defense against pathogens, are now increasingly utilized for their anticancer properties. Utilizing self-assembled polyion complexes (PIC) can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobial peptides against tumors, showing potential for application in cancer treatment.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Stephane Gineste, Barbara Lonetti, Marjorie Yon, Joanna Giermanska, Emanuela Di Cola, Michael Sztucki, Yannick Coppel, Anne-Francoise Mingotaud, Jean-Paul Chapel, Jean-Daniel Marty, Christophe Mingotaud
Summary: The addition of gallium ions to a polymer solution leads to the formation of highly monodisperse micelles with a rigid core structure formed by the co localization of the poly(acrylic acid) blocks and gallium ions. This study provides a comprehensive structural characterization of the Gallium Hybrid PolyIon Complexes (HPICs) and demonstrates their potential in the development of new contrast agents for medical imaging.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Gozde Eke, Laurence Vaysse, Xi Yao, Melanie Escudero, Audrey Carriere, Emmanuelle Trevisiol, Christophe Vieu, Christian Dani, Louis Casteilla, Laurent Malaquin
Summary: 3D cell aggregates provide more realistic cellular interactions and self-evolving capabilities compared to cell suspensions or monolayers, making them powerful tools for generating microtissues. Developing specific methodologies to organize these cell aggregates into 3D architectures has become essential for regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical screening purposes.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Wafae Labriji, Julien Clauzel, Jean-Louis Mestas, Maxime Lafond, Cyril Lafon, Anne-Sophie Salabert, Lydiane Hirschler, Jan M. Warnking, Emmanuel L. Barbier, Isabelle Loubinoux, Franck Desmoulin
Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) opening using ultrasound combined with microbubbles injection on cerebral blood flow in rats. The results showed that BBB opening induced by microbubble intravenous injection led to transient hypoperfusion, which shared some similarities with cortical spreading depression phenomenon.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Fang Yin, Pascale Laborie, Barbara Lonetti, Yannick Coppel, Nancy Lauth-de Viguerie, Jean-Daniel Marty, Stephane Gineste
Summary: Doubly thermo-and pH-responsive PNIPAM-b-PDEAEAM polymers were synthesized by RAFT polymerization. The properties of these polymers and corresponding homopolymers in solution depend on pH and the protonation degree of the diethylamino moiety. The behavior of the polymers is also influenced by the nature of the polymer chain ends. At pH 10, both PNIPAM and PDEAEAM blocks contribute to phase transition and form stable spherical nanoobjects. At pH 4, PNIPAM-b-PDEAEAM with longer PDEAEAM length exhibits a two-step thermoresponsive behavior and forms large aggregates with a positively charged shell.
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Victor Fournie, Bastien Venzac, Emmanuelle Trevisiol, Julie Foncy, Julien Roul, Sandrine Assie-Souleille, Pierre Joseph, Arnaud Reitz, Melanie Escudero, Laurent Malaquin
Summary: 3D printing and bioprinting are important technologies for constructing complex micro-devices and culture models. The 3D-FlowPrint concept combines microfluidics and photopolymerization to achieve high-resolution multimaterial printing. This technology allows for the creation of sub-millimetric to millimetric scale objects with multimaterial designs.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Fang Yin, Barbara Lonetti, Jean-Daniel Marty, Nancy Lauth-de Viguerie
Summary: The properties of thermosensitive polymers can be easily altered using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a trigger. Copolymers of N,N-(diethylamino)ethyl acrylamide (DEAEAM) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, resulting in different compositions and architectures. The properties of these polymers in aqueous solution in the presence of CO2 were studied, and it was observed that both composition and architecture play a role in determining the thermoresponsive behavior.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Arianna Balestri, Laure Gibot, Heinz Amenitisch, Lorenzo Cervelli, Costanza Montis, Barbara Lonetti, Debora Berti
Summary: Lipid cubic nanoparticles stabilized by PDMA-b-PNIPAM exhibit promising drug delivery properties, with enhanced uptake efficiency and improved treatment efficacy.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Melanie Escudero, Laurence Vaysse, Gozde Eke, Marion Peyrou, Francesc Villarroya, Sophie Bonnel, Yannick Jeanson, Louisa Boyer, Christophe Vieu, Benoit Chaput, Xi Yao, Frederic Deschaseaux, Melissa Parny, Isabelle Raymond-Letron, Christian Dani, Audrey Carriere, Laurent Malaquin, Louis Casteilla
Summary: This study presents a scalable tissue engineering strategy to generate in vitro human beige adipose tissue models. The engineered method promotes beige adipogenesis and vascularization using specific environmental and chemical parameters. The resulting vascularized organoids display key features of native beige adipose tissue.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Remi Courson, Oleksii Bratash, Ali Maziz, Cloe Desmet, Ricardo Alvarado Meza, Loic Leroy, Elodie Engel, Arnaud Buhot, Laurent Malaquin, Thierry Leichle
Summary: This article presents a polymer version of a silicon MEMS drop deposition tool for surface functionalization. The tool consists of a microcantilever with an open fluidic channel and reservoir, fabricated using laser stereolithography. The incorporation of a magnetic base allows for convenient handling and attachment to a robotized stage. The capability of printing droplets ranging from 50 μm to 300 μm is demonstrated, and the influences of cantilever tip and reservoir size and shape on printing outcome are studied. The biofunctionalization capability of this 3D printed droplet dispenser is proven by fabricating microarrays of oligonucleotides and antibodies with high specificity and no cross-contamination, and depositing droplets on the tip of an optical fiber bundle.
MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Ernest Cheah, Mahima Bansal, Linh Nguyen, Anais Chalard, Jenny Malmstrom, Simon J. O'Carroll, Bronwen Connor, Zimei Wu, Darren Svirskis
Summary: Electrically modulated delivery of proteins allows for targeted and dose-tunable delivery to local tissues. This study presents an electrically active composite material, comprising GelMA and a conducting polymer, capable of controlled protein release over 3 weeks. The material exhibits electroactivity, mechanical properties, and cytocompatibility, making it suitable for tissue engineering applications requiring spatio-temporal control of protein delivery.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Alex T. O'Neil, Anais Chalard, Jenny Malmstrom, Jonathan A. Kitchen
Summary: The synthesis and fabrication of a new Eu3+ complex [Eu(1)(3)] derived from the 1,8-naphthalimide containing ligand 1H and its spin-coated films are presented. The complex exhibits multi-emission, with blue emission from the 1,8-naphthalimide fluorophore and red emission from the Eu3+ center. The overall emission color can be tuned by changing the excitation wavelength.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Zacchari Ben Meriem, Tiphaine Mateo, Julien Faccini, Celine Denais, Romane Dusfour-Castan, Catherine Guynet, Tatiana Merle, Magali Suzanne, Mickael Di-Luoffo, Julie Guillermet-Guibert, Baptiste Alric, Sylvain Landiech, Laurent Malaquin, Fabien Mesnilgrente, Adrian Laborde, Laurent Mazenq, Remi Courson, Morgan Delarue
Summary: Conventional culture conditions lack dynamic control over the microenvironment, hindering the study of tissues and organisms. In this study, a microfluidic device with sliding elements is presented, allowing for the control of both chemical and mechanical compressive forces. By confining micro-tissues, the impact of growth-induced pressure and macromolecular crowding was studied, shedding light on an understudied type of mechanical stress.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Zacchari Ben Meriem, Tiphaine Mateo, Julien Faccini, Celine Denais, Romane Dusfour-Castan, Catherine Guynet, Tatiana Merle, Magali Suzanne, Mickael Di-Luoffo, Julie Guillermet-Guibert, Baptiste Alric, Sylvain Landiech, Laurent Malaquin, Fabien Mesnilgrente, Adrian Laborde, Laurent Mazenq, Remi Courson, Morgan Delarue
Summary: Conventional culture conditions lack dynamic chemical and mechanical control over the microenvironment, making them insufficient for studying tissues, organisms, or 3D multicellular assemblies. This study presents a microfluidic device that allows control of both chemical and mechanical compressive forces, enabling the study of biological samples under specific conditions and the impact of mechanical compression. The device utilizes sliding elements to create reconfigurable closed culture chambers for the study of whole organisms or model micro-tissues.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Christos Papadopoulos, Anne Edith Larue, Clara Toulouze, Omar Mokhtari, Julien Lefort, Emmanuel Libert, Pauline Assemat, Pascal Swider, Laurent Malaquin, Yohan Davit
Summary: This study presents a novel micromodel technology to explore the development of bacterial biofilms in porous media flows. By combining the advantages of additive manufacturing and microfluidics, the researchers have created a platform to study the dynamics of biofilm development in three-dimensional porous media and to rapidly test new concepts in process engineering.