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Toxics May 2024Polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) are microplastic pollutants widely present in the environment, but their potential risks to human lung health and underlying...
Polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) are microplastic pollutants widely present in the environment, but their potential risks to human lung health and underlying toxicity mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we systematically analyzed the effects of PVC-MPs on the transcriptome and metabolome of BEAS-2B cells using high-throughput RNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics technologies. The results showed that exposure to PVC-MPs significantly reduced the viability of BEAS-2B cells, leading to the differential expression of 530 genes and 3768 metabolites. Further bioinformatics analyses showed that PVC-MP exposure influenced the expression of genes associated with fluid shear stress, the MAPK and TGF-β signaling pathways, and the levels of metabolites associated with amino acid metabolism. In particular, integrated pathway analysis showed that lipid metabolic pathways (including glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism) were significantly perturbed in BEAS-2B cells following PVC-MPs exposure. This study provides new insights and targets for a deeper understanding of the toxicity mechanism of PVC-MPs and for the prevention and treatment of PVC-MP-associated lung diseases.
PubMed: 38922079
DOI: 10.3390/toxics12060399 -
RSC Advances Nov 2023Reversible thermochromism presents depth at low temperatures and brightness at high temperatures, which is not conducive to the application of the passive energy-saving...
Reversible thermochromism presents depth at low temperatures and brightness at high temperatures, which is not conducive to the application of the passive energy-saving and shading effect. Here, we propose an innovative strategy for unconventional reversible thermochromic energy-storage flexible wood films (FT-PCMs-2) by the contribution of polyvinyl alcohol/propylene glycol (PVA/PG). Upon heating, the FT-PCMs-2 changes from light red/green to dark red/green, in contrast to the color change of the non-flexible composites without PVA/PG. The FT-PCMs-2 has good flexibility, mechanical strength and thermal stability. Among them, MSR-DEW-6PVA and MSG-DEW-6PVA have better comprehensive properties, including suitable phase change temperatures (38.6 °C and 37.2 °C), high latent heat values (59.79 J g and 73.02 J g), and low supercooling degrees (2 °C and 0.6 °C). FTIR, XRD and SEM analysis show that the binary fatty acid eutectics were successfully loaded into the eucalyptus fibre skeleton with physical interaction with PVA/PG. In addition, MSR-DEW-6PVA and MSG-DEW-6PVA have photothermal conversion rates of 48.3% and 36%, good cycling stability and anti-leakage performance after 50 cycles, and have promising applications in the fields of building energy saving, intelligent windows and decoration.
PubMed: 37954423
DOI: 10.1039/d3ra06336d -
Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin Jan 2024For taste masking of fexofenadine hydrochloride (FXD), ethylcellulose (EC) microparticles with FXD were developed. The amounts of EC, Tween 80, and polyvinyl alcohol...
For taste masking of fexofenadine hydrochloride (FXD), ethylcellulose (EC) microparticles with FXD were developed. The amounts of EC, Tween 80, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the composition had little effect on initial drug release properties. Based on the results of the drug recovery and the drug release properties, FXD(EC200) was the optimal FXD microparticle formulation. From the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns of FXD(EC200), FXD amorphization in the microparticles and interaction between FXD and other components were suggested, and the formation of a solid dispersion of FXD was suggested. Because the possibility of the complex of PVA and FXD on the particle surface was suggested, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) was added to the composition. The initial drug release from FXD microparticles with SLS was further suppressed compared with FXD(EC200). From these results, FXD microparticles with SLS can be prepared as a controlled-release formulation and are expected to be useful for masking the bitter tasting particulates.
Topics: Taste; Terfenadine; Cellulose; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Particle Size; Solubility
PubMed: 38123341
DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c23-00754 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2024Porous materials are widely used as an effective strategy for the solubilization of insoluble drugs. In order to improve the solubility and bioavailability of low...
Porous materials are widely used as an effective strategy for the solubilization of insoluble drugs. In order to improve the solubility and bioavailability of low water-solubility drugs, it is necessary to prepare porous materials. Mannitol is one of the most popular excipients in food and drug formulations. In this study, porous mannitol was investigated as a drug carrier for low water solubility drugs. Its fabrication, drug loading, and drug release mechanisms were investigated. Porous mannitol was fabricated using the co-spray-antisolvent process and utilizing polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30) as the template agent. Porous mannitol particles were prepared by changing the proportion of the template agent, spraying the particles with mannitol, and eluting with ethanol in order to regulate their pore structure. In subsequent studies, porous mannitol morphology and characteristics were determined systematically. Furthermore, curcumin and ibuprofen, two poorly water-soluble drugs, were loaded into porous mannitol, and their release profiles were analyzed. The results of the study indicated that porous mannitol can be prepared using PVP K30 as a template and that the amount of template agent can be adjusted in order to control the structure of the porous mannitol. When the template agent was added in amounts of 1%, 3%, and 5%, the mannitol pore size increased by 167.80%, 95.16%, and 163.98%, respectively, compared to raw mannitol. Molecular docking revealed that mannitol and drugs are adsorbents and adhere to each other by force interaction. The cumulative dissolution of curcumin and ibuprofen-loaded porous mannitol reached 69% and 70%, respectively. The release mechanism of curcumin and ibuprofen from drug-loaded mannitol was suitable for the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model. In summary, the co-spray-antisolvent method proved effective in fabricating porous materials rapidly, and porous mannitol had a remarkable effect on drug solubilization. The results obtained are conducive to the development of porous materials.
Topics: Porosity; Ibuprofen; Curcumin; Mannitol; Molecular Docking Simulation; Solubility; Povidone; Water; Drug Carriers
PubMed: 38338458
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29030715 -
RSC Advances Apr 2024Polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) have significantly advanced the field of biomedicine, showcasing the remarkable potential for precise drug delivery, administration of...
Polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) have significantly advanced the field of biomedicine, showcasing the remarkable potential for precise drug delivery, administration of nutraceuticals, diagnostics/imaging applications, and the fabrication of biocompatible materials, among other uses. Despite these promising developments, the invention faces notable challenges related to biodegradability, bioactivity, target-site specificity, particle size, carrier efficiency, and controlled release. Addressing these concerns is essential for optimizing the functionality and impact of PNPs in biomedical applications. Here, new poly cysteine methacrylate nanoparticles (PCMANPs), (200 nm) in size have been synthesized from the cysteine methacrylate (CysMA) monomer using different strategies, including emulsion and inverse emulsion polymerization techniques. The monomer was synthesized using the Michael addition reaction, involving the addition of 3-(acryloyloxy)-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate to the sulfhydryl group (-SH) of the cysteine (Cys) active site, with the aid of dimethyl phenyl phosphine (DMPP) as a nucleophilic agent as previously reported. To enhance nano-polymerization, a thorough exploration of various initiators, including ammonium persulfate (APS) and 4,4'-azobis (4-cyanovaleric acid) (ACVA), alongside surfactants, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), was conducted. Additionally, critical parameters, such as reaction time, temperature, and solvents, were systematically investigated due to their substantial influence on the shape, size, stability, and morphology of the synthesized polymer nanoparticles. This comprehensive approach aims to optimize the synthesis process, ensuring precise control over the key characteristics of the resulting nanoparticles for enhanced performance in diverse applications. Various characterization techniques, including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential, and zeta sizer dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, were utilized to investigate purity, morphology, and particle size of the PNPs. As a result, a spherical, monodispersed (homogenized), and stable PCMANP with defined size and morphology was achieved. This may exhibit a remarkable achievement in the future of drug delivery systems and therapeutic index.
PubMed: 38665499
DOI: 10.1039/d4ra00067f -
Bioengineering & Translational Medicine Nov 2023The management of infected wounds is still an intractable challenge in clinic. Development of antibacterial wound dressing is of great practical significance for wound...
The management of infected wounds is still an intractable challenge in clinic. Development of antibacterial wound dressing is of great practical significance for wound management. Herein, a natural-derived antibacterial drug, tannic acid (TA), was incorporated into the electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber (TA/PVA fiber, 952 ± 40 nm in diameter). TA worked as a cross-linker via hydrogen bonding with PVA to improve the physicochemical properties of the fiber and to reach a sustained drug release (88% release of drug at 48 h). Improved mechanical property (0.8-1.2 MPa) and computational simulation validated the formation of the hydrogen bonds between TA and PVA. Moreover, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory characteristics of TA laid the foundation for the application of TA/PVA fiber in repairing infected wounds. Meanwhile, in vitro studies proved the high hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility of TA/PVA fiber. Further in vivo animal investigation showed that the TA/PVA fiber promoted the repair of infected wound by inhibiting the bacterial growth, promoting granulation formation, and collagen matrix deposition, accelerating angiogenesis, and inducing M2 macrophage polarization within 14 days. All the data demonstrated that the TA cross-linked fiber would be a potent dressing for bacteria-infected wound healing.
PubMed: 38023724
DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10540 -
Toxins Aug 2023Since the early 2000s, studies of the evolution of venom within animals have rapidly expanded, offering new revelations on the origins and development of venom within... (Review)
Review
Since the early 2000s, studies of the evolution of venom within animals have rapidly expanded, offering new revelations on the origins and development of venom within various species. The venomous mammals represent excellent opportunities to study venom evolution due to the varying functional usages, the unusual distribution of venom across unrelated mammals and the diverse variety of delivery systems. A group of mammals that excellently represents a combination of these traits are the slow ( spp.) and pygmy lorises ( spp.) of south-east Asia, which possess the only confirmed two-step venom system. These taxa also present one of the most intriguing mixes of toxic symptoms (cytotoxicity and immunotoxicity) and functional usages (intraspecific competition and ectoparasitic defence) seen in extant animals. We still lack many pieces of the puzzle in understanding how this venom system works, why it evolved what is involved in the venom system and what triggers the toxic components to work. Here, we review available data building upon a decade of research on this topic, focusing especially on why and how this venom system may have evolved. We discuss that research now suggests that venom in slow lorises has a sophisticated set of multiple uses in both intraspecific competition and the potential to disrupt the immune system of targets; we suggest that an exudate diet reveals several toxic plants consumed by slow and pygmy lorises that could be sequestered into their venom and which may help heal venomous bite wounds; we provide the most up-to-date visual model of the brachial gland exudate secretion protein (BGEsp); and we discuss research on a complement component 1r (C1R) protein in saliva that may solve the mystery of what activates the toxicity of slow and pygmy loris venom. We conclude that the slow and pygmy lorises possess amongst the most complex venom system in extant animals, and while we have still a lot more to understand about their venom system, we are close to a breakthrough, particularly with current technological advances.
Topics: Animals; Venoms; Lorisidae; Dust; Phenotype; Povidone-Iodine; Mammals
PubMed: 37755940
DOI: 10.3390/toxins15090514 -
Polymers Jul 2023High-solid-content polystyrene and polyvinyl acetate dispersions of polymer particles with a 50 nm to 500 nm mean particle diameter and 12-55% (/) solid content have...
High-solid-content polystyrene and polyvinyl acetate dispersions of polymer particles with a 50 nm to 500 nm mean particle diameter and 12-55% (/) solid content have been produced via emulsion polymerization and characterized regarding their optical and physical properties. Both systems have been analyzed with common particle-size-measuring techniques like dynamic light scattering (DLS) and static light scattering (SLS) and compared to inline particle size distribution (PSD) measurements via photon density wave (PDW) spectroscopy in undiluted samples. It is shown that particle size measurements of undiluted polystyrene dispersions are in good agreement between analysis methods. However, for polyvinyl acetate particles, size determination is challenging due to bound water in the produced polymer. For the first time, water-swelling factors were determined via an iterative approach of PDW spectroscopy error () minimization. It is shown that water-swollen particles can be analyzed in high-solid-content solutions and their physical properties can be assumed to determine the refractive index, density, and volume fraction in dispersion. It was found that assumed water swelling improved the reduced scattering coefficient fit by PDW spectroscopy by up to ten times and particle size determination was refined and enabled. Particle size analysis of the water-swollen particles agreed well with offline-based state-of-the-art techniques.
PubMed: 37571075
DOI: 10.3390/polym15153181 -
Polymers Dec 2023Dielectric and thermal properties of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) were studied in this work, using dynamic electrical analysis (DEA) at frequencies from 100 Hz to 1 MHz and...
Dielectric and thermal properties of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) were studied in this work, using dynamic electrical analysis (DEA) at frequencies from 100 Hz to 1 MHz and temperatures from 293 K to 473 K. Two electrical relaxation processes were investigated: glass transition and interfacial polarization. Above the glass transition temperature (~343 K), interfacial polarization dominates conductive behavior in polyvinyl butyral. The framework of the complex electric modulus was used to obtain information about interfacial polarization. The viscoelastic behavior was analyzed through dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), where only the mechanical manifestation of the glass transition is observed. The experimental results from dielectric measurements were analyzed with fractional calculus, using a fractional Debye model with one cap-resistor. We were successful in applying the complex electric modulus because we had a good correlation between data and theoretical predictions. The fractional order derivative is an indicator of the energy dissipated in terms of molecular mobility, and the calculated values close to 1 suggest a conductive behavior at temperatures above the glass transition temperature of PVB.
PubMed: 38139976
DOI: 10.3390/polym15244725 -
The Science of the Total Environment Feb 2024Plastic pollution is an increasing environmental concern. Pollutants such as microplastics (< 5 mm) and pharmaceuticals often co-exist in the aquatic environment. The...
Plastic pollution is an increasing environmental concern. Pollutants such as microplastics (< 5 mm) and pharmaceuticals often co-exist in the aquatic environment. The current study aimed to elucidate the interaction of pharmaceuticals with microplastics and ascertain how the process of photo-oxidation of microplastics affected the adsorption of the pharmaceuticals. To this end, a mixture containing ibuprofen, carbamazepine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine and ofloxacin (16 μmol L each) was placed in contact with one of six either virgin or aged microplastic types. The virgin microplastics were acquired commercially and artificially aged in the laboratory. Polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride microparticles at two sizes described as small (D < 35 μm) and large (D 95-157 μm) were evaluated. Results demonstrated that the study of virgin particles may underestimate the adsorption of micropollutants onto microplastics. For virgin particles, only small microparticles of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and both sizes of polyamide adsorbed pharmaceuticals. Aging the microplastics increased significantly the adsorption of pharmaceuticals by microplastics. Fluoxetine adsorbed onto all aged microplastics, from 18 % (large polyethylene terephthalate) to 99 % (small polypropylene). The current investigation highlights the potential of microplastics to act as a vector for pharmaceuticals in freshwater, especially after aging.
Topics: Microplastics; Plastics; Polypropylenes; Polyethylene Terephthalates; Nylons; Adsorption; Polyvinyl Chloride; Fluoxetine; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Fresh Water; Polyethylene; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 38141976
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169467