-
International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2023The need for prehospital hemostatic dressings that exert an antibacterial effect is of interest for prolonged field care. Here, we consider a series of antibacterial and...
The need for prehospital hemostatic dressings that exert an antibacterial effect is of interest for prolonged field care. Here, we consider a series of antibacterial and zeolite formulary treatment approaches applied to a cotton-based dressing. The design of the fabric formulations was based on the hemostatic dressing TACGauze with zeolite Y incorporated as a procoagulant with calcium and pectin to facilitate fiber adherence utilizing silver nanoparticles, and cellulose-crosslinked ascorbic acid to confer antibacterial activity. Infra-red spectra were employed to characterize the chemical modifications on the dressings. Contact angle measurements were employed to document the surface hydrophobicity of the cotton fabric which plays a role in the contact activation of the coagulation cascade. Ammonium Y zeolite-treated dressings initiated fibrin equal to the accepted standard hemorrhage control dressing and showed similar improvement with antibacterial finishes. The antibacterial activity of cotton-based technology utilizing both citrate-linked ascorbate-cellulose conjugate analogs and silver nanoparticle-embedded cotton fibers was observed against and at a level of 99.99 percent in the AATCC 100 assay. The hydrogen peroxide levels of the ascorbic acid-based fabrics, measured over a time period from zero up to forty-eight hours, were in line with the antibacterial activities.
Topics: Silver; Metal Nanoparticles; Zeolites; Hemostatics; Ascorbic Acid; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cotton Fiber; Bandages; Cellulose
PubMed: 38069435
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242317115 -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2023Common smut caused by is one of the dominant fungal diseases in plants. The resistance mechanism to infection involving alterations in the cell wall is poorly studied....
Common smut caused by is one of the dominant fungal diseases in plants. The resistance mechanism to infection involving alterations in the cell wall is poorly studied. In this study, the resistant single segment substitution line (SSSL) R445 and its susceptible recurrent parent line Ye478 of maize were infected with , and the changes in cell wall components and structure were studied at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 12 days postinfection. In R445 and Ye478, the contents of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin increased by varying degrees, and pectin methylesterase (PME) activity increased. The changes in hemicellulose and pectin in the cell wall after infection were analyzed via immunolabeling using monoclonal antibodies against hemicellulsic xylans and high/low-methylated pectin. infection altered methyl esterification of pectin, and the degree of methyl esterification was correlated with the resistance of maize to . Furthermore, the relationship between methyl esterification of pectin and host resistance was validated using 15 maize inbred lines with different resistance levels. The results revealed that cell wall components, particularly pectin, were important factors affecting the colonization and propagation of in maize, and methyl esterification of pectin played a role in the resistance of maize to infection.
Topics: Plant Diseases; Esterification; Zea mays; Pectins; Ustilago; Cell Wall
PubMed: 37834187
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914737 -
Pharmaceutics Aug 2023The aim of this project is to use pectin- and chitosan-modified solid lipid nanoparticles for bovine lactoferrin to enhance its cellular uptake and transport.
AIM
The aim of this project is to use pectin- and chitosan-modified solid lipid nanoparticles for bovine lactoferrin to enhance its cellular uptake and transport.
METHODS
Solid lipid particles containing bovine lactoferrin (bLf) were formulated through the solvent evaporation technique, incorporating stearic acid along with either chitosan or pectin modification. bLf cellular uptake and transport were evaluated in vitro using the human adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 cell model.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The bLf-loaded SLPs showed no significant effect on cytotoxicity and did not induce apoptosis within the eight-hour investigation. The use of confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed that bLf follows the receptor-mediated endocytosis, whereas the primary mechanism for the cellular uptake of SLPs was endocytosis. The bLf-loaded SLPs had significantly more cellular uptake compared to bLf alone, and it was observed that this impact varied based on the time, temperature, and concentration. Verapamil and EDTA were determined to raise the apparent permeability coefficients (App) of bLf and bLf-loaded SLPs.
CONCLUSION
This occurred because they hindered efflux by interacting with P-glycoproteins and had a penetration-enhancing influence. These findings propose the possibility of an additional absorption mechanism for SLPs, potentially involving active transportation facilitated by the P-glycoprotein transporter in Caco-2 cells. These results suggest that SLPs have the potential to be applied as effective carriers to improve the oral bioavailability of proteins and peptides.
PubMed: 37631382
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15082168 -
Polymers Aug 2023Prospective adjuvant anticancer therapy development includes the establishing of drug delivery systems based on biocompatible and biodegradable carriers. We have...
Prospective adjuvant anticancer therapy development includes the establishing of drug delivery systems based on biocompatible and biodegradable carriers. We have designed films and nanoparticles (NPs) based on low-esterified pectin hydrogel using the ionic gelation method. We investigated morphology, nanomechanical properties, biocompatibility and anticancer activity. Hydrogel films are characterized by tunable viscoelastic properties and surface nanoarchitectonics through pectin concentration and esterification degree (DE), expressed in variable pore frequency and diameter. An in vitro study showed a significant reduction in metabolic activity and the proliferation of the U87MG human glioblastoma cell line, probably affected via the adhesion mechanism. Glioma cells formed neurosphere-like conglomerates with a small number of neurites when cultured on fully de-esterified pectin films and they did not produce neurites on the films prepared on 50% esterified pectin. Pectin NPs were examined in terms of size distribution and nanomechanical properties. The NPs' shapes were proved spherical with a mean diameter varying in the range of 90-115 nm, and a negative zeta potential from -8.30 to -7.86 mV, which indicated their stability. The NPs did not demonstrate toxic effect on cells or metabolism inhibition, indicating good biocompatibility. Nanostructured biomaterials prepared on low-esterified pectins could be of interest for biomedical applications in adjuvant anticancer therapy and for designing drug delivery systems.
PubMed: 37571174
DOI: 10.3390/polym15153280 -
ACS Applied Bio Materials Aug 2023Natural polymers from organic wastes have gained increasing attention in the biomedical field as resourceful second raw materials for the design of biomedical devices...
Natural polymers from organic wastes have gained increasing attention in the biomedical field as resourceful second raw materials for the design of biomedical devices which can perform a specific bioactive function and eventually degrade without liberating toxic residues in the surroundings. In this context, patches and bandages, that need to support the skin wound healing process for a short amount of time to be then discarded, certainly constitute good candidates in our quest for a more environmentally friendly management. Here, we propose a plant-based microfibrous scaffold, loaded with vitamin C (VitC), a bioactive molecule which acts as a protecting agent against UV damages and as a wound healing promoter. Fibers were fabricated via electrospinning from various zein/pectin formulations, and subsequently cross-linked in the presence of Ca to confer them a hydrogel-like behavior, which we exploited to tune both the drug release profile and the scaffold degradation. A comprehensive characterization of the physico-chemical properties of the zein/pectin/VitC scaffolds, either pristine or cross-linked, has been carried out, together with the bioactivity assessment with two representative skin cell populations (human dermal fibroblast cells and skin keratinocytes, HaCaT cells). Interestingly, col-1a gene expression of dermal fibroblasts increased after 3 days of growth in the presence of the microfiber extraction media, indicating that the released VitC was able to stimulate collagen mRNA production overtime. Antioxidant activity was analyzed on HaCaT cells via DCFH-DA assay, highlighting a fluorescence intensity decrease proportional to the amount of loaded VitC (down to 50 and 30%), confirming the protective effect of the matrices against oxidative stress. Finally, the most performing samples were selected for the in vivo test on a skin UVB-burn mouse model, where our constructs demonstrated to significantly reduce the inflammatory cytokines expression in the injured area (50% lower than the control), thus constituting a promising, environmentally sustainable alternative to skin patches.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Male; Mice; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Biocompatible Materials; Burns; Cell Line; Hydrogels; Keratinocytes; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Wound Healing; Zein; Zea mays
PubMed: 37493659
DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00214 -
Food Chemistry Sep 2023The main by-product from olive oil extraction (alperujo) was extracted with hot water, citric acid, natural deep eutectic solvent (choline chloride: citric acid), and...
The main by-product from olive oil extraction (alperujo) was extracted with hot water, citric acid, natural deep eutectic solvent (choline chloride: citric acid), and only choline chloride. The purified extracts were composed of macromolecular complexes constituting polyphenols associated with pectin. The extracts were structurally characterized by FT-IR and solid-NMR spectroscopy and an in vitro test revealed distinct antioxidant and antiproliferative activity, depending on the extracting agents. The choline chloride-extracted complex contained the highest amount of polyphenols among the examined agents, which exhibited a strong antioxidant activity and significant antiproliferative capacity. However, the complex extracted by hot water showed the highest antiproliferative capacity in vitro against the colon carcinoma Caco-2 cell line. In this finding, choline chloride could be used as a novel, green and promising alternative to the conventional extracting agent for the production of complexes that combine the antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds and the physiological effects of pectic polysaccharides.
Topics: Humans; Polyphenols; Pectins; Plant Extracts; Choline; Olea; Antioxidants; Caco-2 Cells; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Solvents; Water; Citric Acid
PubMed: 37030208
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.136073