Development of a Topical Insulin Polymeric Nanoformulation for Skin Burn Regeneration: An Experimental Approach

Insulin is a peptide hormone with many physiological functions, besides its use in diabetes treatment. An important role of insulin is related to the wound healing process—however, insulin itself is too sensitive to the external environment requiring the protective of a nanocarrier. Polymer-based nanoparticles can protect, deliver, and retain the protein in the target area. This study aims to produce and characterize a topical treatment for wound healing consisting of insulin-loaded poly-DL-lactide/glycolide (PLGA) nanoparticles. Insulin-loaded nanoparticles present a mean size of approximately 500 nm and neutral surface charge. Spherical shaped nanoparticles are observed by scanning electron microscopy and confirmed by atomic force microscopy. SDS-PAGE and circular dichroism analysis demonstrated that insulin preserved its integrity and secondary structure after the encapsulation process. In vitro release studies suggested a controlled release profile. Safety of the formulation was confirmed using cell lines, and cell viability was concentration and time-dependent. Preliminary safety in vivo assays also revealed promising results.     

Development and characterisation of microporous biomimetic scaffolds loaded with magnetic nanoparticles as bone repairing material

Fine-tuning of the scaffolds structural features for bone tissue engineering can be an efficient approach to regulate the specific response of the osteoblasts. Here, we loaded magnetic nanoparticles aka superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) into 3D composite scaffolds based on biological macromolecules (chitosan, collagen, hyaluronic acid) and calcium phosphates for potential applications in bone regeneration, using a biomimetic approach. We assessed the effects of organic (chitosan/collagen/hyaluronic acid) and inorganic (calcium phosphates, SPIONs) phase over the final features of the magnetic scaffolds (MS). Mechanical properties, magnetic susceptibility and biological fluids retention are strongly dependent on the final composition of MS and within the recommended range for application in bone regeneration. The MS architecture/pore size can be made bespoken through changes of the final organic/inorganic ratio. The scaffolds undertake mild degradation as the presence of inorganic components hinders the enzyme catalytic activity. In vitro studies indicated that osteoblasts (SaOS-2) on MS9 had similar cell behaviour activity in comparison with the TCP control. In vivo data showed an evident development of integration and resorption of the MS composites with low inflammation activity. Current findings suggest that the combination of SPIONs into 3D composite scaffolds can be a promising toolkit for bone regeneration.     

Fabrication of ceramic particles from preceramic polymers using stop flow lithography

Stop flow lithography (SFL) combines aspects of microfluidic and photolithography to continuously fabricate particles with uniform planar shapes as dictated by a mask. In this work we aim to expand the palette of materials suitable for SFL processing by investigating the use of UV-crosslinkable preceramic polymers to make ceramic particles. A commercially available methacrylated-polysiloxane was used as the preceramic polymer and was mixed with 2.5 wt% Irgacure 651 photoinitiator. A simple SFL system was assembled to continuously fabricate UV-crosslinked preceramic polymer particles in the shape of hexagons, triangles, and gears with diameters ranging from 100 to 200 μm and thicknesses of 74 μm +/- 4 μm. Particles were harvested from the excess preceramic solution, cleaned and then pyrolyzed at 1000 °C to transform them into silicon oxycarbide ceramic particles. Particle shape was maintained during pyrolysis despite a ～80 % linear shrinkage due to the removal of acryl and methyl side groups, as confirmed via FTIR. After pyrolysis the outer diameters of the SiOC particles ranged from 20 to 40 μm with thicknesses of 10 μm–12 μm. Pyrolyzed particles were successfully recovered and dispersed in water. This work demonstrates a robust path for the fabrication of ceramic particles with specific shapes from preceramic polymers via SFL.     

FNDC5/Irisin System in Neuroinflammation and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Update and Novel Perspective

Irisin, the circulating peptide originating from fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), is mainly expressed by muscle fibers under peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) control during exercise. In addition to several beneficial effects on health, physical activity positively affects nervous system functioning, particularly the hippocampus, resulting in amelioration of cognition impairments. Recently, FNDC5/irisin detection in hippocampal neurons and the presence of irisin in the cerebrospinal fluid opened a new intriguing chapter in irisin history. Interestingly, in the hippocampus of mice, exercise increases FNDC5 levels and upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. BDNF, displaying neuroprotection and anti-inflammatory effects, is mainly produced by microglia and astrocytes. In this review, we discuss how these glial cells can morphologically and functionally switch during neuroinflammation by modulating the expression of a plethora of neuroprotective or neurotoxic factors. We also focus on studies investigating the irisin role in neurodegenerative diseases (ND). The emerging involvement of irisin as a mediator of the multiple positive effects of exercise on the brain needs further studies to better deepen this issue and the potential use in therapeutic approaches for neuroinflammation and ND.     

Digestive protection of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus in Ricotta cheese by monoglyceride structured emulsions

This research aimed at studying the potential use of monoglyceride (MG) structured emulsions (MSEs) as delivery and protective systems for probiotic bacteria in Ricotta cheese. To this purpose, a low-fat commercial Ricotta cheese was added with MSEs formulated with milk, as water phase, and sunflower oil (MSE-SO) or anhydrous milk fat (MSE-AMF), as lipid phase. A commercial whole milk Ricotta cheese (W-RC) was considered as reference. A probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus strain was inoculated as free cells in W-RC or embedded into the MSEs and added to the low-fat Ricotta at the same reference fat content. After physico-chemical characterisation, L. rhamnosus viability and sample destructuring behaviour upon in vitro digestion were evaluated. At the end of in vitro digestion, both W-RC and sample containing MSE-SO were unable to protect cells. By contrast, sample with AMF ensured a sufficient probiotic viability, even after 14 days of storage at 4 °C. This result was attributed to system composition and structure. During the gastric phase, the presence of caseins and MG-AMF mixed structures induced the formation of clots, entrapping and protecting cells against the acidic pH of the stomach, as confirmed by confocal micrographs and particle size. During the intestinal phase, cell viability was guaranteed by the formation of mixed micelles promoted by MG. It was demonstrated that microbial cells located near MG structures where they found protection.     

Tamquam alter idem: formal similarities in a subset of reports on anti-inflammatory compounds in the years 2008–2019

Scientometrics - A literature search on the in vitro testing of anti-inflammatory compounds of natural origin revealed a considerable number of studies adopting a similar template for data...     

Acceptive Immunity: The Role of Fucosylated Glycans in Human Host–Microbiome Interactions

The growth in the number of chronic non-communicable diseases in the second half of the past century and in the first two decades of the new century is largely due to the disruption of the relationship between the human body and its symbiotic microbiota, and not pathogens. The interaction of the human immune system with symbionts is not accompanied by inflammation, but is a physiological norm. This is achieved via microbiota control by the immune system through a complex balance of pro-inflammatory and suppressive responses, and only a disturbance of this balance can trigger pathophysiological mechanisms. This review discusses the establishment of homeostatic relationships during immune system development and intestinal bacterial colonization through the interaction of milk glycans, mucins, and secretory immunoglobulins. In particular, the role of fucose and fucosylated glycans in the mechanism of interactions between host epithelial and immune cells is discussed.     

Predetermination of potential plastic hinges on reinforced concrete frames using GFRP reinforcement

In the past, glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP)-reinforcement has been successfully applied in reinforced concrete (RC) structures where corrosion resistance, electromagnetic neutrality, or cuttability were required. Previous investigations suggest that the application of GFRP in RC structures could be advantageous in areas with seismic activity due to their high deformability and strength. However, especially the low modulus of elasticity of GFRP limited its wide application as GFRP-reinforced members usually exhibit considerably larger deformations under service loads than comparable steel-reinforced elements. To overcome the aforementioned issues, the combination of steel and GFRP reinforcement in hybrid RC sections has been investigated in the past. Based on this idea, this paper presents a novel concept for the predetermination of potential plastic hinges in RC frames using GFRP reinforcement. To analyze the efficiency of the concept, nonlinear finite element simulations were performed. The results underscore the high efficiency of hybrid steel-GFRP RC sections for predetermining potential plastic hinges on RC frames. The results also indicate that the overall seismic behavior of RC structures could be improved by means of GFRP as both the column base shear force during the seismic activity as well as the plastic deformations after the earthquake were considerably less pronounced than in the steel-reinforced reference structure.     

The effects of washing a collagen sample prior to TEM examination

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an important analysis technique to visualize (bio)macromolecules and their assemblies, including collagen fibers. Many protocols for TEM sample preparation of collagen involve one or more washing steps to remove excess salts from the dispersion that could hamper analysis when dried on a TEM grid. Such protocols are not standardized and washing times as well as washing solvents vary from procedure to procedure, with each research group typically having their own protocol. Here, we investigate the influence of washing with water, ethanol, but also methanol and 2-propanol, for both mineralized and unmineralized collagen samples via a protocol based on centrifugation. Washing with water maintains the hydrated collagen structure and the characteristic banding pattern can be clearly observed. Conversely, washing with ethanol results in dehydration of the fibrils, often leading to aggregation of the fibers and a less obvious banding pattern, already within 1 min of ethanol exposure. As we show, this process is fully reversible. Similar observations were made for methanol and propanol. Based on these results, a standardized washing protocol for collagenous samples is proposed.