Effect of polyphenols on oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in neuronal death and brain edema in cerebral ischemia

Polyphenols are natural substances with variable phenolic structures and are elevated in vegetables, fruits, grains, bark, roots, tea, and wine. There are over 8000 polyphenolic structures identified in plants, but edible plants contain only several hundred polyphenolic structures. In addition to their well-known antioxidant effects, select polyphenols also have insulin-potentiating, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-viral, anti-ulcer, and anti-apoptotic properties. One important consequence of ischemia is neuronal death and oxidative stress plays a key role in neuronal viability. In addition, neuronal death may be initiated by the activation of mitochondria-associated cell death pathways. Another consequence of ischemia that is possibly mediated by oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction is glial swelling, a component of cytotoxic brain edema. The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on the contribution of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction to neuronal death, cell swelling, and brain edema in ischemia. A review of currently known mechanisms underlying neuronal death and edema/cell swelling will be undertaken and the potential of dietary polyphenols to reduce such neural damage will be critically reviewed.     

苯并咪唑连接聚合物吸附剂和膜研究进展

强的链内、链间作用力和丰富的官能团赋予苯并咪唑连接聚合物优异的化学稳定性、热稳定性、高孔隙率、高比表面积、介电性以及良好的力学性能,因此被用作高效分离材料。本文讨论了苯并咪唑连接聚合物的种类及性能,综述了其在吸附剂和膜分离领域的应用,总结了研究现状,并对未来发展进行了展望。     

Self-Assembling Peptide-Based Functional Biomaterials

Peptides can self-assemble into various hierarchical nanostructures through noncovalent interactions and form functional materials exhibiting excellent chemical and physical properties, which have broad applications in bio-/nanotechnology. The self-assembly mechanism, self-assembly morphology of peptide supramolecular architecture and their various applications, have been widely explored which have the merit of biocompatibility, easy preparation, and controllable functionality. Herein, we introduce the latest research progress of self-assembling peptide-based nanomaterials and review their applications in biomedicine and optoelectronics, including tissue engineering, anticancer therapy, biomimetic catalysis, energy harvesting. We believe that this review will inspire the rational design and development of novel peptide-based functional bio-inspired materials in the future.     

Polyphenols and Sunburn

Polyphenols are antioxidant molecules found in many foods such as green tea, chocolate, grape seeds, and wine. Polyphenols have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antineoplastic properties. Growing evidence suggests that polyphenols may be used for the prevention of sunburns as polyphenols decrease the damaging effects of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation on the skin. This review was conducted to examine the evidence for use of topically and orally ingested polyphenols in prevention of sunburns. The PubMed database was searched for studies that examined polyphenols and its effects on sunburns. Of the 27 studies found, 15 met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies were conducted on human subjects and eight on animals (mice and rats). Eleven studies evaluated the effects of topical polyphenols, two studies examined ingested polyphenols, and two studies examined both topical and ingested polyphenols. Polyphenol sources included the following plant origins: green tea, white tea, cocoa, Romanian propolis (RP), Calluna vulgaris (Cv), grape seeds, honeybush, and Lepidium meyenii (maca). Eight studies examined green tea. Overall, based on the studies, there is evidence that polyphenols in both oral and topical form may provide protection from UV damage and sunburn, and thus are beneficial to skin health. However, current studies are limited and further research is necessary to evaluate the efficacy, mechanism of action, and potential side effects of various forms and concentrations of polyphenols.     

Plant Polyphenols as Chemopreventive Agents for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer may be prevented by a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as they are enriched with dietary antioxidant polyphenols, such as flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, lignans, stilbenes, and phenolic acids. Dietary polyphenols exert a wide range of beneficial biological functions beyond their antioxidative properties and are involved in regulation of cell survival pathways leading to anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic functions. There are sufficient evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological studies to suggest that the dietary intervention of polyphenols in cancer prevention, including the chemopreventive ability of dietary polyphenols, act against lung carcinogens. Cohort and epidemiological studies in selected risk populations have evaluated clinical effects of polyphenols. Polyphenols have demonstrated three major actions: antioxidative activity, regulation of phase I and II enzymes, and regulation of cell survival pathways against lung carcinogenesis. They have also shown an inverse association of lung cancer occurrences among high risk populations who consumed considerable amounts of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet. In in vitro cell culture experimental models, polyphenols bind with electrophilic metabolites from carcinogens, inactivate cellular oxygen radicals, prevent membrane lipid peroxidation and DNA oxidative damage, and adduct formation. Further, polyphenols enhance the detoxifying enzymes such as the phase II enzymes, glutathione transferases and glucuronosyl transferases.     

抗菌聚氨酯材料的研究进展

聚氨酯材料以其优异的性能在生物医用领域获得了广泛的应用,但实际应用中对其表面抗菌性能的要求越来越高,为此,诸多学者致力于研究和开发具有优异性能的抗菌聚氨酯材料。本文总结了近年来国内外学者在抗菌聚氨酯材料方面的研究情况,举例介绍了物理改性、化学改性和复合改性等在聚氨酯中引入抗菌剂的方法,重点阐述了无机抗菌剂、有机合成抗菌剂和天然抗菌剂的抗菌机理,对各类抗菌剂在聚氨酯抗菌改性方面的应用进行了梳理,并对抗菌聚氨酯材料的研究方向和关注热点提出了展望。     

Selective filtration of dye by tannic acid-molybdenum disulfide composite nanofiltration membrane

Dye-selective nanofiltration membranes have great potential for chemical dye separation and purification as well as dye wastewater treatment. Two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) with excellent physical and chemical properties are ideal nanofiltration membrane materials. MoS₂ with few layers is used in combination with polyphenols to prepare highly selective filtration nanofiltration membranes for cationic dyes. The tannic acid (TA)-MoS₂ composite material is constructed on the surface of a micro-porous Mixed Cellulose Ester membrane by a vacuum filtration method, and the nanofiltration membrane exhibits good flexibility and excellent film-forming properties. The maximum filtration efficiency of TAMoS₂ nanocomposite film for R6G can reach 80%, while for EY and MO, it is only 9.6% and 6.1% respectively. Filtration studies on mixtures of two different types of dyes show that the composite nanofiltration membrane has excellent separation performance. The separation characteristics and mechanism of the composite nanofilm on dyes are carefully studied, showing good selectivity for cationic dyes, which can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of non-covalent interactions and steric hindrance. This work paves the way for the use of eco-friendly membranes for water and wastewater treatment and provides an environmentally friendly solution for various applications.     

生物医用硅橡胶表面抗菌性能改造研究进展

硅橡胶材料由于其优越的力学性能及良好的生物相容性,广泛应用于生物医学领域。但使用过程中易引发细菌感染,严重阻碍其临床应用,因此硅橡胶材料的抗菌性能改造成为国内外专家的研究热点。本文综述了近些年关于硅橡胶表面抗菌性能改造的研究成果,介绍了硅橡胶表面的亲水性改造以及不同种类的杀菌剂涂层对材料表面的改性可以有效地提升其抗菌性能。最后对硅橡胶表面抗菌性能改造研究进行展望,指出将亲水化合物与杀菌剂相结合制备出具有抗粘附及杀菌效果的双功能抗菌涂层对硅橡胶表面抗菌性能改造将成为下一步研究重点,同时采用天然可再生资源为原料开发抗菌涂层也将成为重要的研究方向之一。     

A Comprehensive Review on the Interaction of Milk Protein Concentrates with Plant-Based Polyphenolics

Functional properties and biological activities of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds have gained great interest due to their epidemiologically proven health benefits and diverse industrial applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, the food processing conditions and certain chemical reactions such as pigmentation, acylation, hydroxylation, and glycosylation can also cause alteration in the stability, antioxidant activity, and structural characteristics of the polyphenolic compounds. Since the (poly)phenols are highly reactive, to overcome these problems, the formulation of a complex of polyphenolic compounds with natural biopolymers is an effective approach. Besides, to increase the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of polyphenolic compounds, milk proteins such as whey protein concentrate, sodium caseinate, and milk protein concentrate act as natural vehicles, due to their specific structural and functional properties with high nutritional value. Therefore, milk proteins are suitable for the delivery of polyphenols to parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, this review reports on types of (poly)phenols, methods for the analysis of binding interactions between (poly)phenols–milk proteins, and structural changes that occur during the interaction.     

Modulatory Effects of Polyphenols on Apoptosis Induction: Relevance for Cancer Prevention

Polyphenols, occurring in fruit and vegetables, wine, tea, extra virgin olive oil, chocolate and other cocoa products, have been demonstrated to have clear antioxidant properties in vitro, and many of their biological actions have been attributed to their intrinsic reducing capabilities. However, it has become clear that, in complex biological systems, polyphenols exhibit several additional properties which are yet poorly understood. Apoptosis is a genetically controlled and evolutionarily conserved form of cell death of critical importance for the normal embryonic development and for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in the adult organism. The malfunction of the death machinery may play a primary role in various pathological processes, since too little or too much apoptosis can lead to proliferative or degenerative diseases, respectively. Cancer cells are characterized by a deregulated proliferation, and/or an inability to undergo programmed cell death. A large body of evidence indicates that polyphenols can exert chemopreventive effects towards different organ specific cancers, affecting the overall process of carcinogenesis by several mechanisms: inhibition of DNA synthesis, modulation of ROS production, regulation of cell cycle arrest, modulation of survival/proliferation pathways. In addition, polyphenols can directly influence different points of the apoptotic process, and/or the expression of regulatory proteins. Although the bulk of data has been obtained in in vitro systems, a number of clinical studies suggesting a preventive and therapeutic effectiveness of polyphenols in vivo is available. However, a deeper knowledge of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the modulation of apoptosis by polyphenols, and their real effectiveness, is necessary in order to propose them as potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic candidates for cancer treatment.     

Cellular Defensive Mechanisms of Tea Polyphenols: Structure-Activity Relationship

Tea is particularly rich in polyphenols, including catechins and theaflavins, thearubigins, flavonols, and phenolic acids, which are believed to contribute to the health benefits of tea. The health-promoting effects of tea polyphenols are believed to be related to their cellular defensive properties. This review is intended to briefly summarize the relationship between the chemical structures of tea polyphenols and their biological activities. Tea polyphenols appear as direct antioxidants by scavenging reactive oxygen/nitrogen species; chelating transition metals; and inhibiting lipid, protein, and DNA oxidations. They also act directly by suppressing “pro-oxidant” enzymes, inducing endogenous antioxidants, and cooperating with vitamins. Moreover, tea polyphenols regulate cellular signaling transduction pathways, importantly contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases and the promotion of physiological functions. Apparently, the features in the chemical structures of tea polyphenols are closely associated with their antioxidant potentials.     

陕北红枣多酚抗氧化性研究与比较

通过体外抗氧化体系比较陕北不同产地红枣多酚的抗氧化活性。测定了红枣多酚清除羟基自由基的能力、清除超氧阴离子的能力、清除DPPH·自由基的能力、清除H202的能力。结果表明,来自陕北不同产地的红枣多酚在不同的抗氧化体系中都具有一定的抗氧化活性,但对于不同的自由基具有不同的清除效果。陕北红枣多酚都具有较好的抗氧化性,是良好的天然抗氧化剂。     

原子转移自由基聚合法接枝改性纳米纤维素及其功能化应用

纳米纤维素不仅具有天然纤维素的基本结构和特性,还具有纳米粒子的独特性能,使其成为众多领域的研究热点。然而,由于纳米纤维素表面存在丰富的羟基,导致表面化学性质单一,需要对其进行化学改性拓宽应用领域。原子转移自由基聚合法(ATRP)能够对纳米纤维素表面进行接枝改性,从而赋予纳米纤维素多样化的功能特性,是纳米纤维素高值化应用的重要方法。本文首先总结了传统ATRP法以及四种新型ATRP法在纳米纤维素表面接枝改性中的应用进展;随后介绍了ATRP法在纳米纤维素端基接枝改性中的应用进展;然后分别介绍了ATRP改性的纳米纤维素接枝共聚物在纳米复合增强、智能响应、环保和生物医疗等领域的应用研究;最后总结了ATRP法改性纳米纤维素存在的难点,并展望了未来ATRP法在纳米纤维素接枝改性领域的发展趋势。     

End-functionalized polymers: Versatile building blocks for soft materials

We present a concise review of telechelic polymers of various architectures, focusing on the structure, solute solvent interactions, aggregation processes, equilibrium and dynamical properties and applications. Telechelics are macromolecules with functionalized, mutually attractive end-groups, which assume a variety of conformations that depend on solvent quality, salinity and pH of the solvent, as well as on the particular macromolecular architecture. In concentrated solutions, telechelic polymers offer unique possibilities to create novel materials with distinct rheological properties. Depending on chemistry and architecture, they can create percolating clusters and transient gels or they can show macroscopic phase separation into a dilute and a structured dense phase. The possibility to externally steer the morphology of these structures and the concomitant physical properties of the materials renders telechelic polymers into important and versatile building blocks for modern materials science.     

天然杜仲胶的改性及应用研究进展

杜仲胶（EUG）主要由反式聚异戊二烯组成,是一种具有良好生物相容性、橡塑二重性和优异力学性能的天然高分子材料。近年来,EUG在新型生物基材料领域备受瞩目。EUG在室温下结晶度高,表现为刚性塑料状态,极大程度限制了其在功能材料领域的应用。因此,将EUG进行物理或化学改性,进而拓宽其应用范围已成为近年来的研究热点。本文详细介绍了EUG分子链结构特点,随后从物理改性和化学改性两个方面系统论述了EUG常见的改性方法及机理,如通过与其它材料共混或环氧化改性、硫化改性等改变EUG的硬度及弹性。对EUG在绿色轮胎与公路建设、形状记忆与自修复材料、减震与吸声材料、医用材料、生物降解复合材料等新型功能材料领域的最新研究进展进行了综述,并在此基础上展望了EUG在生物基高性能材料领域的发展前景。     

Recent trends in bone defect repair and bone tissue regeneration of the two-dimensional material MXene

Bone defects have attracted much attention for a long time and seriously affect the function of the motor system. At present, the application of biological materials and biological scaffolds implanted in the defect site to promote the healing of bone defects is the main treatment method for bone defect repair. In recent years, the emergence of two-dimensional materials has brought new opportunities for biological materials. As a two-dimensional nanomaterial based on ceramics, MXene has unique physical and chemical properties, such as electrical conductivity, hydrophilicity, and antibacterial and photothermal effects, which make it a very broad application prospect in bone defect biomaterials. This review will start from the pathophysiological changes of bone defects and intervention factors of bone defect repair, introduce in detail the preparation and modification methods, physical and chemical properties and biological characteristics of the two-dimensional material MXene, and review the application status and research progress of MXene in bone defect repair and bone tissue regeneration. This provides a reference for the further application of MXene in bone defect repair.     

Surface hydration: Principles and applications toward low-fouling/nonfouling biomaterials

Surface resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption, cell/bacterial adhesion, and biofilm formation is critical for the development and performance of biomedical and analytical devices. Significant needs and efforts have been made in the development of biocompatible and bioactive materials for antifouling surfaces, but much of the work retains an empirical flavor due to the complexity of experiments and the lack of robust theoretical models. In this review, two major classes of nonfouling materials (i.e. hydrophilic and zwitterionic materials) and associated basic nonfouling mechanisms and practical examples are discussed. Highly hydrated chemical groups with optimized physical properties of the surface, along with appropriate surface coating methods, are the keys to developing effective and stable nonfouling materials for long-term biomedical applications. The zwitterionic polymers are promising nonfouling biomaterials due to the simplicity of synthesis, ease of applicability, abundance of raw materials, and availability of functional groups.     

Cyclic Dipeptide: A Privileged Molecular Scaffold to Derive Structural Diversity and Functional Utility

Cyclic dipeptides (CDPs) are the simplest form of cyclic peptides with a wide range of applications from therapeutics to biomaterials. CDP is a versatile molecular platform endowed with unique properties such as conformational rigidity, intermolecular interactions, structural diversification through chemical synthesis, bioavailability and biocompatibility. A variety of natural products with the CDP core exhibit anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. The inherent bioactivities have inspired the development of synthetic analogues as drug candidates and drug delivery systems. CDP plays a crucial role as conformation and molecular assembly directing core in the design of molecular receptors, peptidomimetics and fabrication of functional material architectures. In recent years, CDP has rapidly become a privileged scaffold for the design of advanced drug candidates, drug delivery agents, bioimaging, and biomaterials to mitigate numerous disease conditions. This review describes the structural diversification and multifarious biomedical applications of the CDP scaffold, discusses challenges, and provides future directions for the emerging field.     

Surface Modification of Polyhydroxyalkanoates toward Enhancing Cell Compatibility and Antibacterial Activity

Biomaterials for in vivo application should induce positive interaction with various histocytes and inhibit bacteria inflection as well. Cells and/or bacteria response to the extracellular environment is therefore the basic principle to design the biomaterials surface in order to induce the specific biomaterial–biological interaction. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) are of growing interests because of their natural origin, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and thermoplasticity; however, quite inert and intrinsic hydrophobic characteristics have hindered their extensive usage in medical applications. Surface modification of PHAs tailors the chemistry, wettability, and topography without altering the bulk properties, and introduces specific proteins/peptides and/or antibacterial agents to mediate cell–matrix interactions. This review describes the recent developments on the surface modification of PHAs to construct cell compatible and antibacterial surfaces.