Plasma surface modification of polylactic acid to promote interaction with fibroblasts

In this work, medium pressure plasma treatment of polylactic acid (PLA) is investigated. PLA is a biocompatible aliphatic polymer, which can be used for bone fixation devices and tissue engineering scaffolds. Due to inadequate surface properties, cell adhesion and proliferation are far less than optimal and a surface modification is required for most biomedical applications. By using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operating at medium pressure in different atmospheres, the surface properties of a PLA foil are modified. After plasma treatment, water contact angle measurements showed an increased hydrophilic character of the foil surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed an increased oxygen content. Cell culture tests showed that plasma modification of PLA films increased the initial cell attachment both quantitatively and qualitatively. After 1 day, cells on plasma-treated PLA showed a superior cell morphology in comparison with unmodified PLA samples. However, after 7 days of culture, no significant differences were observed between untreated and plasma-modified PLA samples. While plasma treatment improves the initial cell attachment, it does not seem to influence cell proliferation. It has also been observed that the difference between the 3 discharge gases is negligible when looking at the improved cell-material interactions. From economical point of view, plasma treatments in air are thus the best choice.     

Chemistry and biological activity of platinum amidine complexes

Platinum amidine complexes represent a new class of potential antitumor drugs that contain the imino moiety HN=C(sp(2)) bonded to the platinum center. They can be related to the iminoether derivatives, which were recently shown to be the first Pt(II) compounds with a trans configuration endowed with anticancer activity. The chemical and biological properties of platinum amidine complexes, and more generally of platinum imino derivatives, can be rationally modified through suitable synthetic procedures with the aim of improving their cytotoxicity and antitumor activity. The addition of protic nucleophiles to nitriles coordinated to platinum in various oxidation states can offer a wide variety of complexes with chemical, structural, and physical properties specifically tuned for a more efficacious biological response.     

Thermal oxidation of model molecules to reveal vegetable oil polymerization studied by NMR spectroscopy and self-diffusion

Oxidative polymerization of plant oils and lipids is poorly understood yet widely encountered. Oils and fats are renewable resources providing biofuels and polymers. Oil oxidation is accelerated at high temperatures, typically above 110°C, where triacylglycerides are converted into toxic compounds and viscous deleterious polymers. Polymerization of mono-unsaturated oil (210°C, 3 h, open to air) was investigated by comparing four similar sized molecules with different functional groups: oleic acid, methyl oleate, trans-7-tetradecene, and stearic acid. Non-volatile products identified by NMR spectroscopy are minor ketones for saturated fatty acid (stearic acid), epoxides for acyl chains without acid groups (methyl oleate, tetradecane) and copious oligomerization, through ester cross-links, for acyl chains with acid, and olefinic groups (oleic acid). Long range C H coupling clearly shows ester (not ether) cross-links, contradicting long-held beliefs. Chain fragmentation also occurs for heated oleic acid as revealed by formation of a species with a methylene group bonded to oxygen of an ester,  CH₂ O C(O) . Large size (slow diffusion) of the first oligomer (trimer) formed from oleic acid, used to represent hydrolyzed vegetable oil, was evidenced by DOSY (diffusion-ordered spectroscopy). Combined NMR results show oligomers found in heated oleic acid are fatty acid estolides. Model oil reactions demonstrate why olefin and carboxylic acid groups are required for polymerization.