Hyaluronic Acid-Functionalized Highly Porous Polymeric Materials for Stem Cell Culture.

We describe the synthesis of a functional macroporous polymer material and its potential use as a scaffold to support the 3D culture of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-based emulsion-templated porous polymers (known as polyHIPEs) were prepared by photopolymerization and subsequently surface functionalized with hyaluronic acid (HA) using Huisgen azide-alkyne cycloaddition click reaction, inferring a high degree of functionalization based on the near-quantitative nature of the reactions. Quantitative azidation of GMA-based polyHIPEs is achieved by the ring opening reaction of epoxide rings with sodium azide.

Recent Advances in Carbon-Based Sensors for Food and Medical Packaging Under Transit: A Focus on Humidity, Temperature, Mechanical, and Multifunctional Sensing Technologies-A Systematic Review.

All carbon-based sensors play a critical role in ensuring the sustainability of smart packaging while enabling real-time monitoring of parameters such as humidity, temperature, pressure, and strain during transit. This systematic review covers the literature between 2013 and 16 November 2024 in the Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and Wiley databases, focusing on carbon-based sensor materials, structural design, and fabrication technologies that contribute to maximizing the sensor performance and scalability with particular emphasis on food and pharmaceutical product packaging applications. After being subjected to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 164 studies were included in this review.

Photo-Cross-linked Gelatin Methacryloyl Hydrogels Enable the Growth of Primary Human Endometrial Stromal Cells and Epithelial Gland Organoids.

three-dimensional (3D) models are better able to replicate the complexity of real organs and tissues than 2D monolayer models. The human endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus, undergoes complex changes during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. These changes occur in response to steroid hormone fluctuations and elicit crosstalk between the epithelial and stromal cell compartments, and dysregulations are associated with a variety of pregnancy disorders.

Polymerization of Myrcene in Both Conventional and Renewable Solvents: Postpolymerization Modification via Regioselective Photoinduced Thiol-Ene Chemistry for Use as Carbon Renewable Dispersants.

Polymeric dispersants are useful materials used in many different industries and often derived from oil-based chemicals, for example, in automotive fluids so as to prevent particulates from precipitation and causing potential damage. These are very often polyisobutene derivatives, and there is a growing need to replace these using chemicals using renewable resources such as the use of naturally occurring myrcene. Polymyrcene (PMy), with an ordered microstructure, has been successfully synthesized via both anionic and radical polymerization in different solvents and subsequently subjected to functionalization via photoinduced thiol-ene click reactions with a number of thiols, methyl thioglycolate, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, 3-mercapto-1-hexanol, 2-mercaptoethanol, and 1-thioglycerol, using 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone as a photoinitiator under UV irradiation (λ = 365 nm) at ambient temperature.

Pentacam changes in primary angle-closure glaucoma after different lines of treatment.

Aim: To assess the changes in the anterior chamber parameters using Pentacam following four different lines of treatment of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG).

Methods: A retrospective comparative study included 126 patients (126 eye) presented within 24-48h after acute angle-closure glaucoma (AACG). Patients were divided into 2 groups: group A (68 eyes) with controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) ≤21 mm Hg, which included subgroup A1 (34 eyes) with clear lens underwent Nd:YAG laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) and subgroup A2 (34 eyes) with cataract underwent standard phacoemulsification; and group B (58 eyes) with uncontrolled IOP, which included subgroup B1 (30 eyes) with clear lens underwent trabeculectomy and subgroup B2 (28 eyes) with cataract underwent combined phacoemulsification and trabeculectomy.

Polydimethylsiloxane-Based Giant Glycosylated Polymersomes with Tunable Bacterial Affinity.

A synthetic cell mimic in the form of giant glycosylated polymersomes (GGPs) comprised of a novel amphiphilic diblock copolymer is reported. A synthetic approach involving a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) macro-chain transfer agent (macroCTA) and postpolymerization modification was used to marry the hydrophobic and highly flexible properties of PDMS with the biological activity of glycopolymers. 2-Bromoethyl acrylate (BEA) was first polymerized using a PDMS macroCTA ( M ≈ 4900 g·mol, Đ = 1.

Covalent Attachment of Fibronectin onto Emulsion-Templated Porous Polymer Scaffolds Enhances Human Endometrial Stromal Cell Adhesion, Infiltration, and Function.

A novel strategy for the surface functionalization of emulsion-templated highly porous (polyHIPE) materials as well as its application to in vitro 3D cell culture is presented. A heterobifunctional linker that consists of an amine-reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide ester and a photoactivatable nitrophenyl azide, N-sulfosuccinimidyl-6-(4'-azido-2'-nitrophenylamino)hexanoate (sulfo-SANPAH), is utilized to functionalize polyHIPE surfaces. The ability to conjugate a range of compounds (6-aminofluorescein, heptafluorobutylamine, poly(ethylene glycol) bis-amine, and fibronectin) to the polyHIPE surface is demonstrated using fluorescence imaging, FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Enhanced Differentiation Potential of Primary Human Endometrial Cells Cultured on 3D Scaffolds.

Novel approaches for culturing primary human cells in vitro are increasingly needed to study cell and tissue physiology and to grow replacement tissue for regenerative medicine. Conventional 2D monolayer cultures of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells fail to replicate the complex 3D architecture of tissue. A fully synthetic scaffold that mimics the microenvironment of the human endometrium can ultimately provide a robust platform for investigating tissue physiology and, hence, take significant steps toward tackling female infertility and IVF failure.

Imaging Proton Transport in Giant Vesicles through Cyclic Peptide-Polymer Conjugate Nanotube Transmembrane Ion Channels.

Since their discovery in 1993, interest in various aspects of cyclic peptides (CPs) has expanded rapidly. Of particular note is their potential to form artificial ion channels in lipid membranes, an attractive characteristic in supramolecular chemistry and biological research. The design and synthesis of cyclic peptide-polymer conjugates (CPPCs) that can self-assemble within lipid bilayers into nanotubes, mimicking naturally occurring membrane channels and pores, has been reported.

Giant Polymersome Protocells Dock with Virus Particle Mimics via Multivalent Glycan-Lectin Interactions.

Despite the low complexity of their components, several simple physical systems, including microspheres, coacervate droplets and phospholipid membrane structures (liposomes), have been suggested as protocell models. These, however, lack key cellular characteristics, such as the ability to replicate or to dock with extracellular species. Here, we report a simple method for the de novo creation of synthetic cell mimics in the form of giant polymeric vesicles (polymersomes), which are capable of behavior approaching that of living cells.

Glycosylated Nanoparticles as Efficient Antimicrobial Delivery Agents.

Synthetic polymer nanoparticles that can be tailored through multivalent ligand display on the surface, while at the same time allowing encapsulation of desired bioactive molecules, are especially useful in providing a versatile and robust platform in the design of specific delivery vehicles for various purposes. Glycosylated nanoparticles (glyco-NPs) of a poly(n-butyl acrylate) (pBA) core and poly(N-2-(β-d-glucosyloxy)ethyl acrylamide) (p(NβGlcEAM)) or poly(N-2-(β-D-galactosyloxy)ethyl acrylamide) (p(NβGalEAM)) corona were prepared via nanoprecipitation in aqueous solutions of preformed amphiphilic glycopolymers. Well-defined block copolymers of (poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) (pPFPA) and pBA were first prepared by RAFT polymerization followed by postpolymerization functionalization with aminoethyl glycosides to yield p(NβGlcEAM-b-BA) and p(NβGalEAM-b-BA), which were then used to form glyco-NPs (glucosylated and galactosylated NPs, Glc-NPs and Gal-NPs, respectively).

Noncovalent PEGylation via Lectin-Glycopolymer Interactions.

PEGylation, the covalent modification of proteins with polyethylene glycol, is an abundantly used technique to improve the pharmacokinetics of therapeutic proteins. The drawback with this methodology is that the covalently attached PEG can impede the biological activity (e.g.

Galactose-functionalized polyHIPE scaffolds for use in routine three dimensional culture of mammalian hepatocytes.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is regarded as a more physiologically relevant method of growing cells in the laboratory compared to traditional monolayer cultures. Recently, the application of polystyrene-based scaffolds produced using polyHIPE technology (porous polymers derived from high internal phase emulsions) for routine 3D cell culture applications has generated very promising results in terms of improved replication of native cellular function in the laboratory. These materials, which are now available as commercial scaffolds, are superior to many other 3D cell substrates due to their high porosity, controllable morphology, and suitable mechanical strength.

A versatile method for functionalization and grafting of 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) via Click chemistry.

This article describes a versatile method for the modification of 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) involving azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction to impart neutral (ester) and ionic (carboxylic acid and 1(ry) amine) functionalities. The synthetic approach involved, first the introduction of the azide functionality to HEC and then followed by its cycloaddition reaction with several alkyne terminated compounds: namely ethyl propiolate, 5-hexynoic acid and propargyl amine. Sequential Click reactions were also demonstrated to be feasible by the successful synthesis of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) grafted HEC containing neutral (ester) and ionic (carboxylic acid and 1(ry) amine) functionalities.