An injectable chitosan-based hydrogel reinforced by oxidized nanocrystalline cellulose and mineral trioxide aggregate designed for tooth engineering applications

The complex anatomy of teeth limits the accessibility and efficacy of regenerative treatments. Therefore, the application of well-known inducers as injectable hydrogels for the regeneration of the dentin-pulp complex is considered a promising approach. In this regard, this study aimed to develop an injectable hydrogel containing mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). The injectable chitosan/oxidized-nanocrystalline cellulose/MTA (CS/OCNC/MTA) hydrogels were prepared, and the physicochemical properties of these hydrogels were evaluated by TGA, FTIR, Rheological analysis, and SEM. Moreover, the effect of MTA on the swelling and degradability of scaffolds was assessed. The proliferative effects of synthesized hydrogels were also determined on human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) by MTT assay. For induction of differentiation and biomineralization in these cells, the alkaline phosphatase activity and Alizarin Red S staining tests were performed in the presence of fabricated scaffolds. The proliferation of hDPSCs was significantly increased in the presence of these hydrogels. Moreover, the addition of MTA to hydrogel structure dramatically improved the differentiation of hDPSCs. These results suggested that this novel injectable hydrogel provides appropriate physiochemical properties and can be considered a promising scaffold for regenerative endodontic procedures.

Graphical abstract

     

Green synthesis of banana flavor using different catalysts: a comparative study of different methods

ABSTRACT

Esterification of isoamyl alcohol with acetic acid was studied using different ion-exchange resins, namely Amberlyst 15 dry, Amberlyst 16 wet, Amberlite 120-IR. Esterification was carried out using different esterification methods that are quite new (ohmic, ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic bath) and the results were compared with microwave-assisted esterification (MAE). The highest isoamyl acetate yield (99%) was obtained by MAE, using a mixture of acetic acid and isoamyl alcohol (mole ratio of 1:2) after 2?h of reaction time. In this process, 2% Amberlyst 15 dry was used. MAE had the least specific energy consumption (0.42?kWh/g isoamyl acetate) and specific CO₂ emission (34?g/g isoamyl acetate). According to the images obtained by scanning electron microscopy, lower amounts of Amberlyst 15 dry beads were destroyed by MAE method compared to other esterification methods. In conclusion, MAE proved to be an economic and environmentally-friendly method for esterification of different flavoring compounds.     

Bioconversion of Poplar Wood Hemicellulose Prehydrolysate to Microbial Oil Using Cryptococcus curvatus

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Poplar wood hemicellulose prehydrolysate was used for microbial oil production using an oleaginous microorganism Cryptococcus curvatus. Initially, the...     

Microwave‐associate synthesis of Co3O4 nanoparticles as an effcient nanocatalyst for the synthesis of arylidene barbituric and Meldrum's acid derivatives in green media

In this study, Co₃O₄ nanocatalysts were constructed in environmentally appropriate conditions using controlled, effective, and facile microwave method. The final nanostructures were characterized by SEM, XRD, and TEM analyses. The products had a small size distribution, homogeneous morphology, and crystallographic structures associated with the formation of Co₃O₄ nanostructures. Moreover, EDS mapping analysis confirmed the existence of Co and O elements in the final structure, and the magnetic properties of the samples were investigated by VSM. The application of this nanostructure in a catalytic process was further examined, and the results suggested that it could be used as a novel candidate for the synthesis of arylidene barbituric and Meldrum^,s acid through Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes by barbituric and Meldrum^,s acid in aqueous media. The high yield of these nanocatalysts would be justified by the nature of the nanostructure as well as the experimental procedure developed in this study, which affected the physicochemical features of the products.     

Retracted: A new class of copper(I) complexes with imine-containing chelators which show potent anticancer activity

Seven novel complexes (C₁–C₇) were synthesized by the interaction between Cu(I) metal cation, L₁, L₂, L₃, X and PPh₃, where L₁–L₃ are derivatives of ((pyridine-2-ylmethylene)amino)phenol imine ligands and X = Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, NCS⁻. All the complexes were characterized using infrared, ¹H NMR and ³¹P NMR spectroscopies. The crystal structures of C₁–C₇ were also determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The organization of the crystal structures and the intermolecular interactions are discussed. The supramolecular assemblies are driven by cooperative π…π interactions and hydrogen bonds, followed by CH…π linkages. The potential anticancer effect of C₁–C₇ was assessed for human glioblastoma cells using several anticancer experiments, which showed that these complexes have marked anticancer property against U87 cells. It was also found that the minimum and maximum anticancer effects are shown by C₃- and C₄-treated samples, respectively. Furthermore, theoretical approaches were used to investigate the nature of metal–ligand interactions which suggest a closed-shell and electrostatic character for Cu…N, Cu…P and Cu…X bonds.     

Nanomagnetically modified vitamin B3 (Fe3O4@Niacin): An efficient and reusable green biocatalyst for microwave‐assisted rapid synthesis of 2‐amino‐3‐cyanopyridines in aqueous medium

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles of modified vitamin B₃ (Fe₃O₄@Niacin) represent a new, efficient and green biocatalyst for the one‐pot synthesis of 2‐amino‐3‐cyanopyridine derivatives via four‐component condensation reaction between aldehydes, ketones, malononitrile, and ammonium acetate under microwave irradiation in water. This new magnetic organocatalyst was easily isolated from the reaction mixture by magnetic decantation using an external magnet and reused at least six times without significant degradation in the activity. The catalyst was fully characterized by FT‐IR, XRD, SEM, VSM, UV–Vis, DLS and EDS. Excellent yield, very short reaction time (7–10 min), operational simplicity, easy work‐up procedure, avoidance of hazardous or toxic catalysts and organic solvents are the main advantages of this green methodology which makes it more economic than the other conventional methods.     

Dynamic and rheological properties of soft biological cell suspensions

Quantifying dynamic and rheological properties of suspensions of soft biological particles such as vesicles, capsules, and red blood cells (RBCs) is fundamentally important in computational biology and biomedical engineering. In this review, recent studies on dynamic and rheological behavior of soft biological cell suspensions by computer simulations are presented, considering both unbounded and confined shear flow. Furthermore, the hemodynamic and hemorheological characteristics of RBCs in diseases such as malaria and sickle cell anemia are highlighted.     

Synthesis, crystal structures and electrochemical properties of CoIII complexes with hexadentate ligand containing thioether-amidopyridyl donor set

Two new cobalt(III) complexes of the hexadentate ligand [1,4-bis[o-(pyridine-2-carboxamidophenyl)]-1,4-dithiobutane] (H₂bpctb) with N₄S₂ donor set atoms have been synthesized. A reaction of Co(CH₃COO)₂·4H₂O with (H₂bpctb) leads to the formation of [Co^III(bpctb)]PF₆ (1) having a CoN₂(pyridine)N′₂(amide)S₂(thioether) coordination by symmetric bpctb^2? ligand. A similar reaction under slightly different conditions, however, gives [Co^III(L ^a )(L ^b )] (2), resulting from a C–S bond cleavage reaction triggered by an acetate ion as a base, having CoN₂(pyridine)N′₂(amide)S(thioether)S′(thiolate) coordination. These two Co(III) complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses and spectroscopic methods, and the crystal and molecular structures of [Co^III(bpctb)]PF₆ (1) in the form of the solvate (1·MeOH·H₂O) and of [Co^III(L ^a )(L ^b )] (2) have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The Co atoms of both complexes exhibit distorted octahedral geometry. The electrochemical investigation of [Co(bpctb)]PF₆·MeOH·H₂O (1·MeOH·H₂O) and [Co^III(L ^a )(L ^b )] (2) by cyclic voltammetry reveals a reversible Co^III–Co^II redox process at E _1/2 = ?0.32 V (ΔE _p = 80 mV); for 1, and E _1/2 = ?0. 87 V (ΔE _p = 70 mV) for 2.     

One-Pot,Three-Component Coupling Reaction: Catalyst-Free Green Synthesis of Novel N-Heteroaryl α-Naphthylglycines

A series of novel N-heteroaryl α-arylglycines containing naphthol rings has been prepared by one-pot, three-component condensation reaction of glyoxalic acid, heteroaryl amines and naphthols in water at ambient temperature and under reflux conditions in moderate to high yields. The promising advantages such as removal of organic solvent, no need to catalyst, simplicity of the reaction procedure and easy product separation will be discussed in this article.