Interaction of Boron Nitride Nanosheets with Model Cell Membranes

Boron nitride nanomaterials have attracted attention for biomedical applications, due to their improved biocompatibility when compared with carbon nanomaterials. Recently, graphene and graphene oxide nanosheets have been shown, both experimentally and computationally, to destructively extract phospholipids from Escherichia coli. Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) have exciting potential biological and environmental applications, for example the ability to remove oil from water. These applications are likely to increase the exposure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes to BNNSs. Yet, despite their promise, the interaction between BNNSs and cell membranes has not yet been investigated. Here, all‐atom molecular dynamics simulations were used to demonstrate that BNNSs are spontaneously attracted to the polar headgroups of the lipid bilayer. The BNNSs do not passively cross the lipid bilayer, most likely due to the large forces experienced by the BNNSs. This study provides insight into the interaction of BNNSs with cell membranes and may aid our understanding of their improved biocompatibility.     

Biocompatible heterostructured nanoparticles for multimodal biological detection

Hybrid nanoparticles are of significant interest primarily because of their innate multifunctional capabilities. These capabilities can be exploited when hybrid nanoparticles are used for applications in the biomedical sciences in particular, where they are utilized as multimodal nanoplatforms for sensing, imaging, and therapy of biological targets. However, the realization of their biomedical applications has been difficult, in part because of a lack of high quality hybrid nanoparticles which possess high aqueous colloidal stability and biocompatibility while retaining their multifunctionalities. Here, we present the development of inorganic heterodimer nanoparticles of FePt-Au with multifunctional capabilities including catalytic growth effects, magnetic resonance (MR) contrast effects, optical signal enhancing properties, and high colloidal stability and biocompatibility. Their multimodal capabilities for biological detection are demonstrated through their utilizations in the patterned biochip based detection of avidin-biotin interaction as well as in molecular MR imaging of neuroblastoma cells.     

Controlling assembly of paired gold clusters within apoferritin nanoreactor for in vivo kidney targeting and biomedical imaging

Functional nanostructures with high biocompatibility and stability, low toxicity, and specificity of targeting to desired organs or cells are of great interest in nanobiology and medicine. However, the challenge is to integrate all of these desired features into a single nanobiostructure, which can be applied to biomedical applications and eventually in clinical settings. In this context, we designed a strategy to assemble two gold nanoclusters at the ferroxidase active sites of ferritin heavy chain. Our studies showed that the resulting nanostructures (Au-Ft) retain not only the intrinsic fluorescence properties of noble metal, but gain enhanced intensity, show a red-shift, and exhibit tunable emissions due to the coupling interaction between the paired Au clusters. Furthermore, Au-Ft possessed the well-defined nanostructure of native ferritin, showed organ-specific targeting ability, high biocompatibility, and low cytotoxicity. The current study demonstrates that an integrated multimodal assembly strategy is able to generate stable and effective biomolecule-noble metal complexes of controllable size and with desirable fluorescence emission characteristics. Such agents are ideal for targeted in vitro and in vivo imaging. These results thus open new opportunities for biomolecule-guided nanostructure assembly with great potential for biomedical applications.     

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Surface Treatment of Polymers and Influence on Cell Cultivation

Atmospheric plasma treatment is an effective and economical surface treatment technique. The main advantage of this technique is that the bulk properties of the material remain unchanged while the surface properties and biocompatibility are enhanced. Polymers are used in many biomedical applications; such as implants, because of their variable bulk properties. On the other hand, their surface properties are inadequate which demands certain surface treatments including atmospheric pressure plasma treatment. In biomedical applications, surface treatment is important to promote good cell adhesion, proliferation, and growth. This article aim is to give an overview of different atmospheric pressure plasma treatments of polymer surface, and their influence on cell-material interaction with different cell lines.     

Research of protein adsorption on the different surface topography of the zinc oxide

The effect of the surface topography on the protein adsorption process is of great significance for designing biomaterial surfaces and the biocompatibility for specific biomedical applications. In this work, we have systematically investigated the mono‐protein adsorption kinetics of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and fibrinogen (Fg) adsorbed on the four different surface topographies (nanoparticles (NPs), nanorods (NRs), nanosheets (NSs) and nanobeams (NBs) of Zinc oxide (ZnO), respectively. The competition of multi‐protein adsorbed on them has been studied as well. Results showed that each protein had a singular process of adsorption that fitted well by Spreading Particle Model (SPM). It confirmed that ZnO NRs compared with other samples had more adsorption sites, which could provide more opportunities for the interaction between material and protein molecules. In addition, the Fg compared to the BSA could be more tightly adsorbed to the surface, both of which existed slight conformational changes by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and circular dichroism spectra (CD). Taken together, all these consequences well demonstrated that NRs may have wider applications in designing biomaterial surfaces and the biocompatibility for implanted biomaterials. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles Functionalized with Collagens of Variable Lengths

Collagen, the most abundant protein in human body, has been widely used as an excellent natural material for diverse biomedical applications due to its superior properties such as ample biological interaction sites, minimal immunogenicity and high biocompatibility. Collagens of different lengths are produced by recombinant technology and utilized to functionalize fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FNPs). The collagen‐functionalized FNPs display mono‐disperse distribution, but their sizes are dependent on the length of collagen. These modified FNPs all show nice fluorescence profile as well as low cytotoxicity, suggesting promising applications in bioimaging. We have demonstrated that various types of collagen, conveniently produced by recombinant technology, can be used to modify silica nanoparticles with nice characteristics such as mono‐dispersion, non‐interference in fluorescence and low toxicity. It may endow fluorescent silica nanoparticles with broad biological applications.     

生物医用磷脂化聚氨酯的设计、制备与性能

聚氨酯因其具有优异的力学性能和良好的生物相容性广泛地应用于医疗领域.但医用聚氨酯常常会引起蛋白吸附、血小板激活、凝血、血栓和补体激活等不良生物学反应,使其应用受到限制.仿生物膜的磷脂表面被认为是和人体最亲和的表面,聚氨酯磷脂化是提高医用聚氨酯材料生物相容性的非常有效的手段之一.近年来国内外课题组在生物医用磷脂化聚氨酯的设计、制备与生物相容性等方面开展了大量的工作,取得了重要的研究进展.本文综述了磷脂改进医用聚氨酯的最新研究成果,指出含氟磷脂化聚氨酯和可降解的磷脂聚氨酯因其优异的性能,代表了该领域的发展方向并具有重要的应用前景.     

Recent developments of polysaccharide-based double-network hydrogels

Polysaccharides possessing distinctive properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity, are promising matrices for hydrogels. However, the polysaccharides-based hydrogels have poor mechanical properties, which is a major limitation for their applications. In recent years, researches on double-network (DN) hydrogels with outstanding mechanical properties have gained increasing attention. Therefore, the main research orientation is to combine the benefits of both materials and broaden their applications in various fields. This paper reviews the recent progress of polysaccharide-based DN (PDN) hydrogels that show great advantages in mechanical, physiochemical properties, biocompatibility, biodegradability and so on. The preparation, structure, and unique properties of different PDN hydrogels are discussed in detail. Moreover, we summarize the applications of PDN hydrogels in biomedical and energy storage and conversion fields. This research progress is breaking through the limitations of PDN hydrogels and opening a new avenue for their future development.     

沸石与蛋白质的相互作用及生物医用功能

沸石由于其低毒性和良好的生物相容性, 被认为是可用于医疗的新型生物材料. 本文综述了沸石与蛋白质的相互作用, 沸石以其离子交换、 表面性质以及可控孔道结构与蛋白质发生特异性结合或反应, 从而影响蛋白质的性能和行为; 重点讨论了其在生物医用领域的应用, 主要包括抗微生物材料和紧急止血材料两大应用; 分析了其在医学领域的独特优势, 特别是在止血应用领域; 最后对该领域面临的挑战和发展前景进行了总结与展望.     

氢键作用驱动原花青素构筑水基抗菌黏合剂北大核心CSCD

水下黏合剂在生物医学和工程应用领域的需求越来越大。然而,目前报道的大多数水下黏合剂的制备方法中通常需要复杂的化学偶联或修饰,以及昂贵的构筑基元。本文利用低成本的葡萄籽提取物原花青素(PA)和商业化的聚乙二醇寡聚物(PEG)为构筑基元,发展了一种简单且经济的水下黏合剂的构筑策略,实现了在氢键作用下诱导仿生黏合剂生成。此黏合剂既可以在水上又可以在水下黏附不同材质的基底,且可重复使用。此外,易于制备的PA/PEG黏合剂也具有良好的抗菌活性和生物相容性。由于PA/PEG黏合剂具有制备简单、广谱黏附性、可循环使用和抗菌性等优点,将在医疗器械和制药应用中得到广泛应用。     

无机纳米晶-生物界面作用的分子机制

无机纳米晶材料以其独特的光、电、磁、力学性质,成为疾病诊断与治疗功能的关键材料.本文总结了无机纳米晶的表面化学活性、离子释放性、晶相结构、晶格缺陷、表面吸附和表面修饰等与尺寸相关的理化性质与生物效应之间的关系.综述了无机纳米晶与蛋白质、磷脂生物膜间的界面相互作用,探讨了纳米晶-生物界面作用的分子机理.这有助于理解无机纳米晶的生物行为和毒理性质,指导设计安全、高效的纳米晶生物医学材料.     

Not any new functional polymer can be for medicine: what about artificial biopolymers?

Man-made artificial organic polymers are among the more recent sources of materials used by humans. In medicine, they contribute to applications in surgery, dentistry and pharmacology. Nowadays, innovations in the field of therapeutic polymers rely on novel polymers for specific applications such as guided tissue regeneration, tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, gene transfection, etc. Introducing reactive chemical functions within or along polymer backbones is an attractive route to generate functional polymers for medicine. However, any candidate to effective application must fulfil a number of requirements, grouped under the terms biocompatibility and biofunctionality, to be of real interest and have a future for effective application. Whenever the application requires a therapeutic aid for a limited period of time to help natural healing, bioresorbability is to be taken into account on top of biocompatibility and biofunctionality. This contribution presents the case of "artificial biopolymers" and discusses the potential of some members of the family with respect to temporary therapeutic applications that require functional polymers.     

Assessing the biocompatibility of NiTi shape memory alloys used for medical applications

The present paper reviews aspects related to the biocompatibility of NiTi shape memory alloys used for medical applications. These smart metallic materials, which are characterised by outstanding mechanical properties, have been gaining increasing importance over the last two decades in many minimal invasive surgery and diagnostic applications, as well as for other uses, such as in orthodontic appliances. Due to the presence of high amounts of Ni, the cytotoxicity of such alloys is under scrutiny. In this review paper we analyse work published on the biocompatibility of NiTi alloys, considering aspects related to: (1) corrosion properties and the different methods used to test them, as well as specimen surface states; (2) biocompatibility tests in vitro and in vivo; (3) the release of Ni ions. It is shown that NiTi shape memory alloys are generally characterised by good corrosion properties, in most cases superior to those of conventional stainless steel or Co–Cr–Mo-based biomedical materials. The majority of biocompatibility studies suggest that these alloys have low cytotoxicity (both in vitro and in vivo) as well as low genotoxicity. The release of Ni ions depends on the surface state and the surface chemistry. Smooth surfaces with well-controlled structures and chemistries of the outermost protective TiO₂ layer lead to negligible release of Ni ions, with concentrations below the normal human daily intake.     

A Simple Approach to Design Proteins for the Sustainable Synthesis of Metal Nanoclusters

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) are considered ideal nanomaterials for biological applications owing to their strong photoluminescence (PL), excellent photostability, and good biocompatibility. This study presents a simple and versatile strategy to design proteins, via incorporation of a di‐histidine cluster coordination site, for the sustainable synthesis and stabilization of metal NCs with different metal composition. The resulting protein‐stabilized metal NCs (Prot‐NCs) of gold, silver, and copper are highly photoluminescent and photostable, have a long shelf life, and are stable under physiological conditions. The biocompatibility of the clusters was demonstrated in cell cultures in which Prot‐NCs showed efficient cell internalization without affecting cell viability or losing luminescence. Moreover, the approach is translatable to other proteins to obtain Prot‐NCs for various biomedical applications such as cell imaging or labeling.     

In-situ polymerization for mechanical strong composite actuators based on anisotropic wood and thermoresponsive polymer

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels hold an irreplaceable statue in intelligent actuation materials because of their reversible stretchability and excellent biocompatibility. However, the poor mechanical performance and complicated fabrication process of anisotropic structures severely limit their further applications.Herein, we report a high-strength thermoresponsive wood-PNIPAM composite hydrogel actuator with complex deformations, through a simple in-situ polymerization. In this composite hydrogel a...     

Tunable biohybrid hydrogels from coacervation of hyaluronic acid and PEO-based block copolymers

Accurately tuning the macroscopic properties of biopolymer-based hydrogels remains challenging due to the ill-defined molecular architecture of the natural building blocks. Here, we report a biohybrid coacervate hydrogel, combining the biocompatibility and biodegradability of naturally occurring hyaluronic acid (HA) with the tunability of a synthetic polyethylene oxide (PEO) -based ABA-triblock copolymer. Coacervation of the cationic ammonium or guanidinium-functionalized copolymer A-blocks with the anionic HA leads to hydrogel formation. Both mechanical properties and water content of the self-healing hydrogels can be controlled independently by altering the copolymer structure. By controlling the strength of the interaction between the polymer network and small-molecule cargo, both release rate and maximum release are controlled. Finally, we show that coacervation of HA and the triblock copolymer leads to increased biostability upon exposure to hyaluronidase. We envision that noncovalent crosslinking of HA hydrogels through coacervation is an attractive strategy for the facile synthesis of tunable hydrogels for biomedical applications.     

Characterization of implantable biosensor membrane biofouling

The material-tissue interaction that results from sensor implantation is one of the major obstacles in developing viable, long-term implantable biosensors. Strategies useful for the characterization and modification of sensor biocompatibility are widely scattered in the literature, and there are many peripheral studies from which useful information can be gleaned. The current paper reviews strategies suitable for addressing biofouling, one aspect of biosensor biocompatibility. Specifically, this paper addresses the effect of membrane biofouling on sensor sensitivity from the standpoint of glucose transport limitations. Part I discusses the in vivo and in vitro methods used to characterize biofouling and the effects of biofouling on sensor performance, while Part II presents techniques intended to improve biosensor biocompatibility.     

医用可生物降解高分子材料

对目前医用可生物降解高分子材料的研究及应用状况分化学合成，天然和生物技术合成三类作了综述。对材料的生物相容性、可生物降解性及物理机械性能进行了分析和比较。并就医用生物降解高分子材料的发展趋势作了预测。     

Dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in water using ionic-complementary peptides

We demonstrate the noncovalent modification of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) immersed in aqueous solution using the ionic-complementary peptide EFK16-II. This modification presumably arises through the interaction between the hydrophobic side of the EFK16-II and MWNT sidewalls and orients hydrophilic functional groups toward the solution phase and enables them to form highly stable dispersions in water. This stability can be attributed to the electrostatic repulsion between self-assembled peptides on the MWNTs. This repulsion as determined by ζ potential measurements increases as the pH diverges from the isoelectric point of ～6.7 for EFK16-II. This trend is confirmed by dynamic light scattering measurements of the suspensions showing a decrease in their particle size as the ζ potential increases. These EFK16-II-MWNT suspensions have been used to modify mica surfaces. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images show that this leads to a uniform distribution of individual modified MWNTs on the mica surfaces. Transmission electron microscopy reveals images of well-dispersed fibers with dimensions similar to those of individual MWNTs. Tissue culture plates previously contacted with EFK16-II-modified MWNTs have been shown to have enough biocompatibility for growth and attachment of cells. The biocompatibility and enhanced electrical conductivity that should result from the modification with these EFK16-II-MWNT suspensions opens up their use in a number of potential biomedical applications such as the design of bioelectrode interfaces and fabrication of biosensors with high sensitivity.     

Self-healing Hydrogels and Underlying Reversible Intermolecular Interactions

Self-healing hydrogels have attracted growing attention over the past decade due to their biomimetic structure, biocompatibility, as well as enhanced lifespan and reliability, thereby have been widely used in various biomedical, electrical and environmental engineering applications. This feature article has reviewed our recent progress in self-healing hydrogels derived from mussel-inspired interactions, multiple hydrogen-bonding functional groups such as 2-ureido-4[1 H]-pyrimidinone(UPy), dynami...