2,141 research outputs found
Zein as a renewable material for the preparation of green nanoparticles for drug delivery
No full textEnvironmental sustainability is a key challenge driven by the increased consumption of natural resources with limited availability. In this scenario agriculture has emerged as a privileged source of renewable resources, hence more efforts should be addressed to the study of plant-derived materials for medical applications. Zein is a biocompatible, biodegradable and amphiphilic prolamin protein extracted from the endosperm tissue of corn. For these reasons, its applications span from coatings for edible capsules, to the fabrication of bi- and tridimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering, and to develop drug delivery systems. This review aims at describing the properties and main applications of zein with a focus on the most recent and updated state of the art literature on zein based nanoparticles for the controlled delivery of various drugs. The main focus is to analyze the state of the art literature to understand how to implement sustainable methods for the preparation of zein NPs and to propose their exploitation as novel drug delivery systems for multiple applications, including oligonucleotide delivery. Main methods for zein NP preparation are described under an ecofriendly point of view, highlighting their environmental sustainability based on used solvents, waste products and energy consumption
Green technologies and materials for the development of eco/biocompatible systems for drug delivery
No full textL'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen
3D bioartificial stretchable scaffolds mimicking the mechanical hallmarks of human cardiac fibrotic tissue
No full textHuman cardiac fibrotic tissues are characterized by a higher stiffness relative
to healthy cardiac tissues. These tissues are unable to spontaneously contract
and are subjected to passive mechanical stimulation during heart functionality.
Moreover, scaffolds that can recapitulate the in vivo mechanical properties of the
cardiac fibrotic tissues are lacking. Herein, this study aimed to design and fabricate
mechanically stretchable bioartificial scaffolds with biomimetic composition and
stiffness comparable to human cardiac fibrotic tissues. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)
scaffolds with a stretchable mesh architecture were initially designed through
structural and finite element method (FEM) analyses and subsequently fabricated by
melt extrusion additive manufacturing (MEX). Scaffolds were surface functionalized
by 3,4-dihydroxy-DL-phenylalanine (DOPA) polymerization (polyDOPA) to improve
their interaction with natural polymers. Scaffold pores were then filled with different
concentrations (5%, 7%, and 10% w/v) of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels
to support in vitro human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs) 3D culture, thereby producing
bioartificial PCL/GelMA scaffolds. Uniaxial tensile mechanical tests in static and
dynamic conditions (1 Hz; 22% maximum strain) demonstrated that the bioartificial
scaffolds had in vivo-like stretchability and similar stiffness to that of pathological
cardiac tissue (tailored as a function of the number of PCL scaffold layers and
GelMA hydrogel concentration). In vitro cell tests on bioartificial scaffolds using
HCF-embedded GelMA hydrogels under static conditions displayed increasing cell
viability, spreading, and cytoskeleton organization with decreasing GelMA hydrogel
concentration. Moreover, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-positive cells were detected
after 7 days of culture in static conditions followed by another 7 days of culture in
dynamic conditions and not in HCF-loaded scaffolds cultured in static conditions
for 14 days. These results suggested that in vitro culture under cyclic mechanical
stimulations could induce an HCF phenotypic switch into myofibroblasts
Design of three-dimensional bioartificial stretchable scaffolds through additive manufacturing for an in vitro model of fibrotic cardiac tissue.
No full text3D Melt-fabricated bio-hybrid scaffolds for the in vitro modelling of human cardiac fibrosis
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Sustainable Self-Healing Pectin-Based Hydrogels for Controlled Release of Curcumin-Loaded Zein Nanoparticles for Antioxidant Wound Treatment
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