Biopolymers

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of maltodextrin addition on the physical stability of powdered green peas. The evaluation of the physical state of the material was based on the equilibrium water content of the monolayer (Xm ) and the glass transition temperatures of the powders at room temperature (Tg ) and in the frozen state (Tg' ). Graphical sorption characteristic at 25°C was determined using static-gravimetric method while capacity of the monolayer values was calculated from the mathematical GAB model...

In this study, a new biomaterial with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/sodium caseinate (SodCa)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) structure was developed. Antibacterial effective nanofibers were successfully produced by electrospinning method from 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7% rGO added PVA/SodCa (60:40, w:w) solution mixtures prepared for use as modern wound dressings. To create a usage area, especially in exuding wounds, hydrophilic PVA/SodCa/rGO electrospun mats were cross-linked by dipping them in a glutaraldehyde (GLA) bath. The surface micrographs of all nanofibers were homogeneous and smooth...

Ocular drug delivery is constrained by anatomical and physiological barriers, necessitating innovative solutions for effective therapy. Natural polymers like hyaluronic acid, chitosan, and gelatin, alongside synthetic counterparts such as PLGA and PEG, have gained prominence for their biocompatibility and controlled release profiles. Recent strides in polymer conjugation strategies have enabled targeted delivery through ligand integration, facilitating tissue specificity and cellular uptake. This versatility accommodates combined drug delivery, addressing diverse anterior (e...

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) has various unique qualities, including high mechanical strength, crystallinity, and high water-holding capacity, which makes it appropriate for a wide range of industrial applications. But its lower yield coupled with its high production cost creates a barrier to its usage. In this study, we have demonstrated the better yield of BNC from an indigenous strain Komagataeibacter rhaeticus MCC-0157 using a rotary disc bioreactor (RDB) having a wooden disc. The RDB was optimized based on the type of disc material, distance between the disc, and rotation speed to get the highest yield of 13...

EWSR1 (Ewing Sarcoma Related protein 1) is an RNA binding protein that is ubiquitously expressed across cell lines and involved in multiple parts of RNA processing, such as transcription, splicing, and mRNA transport. EWSR1 has also been implicated in cellular mechanisms to control formation of R-loops, a three-stranded nucleic acid structure consisting of a DNA:RNA hybrid and a displaced single-stranded DNA strand. Unscheduled R-loops result in genomic and transcription stress. Loss of function of EWSR1 functions commonly found in Ewing Sarcoma correlates with high abundance of R-loops...

Microneedles are a transdermal drug delivery system in which the needle punctures the epithelium to deliver the drug directly to deep tissues, thus avoiding the influence of the first-pass effect of the gastrointestinal tract and minimizing the likelihood of pain induction. Hydrogel microneedles are microneedles prepared from hydrogels that have good biocompatibility, controllable mechanical properties, and controllable drug release and can be modified to achieve environmental control of drug release in vivo...

As a natural and biocompatible material with high strength and flexibility, spider silk is frequently used in biomedical studies. In this study, the availability of Argiope bruennichi spider silk as a surgical suture material was investigated. The effects of spider silk-based and commercial sutures, with and without Aloe vera coating, on wound healing were evaluated by a rat dorsal skin flap model, postoperatively (7th and 14th days). Biochemical, hematological, histological, immunohistochemical, small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses and mechanical tests were performed...

Nucleophilic moieties in polysaccharides (PS) with distinct higher reactivity compared with the hydroxy group are interesting for sustainable applications in chemistry, medicine, and pharmacy. An efficient heterogeneous method for the formation of such nucleophilic PS is described. Employing alcohols as slurry medium, protonated carboxymethyl (CM) PS and hydrazine hydrate are allowed to react at elevated temperatures. The CM derivatives of starch and pullulan can be transformed almost quantitatively to the corresponding hydrazides...

Conformational search and density functional theory calculations were performed to explore the preferences of helical structures for chiro-specific oligo-γ-peptides of 2-(aminomethyl)cyclopentanecarboxylic acid (γAmc5 ) with a cyclopentyl constraint on the Cα -Cβ bond in solution. The dimer and tetramer of γAmc5 (1) with homochiral (1S, 2S) configurations exhibited a strong preference for the 9-membered helix foldamer in solution, except for the tetramer in water. However, the oligomers of γAmc5 (1) longer than tetramer preferentially adopted a right-handed (P)-2...

Within this research semi-crystalline polylactide and composites with 50 wt.% native potato starch were compounded and injection molded. The material was mechanically characterized by tensile, three-point bending, and Charpy impact tests. These tests were carried out in the freshly molded state and after 332 and 792 h of storage at accelerated temperature or humidity. The respective activation energy was calculated by applying the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method. The focus of the study was to investigate the correlation between the activation energy and the related mechanical and thermal properties...

The ribosome is a prototypical assembly that can be used to establish general principles and techniques for the study of biological molecular machines. Motivated by the fact that the dynamics of every biomolecule is governed by an underlying energy landscape, there has been great interest to understand and quantify ribosome energetics. In the present review, we will focus on theoretical and computational strategies for probing the interactions that shape the energy landscape of the ribosome, with an emphasis on more recent studies of the elongation cycle...

This study aimed to investigate the three different methods for the fabrication of quercetin (1%-3% w/w of protein) incorporated soy protein isolate (SPI) films and their effect on material properties. The quercetin incorporated SPI films prepared by these methods were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, tensile properties, and water uptake and leaching properties. The cross-linking pattern was revealed by the FTIR spectrum that showed formation of an ester group because of interaction between the quercetin hydroxyl group and the carboxyl side chain of SPI amino acids...

Currently, conventional plastics are necessary for a variety of aspects of modern daily life, including applications in the fields of healthcare, technology, and construction. However, they could also contain potentially hazardous compounds like isocyanates, whose degradation has a negative impact on both the environment and human health. Therefore, researchers are exploring alternatives to plastic which is sustainable and environmentally friendly without compromising its mechanical and physical features. This review study highlights the production of highly eco-friendly bioplastic as an efficient alternative to non-biodegradable conventional plastic...

Lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer on earth and with a predominantly aromatic structure, has the potential to be a raw material for valuable chemicals and other bio-based chemicals. In industry, lignin is underutilized by being used mostly as a fuel for producing thermal energy. Valorization of lignin requires knowledge of the structure and different linkages in the isolated lignin, making the study of structure of lignin important. In this article, lignin samples isolated from two types of reactors (autoclave reactor and displacement reactor) were analyzed by FT-IR, size exclusion chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Py-GC-MS...

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a unique combination of peptides and nucleic acids. PNA can exhibit hydrogen bonding interactions with complementary nucleobases like DNA/RNA. Also, its polyamide backbone allows easy incorporation of biomolecules like peptides and proteins to build hybrid molecular constructs. Because of chimeric structural properties, PNA has lots of potential to build diverse nanostructures. However, progress in the PNA material field is still immature compared with its massive applications in antisense oligonucleotide research...

Paramylon is a natural hydrophilic polysaccharide produced in the pyrenoids of euglenoids, and esterification may render paramylon hydrophobic. Esterification imparts not only thermoplasticity, but also potential compatibilities with other polymer resins and fillers. However, the dependence of the compatibility on the structure of the polymer ester has not yet been systematically studied. To estimate the affinities between paramylon esters and hydrophobic organic solvents/resins, the dependences of their Hansen solubility parameters, which are association indices, on the degrees of substitution and chain lengths of the ester groups were investigated...

Biodegradability and cellular activity are key performance indicators that should be prioritized for tissue engineering applications. Biopolymer selection, determination of necessary structural properties, and their synergistic interactions play an active role in obtaining the expected biodegradability and biological activity from scaffolds. In this study, it is aimed to produce electrospun webs with improved biocompatibility by blending polycaprolactone (PCL) with polylactic acid (PLA) and poly-l-lactide (PLLA), and examine the effect of biopolymer selection and blend ratio on the biodegradability and cellular activity of surfaces...

The development of subunit vaccine platforms has been of considerable interest due to their good safety profile and ability to be adapted to new antigens, compared to other vaccine typess. Nevertheless, subunit vaccines often lack sufficient immunogenicity to fully protect against infectious diseases. A wide variety of subunit vaccines have been developed to enhance antigen immunogenicity by increasing antigen multivalency, as well as stability and delivery properties, via presentation of antigens on protein nanoparticles...

Mucilage, a polysaccharide-containing hydrogel, is hypothesized to play a key role in the rhizosphere as a self-organized system because it may vary its supramolecular structure with changes in the surrounding solution. However, there is currently limited research on how these changes are reflected in the physical properties of real mucilage. This study examines the role of solutes in maize root, wheat root, chia seed, and flax seed mucilage in relation to their physical properties. Two purification methods, dialysis and ethanol precipitation, were applied to determine the purification yield, cation content, pH, electrical conductivity, surface tension, viscosity, transverse 1 H relaxation time, and contact angle after drying of mucilage before and after purification...

Bioplastics were developed to overcome environmental problems that are difficult to decompose in the environment. This study analyzes Thai cassava starch-based bioplastics' tensile strength, biodegradability, moisture absorption, and thermal stability. This study used Thai cassava starch and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as matrices, whereas Kepok banana bunch cellulose was employed as a filler. The ratios between starch and cellulose are 10:0 (S1), 9:1 (S2), 8:2 (S3), 7:3 (S4), and 6:4 (S5), while PVA was set constant...