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Functional Materials for Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging, and Controlled Release

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2015) | Viewed by 42148

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jun-ichi Anzai

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Guest Editor

Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
Interests: biosensor; polymer materials; stimuli-sensitive materials; LbL films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on functional materials for applications in bio-sensing, bio-imaging, and controlled release. The functional materials include enzymes, antibodies, DNA, synthetic and biological polymers, host-guest systems, carbon nanomaterials, such as nanotubes and graphene, as well as metal or semiconductor nanoparticles. Papers dealing with bio-sensing or bio-imaging systems, constructed by using functional materials, coupled with enzymes and antibodies, are welcome. The development of self-assembled architectures and thin films for drug delivery, and their in vivo or in vitro evaluation, is also within the scope of this Special Issue. The submission of papers on the construction of high-performance electrochemical and optical bio-sensing systems is particularly encouraged.

This Special Issue aims to promote the exchange of ideas, and the knowledge of scientists and engineers working in the communities of bio-sensing, bio-imaging, and controlled release.

Prof. Dr. Jun-ichi Anzai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

electrochemical and optical biosensors
stimuli-sensitive materials for bio-imaging
controlled release and drug delivery systems
carbon and metal nano-materials
polymer thin films and gels

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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1025 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Fast Blue RR—Siloxane Derivatized Materials Indicate Wound Infection Due to a Deep Blue Color Development

by Doris Schiffer, Gregor Tegl, Robert Vielnascher, Hansjoerg Weber, Rainer Schoeftner, Herfried Wiesbauer, Eva Sigl, Andrea Heinzle and Georg M. Guebitz

Materials 2015, 8(10), 6633-6639; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8105329 - 25 Sep 2015

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5806

Abstract

There is a strong need for simple and fast methods for wound infection determination. Myeloperoxidase, an immune system-derived enzyme was found to be a suitable biomarker for wound infection. Hence, alkoxysilane-derivatized Fast Blue RR was immobilized via simple hydrolytic polymerization. The resulting enzyme-responsive siloxane layers were incubated with myeloperoxidase, wound fluid or hemoglobin. The reaction was monitored via HPLC measurements and the color development quantified spectrophotometrically. Myeloperoxidase was indeed able to oxidize immobilized Fast Blue RR leading to a blue colored product. No conversion was detected in non-infected wound fluids. The visible color changes of these novel materials towards blue enable an easy distinction between infected and non-infected wound fluids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging, and Controlled Release)

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4909 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanocarbon-Coated Porous Anodic Alumina for Bionic Devices

by Morteza Aramesh, Wei Tong, Kate Fox, Ann Turnley, Dong Han Seo, Steven Prawer and Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov

Materials 2015, 8(8), 4992-5006; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8084992 - 05 Aug 2015

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7219

Abstract

A highly-stable and biocompatible nanoporous electrode is demonstrated herein. The electrode is based on a porous anodic alumina which is conformally coated with an ultra-thin layer of diamond-like carbon. The nanocarbon coating plays an essential role for the chemical stability and biocompatibility of the electrodes; thus, the coated electrodes are ideally suited for biomedical applications. The corrosion resistance of the proposed electrodes was tested under extreme chemical conditions, such as in boiling acidic/alkali environments. The nanostructured morphology and the surface chemistry of the electrodes were maintained after wet/dry chemical corrosion tests. The non-cytotoxicity of the electrodes was tested by standard toxicity tests using mouse fibroblasts and cortical neurons. Furthermore, the cell–electrode interaction of cortical neurons with nanocarbon coated nanoporous anodic alumina was studied in vitro. Cortical neurons were found to attach and spread to the nanocarbon coated electrodes without using additional biomolecules, whilst no cell attachment was observed on the surface of the bare anodic alumina. Neurite growth appeared to be sensitive to nanotopographical features of the electrodes. The proposed electrodes show a great promise for practical applications such as retinal prostheses and bionic implants in general. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging, and Controlled Release)

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433 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Electrochemical Insulin Sensing Utilizing a DNA Aptamer-Immobilized Gold Electrode

by Izumi Kubo and Taiga Eguchi

Materials 2015, 8(8), 4710-4719; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8084710 - 24 Jul 2015

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5237

Abstract

We investigated an insulin-sensing method by utilizing an insulin-binding aptamer IGA3, which forms an anti-parallel G-quadruplex with folded single strands. Spectroscopic observation indicates that some anti-parallel G-quadruplex bind hemin and show peroxidase activity. In this study, the peroxidase activity of IGA3 with hemin was confirmed by spectrophotometric measurements, i.e., the activity was three-times higher than hemin itself. IGA3 was then immobilized onto a gold electrode to determine its electrochemical activity. The peroxidase activity of the immobilized IGA3-hemin complex was determined by cyclic voltammetry, and a cathodic peak current of the electrode showed a dependence on the concentration of H₂O₂. The cathodic peak current of the IGA3-hemin complex decreased by binding it to insulin, and this decrease depended on the concentration of insulin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging, and Controlled Release)

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415 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Sugar-Responsive Pseudopolyrotaxane Composed of Phenylboronic Acid-Modified Polyethylene Glycol and γ-Cyclodextrin

by Tomohiro Seki, Misato Namiki, Yuya Egawa, Ryotaro Miki, Kazuhiko Juni and Toshinobu Seki

Materials 2015, 8(3), 1341-1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8031341 - 20 Mar 2015

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 7174

Abstract

We have designed a sugar-responsive pseudopolyrotaxane (PPRX) by combining phenylboronic acid-modified polyethylene glycol (PBA–PEG) and γ-cyclodextrin. Phenylboronic acid (PBA) was used as a sugar-recognition motif in the PPRX because PBA reacts with a diol portion of the sugar molecule and forms a cyclic ester. When D-fructose or D-glucose was added to a suspension of PPRX, PPRX disintegrated, depending on the concentration of the sugars. Interestingly, catechol does not show a response although catechol has a high affinity for PBA. We analyzed the response mechanism of PPRX by considering equilibria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging, and Controlled Release)

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Review

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3916 KiB

Open AccessReview

Nanomaterials-Based Fluorimetric Methods for MicroRNAs Detection

by Ming La, Lin Liu and Bin-Bin Zhou

Materials 2015, 8(5), 2809-2829; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8052809 - 22 May 2015

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7522

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous non-coding RNAs of ~22 nucleotides that play important functions in the regulation of many biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. Since their expression has been in close association with the development of many diseases, recently, miRNAs have been regarded as clinically important biomarkers and drug discovery targets. However, because of the short length, high sequence similarity and low abundance of miRNAs in vivo, it is difficult to realize the sensitive and selective detection of miRNAs with conventional methods. In line with the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials have attracted great attention and have been intensively studied in biological analysis due to their unique chemical, physical and size properties. In particular, fluorimetric methodologies in combination with nanotechnology are especially rapid, sensitive and efficient. The aim of this review is to provide insight into nanomaterials-based fluorimetric methods for the detection of miRNAs, including metal nanomaterials, quantum dots (QDs), graphene oxide (GO) and silicon nanoparticles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging, and Controlled Release)

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828 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Progress in Electrochemical HbA1c Sensors: A Review

by Baozhen Wang and Jun-ichi Anzai

Materials 2015, 8(3), 1187-1203; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8031187 - 17 Mar 2015

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 8682

Abstract

This article reviews recent progress made in the development of electrochemical glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) sensors for the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus. Electrochemical HbA1c sensors are divided into two categories based on the detection protocol of the sensors. The first type of sensor directly detects HbA1c by binding HbA1c on the surface of an electrode through bio-affinity of antibody and boronic acids, followed by an appropriate mode of signal transduction. In the second type of sensor, HbA1c is indirectly determined by detecting a digestion product of HbA1c, fructosyl valine (FV). Thus, the former sensors rely on the selective binding of HbA1c to the surface of the electrodes followed by electrochemical signaling in amperometric, voltammetric, impedometric, or potentiometric mode. Redox active markers, such as ferrocene derivatives and ferricyanide/ferrocyanide ions, are often used for electrochemical signaling. For the latter sensors, HbA1c must be digested in advance by proteolytic enzymes to produce the FV fragment. FV is electrochemically detected through catalytic oxidation by fructosyl amine oxidase or by selective binding to imprinted polymers. The performance characteristics of HbA1c sensors are discussed in relation to their use in the diagnosis and control of diabetic mellitus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Bio-Sensing, Bio-Imaging, and Controlled Release)

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