Search Results (36)

This study introduces an efficient, all-aqueous emulsion-templating strategy for fabricating highly tunable yeast immobilization carriers with superior biocatalytic performance. Utilizing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to stabilize dextran/polyethylene glycol (Dex/PEG) water-in-water emulsions, an architecture-controlled void is obtained by crosslinking the PEG-rich phase with variable concentrations of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) (10–25 wt%). This approach successfully yielded macroporous networks, enabling precise tuning of void diameters from 10.4 to 6.6 μm and interconnected pores from 2.2 to 1.4 μm. The optimally designed carrier, synthesized with 15 wt% PEGDA, featured 9.6 μm voids and robust mechanical strength (0.82 MPa), and facilitated highly efficient yeast encapsulation (~100%). The immobilized yeast demonstrated exceptional fermentation activity, remarkable storage stability (maintaining > 95% productivity after 4 weeks), and high reusability (85% activity retention after seven cycles). These enhancements are attributed to the material’s excellent water retention capacity and the provision of a stable microenvironment. This green and straightforward method represents a significant advance in industrial cell immobilization, offering unparalleled operational stability, protection, and design flexibility. Full article

Moroccan oil shale ash (MOSA) represents an underutilized industrial by-product, particularly in the Rif region, where its high mineral content has often led to its neglect in value-added applications. This study highlights the successful conversion of MOSA into amorphous mesoporous silica (AS-Si) using a sol–gel process assisted by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) as a soft template. The resulting AS-Si material was extensively characterized to confirm its potential for environmental remediation. FTIR analysis revealed characteristic vibrational bands corresponding to Si–OH and Si–O–Si bonds, while XRD confirmed its amorphous nature with a broad diffraction peak at 2θ ≈ 22.5°. SEM imaging revealed a highly porous, sponge-like morphology composed of aggregated nanoscale particles, consistent with the nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm. The material exhibited a specific surface area of 68 m²/g, a maximum in the pore size distribution at a pore diameter of 2.4 nm, and a cumulative pore volume of 0.11 cm³/g for pores up to 78 nm. DLS analysis indicated an average hydrodynamic diameter of 779 nm with moderate polydispersity (PDI = 0.48), while a zeta potential of –34.10 mV confirmed good colloidal stability. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and DSC suggested the thermal stability of our amorphous silica. The adsorption performance of AS-Si was evaluated using methylene blue (MB) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro) as model pollutants. Kinetic data were best fitted by the pseudo-second-order model, while isotherm studies favored the Langmuir model, suggesting monolayer adsorption. AS-Si could be used four times for the removal of MB and Cipro. These results collectively demonstrate that AS-Si is a promising, low-cost, and sustainable adsorbent derived from Moroccan oil shale ash for the effective removal of organic contaminants from aqueous media. Full article

This work presents a novel hydrothermally aided sol-gel method for preparation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with a narrow particle size distribution and varied pore sizes. The method was carried out in alkaline media in presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) as dual templates and permitted the synthesis of spherical mesoporous silica with a high surface area (1011.42 m²/g). The MSN materials were characterized by FTIR, Thermogravimetric (TG), Nitrogen adsorption and desorption and Field emission scanning electron microscopic analysis (FESEM). The materials feasibility as solid phase adsorbent has been demonstrated using cationic dyes; Rhodamine B (RB) and methylene blue (MB) as models. Due to the large surface area and variable pore width, the adsorption behaviors toward cationic dyes showed outstanding removal efficiency and a rapid sorption rate. The adsorption isotherms of RB and MB were well-fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich models, while the kinetic behaviours adhered closely to the pseudo-second-order pattern. The maximum adsorption capacities were determined to be 256 mg/g for MB and 110.3 mg/g for RB. The findings suggest that MSNs hold significant potential as solid-phase nanosorbents for the extraction and purification of dye pollutants, particularly in the analysis and treatment of effluents containing cationic dyes. Full article

The cell immobilization technique, which restricts living cells to a certain space, has received widespread attention as an emerging biotechnology. In this study, a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)-loaded highly open-cell emulsion-templated polyethylene glycol (PEG-polyHIPE) was synthesized to be a reusable enzymatic catalyst. An emulsion was prepared with polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) aqueous solution, cyclohexane, and polyethylene-polypropylene glycol (F127) as the continuous phase, dispersed phase, and surfactant, respectively. Then PEG-polyHIPE was obtained by polymerization of the PEGDA in emulsion. The highly porous materials obtained by the emulsion-templating method are suitable for use as carrier materials for yeast immobilization, due to their favorable structural designability. During the activation process, the yeast S. cerevisiae can readily gain access to the interior of the material via the interconnected pores and immobilize itself inside the voids. The yeast-loaded polyHIPE was then used to ferment glucose for ethanol production. The yeast immobilized inside the polyHIPE has high fermentation efficiency, good recoverability, and storage stability. After seven cycles, the yeast maintained 70% initial fermentation efficiency. The S. cerevisiae kept more than 90% of the initial cellular activity after one week of storage both in the dry state and in yeast extract peptone dextrose medium (YPD) at 4 °C. This study strongly demonstrates the feasibility of using high-throughput porous materials as cell immobilization carriers to efficiently osmotically immobilize cells in polyHIPEs for high-performance fermentation. Full article

Neo-tissue formation and host tissue regeneration determine the success of cardiac tissue engineering where functional hydrogel scaffolds act as cardiac (extracellular matrix) ECM mimic. Translationally, the hydrogel templates promoting neo-cardiac tissue formation are currently limited; however, they are highly demanding in cardiac tissue engineering. The current study focused on the development of a panel of four chitosan-based polyelectrolyte hydrogels as cardiac scaffolds facilitating neo-cardiac tissue formation to promote cardiac regeneration. Chitosan-PEG (CP), gelatin-chitosan-PEG (GCP), hyaluronic acid-chitosan-PEG (HACP), and combined CP (CoCP) polyelectrolyte hydrogels were engineered by solvent casting and assessed for physiochemical, thermal, electrical, biodegradable, mechanical, and biological properties. The CP, GCP, HACP, and CoCP hydrogels exhibited excellent porosity (4.24 ± 0.18, 13.089 ± 1.13, 12.53 ± 1.30 and 15.88 ± 1.10 for CP, GCP, HACP and CoCP, respectively), water profile, mechanical strength, and amphiphilicity suitable for cardiac tissue engineering. The hydrogels were hemocompatible as evident from the negligible hemolysis and RBC aggregation and increased adsorption of plasma albumin. The hydrogels were cytocompatible as evident from the increased viability by MTT (>94% for all the four hydrogels) assay and direct contact assay. Also, the hydrogels supported the adhesion, growth, spreading, and proliferation of H9c2 cells as unveiled by rhodamine staining. The hydrogels promoted neo-tissue formation that was proven using rat and swine myocardial tissue explant culture. Compared to GCP and CoCP, CP and HACP were superior owing to the cell viability, hemocompatibility, and conductance, resulting in the highest degree of cytoskeletal organization and neo-tissue formation. The physiochemical and biological performance of these hydrogels supported neo-cardiac tissue formation. Overall, the CP, GCP, HACP, and CoCP hydrogel systems promise novel translational opportunities in regenerative cardiology. Full article

A G-quadruplex (G4) is a typical non-B DNA structure and involved in various DNA-templated events in eukaryotic genomes. PEG and PDS chemicals have been widely applied for promoting the folding of in vivo or in vitro G4s. However, how PEG and PDS preferentially affect a subset of G4 formation genome-wide is still largely unknown. We here conducted a BG4-based IP-seq in vitro under K⁺+PEG or K⁺+PDS conditions in the rice genome. We found that PEG-favored IP-G4s⁺ have distinct sequence features, distinct genomic distributions and distinct associations with TEGs, non-TEGs and subtypes of TEs compared to PDS-favored ones. Strikingly, PEG-specific IP-G4s⁺ are associated with euchromatin with less enrichment levels of DNA methylation but with more enriched active histone marks, while PDS-specific IP-G4s⁺ are associated with heterochromatin with higher enrichment levels of DNA methylation and repressive marks. Moreover, we found that genes with PEG-specific IP-G4s⁺ are more expressed than those with PDS-specific IP-G4s⁺, suggesting that PEG/PDS-specific IP-G4s⁺ alone or coordinating with epigenetic marks are involved in the regulation of the differential expression of related genes, therefore functioning in distinct biological processes. Thus, our study provides new insights into differential impacts of PEG and PDS on G4 formation, thereby advancing our understanding of G4 biology. Full article

One-dimensional shaving-like BiVO₄ nanobelts were successfully synthesized via the oxide hydrothermal method (OHS), using V₂O₅ and Bi₂O₃ as raw materials and PEG 10000 (polyethylene glycol 10000) as a template. Multiple techniques, including XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, UV–Vis, XPS, and photoelectrochemical measurements, were applied to characterize the obtained materials. The thickness of the BiVO₄ nanobelt was approximately 10 nm, while the width was approximately 500 nm. EIS results showed that visible-light illumination caused the photogenerated charge of the BiVO₄ nanobelts to have a faster transfer and a higher separation efficiency. Photocatalytic experiments indicated that with BiVO₄ nanobelts as a catalyst, the degradation rate of MB (methylene blue) was close to 92.4%, and it disintegrated after two hours. Moreover, the pseudo-first-order kinetic model can be used to describe the photodecomposition reaction of MB catalysed by BiVO₄ nanobelts. And this excellent photocatalytic activity of the shaving-like BiVO₄ nanobelts may be related to their special morphology, narrow band gap (~2.19 eV), faster transfer and the separation efficiency of the photogenerated charge, leading to strong absorption in the visible region and improving the separation of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. These novel monoclinic BiVO₄ nanobelts exhibited great photocatalytic activity and are thus a promising candidate for application in visible-light-responsive photocatalysts. Full article

Nano Zirconia (ZrO₂) has been used in dental implants due to having excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility that match the requirements for the purpose. Zirconia undergoes phase transformation during heating: monoclinic (room temperature to 1170 °C), tetragonal (1170 °C to 2370 °C), and cubic (>2370 °C). Most useful mechanical properties can be obtained when zirconia is in a multiphase form or in partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ), which is achieved by adding small amounts of a metal oxide dopant, such as MgO (magnesia). This study aimed to synthesize nano Mg-PSZ from a local resource found in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, and examine its structural stability, biochemical stability, and mechanical properties. Nano Mg-PSZ was prepared from a zircon local to Indonesia, from West Kalimantan Province, MgSO₄∙7H₂O, and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-6000 was used as a template. The obtained t-ZrO₂ after calcination at 800 °C was shown to be stable at room temperature. The highest percentage of the t-ZrO₂ phase was obtained at Zr_0.95Mg_0.05O₂ with a variation of 99.5%. The hardness of Mg-PSZ increased from 554 MPa for ZrO₂ without MgO doping to 5266 MPa for ZrO₂ with a doping of 10% MgO. An in vitro biodegradation test showed that the greater the concentration of MgO in doping the ZrO₂, the greater the degradation resistance of Mg-PSZ in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. Full article

A laboratory-synthesized triblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide-b-acrylic acid-b-styrene) (PEG-PAA-PS) was used as a template to synthesize hollow BaCO₃ nanoparticles (BC-NPs). The triblock copolymer was synthesized using reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization. The triblock copolymer has a molecular weight of 1.88 × 10⁴ g/mol. Transmission electron microscopy measurements confirm the formation of spherical micelles with a PEG corona, PAA shell, and PS core in an aqueous solution. Furthermore, the dynamic light scattering experiment revealed the electrostatic interaction of Ba²⁺ ions with an anionic poly(acrylic acid) block of the micelles. The controlled precipitation of BaCO₃ around spherical polymeric micelles followed by calcination allows for the synthesis of hollow BC-NPs with cavity diameters of 15 nm and a shell thickness of 5 nm. The encapsulation and release of methotrexate from hollow BC-NPs at pH 7.4 was studied. The cell viability experiments indicate the possibility of BC-NPs maintaining biocompatibility for a prolonged time. Full article

A magnetic nanocomposite (MNC) is an integrated nanoplatform that combines a set of functions of two types of materials. A successful combination can give rise to a completely new material with unique physical, chemical, and biological properties. The magnetic core of MNC provides the possibility of magnetic resonance or magnetic particle imaging, magnetic field-influenced targeted delivery, hyperthermia, and other outstanding applications. Recently, MNC gained attention for external magnetic field-guided specific delivery to cancer tissue. Further, drug loading enhancement, construction stability, and biocompatibility improvement may lead to high progress in the area. Herein, the novel method for nanoscale Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ composites synthesis was proposed. For the procedure, oleic acid-modified Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were coated with porous CaCO₃ using an ion coprecipitation technique. PEG-2000, Tween 20, and DMEM cell media was successfully used as a stabilization agent and template for Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ synthesis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) data were used for the Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ MNC’s characterization. To improve the nanocomposite properties, the concentration of the magnetic core was varied, yielding optimal size, polydispersity, and aggregation ability. The resulting Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ had a size of 135 nm with narrow size distributions, which is suitable for biomedical applications. The stability experiment in various pH, cell media, and fetal bovine serum was also evaluated. The material showed low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility. An excellent anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) loading of up to 1900 µg/mg (DOX/MNC) was demonstrated. The Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃/DOX displayed high stability at neutral pH and efficient acid-responsive drug release. The series of DOX-loaded Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ MNCs indicated effective inhibition of Hela and MCF-7 cell lines, and the IC 50 values were calculated. Moreover, 1.5 μg of the DOX-loaded Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ nanocomposite is sufficient to inhibit 50% of Hela cells, which shows a high prospect for cancer treatment. The stability experiments for DOX-loaded Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ in human serum albumin solution indicated the drug release due to the formation of a protein corona. The presented experiment showed the “pitfalls” of DOX-loaded nanocomposites and provided step-by-step guidance on efficient, smart, anticancer nanoconstruction fabrication. Thus, the Fe₃O₄@CaCO₃ nanoplatform exhibits good performance in the cancer treatment area. Full article

Finding effective cathode materials is currently one of the key barriers to the development of magnesium batteries, which offer enticing prospects of larger capacities alongside improved safety relative to Li-ion batteries. Here, we report the hydrothermal synthesis of several types of WS₂ nanostructures and their performance as magnesium battery cathodes. The morphology of WS₂ materials was controlled through the use of sodium oxalate as a complexing agent and different templating agents, including polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). A high capacity of 142.7 mAh/g was achieved after 100 cycles at a high current density of 500 mA/g for cathodes based on a nanostructured flower-like WS₂. A solution consisting of magnesium (II) bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (MgTFSI₂) and magnesium (II) chloride (MgCl₂) in dimethoxyethane (DME) was used as an effective electrolyte, which contributes to favorable Mg²⁺ mobility. Weaker ionic bonds and van der Waals forces of WS₂ compared with other transition metal oxides/sulfides lay the foundation for fast discharge/charge rate. The enhanced surface area of the nanostructured materials plays a key role in enhancing both the capacity and discharge/charge rate. Full article

The recent advances in nanotechnology are revolutionizing preventive and therapeutic approaches to treating cardiovascular diseases. Controlling the extracellular matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation and expression in the failing human left ventricular myocardium represents a significant therapeutic target for heart disease. In this study, we used molecularly imprinting polymers (MIPs) to restore the correct balance between MMPs and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs), and explored the potential of this technique exhaustively through chemical synthesis, physicochemical and biological characterizations, and computational chemistry methods. By molecular dynamics simulations based on classical force fields, we simulated the early stages of the imprinting process in solution disclosing the pivotal interaction established between the monomers and the MMP9 protein template. The average interaction energies of methacrylic acid (MAA) and poly (ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate (PEG) units were in the ranges 17–22 and 30–37 kcal/mol, respectively. At low coverage, the PEG monomers seemed firmly anchored to the protein surface and were not displaced by water, while only about 20% of MAA was replaced by water. The synthesis of MIPs was successfully with a monomer conversion higher than 99% and the production of spherical particles with average diameter of 344 ± 33 nm. HPLC analysis showed a specific recognition factor of MMP9 on MIPs of about 1.3. FT-IR Chemical Imaging confirmed the mechanisms necessary to generate a “selective memory” of the MIPs towards the enzyme. HPLC results indicated that the rebound amount of both TIMP1 and MMP2 to MIPs is lower than that of the template, showing a selectivity factor of 2.1 and 2.3, respectively. Preliminary tests on the effect of MIPs on H9C2 cells revealed that this treatment has no cytotoxic effects. Full article

Polymer porous microspheres with large specific surface areas and good fluidity have promising important applications in the biomedical field. However, controllable fabrication of porous microspheres with precise size, morphology, and pore structure is still a challenge, and phase separation caused by the instability of the emulsion is the main factor affecting the precise preparation of porous microspheres. Herein, a method combining the iso-density emulsion (IDE) template and microfluidics was proposed to realize the controllable preparation of polymer porous microspheres. The IDE exhibited excellent stability with minimal phase separation within 4 h, thus showing potential advantages in the large-scale preparation of porous microspheres. With the IDE template combined microfluidics technique and the use of a customized amphoteric copolymer, PEG-b-polycaprolactone, polycaprolactone (PCL) porous microspheres with porosity higher than 90% were successfully prepared. Afterwards, the main factors, including polymer concentration, water–oil ratio and homogenization time were investigated to regulate the pore structure of microspheres, and microspheres with different pore sizes (1–30 μm) were obtained. PCL porous microspheres exhibited comparable cell viability relative to the control group and good potential as cell microcarriers after surface modification with polydopamine. The modified PCL porous microspheres implanted subcutaneously in rats underwent rapid in vivo degradation and tissue ingrowth. Overall, this study demonstrated an efficient strategy for the precise preparation of porous microspheres and investigated the potential of the as-prepared PCL porous microspheres as cell microcarriers and micro-scaffolds. Full article

The current research focuses on the mechanism of the surfactant polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the preparation of magnesium hydroxide by electrolysis of a salt lake bischite aqueous solution. The samples were analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and laser particle size analyzer. The characterization results show that PEG plays an important role in adjusting the growth mode and morphology of Mg(OH)₂ crystals. The ether group of the PEG molecular chain and the hydroxyl group of Mg(OH)₂ can be combined by a hydrogen bond, which provides a "template" for the growth of Mg(OH)₂. At the same time, the difference in growth mode and morphology will also affect the economic performance of electrolytic reactions. When the PEG content reaches 0.4 g/L, the particle size of the product is uniform, which can well reduce the polarization of the electrode plate. The cell potential of electrolytic reaction is small, and the economic benefit is high. When the content of PEG is low, it has a low impact on the product and the economic benefits of electrolytic reaction. When the PEG content is higher than 0.4 g/L, the electrode reaction is hindered, resulting in an increase in cell potential. Full article

Prime editor (PE), a versatile editor that allows the insertion and deletion of arbitrary sequences, and all 12-point mutations without double-strand breaks (DSB) and a donor template, dramatically enhances research capabilities. PE combines nickase Cas9(H840A) and reverse transcriptase (RT), along with prime editing guide RNA (pegRNA). It has been reported in several plant species, but a weak editing efficiency has led to a decrease in applications. This study reports an optimized-prime editor (O-PE) for endogenous gene editing in Arabidopsis thaliana cells, with an average 1.15% editing efficiency, which is 16.4-fold higher than previously reported. Meanwhile, we observed an increase in indels when testing alternative reverse transcriptase and found out that nCas9(H840A) fused to non-functional reverse transcriptase was responsible for the increase. This work develops an efficient prime editor for plant cells and provides a blueprint for applying PE in other photoautotrophic cells, such as microalgae, that have a high industrial value. Full article