Size and Shape of Calcium Alginate Beads Produced by Extrusion Dripping

Self-Assembly of Mn(II)-Amidoximated PAN Polymeric Beads Complex as Reusable Catalysts for Efficient and Stable Heterogeneous Electro-Fenton Oxidation

A facile postsynthetic amidoxime modification method was reported on the preparation of transition-metal ions (Mn, Fe, and Co)-polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymeric beads complex as reusable catalysts for efficient and stable heterogeneous electro-Fenton oxidation. Through one-step phase inversion, low-cost and chemically resistant polymeric PAN beads were fabricated on a large scale with controllable sizes and abundant porous structure. The postfunctionalization strategy led more active sites to be uniformly distributed into modified PAN beads owing to the favorable channel confined effect and chelate coordination. Compared with pure PAN beads, the modified composite catalysts exhibited remarkably higher activity and stability in electro-Fenton oxidation over wide pH range of 3-10 without any addition of H₂O₂. By analysis, the grafted amidoxime group was extremely beneficial for improving metal loading and binding force between active sites and organic supports, which accelerated the active sites autocatalytic cycle to promote H₂O₂ activation by means of excited electron transfer from composites' functional groups. The catalytic activity of Mn-amidoximated PAN evaluated by the turnover frequency was 15 times more than that of traditional iron oxide and very competitive to the reported metal-organic framework-based composites. Moreover, a strong metal and polymeric support interaction significantly enhanced the stabilization of active sites dispersed in porous matrix and solved the ever-present problem of metallic ions leaching to the greatest extent. The scalable introduction of functionalities into sophisticated structures after host framework synthesis will bring valuable insights to develop highly efficient and stable heterogeneous catalysts for green electrochemical oxidation in practical application.

Application of Millifluidics to Encapsulate and Support Viable Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Polysaccharide Hydrogel

Human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) are widely known for their immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. This study proposes a method to protect cells during and after their injection by encapsulation in a hydrogel using a droplet millifluidics technique. A biocompatible, self-hardening biomaterial composed of silanized-hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (Si-HPMC) hydrogel was used and dispersed in an oil continuous phase. Spherical particles with a mean diameter of 200 μm could be obtained in a reproducible manner. The viability of the encapsulated hASCs in the Si-HPMC particles was 70% after 14 days in vitro, confirming that the Si-HPMC particles supported the diffusion of nutrients, vitamins, and glucose essential for survival of the encapsulated hASCs. The combination of droplet millifluidics and biomaterials is therefore a very promising method for the development of new cellular microenvironments, with the potential for applications in biomedical engineering.

Polysaccharide Hydrogels Support the Long-Term Viability of Encapsulated Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Their Ability to Secrete Immunomodulatory Factors

While therapeutically interesting, the injection of MSCs suffers major limitations including cell death upon injection and a massive leakage outside the injection site. We proposed to entrap MSCs within spherical particles derived from alginate, as a control, or from silanized hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Si-HPMC). We developed water in an oil dispersion method to produce small Si-HPMC particles with an average size of about 68 μm. We evidenced a faster diffusion of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran in Si-HPMC particles than in alginate ones. Human adipose-derived MSCs (hASC) were encapsulated either in alginate or in Si-HPMC, and the cellularized particles were cultured for up to 1 month. Both alginate and Si-HPMC particles supported cell survival, and the average number of encapsulated hASC per alginate and Si-HPMC particle (7102 and 5100, resp.) did not significantly change. The stimulation of encapsulated hASC with proinflammatory cytokines resulted in the production of IDO, PGE₂, and HGF whose concentration was always higher when cells were encapsulated in Si-HPMC particles than in alginate ones. We have demonstrated that Si-HPMC and alginate particles support hASC viability and the maintenance of their ability to secrete therapeutic factors.

Preparation of micro-encapsulated strawberry fragrance and its application in the aromatic wallpaper

Micro-encapsulated strawberry fragrance was successfully prepared with wall materials including maltodextrin, sodium octenylsuccinate and gum Arabic. The micro-capsule was added to wallpaper and aromatic wallpaper with strawberry characteristics was obtained. The particle distribution, surface morphology, chemical structure, thermal property and controlled release performance of micro-encapsulated fragrance and aromatic wallpaper were investigated using laser particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-TR), thermal gravity analysis (TGA) and chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The results showed that the average diameter of micro-capsule was 2 μm and the particles mainly distributed in the tissues of wallpaper. The result of TGA showed that the micro-capsule had a good stability. Meanwhile, the aromatic wallpaper had strawberry aroma more than 3 months and took on excellent controlled release performance.

Biological Effects of Drug-Free Alginate Beads Cross-Linked by Copper Ions Prepared Using External Ionotropic Gelation

External ionotropic gelation offers a unique possibility to entrap multivalent ions in a polymer structure. The aim of this experimental study was to prepare new drug-free sodium alginate (ALG) particles cross-linked by Cu²⁺ ions and to investigate their technological parameters (particle size, sphericity, surface topology, swelling capacity, copper content, release of Cu²⁺ ions, mucoadhesivity) and biological activity (cytotoxicity and efficiency against the most common vaginal pathogens-Herpes simplex, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans) with respect to potential vaginal administration. Beads prepared from NaALG dispersions (3 or 4%) were cross-linked by Cu²⁺ ions (0.5 or 1.0 M CuCl₂) using external ionotropic gelation. Prepared mucoadhesive beads with particle size over 1000 μm exhibited sufficient sphericity (all ˃0.89) and copper content (214.8-249.07 g/kg), which increased with concentration of polymer and hardening solution. Dissolution behaviour was characterized by extended burst effect, followed by 2 h of copper release. The efficiency of all samples against the most common vaginal pathogens was observed at cytotoxic Cu²⁺ concentrations. Anti-HSV activity was demonstrated at a Cu²⁺ concentration of 546 mg/L. Antibacterial activity of beads (expressed as minimum inhibition concentration, MIC) was influenced mainly by the rate of Cu²⁺ release which was controlled by the extent of swelling capacity. Lower MIC values were found for E. coli in comparison with C. albicans. Sample ALG-3_1.0 exhibited the fastest copper release and was proved to be the most effective against both bacteria. This could be a result of its lower polymer concentration in combination with smaller particle size and thus larger surface area.

Physicochemical Characterization of Alginate Beads Containing Sugars and Biopolymers

Alginate hydrogels are suitable for the encapsulation of a great variety of biomolecules. Several alternatives to the conventional alginate formulation are being studied for a broad range of biotechnological applications; among them the addition of sugars and biopolymers arises as a good and economic strategy. Sugars (trehalose and β-cyclodextrin), a cationic biopolymer (chitosan), an anionic biopolymer (pectin), and neutral gums (Arabic, guar, espina corona, and vinal gums) provided different characteristics to the beads. Here we discuss the influence of beads composition on several physicochemical properties, such as size and shape, analyzed through digital image analysis besides both water content and activity. The results showed that the addition of a second biopolymer, β-CD, or trehalose provoked more compact beads, but the fact that they were compact not necessarily implies a concomitant increase in their circularity. Espina corona beads showed the highest circularity value, being useful for applications which require a controlled and high circularity, assuring quality control. Beads with trehalose showed lower water content than the rest of the system, followed by those containing galactomannans (espina corona, vinal, and guar gums), revealing polymer structure effects. A complete characterization of the beads was performed by FT-IR, assigning the characteristics bands to each individual component.