Development of poly(aspartic acid-co-malic acid) composites for calcium carbonate and sulphate scale inhibition

Polyaspartic acid (PSI) is suitable for the inhibition of inorganic scale deposition. To enhance its scale inhibition efficiency, PSI was modified by reacting aspartic acid with malic acid (MA) using thermal polycondensation polymerization. This reaction resulted in poly(aspartic acid-co-malic acid) (PSI-co-MA) dual polymer. The structural, chemical and thermal properties of the dual polymers were analysed by using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and gel permeation chromatography. The effectiveness of six different molar ratios of PSI-co-MA dual polymer for calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate scale inhibition at laboratory scale batch experiments was evaluated with synthetic brine solution at selected doses of polymer at 65-70°C by the static scale test method. The performance of PSI-co-MA dual polymer for the inhibition of calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate precipitation was compared with that of a PSI single polymer. The PSI-co-MA exhibited excellent ability to control inorganic minerals, with approximately 85.36% calcium carbonate inhibition and 100% calcium sulphate inhibition at a level of 10 mg/L PSI-co-MA, respectively. Therefore, it may be reasonably concluded that PSI-co-MA is a highly effective scale inhibitor for cooling water treatment applications.

Natural and synthetic poly(malic acid)-based derivates: a family of versatile biopolymers for the design of drug nanocarriers

The field of specific drug delivery is an expanding research domain. Besides the use of liposomes formed from various lipids, natural and synthetic polymers have been developed to prepare more efficient drug delivery systems either under macromolecular prodrugs or under particulate nanovectors. To ameliorate the biocompatibility of such nanocarriers, degradable natural or synthetic polymers have attracted the interest of many researchers. In this context, poly(malic acid) (PMLA) extracted from microorganisms or synthesized from malic or aspartic acid was used to prepare water-soluble drug carriers or nanoparticles. Within this review, both the preparation and the applications of PMLA derivatives are described emphasizing the in vitro and in vivo assays. The results obtained by several groups highlight the interest of such polyesters in the field of drug delivery.

Benzyl β-malolactonate polymers: a long story with recent advances

Benzyl β-malolactonate (MLABe) and its corresponding poly(benzyl β-malolactonate) (PMLABe) homopolymers and copolymers of the poly(hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) family.

Surface functionalization of superparamagnetic nanoparticles for the development of highly efficient magnetic resonance probe for macrophages

In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tracking of macrophages plays an important role in monitoring and understanding numerous human diseases with high macrophage activity. In this work, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) of ∼12 nm were surface-functionalized with poly(DL-lactic acid-co-malic acid) copolymer (PLMA) via a nanoprecipitation method. The r(1), r(2) and r(2) /r(1) values of the PLMA-SPIONs obtained at a magnetic field of 3 T were 0.38, 196 and 516 mM(-1) s(-1) , respectively. The high r(2)/r(1) ratio can be expected to provide enhanced MR contrast. The PLMA-SPIONs were readily taken in by macrophages and the high iron uptake was confirmed via Prussian Blue staining and quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). No significant cytotoxicity was found even at a high nanoparticle loading of 67.7 pg Fe per cell. A linear relationship between R(2) and R2* values and the number of PLMA-SPIONs labeled cells was observed in vitro. As a result of the significantly higher R2* than R(2) effects, an in vitro detection threshold of about 2820 labeled cells was achieved with short labeling time and low nanoparticle concentration using a clinical 3 T MRI scanner. Thus, the PLMA-SPIONs can be potentially useful as magnetic resonance probes for targeting and tracking macrophages.

Galactosylated poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly (l-lactide-co-β-malic acid) block copolymer micelles for targeted drug delivery: preparation and in vitro characterization

Biodegradable galactosylated methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(l-lactide-co-β-malic acid) (Gal-PEG-b-PLMA) block copolymer micelles were successfully prepared by a solvent diffusion method, and could efficiently encapsulate doxorubicin. The Gal-PEG-b-PLMA micelles before and after doxorubicin loading were characterized by size, morphology, in vitro drug release, and in vitro cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering results showed that the empty and doxorubicin-loaded micelles were approximately spherical in shape and had mean sizes of about 72 nm and 85 nm, respectively. In vitro release behavior of doxorubicin from the micelles was pH-dependent, with obviously faster release rates at mildly acidic pH 4.5 and 5.5 compared with physiologic pH 7.4. Methylthiazoletetrazolium assay and flow cytometric analysis indicated that the doxorubicin-loaded galactosylated micelles exhibited a greater growth-inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells than the nongalactosylated doxorubicin-loaded micelles, and induced S phase cell cycle arrest. Confocal laser scanning microscope observations revealed that the galactosylated micelles could be efficiently internalized by HepG2 cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis. The results suggest that Gal-PEG-b-PLMA copolymer micelles are a promising carrier system for targeted drug delivery in cancer therapy.

Blood compatibility evaluation of poly(D,L-lactide-co-beta-malic acid) modified with the GRGDS sequence

Endothelialization is an ideal approach to improve the blood compatibility of synthetic polymers. However, cell detachment is inevitable under shear flow conditions. Therefore, the issue of blood compatibility needs to be addressed for both the bare and the endothelialized polymer. RGD-containing polymer P-GS5 was synthesized by modification of poly(D,L-lactide-co-beta-malic acid) (PLMA) with the peptide GRGDS. The compositions, molecular weights and hydrophilicities of poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA), PLMA, and P-GS5 were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) and water contact angle measurements, respectively. The blood compatibilities of the bare and the endothelialized polymers were evaluated by clotting time and platelet adhesion tests. The results showed that the coagulation pathways were not influenced before and after cell culture; the bare P-GS5 attracted less platelet adhesion and induced lower pseudopodia extension compared with PDLLA and PLMA, and the platelet adhesion on P-GS5 was almost completely eliminated after cell seeding. The results suggest that P-GS5 could be a potentially useful material in vascular tissue engineering.

Applications of microscale technologies for regenerative dentistry

While widespread advances in tissue engineering have occurred over the past decade, many challenges remain in the context of tissue engineering and regeneration of the tooth. For example, although tooth development is the result of repeated temporal and spatial interactions between cells of ectoderm and mesoderm origin, most current tooth engineering systems cannot recreate such developmental processes. In this regard, microscale approaches that spatially pattern and support the development of different cell types in close proximity can be used to regulate the cellular microenvironment and, as such, are promising approaches for tooth development. Microscale technologies also present alternatives to conventional tissue engineering approaches in terms of scaffolds and the ability to direct stem cells. Furthermore, microscale techniques can be used to miniaturize many in vitro techniques and to facilitate high-throughput experimentation. In this review, we discuss the emerging microscale technologies for the in vitro evaluation of dental cells, dental tissue engineering, and tooth regeneration.