Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular response to biophysical cues using synthetic biology approaches

Engineering Biomimetic Gelatin Based Nanostructures as Synthetic Substrates for Cell Culture

There is a need for synthetic substrates that replicate the natural environment for in vitro intestinal models. Electrospinning is one of the most versatile and cost-effective techniques to produce nanofibrous scaffolds mimicking the basement membrane topography. In this study, three different novel electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds made of a polycaprolactone (PCL), gelatin, and poloxamer 188 (P188) blend were produced and compared with PCL and PCL/gelatin fibers produced using the same solvent system and electrospinning parameters. Each polymer solution used in this experiment was electrospun at four different voltages to study its influence on fiber diameter. The morphology and physical characteristics of the fibers were studied using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The average fiber diameter of all scaffolds was within 200–600 nm and no significant decrease in diameter with an increase in voltage was observed. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical characteristics of the nanofibrous scaffold. The conductivity of the polymer solutions was also analyzed. Biocompatibility of the scaffolds was determined by a cell proliferation study performed using colorectal carcinoma (Caco-2) cells. PCL/gelatin/P188 scaffolds exhibited higher cell proliferation compared to PCL, PCL/gelatin scaffolds, and the control (tissue culture multi-well plate) with PCL/gelatin/P188 80:10:10 sample showing the highest cell proliferation.

Electrospun Nanometer to Micrometer Scale Biomimetic Synthetic Membrane Scaffolds in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering: A Review

The scaffold technology research utilizes biomimicry to produce efficient scaffolds that mimic the natural cell growth environment including the basement membrane for tissue engineering. Because the natural basement membrane is composed of fibrillar protein networks of nanoscale diameter, the scaffold produced should efficiently mimic the nanoscale topography at a low production cost. Electrospinning is a technique that can achieve that. This review discusses the physical and chemical characteristics of the basement membrane and its significance on cell growth and overall focuses on nanoscale biomimetic synthetic membrane scaffolds primarily generated using electrospinning and their application in drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Evaluation of immunoresponses and cytotoxicity from skin exposure to metallic nanoparticles

Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary science that has developed rapidly in recent years. Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly utilized in dermatology and cosmetology, because of their unique properties. However, skin exposure to NPs raises concerns regarding their transdermal toxicity. The tight junctions of epithelial cells form the skin barrier, which protects the host against external substances. Recent studies have found that NPs can pass through the skin barrier into deeper layers, indicating that skin exposure is a means for NPs to enter the body. The distribution and interaction of NPs with skin cells may cause toxic side effects. In this review, possible penetration pathways and related toxicity mechanisms are discussed. The limitations of current experimental methods on the penetration and toxic effects of metallic NPs are also described. This review contributes to a better understanding of the risks of topically applied metallic NPs and provides a foundation for future studies.

Probing cellular mechanics with acoustic force spectroscopy

A large number of studies demonstrate that cell mechanics and pathology are intimately linked. In particular, deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) is key to their function and is dramatically altered in the time course of diseases such as anemia and malaria. Due to the physiological importance of cell mechanics, many methods for cell mechanical probing have been developed. While single-cell methods provide very valuable information, they are often technically challenging and lack the high data throughput needed to distinguish differences in heterogeneous populations, while fluid-flow high-throughput methods miss the accuracy to detect subtle differences. Here we present a new method for multiplexed single-cell mechanical probing using acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS). We demonstrate that mechanical differences induced by chemical treatments of known effect can be measured and quantified. Furthermore, we explore the effect of extracellular vesicles (EVs) uptake on RBC mechanics and demonstrate that EVs uptake increases RBC deformability. Our findings demonstrate the ability of AFS to manipulate cells with high stability and precision and pave the way to further new insights into cellular mechanics and mechanobiology in health and disease, as well as potential biomedical applications.