Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2018) | Viewed by 40469

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Interests: biosensing platforms; thermal detection methods; synthetic receptors for biomolecules

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Guest Editor
School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Interests: tissue engineering; mechanical and perfusion bioreactors; biomaterials

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Guest Editor
School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Interests: molecular biology; microbiology of extremophiles; astrobiology; environmental microbial biotechnology; marine microbiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing field of bioinspired materials is becoming more and more relevant in material science, drawing inspiration from nature to develop novel materials that offer sustainable solutions to current challenges. This Special Issue aims to provide a forum and survey for the current status and future perspectives of this rapidly-emerging interdisciplinary field.

This Special Issue is cooperating with the Bioinspired Materials 2018 conference (https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/science-engineering/about-us/events/bioinspired-materials-conference-2018/). Registered participants of this conference are invited to submit their manuscripts to be considered for publication. Authors may consider to contribute an original research article or review in areas related to the conference themes.

Dr. Marloes Peeters
Dr. Araida Hidalgo-Bastida
Dr. Patricia Linton
Guest Editors

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. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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

  • biomimetic sensors
  • tissue engineering
  • wearables
  • hydrogels
  • 3D-printing
  • biofabrics

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 7946 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Human Keratinocyte Cell Clusters for Skin Graft Applications by Templating Water-in-Water Pickering Emulsions
by Sevde B. G. Celik, Sébastien R. Dominici, Benjamin W. Filby, Anupam A. K. Das, Leigh A. Madden and Vesselin N. Paunov
Biomimetics 2019, 4(3), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4030050 - 11 Jul 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5441
Abstract
Most current methods for the preparation of tissue spheroids require complex materials, involve tedious physical steps and are generally not scalable. We report a novel alternative, which is both inexpensive and up-scalable, to produce large quantities of viable human keratinocyte cell clusters (clusteroids). [...] Read more.
Most current methods for the preparation of tissue spheroids require complex materials, involve tedious physical steps and are generally not scalable. We report a novel alternative, which is both inexpensive and up-scalable, to produce large quantities of viable human keratinocyte cell clusters (clusteroids). The method is based on a two-phase aqueous system of incompatible polymers forming a stable water-in-water (w/w) emulsion, which enabled us to rapidly fabricate cell clusteroids from HaCaT cells. We used w/w Pickering emulsion from aqueous solutions of the polymers dextran (DEX) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) and a particle stabilizer based on whey protein (WP). The HaCaT cells clearly preferred to distribute into the DEX-rich phase and this property was utilized to encapsulate them in the water-in-water (DEX-in-PEO) emulsion drops then osmotically shrank to compress them into clusters. Prepared formulations of HaCaT keratinocyte clusteroids in alginate hydrogel were grown where the cells percolated to mimic 3D tissue. The HaCaT cell clusteroids grew faster in the alginate film compared to the individual cells formulated in the same matrix. This methodology could potentially be utilised in biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018)
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20 pages, 11008 KiB  
Article
Controlling the Antimicrobial Action of Surface Modified Magnesium Hydroxide Nanoparticles
by Ahmed F. Halbus, Tommy S. Horozov and Vesselin N. Paunov
Biomimetics 2019, 4(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4020041 - 25 Jun 2019
Cited by 48 | Viewed by 6078
Abstract
Magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles (Mg(OH)2NPs) have recently attracted significant attention due to their wide applications as environmentally friendly antimicrobial nanomaterials, with potentially low toxicity and low fabrication cost. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterisation of a range of surface modified Mg(OH) [...] Read more.
Magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles (Mg(OH)2NPs) have recently attracted significant attention due to their wide applications as environmentally friendly antimicrobial nanomaterials, with potentially low toxicity and low fabrication cost. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterisation of a range of surface modified Mg(OH)2NPs, including particle size distribution, crystallite size, zeta potential, isoelectric point, X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We explored the antimicrobial activity of the modified Mg(OH)2NPs on the microalgae (C. reinhardtii), yeast (S. cerevisiae) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The viability of these cells was evaluated for various concentrations and exposure times with Mg(OH)2NPs. It was discovered that the antimicrobial activity of the uncoated Mg(OH)2NPs on the viability of C. reinhardtii occurred at considerably lower particle concentrations than for S. cerevisiae and E. coli. Our results indicate that the antimicrobial activity of polyelectrolyte-coated Mg(OH)2NPs alternates with their surface charge. The anionic nanoparticles (Mg(OH)2NPs/PSS) have much lower antibacterial activity than the cationic ones (Mg(OH)2NPs/PSS/PAH and uncoated Mg(OH)2NPs). These findings could be explained by the lower adhesion of the Mg(OH)2NPs/PSS to the cell wall, because of electrostatic repulsion and the enhanced particle-cell adhesion due to electrostatic attraction in the case of cationic Mg(OH)2NPs. The results can be potentially applied to control the cytotoxicity and the antimicrobial activity of other inorganic nanoparticles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018)
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9 pages, 782 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Optimized Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Isolation and Detection of Antidepressants via HPLC
by Alexander D. Hudson, Ricard Solà, Jorge T. Ueta, William Battell, Oliver Jamieson, Thomas Dunbar, Beatriz Maciá and Marloes Peeters
Biomimetics 2019, 4(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4010018 - 20 Feb 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3843
Abstract
Antidepressants such as amitryptiline and fluoxetine are on the list of modern essential medicines of the World Health Organization. However, there are growing concerns regarding the ecological impact of these pharmaceuticals, leading to a great need to improve current wastewater treatment procedures. In [...] Read more.
Antidepressants such as amitryptiline and fluoxetine are on the list of modern essential medicines of the World Health Organization. However, there are growing concerns regarding the ecological impact of these pharmaceuticals, leading to a great need to improve current wastewater treatment procedures. In this contribution, we will report on the use of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the extraction of antidepressants in water samples. MIPs were developed for fluoxetine and duloxetine, antidepressants belonging to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The binding capacity of these microparticles was evaluated using ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. A new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure coupled to UV detection was developed, which enabled the study of mixtures of fluoxetine and duloxetine with other nitrogen-containing compounds. These results indicate that it is possible to selectively extract SSRIs from complex samples. Therefore, these versatile polymers are a promising analytical tool for the clean-up of water samples, which will benefit aquatic life and reduce the ecological impact of pharmaceuticals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018)
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12 pages, 1651 KiB  
Article
Effects of Capsaicin on Biomimetic Membranes
by Neha Sharma, Huong T. T. Phan, Tsuyoshi Yoda, Naofumi Shimokawa, Mun’delanji C. Vestergaard and Masahiro Takagi
Biomimetics 2019, 4(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4010017 - 13 Feb 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4874
Abstract
Capsaicin is a natural compound that produces a warm sensation and is known for its remarkable medicinal properties. Understanding the interaction between capsaicin with lipid membranes is essential to clarify the molecular mechanisms behind its pharmacological and biological effects. In this study, we [...] Read more.
Capsaicin is a natural compound that produces a warm sensation and is known for its remarkable medicinal properties. Understanding the interaction between capsaicin with lipid membranes is essential to clarify the molecular mechanisms behind its pharmacological and biological effects. In this study, we investigated the effect of capsaicin on thermoresponsiveness, fluidity, and phase separation of liposomal membranes. Liposomal membranes are a bioinspired technology that can be exploited to understand biological mechanisms. We have shown that by increasing thermo-induced membrane excess area, capsaicin promoted membrane fluctuation. The effect of capsaicin on membrane fluidity was dependent on lipid composition. Capsaicin increased fluidity of (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) membranes, while it rigidified DOPC and cholesterol-based liposomes. In addition, capsaicin tended to decrease phase separation of heterogeneous liposomes, inducing homogeneity. We imagine this lipid re-organization to be associated with the physiological warming sensation upon consumption of capsaicin. Since capsaicin has been reported to have biological properties such as antimicrobial and as antiplatelet, the results will help unravel these biological properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018)
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12 pages, 2789 KiB  
Article
Real-Time Monitoring of Interactions between Solid-Supported Lipid Vesicle Layers and Short- and Medium-Chain Length Alcohols: Ethanol and 1-Pentanol
by Shova Neupane, George Cordoyiannis, Frank Uwe Renner and Patricia Losada-Pérez
Biomimetics 2019, 4(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4010008 - 22 Jan 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3396
Abstract
Lipid bilayers represent the interface between the cell and its environment, serving as model systems for the study of various biological processes. For instance, the addition of small molecules such as alcohols is a well-known process that modulates lipid bilayer properties, being considered [...] Read more.
Lipid bilayers represent the interface between the cell and its environment, serving as model systems for the study of various biological processes. For instance, the addition of small molecules such as alcohols is a well-known process that modulates lipid bilayer properties, being considered as a reference for general anesthetic molecules. A plethora of experimental and simulation studies have focused on alcohol’s effect on lipid bilayers. Nevertheless, most studies have focused on lipid membranes formed in the presence of alcohols, while the effect of n-alcohols on preformed lipid membranes has received much less research interest. Here, we monitor the real-time interaction of short-chain alcohols with solid-supported vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) as a label-free method. Results indicate that the addition of ethanol at different concentrations induces changes in the bilayer organization but preserves the stability of the supported vesicle layer. In turn, the addition of 1-pentanol induces not only changes in the bilayer organization, but also promotes vesicle rupture and inhomogeneous lipid layers at very high concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018)
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Review

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8 pages, 2145 KiB  
Review
Bioinspiration in Fashion—A Review
by Jane Wood
Biomimetics 2019, 4(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4010016 - 12 Feb 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 12338
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the main technologies currently being investigated in the textile industry as alternatives to contemporary fashion fabrics. The present status of the textile industry and its impact on the environment is discussed, and the key drivers for change [...] Read more.
This paper provides an overview of the main technologies currently being investigated in the textile industry as alternatives to contemporary fashion fabrics. The present status of the textile industry and its impact on the environment is discussed, and the key drivers for change are highlighted. Historical use of bioinspiration in synthetic textiles is evaluated, with the impact of these developments on the fashion and apparel industries described. The review then discusses the move to nature as a supplier of new fabric sources with several alternatives explored, drawing special attention to the sustainability and performance aspects of these new sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018)
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Other

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5 pages, 1036 KiB  
Conference Report
Bioinspired Materials 2018: Conference Report
by Marloes Peeters, Patricia Linton and Araida Hidalgo-Bastida
Biomimetics 2019, 4(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4010004 - 14 Jan 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3719
Abstract
The Bioinspired Materials conference 2018 was organized for the third time by a team of researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University. This international conference aims to bring together the scientific committee in the fields of biomimetic sensors, bioinspired materials, materials chemistry, three-dimensional (3D) printing, [...] Read more.
The Bioinspired Materials conference 2018 was organized for the third time by a team of researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University. This international conference aims to bring together the scientific committee in the fields of biomimetic sensors, bioinspired materials, materials chemistry, three-dimensional (3D) printing, and tissue engineering. The 2018 edition was held at the John Dalton Building of Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK, and took place on the 10th of October 2018. There were over 60 national and international attendees, with the international attendees participating in a lab tour through the synthetic facilities and Fuel Cell Innovation Centre on the 9th of October. The three conference sessions encompassed a wide range of topics, varying from biomimetic sensors, hydrogels, and biofabrics and bioengineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Bioinspired Materials 2018)
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