Search Results (9)

Electrospinning is a versatile technique used to manufacture nanofibers by applying an electric field to a polymer solution. This method has gained significant interest in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, and materials engineering fields due to its ability to produce porous structures with a high specific surface area, making it ideal for applications such as wound dressings, controlled drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering. The materials used in electrospinning play a crucial role in determining the final properties of the obtained nonwoven nanofibers. Among the most studied substances are chitosan, collagen, and fish-derived gelatin, which are biopolymers with high biocompatibility. These materials are especially used in the medical and pharmaceutical fields due to their bioactive properties. In combination with synthetic polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), these biopolymers can form electrospun fibers with improved mechanical characteristics and enhanced structural stability. The characterization of these materials was performed using modern characterization techniques, such as one-dimensional (1D) proton NMR spectroscopy (¹H), for which the spin–spin relaxation time distributions T₂ were characterized. Additionally, two-dimensional (2D) measurements were conducted, for which EXSY T₂-T₂ and COSY T₁-T₂ exchange maps were obtained. The characterization was complemented with FT-IR spectra measurements, and the nanofiber morphology was observed using SEM. As a novelty, machine learning methods, including artificial neural networks (ANNs), were applied to characterize the local structural order of the produced nanofibers. In this study, it was shown that the nanofiber nonwoven materials made from PVA are characterized by a degree of order in the range of 0.27 to 0.61, which are more ordered than the nanofibers made from chitosan and fish gelatin, characterized by an order degree ranging from 0.051 to 0.312, where 0 represents the completely unordered network and 1 a fully ordered fabric. Full article

Selective COX-1 inhibitors are preferential therapeutic targets for platelet aggregation and clotting responses. In this study, we examined the selective COX-1-inhibitory activities of four newly synthesized compounds, 10–13, along with their abilities to inhibit platelet aggregation against ADP and collagen. The target compounds 10–13 were synthesized using the conventional method, sonication, and microwave-assisted methods. Microanalytical and spectral data were utilized to elucidate the structures of the new compounds 10–13. Additionally, a spectral NMR experiment [NOESY] was conducted to emphasize the configuration around the double bond of the imine group C=N. The obtained results revealed no observed correlation between any of the neighboring protons, suggesting that the configuration at the C=N double bond is E. Biological results revealed that all the screened compounds 10–13 might serve as selective COX-1 inhibitors. They showed IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.71 μM to 4.82 μM against COX-1 and IC₅₀ values ranging from 9.26 μM to 15.24 μM against COX-2. Their COX-1 selectivity indices ranged between 2.87 and 18.69. These compounds show promise as promising anti-platelet aggregation agents. They effectively prevented platelet aggregation induced by ADP with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.11 μM to 0.37 μM, surpassing the standard aspirin with an IC₅₀ value of 0.49 μM. Additionally, they inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by collagen with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.12 μM to 1.03 μM, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to aspirin, which has an IC₅₀ value of 0.51 μM. In silico molecular modeling was performed for all the target compounds within the active sites of COX-1 and COX-2 to rationalize their selective inhibitory activities towards COX-1. It was found that the binding interactions of the designed compounds within the COX-1 active site had remained unaffected by the presence of celecoxib. Molecular modeling and DFT calculations using the B3LYP/6-31+G (d,p) level were performed to study the stability of E-forms with respect to Z-forms for the investigated compounds. A strong correlation was observed between the experimental observations and the quantum chemical descriptors. Full article

Bio-based polymers are attracting great interest due to their potential for several applications in place of conventional polymers. In the field of electrochemical devices, the electrolyte is a fundamental element that determines their performance, and polymers represent good candidates for developing solid-state and gel-based electrolytes toward the development of full-solid-state devices. In this context, the fabrication and characterization of uncrosslinked and physically cross-linked collagen membranes are reported to test their potential as a polymeric matrix for the development of a gel electrolyte. The evaluation of the membrane’s stability in water and aqueous electrolyte and the mechanical characterization demonstrated that cross-linked samples showed a good compromise in terms of water absorption capability and resistance. The optical characteristics and the ionic conductivity of the cross-linked membrane, after overnight dipping in sulfuric acid solution, demonstrated the potential of the reported membrane as an electrolyte for electrochromic devices. As proof of concept, an electrochromic device was fabricated by sandwiching the membrane (after sulfuric acid dipping) between a glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS substrate and a glass/ITO/SnO₂ substrate. The results in terms of optical modulation and kinetic performance of such a device demonstrated that the reported cross-linked collagen membrane could represent a valid candidate as a water-based gel and bio-based electrolyte for full-solid-state electrochromic devices. Full article

Recently, hydrogen-fuel cells have attracted attention as an environmentally friendly next-generation energy device. Very recently, biomaterials such as collagen and chitin have realized proton conductivity via water bridges under humidity condition, and the fabrication of fuel cells using biomaterials is possible. However, the fuel cell electrolyte via water has demerits, such as the complication of fuel cell instruments and the operating temperature limit. Therefore, fuel cell electrolytes without humidified conditions are desired. In the present work, we have synthesized an anhydrous proton conductor using imidazole and collagen, which are biomaterials, and investigated the anhydrous proton conductivity in imidazole–collagen composites. It was found that an imidazole–collagen composite is a high-proton conductor above 10⁻³ S/m and above 200 °C without the humidified condition compared with other anhydrous bio-proton conductors such as the hydroxyapatite–collagen composite. Moreover, the motional narrowing of the ¹H-NMR line width reveals that the proton conductivity is realized in the temperature region from 120 to 200 °C. In addition, the DTA measurement and the impedance analyses reveal that the imidazole–collagen composite film undergoes the phase transition at 120 °C. Furthermore, the proton conductivity in the imidazole–collagen composite strongly depends on n, which is the imidazole concentration per collagen molecule and takes a maximum at n = 2.0. In addition, the proton conductivity perpendicular to the collagen fiber is approximately ten times higher than that parallel to the collagen fiber. From these results, it can be deduced that the proton conductivity in the imidazole–collagen composite is caused by breaking and rearranging the hydrogen bonds of the collagen side chain with the imidazole molecule formed between the collagen fibers. Full article

It is well known that a proton conductor is needed as an electrolyte of hydrogen fuel cells, which are attracting attention as an environmentally friendly next-generation device. In particular, anhydrous proton-conducting electrolytes are highly desired because of their advantages, such as high catalytic efficiency and the ability to operate at high temperatures, which will lead to the further development of fuel cells. In this study, we have investigated the proton-conducting properties of the hydroxyapatite (HAp)-collagen composite without external humidification conditions. It was found that, by injecting HAp into collagen, the electrical conductivity becomes higher than that of the HAp or the collagen. Moreover, the motional narrowing of the proton NMR line is observed above 130 °C. These results indicate that the electrical conductivity observed in the HAp-collagen composite is caused by mobile protons. Furthermore, we measured the proton conduction of HAp-collagen composite films with different HAp contents and investigated the necessity of the appearance of proton conductivity in HAp-collagen composites. HAp content (n = 0–0.38) is the number of HAp per collagen peptide representing Gly-Pro-Hyp. These results indicate that injection of HAp into collagen decreases the activation energy of proton conduction which becomes almost constant above a HAp content n of 0.3. It is deduced that the proton-conduction pathway in the HAp-collagen composite is fully formed above n = 0.3. Furthermore, these results indicate that the value of the activation energy of proton conductivity was lowered, accompanied by the formation of the HAp-collagen composite, and saturated at n > 0.3. From these results, the HAp-collagen composite forms the proton-conduction pathway n > 0.3 and becomes the proton conductor with no external humidification in the condition of n > 0.3 above 130 °C. Full article

Osteoporosis manifest in postmenopausal women is an osteolytic disease characterized by bone loss, leading to increased susceptibility to bone fractures and frailty. The use of complementary therapies to alleviate postmenopausal osteoporosis is fairly widespread among women. The current study examined that Pangasius hypophthalmus fish skin collagen hydrolysates (fsCH) inhibited ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone loss by conducting inter-comparative experiments for anti-osteoporotic activity among 206–618 mg/kg fsCH, 2 mg/kg isoflavone, 15 mg/kg glycine–proline–hydroxyproline (GPH) tripeptide, and calcium lactate. Surgical estrogen loss of mice for 8 weeks reduced serum 17β-estradiol levels with uterus atrophy, which was ameliorated by orally administering fsCH or isoflavone to mice. Similar to isoflavone, fsCH containing GPH-enhanced bone mineral density reduced levels of cathepsin K and proton-handling proteins, and elevated collagen 1 level in OVX bones. The treatment with fsCH and isoflavone enhanced the serum levels of collagen synthesis-related procollagen type 1 carboxy/amino-terminal propeptides reduced by OVX, whereas serum levels of osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase, as well as collagen breakdown-related carboxy/amino-terminal telopeptides of type 1 collagen were reduced in OVX mice treated with fsCH, isoflavone, and calcium lactate. The trabecular bones were newly formed in OVX bones treated with isoflavone and fsCH, but not with calcium lactate. However, a low-dose combination of fsCH and calcium lactate had a beneficial synergy effect on postmenopausal osteoporosis. Furthermore, similar to isoflavone, 15–70 μg/mL fsCH, with its constituents of GPH and dipeptides of glycine–proline and proline–hydroxyproline, enhanced osteogenesis through stimulating differentiation, matrix mineralization, and calcium deposition of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. Accordingly, the presence of fsCH may encumber estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss through enhancing osteoclastogenic differentiation and matrix collagen synthesis. Therefore, fsCH may be a natural compound retarding postmenopausal osteoporosis and pathological osteoresorptive disorders. Full article

Collagen films with proton conduction are a candidate of next generation of fuel-cell electrolyte. To clarify a relation between proton conductivity and formation of water networks in the collagen film originating from a tilapia’s scale, we systematically measured the ac conductivity, infrared absorption spectrum, and weight change as a function of relative humidity (RH) at room temperature. The integrated absorbance concerning an O–H stretching mode of water molecules increases above 60% RH in accordance with the weight change. The dc conductivity varies in the vicinity of 60 and 83% RH. From those results, we have determined the dc conductivity vs. hydration number (N) per unit (Gly-X-Y). The proton conduction is negligible in the collagen molecule itself, but dominated by the hydration shell, the development of which is characterized with three regions. For 0 < N < 2, the conductivity is extremely small, because the water molecule in the primary hydration shell has a little hydrogen bonded with each other. For 2 < N < 4, a quasi-one-dimensional proton conduction occurs through intra-water bridges in the helix. For 4 < N, the water molecule fills the helix, and inter-water bridges are formed in between the adjacent helices, so that a proton-conducting network is extended three dimensional. Full article

Pancreatic duct cells are equipped with acid/base transporters important for exocrine secretion. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells may utilize such transporters to acidify extracellular tumor microenvironment, creating a niche favoring cell proliferation, fibrosis and resistance to chemotherapy—all contributing to the notoriously bad prognosis of this disease. Here, we report that gastric and non-gastric H⁺, K⁺-ATPases (coded by ATP4A and ATP12A) are overexpressed in human and murine pancreatic cancer and that we can target them specifically with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs) in in vitro models of PDAC. Focusing on pantoprazole, we show that it significantly reduced human cancer cell proliferation by inhibiting cellular H⁺ extrusion, increasing K⁺ conductance and promoting cyclin D1-dependent cell cycle arrest and preventing STAT3 activation. Pantoprazole also decreased collagen secretion from pancreatic stellate cells. Importantly, in vivo studies show that pantoprazole treatment of tumor-bearing mice reduced tumor size, fibrosis and expression of angiogenic markers. This work provides the first evidence that H⁺, K⁺-ATPases contribute to PDAC progression and that these can be targeted by inhibitors of these pumps, thus proving a promising therapeutic strategy. Full article

This paper reviews the quantum electrodynamics theory of water put forward by Del Giudice and colleagues and how it may provide a useful foundation for a new science of water for life. The interaction of light with liquid water generates quantum coherent domains in which the water molecules oscillate between the ground state and an excited state close to the ionizing potential of water. This produces a plasma of almost free electrons favouring redox reactions, the basis of energy metabolism in living organisms. Coherent domains stabilized by surfaces, such as membranes and macromolecules, provide the excited interfacial water that enables photosynthesis to take place, on which most of life on Earth depends. Excited water is the source of superconducting protons for rapid intercommunication within the body that may be associated with the acupuncture meridians. Coherent domains can also trap electromagnetic frequencies from the environment to orchestrate and activate specific biochemical reactions through resonance, a mechanism for the most precise regulation of gene function. Full article