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Biomolecules
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Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications
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Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological and Bio- Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 24305

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bahman Anvari

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
Interests: bioinspired materials; photonic materials; photomedicine; optical imaging; nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology; delivery systems; cell membrane mechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Development of materials engineered from biological matters continues to be an extensive area of research in physical, biological, chemical, materials, and biomedical sciences. This Special Issue of Biomolecules will present a collection of papers related to some of the recent advances in research and development of imaging probes and contrast agents, reporters and sensors, therapeutic and theranostic platforms that are inspired by, or engineered from biological materials for biomedical and biological applications. We invite research papers from the broad scientific community to submit papers to this Special Issue. Some of the topics of interest include, but are not limited to the design, fabrication, and characterization of such materials; modeling and simulation; material properties; biodistribution and biocompatibility; material–tissue interactions; activation mechanisms; pre-clinical studies.

Dr. Bahman Anvari
Guest Editor

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. Biomolecules 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 2700 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

  • Biomedical and biological imaging
  • Biophotonics
  • Biosensors
  • Cell-based therapy
  • Delivery Systems
  • Theranostics

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3003 KiB  
Article
Impact of Magnetite Nanowires on In Vitro Hippocampal Neural Networks
by Belén Cortés-Llanos, Rossana Rauti, Ángel Ayuso-Sacido, Lucas Pérez and Laura Ballerini
Biomolecules 2023, 13(5), 783; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13050783 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1580
Abstract
Nanomaterials design, synthesis, and characterization are ever-expanding approaches toward developing biodevices or neural interfaces to treat neurological diseases. The ability of nanomaterials features to tune neuronal networks’ morphology or functionality is still under study. In this work, we unveil how interfacing mammalian brain [...] Read more.
Nanomaterials design, synthesis, and characterization are ever-expanding approaches toward developing biodevices or neural interfaces to treat neurological diseases. The ability of nanomaterials features to tune neuronal networks’ morphology or functionality is still under study. In this work, we unveil how interfacing mammalian brain cultured neurons and iron oxide nanowires’ (NWs) orientation affect neuronal and glial densities and network activity. Iron oxide NWs were synthesized by electrodeposition, fixing the diameter to 100 nm and the length to 1 µm. Scanning electron microscopy, Raman, and contact angle measurements were performed to characterize the NWs’ morphology, chemical composition, and hydrophilicity. Hippocampal cultures were seeded on NWs devices, and after 14 days, the cell morphology was studied by immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. Live calcium imaging was performed to study neuronal activity. Using random nanowires (R-NWs), higher neuronal and glial cell densities were obtained compared with the control and vertical nanowires (V-NWs), while using V-NWs, more stellate glial cells were found. R-NWs produced a reduction in neuronal activity, while V-NWs increased the neuronal network activity, possibly due to a higher neuronal maturity and a lower number of GABAergic neurons, respectively. These results highlight the potential of NWs manipulations to design ad hoc regenerative interfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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23 pages, 19200 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Formation Kinetics of Octacalcium Phosphate from Alpha-Tricalcium Phosphate: Synthesis Scale-Up, Determination of Transient Phases, Their Morphology and Biocompatibility
by Ilijana Kovrlija, Ksenia Menshikh, Olivier Marsan, Christian Rey, Christèle Combes, Janis Locs and Dagnija Loca
Biomolecules 2023, 13(3), 462; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13030462 - 02 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1893
Abstract
Even with decades of research studies behind octacalcium phosphate (OCP), determination of OCP phase formation has proved to be a cumbersome challenge. Even though obtaining a large quantity of OCP is important for potential clinical uses, it still remains a hindrance to obtain [...] Read more.
Even with decades of research studies behind octacalcium phosphate (OCP), determination of OCP phase formation has proved to be a cumbersome challenge. Even though obtaining a large quantity of OCP is important for potential clinical uses, it still remains a hindrance to obtain high yields of pure OCP. Taking that into consideration, the purpose of this study was to scale-up OCP synthesis for the first time and to use a multi-technique approach to follow the phase transformation pathway at multiple time points. In the present study, OCP has been synthesized from α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP), and subsequently scaled-up tenfold and hundredfold (100 mg → 10 g). The hydrolysis mechanism has been followed and described by using XRD and FTIR spectroscopy, as well as Raman and SEM. Gradual transformation into the OCP phase transpired through dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (brushite, DCPD, up to ~36%) as an intermediary phase. Furthermore, the obtained transitional phases and final OCP phases (across all scale-up levels) were tested with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs), in order to see how different phase mixtures affect the cell viability, and also to corroborate the safety of the scaled-up product. Twelve out of seventeen specimens showed satisfactory percentages of cell viability and confirmed the prospective use of scaled-up OCP in further in vitro studies. The present study, therefore, provides the first scale-up process of OCP synthesis, an in depth understanding of the formation pathway, and investigation of the parameters able to contribute in the OCP phase formation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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16 pages, 5374 KiB  
Article
Preparation, Characterization and Multiple Biological Properties of Peptide-Modified Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles
by Mengjun Wang, Hongliang He, Di Liu, Ming Ma and Yu Zhang
Biomolecules 2022, 12(9), 1277; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12091277 - 10 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2001
Abstract
Although cerium oxide nanoparticles are attracting much attention in the biomedical field due to their unique physicochemical and biological functions, the cerium oxide nanoparticles greatly suffer from several unmet physicochemical challenges, including loss of enzymatic activity during the storage, non-specific cellular uptake, off-target [...] Read more.
Although cerium oxide nanoparticles are attracting much attention in the biomedical field due to their unique physicochemical and biological functions, the cerium oxide nanoparticles greatly suffer from several unmet physicochemical challenges, including loss of enzymatic activity during the storage, non-specific cellular uptake, off-target toxicities, etc. Herein, in order to improve the targeting property of cerium oxide nanoparticles, we first modified cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2) with polyacrylic acid (PAA) and then conjugated with an endothelium-targeting peptide glycine-arginine-aspartic acid (cRGD) to construct CeO2@PAA@RGD. The physiochemical characterization results showed that the surface modifications did not impact the intrinsic enzymatic properties of CeO2, including catalase-like (CAT) and superoxide dismutase-like (SOD) activities. Moreover, the cellular assay data showed that CeO2@PAA@RGD exhibited a good biocompatibility and a higher cellular uptake due to the presence of RGD targeting peptide on its surface. CeO2@PAA@RGD effectively scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) to protect cells from oxidative-stress-induced damage. Additionally, it was found that the CeO2@PAA@RGD converted the phenotype of macrophages from proinflammatory (M1) to anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype, inhibiting the occurrence of inflammation. Furthermore, the CeO2@PAA@RGD also promoted endothelial cell-mediated migration and angiogenesis. Collectively, our results successfully demonstrate the promising application of CeO2@PAA@RGD in the future biomedical field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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12 pages, 4745 KiB  
Article
Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging of Carotid Plaques in an Atherosclerotic Murine Model
by Xiaotian Wu, Amy Daniel Ulumben, Steven Long, Wataru Katagiri, Moses Q. Wilks, Hushan Yuan, Brian Cortese, Chengeng Yang, Satoshi Kashiwagi, Hak Soo Choi, Marc D. Normandin, Georges El Fakhri and Raiyan T. Zaman
Biomolecules 2021, 11(12), 1753; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11121753 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1869
Abstract
Successful imaging of atherosclerosis, one of the leading global causes of death, is crucial for diagnosis and intervention. Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging has been widely adopted along with multimodal/hybrid imaging systems for plaque detection. We evaluate two macrophage-targeting fluorescent tracers for NIRF imaging [...] Read more.
Successful imaging of atherosclerosis, one of the leading global causes of death, is crucial for diagnosis and intervention. Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging has been widely adopted along with multimodal/hybrid imaging systems for plaque detection. We evaluate two macrophage-targeting fluorescent tracers for NIRF imaging (TLR4-ZW800-1C and Feraheme-Alexa Fluor 750) in an atherosclerotic murine cohort, where the left carotid artery (LCA) is ligated to cause stenosis, and the right carotid artery (RCA) is used as a control. Imaging performed on dissected tissues revealed that both tracers had high uptake in the diseased vessel compared to the control, which was readily visible even at short exposure times. In addition, ZW800-1C’s renal clearance ability and Feraheme’s FDA approval puts these two tracers in line with other NIRF tracers such as ICG. Continued investigation with these tracers using intravascular NIRF imaging and larger animal models is warranted for clinical translation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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17 pages, 2204 KiB  
Article
Phospholipid-Gold Nanorods Induce Energy Crisis in MCF-7 Cells: Cytotoxicity Evaluation Using LC-MS-Based Metabolomics Approach
by Lina A. Dahabiyeh, Nouf N. Mahmoud, Mohammad A. Al-Natour, Laudina Safo, Dong-Hyun Kim, Enam A. Khalil and Rana Abu-Dahab
Biomolecules 2021, 11(3), 364; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11030364 - 27 Feb 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2792
Abstract
Phospholipid-modified gold nanorods (phospholipid-GNRs) have demonstrated drastic cytotoxicity towards MCF-7 breast cancer cells compared to polyethylene glycol-coated GNRs (PEG-GNRs). In this study, the mechanism of cytotoxicity of phospholipid-GNRs towards MCF-7 cells was investigated using mass spectrometry-based global metabolic profiling and compared to PEGylated [...] Read more.
Phospholipid-modified gold nanorods (phospholipid-GNRs) have demonstrated drastic cytotoxicity towards MCF-7 breast cancer cells compared to polyethylene glycol-coated GNRs (PEG-GNRs). In this study, the mechanism of cytotoxicity of phospholipid-GNRs towards MCF-7 cells was investigated using mass spectrometry-based global metabolic profiling and compared to PEGylated counterparts. The results showed that when compared to PEG-GNRs, phospholipid-GNRs induced significant and more pronounced impact on the metabolic profile of MCF-7 cells. Phospholipid-GNRs significantly decreased the levels of metabolic intermediates and end-products associated with cellular energy metabolisms resulting in dysfunction in TCA cycle, a reduction in glycolytic activity, and imbalance of the redox state. Additionally, phospholipid-GNRs disrupted several metabolism pathways essential for the normal growth and proliferation of cancer cells including impairment in purine, pyrimidine, and glutathione metabolisms accompanied by lower amino acid pools. On the other hand, the effects of PEG-GNRs were limited to alteration of glycolysis and pyrimidine metabolism. The current work shed light on the importance of metabolomics as a valuable analytical approach to explore the molecular effects of GNRs with different surface chemistry on cancer cell and highlights metabolic targets that might serve as promising treatment strategy in cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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Review

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23 pages, 3202 KiB  
Review
Transportation of Single-Domain Antibodies through the Blood–Brain Barrier
by Eduardo Ruiz-López and Alberto J. Schuhmacher
Biomolecules 2021, 11(8), 1131; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11081131 - 31 Jul 2021
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 9579
Abstract
Single-domain antibodies derive from the heavy-chain-only antibodies of Camelidae (camel, dromedary, llama, alpaca, vicuñas, and guananos; i.e., nanobodies) and cartilaginous fishes (i.e., VNARs). Their small size, antigen specificity, plasticity, and potential to recognize unique conformational epitopes represent a diagnostic and therapeutic opportunity for [...] Read more.
Single-domain antibodies derive from the heavy-chain-only antibodies of Camelidae (camel, dromedary, llama, alpaca, vicuñas, and guananos; i.e., nanobodies) and cartilaginous fishes (i.e., VNARs). Their small size, antigen specificity, plasticity, and potential to recognize unique conformational epitopes represent a diagnostic and therapeutic opportunity for many central nervous system (CNS) pathologies. However, the blood–brain barrier (BBB) poses a challenge for their delivery into the brain parenchyma. Nevertheless, numerous neurological diseases and brain pathologies, including cancer, result in BBB leakiness favoring single-domain antibodies uptake into the CNS. Some single-domain antibodies have been reported to naturally cross the BBB. In addition, different strategies and methods to deliver both nanobodies and VNARs into the brain parenchyma can be exploited when the BBB is intact. These include device-based and physicochemical disruption of the BBB, receptor and adsorptive-mediated transcytosis, somatic gene transfer, and the use of carriers/shuttles such as cell-penetrating peptides, liposomes, extracellular vesicles, and nanoparticles. Approaches based on single-domain antibodies are reaching the clinic for other diseases. Several tailoring methods can be followed to favor the transport of nanobodies and VNARs to the CNS, avoiding the limitations imposed by the BBB to fulfill their therapeutic, diagnostic, and theragnostic promises for the benefit of patients suffering from CNS pathologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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27 pages, 4242 KiB  
Review
Phototheranostics Using Erythrocyte-Based Particles
by Taylor Hanley, Raviraj Vankayala, Chi-Hua Lee, Jack C. Tang, Joshua M. Burns and Bahman Anvari
Biomolecules 2021, 11(5), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11050729 - 13 May 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3652
Abstract
There has been a recent increase in the development of delivery systems based on red blood cells (RBCs) for light-mediated imaging and therapeutic applications. These constructs are able to take advantage of the immune evasion properties of the RBC, while the addition of [...] Read more.
There has been a recent increase in the development of delivery systems based on red blood cells (RBCs) for light-mediated imaging and therapeutic applications. These constructs are able to take advantage of the immune evasion properties of the RBC, while the addition of an optical cargo allows the particles to be activated by light for a number of promising applications. Here, we review some of the common fabrication methods to engineer these constructs. We also present some of the current light-based applications with potential for clinical translation, and offer some insight into future directions in this exciting field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired and Biomimicking Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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