BiomacromoleculesPub Date : 2025-01-13Epub Date: 2024-12-13DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00965
Yuheng Liu, Chuan Guo, Yu Wang, Qing-Quan Kong
{"title":"Application of an Injectable Thermosensitive Hydrogel Drug Delivery System for Degenerated Intervertebral Disc Regeneration.","authors":"Yuheng Liu, Chuan Guo, Yu Wang, Qing-Quan Kong","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00965","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00965","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intervertebral disc degeneration is characterized by a localized, chronic inflammatory response leading to a synthesis/catabolism imbalance within the nucleus pulposus (NP) and progressive functional impairment within the NP. Polyphenol molecules have been widely used in anti-inflammatory therapies in recent years; therefore, we designed an injectable, temperature-sensitive hydrogel PLGA-PEG-PLGA-based drug delivery system for local and sustained delivery of two drugs tannic acid (TA) and resveratrol (Res), with the hydrogel carrying TA directly and Res indirectly (carried directly by inflammation-responsive nanoparticles). The delivery system presents good injectability at room temperature and forms a gel in situ upon entering the intervertebral disc. The delivery system can rapidly release TA and sustain Res release. In vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that this hydrogel drug delivery system is effective in anti-inflammation of degenerated intervertebral discs and promotes the regeneration of extracellular matrix in the NP.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"209-221"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142816654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiomacromoleculesPub Date : 2025-01-13Epub Date: 2024-12-17DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00648
Md Nasir Uddin, Md Abu Monsur Dinar, Leah E Schrass, Daniel W Pack, Jason E DeRouchey
{"title":"Impact of Acetylation, Succinylation, and pH on DNA Packaging in PEI-Based Polyplexes.","authors":"Md Nasir Uddin, Md Abu Monsur Dinar, Leah E Schrass, Daniel W Pack, Jason E DeRouchey","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00648","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00648","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Polyethylenimine (PEI) is a widely used cationic polymer for nonviral gene delivery, often modified to enhance transfection efficiency and reduce cytotoxicity. This study investigates how acetylation, succinylation (acPEI and zPEI), and pH influence the internal DNA packaging of polyplexes. Both modifications alter physicochemical properties, leading to complexes that decondense more readily with increasing modification. X-ray scattering reveals that high acetylation produces loosely packed DNA, while succinylation unexpectedly tightens DNA packing at higher modification levels. Polyplexes formed at low pH (pH 4) are more stable and tightly packed than those formed at pH 7.5. Acidifying polyplexes initially formed at pH 7.5 induces structural rearrangement to tighter DNA packing accompanied by significant PEI release, providing direct evidence for models where free PEI aids endosomal escape. These findings challenge conventional assumptions about PEI behavior and offer new insights into DNA packaging, emphasizing tailored polymer modifications and pH conditions to optimize gene delivery.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"178-189"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142845301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Flexible and Robust Piezoelectric Chitosan Films with Enhanced Bioactivity.","authors":"Srishti Chakraborty, Souvik Debnath, Kailas Mahipal Malappuram, Sampath Parasuram, Huan-Tsung Chang, Kaushik Chatterjee, Amit Nain","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01464","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chitosan (CHT) is a known piezoelectric biomacromolecule; however, its usage is limited due to rapid degradation in an aqueous system. Herein, we prepared CHT film via a solvent casting method and cross-linked in an alkaline solution. Sodium hydroxide facilitated deprotonation, leading to increased intramolecular hydrogen bonding and mechanical properties. The CHT film remained intact for 30 days in aqueous environments. A systematic study revealed a gradual increase in the output voltage from 0.9 to 1.8 V under external force (1-16 N). In addition, the CHT film showed remarkable antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities under ultrasound stimulation and inhibition of inflammatory cytokines. The CHT films also displayed enhanced cellular proliferation and ∼5-fold faster migration of NIH3T3 cells under US stimulation. Overall, this work presents a robust, biocompatible, and wearable CHT device that can transform biomechanical energy into electrical pulses for the modulation of cell fate processes and other bioactivities.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142968657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiomacromoleculesPub Date : 2025-01-13Epub Date: 2025-01-02DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01261
Ying-Jen Shiu, Bradley W Mansel, Kuei-Fen Liao, Ting-Wei Hsu, Je-Wei Chang, Orion Shih, Yi-Qi Yeh, Johannes Allwang, U-Ser Jeng
{"title":"Revealing the Solution Conformation and Hydration Structure of Type I Tropocollagen Using X-ray Scattering and Molecular Dynamics Simulation.","authors":"Ying-Jen Shiu, Bradley W Mansel, Kuei-Fen Liao, Ting-Wei Hsu, Je-Wei Chang, Orion Shih, Yi-Qi Yeh, Johannes Allwang, U-Ser Jeng","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01261","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01261","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hydration plays a crucial role in regulating the dispersion behavior of biomolecules in water, particularly in how pH-sensitive hydration water network forms around proteins. This study explores the conformation and hydration structure of Type-I tropocollagen using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results reveal that tropocollagen exhibits a significant softening conformation in solution, transitioning from its rod-like structure in tissues to a worm-like conformation, characterized by a reduced radius of gyration of 50 nm and a persistent length of 34 nm. The SWAXS-supported MD calculations further establish a hydration water network characterized by a 2.8 Å free-water exclusion zone where water molecules are largely hydrogen-bonded to the densely distributed polar groups on the tropocollagen surfaces. These first-layer water molecules are bridged by outer water molecules extending up to 4 Å from the protein surfaces, forming a major hydration shell that encapsulates the protein.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"449-458"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11734691/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142918650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Molecular Dynamics Study of the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Spider Silk Proteins.","authors":"Zhaoting Yuan, Bohuan Fang, Qixin He, Hao Wei, Haiming Jian, Lujia Zhang","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01398","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01398","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spider silk is renowned for its exceptional toughness, with the strongest dragline silk composed of two proteins, MaSp1 and MaSp2, featuring central repetitive sequences and nonrepetitive terminal domains. Although these sequences to spider silk's strength and toughness, the specific roles of MaSp1 and MaSp2 at the atomic level remain unclear. Using AlphaFold3 models and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we constructed models of MaSp1 and MaSp2 and validated their stability. Steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations showed that MaSp2 resists lateral stretching, whereas MaSp1 exhibited better extensibility. During longitudinal stretching, MaSp1 formed cavities, whereas MaSp2 stretched uniformly. Hydrogen bonds involving GLN and SER in MaSp1 were strong, whereas those involving Tyr307 were prone to breakage, potentially weakening toughness. These results indicate that MaSp1 enhances extensibility, whereas MaSp2 imparts greater toughness. This study offers key molecular insights into spider silk's strength, informing the design of artificial fibers.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"601-608"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142918648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiomacromoleculesPub Date : 2025-01-13Epub Date: 2024-12-11DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01282
Anika L Moller, Isis A Middleton, Grace E Maynard, Lachlan B Cox, Anna Wang, Hsiu L Li, Pall Thordarson
{"title":"Discrimination between Purine and Pyrimidine-Rich RNA in Liquid-Liquid Phase-Separated Condensates with Cationic Peptides and the Effect of Artificial Crowding Agents.","authors":"Anika L Moller, Isis A Middleton, Grace E Maynard, Lachlan B Cox, Anna Wang, Hsiu L Li, Pall Thordarson","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01282","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01282","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Membraneless organelles, often referred to as condensates or coacervates, are liquid-liquid phase-separated systems formed between noncoding RNAs and intrinsically disordered proteins. While the importance of different amino acid residues in short peptide-based condensates has been investigated, the role of the individual nucleobases or the type of heterocyclic structures, the purine vs pyrimidine nucleobases, is less researched. The cell's crowded environment has been mimicked <i>in vitro</i> to demonstrate its ability to induce the formation of condensates, but more research in this area is required, especially with respect to RNA-facilitated phase separation and the properties of the crowding agent, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Herein, we have shown that the nucleotide base sequence of RNA can greatly influence its propensity to undergo phase separation with cationic peptides, with the purine-only RNA decamer <b>(AG)</b><sub><b>5</b></sub> readily doing so while the pyrimidine-only <b>(CU)</b><sub><b>5</b></sub> does not. Furthermore, we show that the presence and size of a PEG macromolecular crowder affects both the ability to phase separate and the stability of coacervates formed, possibly due to co-condensation of PEG with the RNA and peptides. This work sheds light on the presence of low-complexity long purine- or pyrimidine-rich noncomplementary repeat (AG or CU) sequences in various noncoding RNAs found in biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"470-479"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142811429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiomacromoleculesPub Date : 2025-01-13Epub Date: 2024-12-13DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01463
Matias Lakovaara, Juho Antti Sirviö, Rafal Sliz, Shubo Wang, Henrikki Liimatainen
{"title":"Cellulose Nanoworm Coatings for Enhancing the Water Resistance of Nanocellulose Film Substrates in Printed Electronics.","authors":"Matias Lakovaara, Juho Antti Sirviö, Rafal Sliz, Shubo Wang, Henrikki Liimatainen","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01463","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01463","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cellulose-nanomaterial-derived films are promising platforms for engineering advanced substrates for printed electronics. However, they are highly susceptible to water and humidity, which limit their wide application. To overcome these drawbacks, cellulose nanoworms (distinct hydrophobized cellulose nanomaterials) were introduced in this study as sustainable coatings to enhance the water resistance of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) films. Alcogels of nanoworms, produced via ethanol-induced swelling and ultrasonication of a cellulose pulp esterified in a deep eutectic solvent, form a dense and transparent coating on the CNF films, significantly inhibiting their water absorption and improving their surface smoothness. Furthermore, the resulting coated CNF films exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity with improved wet mechanical properties and lower water vapor permeability. In addition, the results of the ink-printing tests revealed that the coated films partially or completely inhibited ink removal. Thus, this study demonstrated that cellulose nanoworm coatings provide a promising approach to overcome the moisture sensitivity of CNF films.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"644-653"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142816660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiomacromoleculesPub Date : 2025-01-13Epub Date: 2024-12-17DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01020
Xianfeng Chu, Xiaowen Dou, Jiaying Yu, Junpeng Zhou, Di Ma, Miao Miao, Shaojun Hu, Kai Sun, Shihong Zhu, Qi Liu, Xiuming Zhang, Yong Jiang, Zhi-Fei Wang
{"title":"Synthesis of Polymers via Cancer Cell Metabolism-Mediated Controlled Radical Polymerization and Application in Engineering of Cell Surface.","authors":"Xianfeng Chu, Xiaowen Dou, Jiaying Yu, Junpeng Zhou, Di Ma, Miao Miao, Shaojun Hu, Kai Sun, Shihong Zhu, Qi Liu, Xiuming Zhang, Yong Jiang, Zhi-Fei Wang","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01020","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we present a novel chemical biology strategy that leverages the reductive metabolic pathways of cancer cells to develop a new approach for synthesizing polymers in nonstrictly anaerobic conditions. This method utilizes the reductive metabolism of cancer cells to reduce Cu(II) to Cu(I), enabling Cu(I)-catalyzed controlled radical polymerization with poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MAPEGOMe) monomer, producing polymers with low dispersity (1.28-1.38). Furthermore, we found that this method could use MAPEGOMe as a monomer to in situ form a polymer layer on the initiator-modified cell surface, achieving a cell surface engineering modification. This study reveals the broad application value and potential of cancer cell metabolism-mediated controlled radical polymerization in the fields of chemical biology and polymer science.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"238-247"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142845302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiomacromoleculesPub Date : 2025-01-13Epub Date: 2024-12-04DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01207
Patric Komforth, Jan Imschweiler, Milena Hesse, Alina G Heck, Alexander Fuchs, Adrian V Hauck, Lutz Nuhn
{"title":"Toward Intracellular Delivery: Aliphatic Polycarbonates with Pendant Thiol-Reactive Thiosulfonates for Reversible Postpolymerization Modification.","authors":"Patric Komforth, Jan Imschweiler, Milena Hesse, Alina G Heck, Alexander Fuchs, Adrian V Hauck, Lutz Nuhn","doi":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01207","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01207","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Postpolymerization modifications are valuable techniques for creating functional polymers that are challenging to synthesize directly. This study presents aliphatic polycarbonates with pendant thiol-reactive groups for disulfide formation with mercaptans. The reductive responsive nature of this reaction allows for reversible postpolymerization modifications on biodegradable scaffolds. Six-membered cyclic carbonate monomers with pendant thiosulfonate groups were synthesized and polymerized using controlled organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization, yielding polymers with narrow molecular weight dispersities (<i>Đ</i> = 1.2) and intact reactive thiosulfonate side chains. Reversible modification with benzyl mercaptans achieved high degrees of disulfide modification. Additionally, thiol-reactive carbonate monomers were block-copolymerized onto polyethylene glycol (mPEG<sub>113</sub>) and then converted into benzyl disulfides, while the block copolymers' hydroxyl end groups remained available for fluorescent dye labeling. The amphiphilic block copolymers self-assembled in water into micelles (∼33 nm diameter), capable of encapsulating hydrophobic molecules. These micelles successfully delivered hydrophobic dyes into macrophages, indicating the potential for intracellular drug delivery.</p>","PeriodicalId":30,"journal":{"name":"Biomacromolecules","volume":" ","pages":"387-404"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142778699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}