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Crawford LA, Cuzzucoli Crucitti V, Stimpson A, Morgan C, Blake J, Wildman RD, Hook AL, Alexander MR, Irvine DJ, Avery SV. A potential alternative to fungicides using actives-free (meth)acrylate polymers for protection of wheat crops from fungal attachment and infection. GREEN CHEMISTRY : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL AND GREEN CHEMISTRY RESOURCE : GC 2023; 25:8558-8569. [PMID: 38013846 PMCID: PMC10614722 DOI: 10.1039/d3gc01911j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Fungicidal compounds are actives widely used for crop protection from fungal infection, but they can also kill beneficial organisms, enter the food chain and promote resistant pathogen strains from overuse. Here we report the first field crop trial of homopolymer materials that prevent fungal attachment, showing successful crop protection via an actives-free approach. In the trial, formulations containing two candidate polymers were applied to young wheat plants that were subject to natural infection with the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. A formulation containing one of the candidate polymers, poly(di(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether acrylate) (abbreviated DEGEEA), produced a significant reduction (26%) in infection of the crop by Z. tritici, delivering protection against fungal infection that compared favourably with three different commercially established fungicide programmes tested in parallel. Furthermore, the sprayed polymers did not negatively affect wheat growth. The two lead polymer candidates were initially identified by bio-performance testing using in vitro microplate- and leaf-based assays and were taken forward successfully into a programme to optimize and scale-up their synthesis and compound them into a spray formulation. Therefore, the positive field trial outcome has also established the validity of the smaller-scale, laboratory-based bioassay data and scale-up methodologies used. Because fungal attachment to plant surfaces is a first step in many crop infections, this non-eluting polymer: (i) now offers significant potential to deliver protection against fungal attack, while (ii) addressing the fourth and aligning with the eleventh principles of green chemistry by using chemical products designed to preserve efficacy of function while reducing toxicity. A future focus should be to develop the material properties for this and other applications including other fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam A Crawford
- School of Life Sciences, University Park, University of, Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Valentina Cuzzucoli Crucitti
- Centre for Additive Manufacturing, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Park, University of Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Amy Stimpson
- Centre for Additive Manufacturing, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Park, University of Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Chloe Morgan
- RSK ADAS Ltd, Rosemaund, Preston Wynne Hereford HR1 3PG UK
| | - Jonathan Blake
- RSK ADAS Ltd, Rosemaund, Preston Wynne Hereford HR1 3PG UK
| | - Ricky D Wildman
- Centre for Additive Manufacturing, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Park, University of Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Andrew L Hook
- Centre for Additive Manufacturing, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Park, University of Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Morgan R Alexander
- Advanced Materials and Healthcare Technologies, School of Pharmacy, University Park, University of Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Derek J Irvine
- Centre for Additive Manufacturing, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Park, University of Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Simon V Avery
- School of Life Sciences, University Park, University of, Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
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Begines B, Arevalo C, Romero C, Hadzhieva Z, Boccaccini AR, Torres Y. Fabrication and Characterization of Bioactive Gelatin-Alginate-Bioactive Glass Composite Coatings on Porous Titanium Substrates. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:15008-15020. [PMID: 35316017 PMCID: PMC8990524 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c01241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
In this research work, the fabrication of biphasic composite implants has been investigated. Porous, commercially available pure Ti (50 vol % porosity and pore distributions of 100-200, 250-355, and 355-500 μm) has been used as a cortical bone replacement, while different composites based on a polymer blend (gelatin and alginate) and bioactive glass (BG) 45S5 have been applied as a soft layer for cartilage tissues. The microstructure, degradation rates, biofunctionality, and wear behavior of the different composites were analyzed to find the best possible coating. Experiments demonstrated the best micromechanical balance for the substrate containing 200-355 μm size range distribution. In addition, although the coating prepared from alginate presented a lower mass loss, the composite containing 50% alginate and 50% gelatin showed a higher elastic recovery, which entails that this type of coating could replicate the functions of the soft tissue in areas of the joints. Therefore, results revealed that the combinations of porous commercially pure Ti and composites prepared from alginate/gelatin/45S5 BG are candidates for the fabrication of biphasic implants not only for the treatment of osteochondral defects but also potentially for any other diseases affecting simultaneously hard and soft tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belen Begines
- Departamento
de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Facultad
de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, c/ Profesor García González
2, Seville 41012, Spain
| | - Cristina Arevalo
- Departamento
de Ingeniería y Ciencia de los Materiales y del Transporte, Escuela Politécnica Superior, c/ Virgen de África 7, Seville 41011, Spain
| | - Carlos Romero
- Departamento
de Ingeniería y Ciencia de los Materiales y del Transporte, Escuela Politécnica Superior, c/ Virgen de África 7, Seville 41011, Spain
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Av. de la Universidad 30, Leganés, Madrid 28911, Spain
| | - Zoya Hadzhieva
- Institute
of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstraße 6, Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Aldo R. Boccaccini
- Institute
of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstraße 6, Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Yadir Torres
- Departamento
de Ingeniería y Ciencia de los Materiales y del Transporte, Escuela Politécnica Superior, c/ Virgen de África 7, Seville 41011, Spain
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Bergamaschi G, Musicò A, Frigerio R, Strada A, Pizzi A, Talone B, Ghezzi J, Gautieri A, Chiari M, Metrangolo P, Vanna R, Baldelli Bombelli F, Cretich M, Gori A. Composite Peptide-Agarose Hydrogels for Robust and High-Sensitivity 3D Immunoassays. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:4811-4822. [PMID: 35060693 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c18466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Canonical immunoassays rely on highly sensitive and specific capturing of circulating biomarkers by interacting biomolecular baits. In this frame, bioprobe immobilization in spatially discrete three-dimensional (3D) spots onto analytical surfaces by hydrogel encapsulation was shown to provide relevant advantages over conventional two-dimensional (2D) platforms. Yet, the broad application of 3D systems is still hampered by hurdles in matching their straightforward fabrication with optimal functional properties. Herein, we report on a composite hydrogel obtained by combining a self-assembling peptide (namely, Q3 peptide) with low-temperature gelling agarose that is proved to have simple and robust application in the fabrication of microdroplet arrays, overcoming hurdles and limitations commonly associated with 3D hydrogel assays. We demonstrate the real-case scenario feasibility of our 3D system in the profiling of Covid-19 patients' serum IgG immunoreactivity, which showed remarkably improved signal-to-noise ratio over canonical assays in the 2D format and exquisite specificity. Overall, the new two-component hydrogel widens the perspectives of hydrogel-based arrays and represents a step forward towards their routine use in analytical practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Bergamaschi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Musicò
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Frigerio
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Strada
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Pizzi
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Benedetta Talone
- Physics Department, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Ghezzi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
- Biomolecular Engineering Lab, Dept. Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Alfonso Gautieri
- Biomolecular Engineering Lab, Dept. Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Chiari
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Pierangelo Metrangolo
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Renzo Vanna
- Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie─National Research Council of Italy (IFN-CNR), 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Baldelli Bombelli
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Marina Cretich
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gori
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta"─National Research Council of Italy (SCITEC-CNR), 20131 Milan, Italy
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