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Song J, Tas RP, Martens MCM, Ritten MVM, Wu H, Jones ER, Lebouille JGJL, Vis M, Voets IK, Tuinier R. Freezing-mediated formation of supraproteins using depletion forces. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 665:622-633. [PMID: 38552579 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Hypothesis Long-acting formulations such as microparticles, injectable depots and implantable devices can realize spatiotemporally controlled delivery of protein drugs to extend their therapeutic in vivo half-lives. To efficiently encapsulate the protein drugs into such drug delivery systems, (sub)micron-sized protein particles are needed. The formation of micronized supraproteins can be induced through the synergistic combination of attractive depletion forces and freezing. The size of the supraproteins can be fine-tuned from submicron to several microns by adjusting the ice crystallization rate through the freeze-quench depth, which is set by the target temperature. Methods Supraprotein micron structures were prepared from protein solutions under various conditions in the presence and absence of nonadsorbing polyethylene glycol. Scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering were employed to determine the sizes of the supraproteins and real-time total internal reflection fluorescent microscopy was used to follow the supraprotein formation during freezing. The protein secondary structure was measured before and after micronization by circular dichroism. A phase diagram of a protein-polyethylene glycol mixture was theoretically predicted to investigate whether the depletion interaction can elucidate the phase behavior. Findings Micronized protein supraparticles could be prepared in a controlled manner by rapid freeze-drying of aqueous mixtures of bovine serum albumin, horseradish peroxidase and lysozyme mixed with polyethylene glycol. Upon freezing, the temperature quench initiates a phase separation process which is reminiscent of spinodal decomposition. This demixing is subsequently arrested during droplet phase separation to form protein-rich microstructures. The final size of the generated protein microparticles is determined by a competition between phase separation and cooling rate, which can be controlled by target temperature. The experimental phase diagram of the aqueous protein-polyethylene glycol dispersion aligns with predictions from depletion theory for charged colloids and nonadsorbing polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiankang Song
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Roderick P Tas
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Self-organizing Soft Matter, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Max C M Martens
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Manon V M Ritten
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Hanglong Wu
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Bio-Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Mark Vis
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Ilja K Voets
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Self-organizing Soft Matter, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Remco Tuinier
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
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Qi Y, Wang S, Sun J, Song J, Li H, Guo J. Polyethylene glycol regulates the pitch and liquid crystal behavior of cellulose nanocrystal-based photonic crystals. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 260:129544. [PMID: 38244739 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Inspired by iridescent color in natural creations, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) photonic crystals artificially created by nanotechnology have great application prospects due to their potential to control light propagation in the linear and nonlinear regimes. One of the most important development directions of photonic crystals is the diversification of colors, usually by adjusting the pitch. However, few researchers notice the effect of polymer molecular weight and content on pitch regulation and the interaction between polymer and CNC liquid crystals. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used as polymers to regulate the pitch of CNC photonic crystals and investigate the changes in microstructure, crystal structure, thermal properties, and liquid crystal texture of the composites by changing the PEG content and molecular weight. Different photonic crystal construction systems show that when the molecular weight of PEG is 0.4 k, it can be filled between CNCs to regulate the pitch of photonic crystals, while when the molecular weight of PEG is 20 k, it cannot always be filled between CNCs in evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process due to the depletion interaction, which cannot effectively regulate the pitch. This study reveals the relationship between PEG and CNC liquid crystals, which supports the development of photonic crystals and the pitch regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yungeng Qi
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest, Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing City 210037, PR China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Lignocellulose Chemistry and BioMaterials, Liaoning Collaborative Innovation Center for Lignocellulosic Biorefinery, School of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian City 116034, PR China
| | - Shihao Wang
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest, Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing City 210037, PR China
| | - Jing Sun
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest, Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing City 210037, PR China
| | - Junlong Song
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest, Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing City 210037, PR China
| | - Haiming Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Lignocellulose Chemistry and BioMaterials, Liaoning Collaborative Innovation Center for Lignocellulosic Biorefinery, School of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian City 116034, PR China.
| | - Jiaqi Guo
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest, Resources and International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing City 210037, PR China.
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Zhang Z, Neu B. Polymer-induced adhesion of endothelial cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 660:96-99. [PMID: 37084493 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
The effects of neutral dextran concentration and molecular mass on the adhesion of endothelial cells (EC) to siliclad-covered glass surfaces were studied using interference reflection microscopy (IRM). Results indicate that close contact of the EC to the glass slides is markedly enhanced in the presence of 500 kDa dextran, with this increase reflected by both the speed of forming close contact as well as the size of the contact area. This increased adhesion is attributed to the reduction in surface concentrations of large polymers and, therefore, to the attractive forces caused by depletion interaction. Our findings suggest that depletion could play an important role in cell-cell or cell-surface interactions via accelerating and enhancing close contacts. This interaction should thus be considered in vivo and in vitro for specific potential applications, such as cell culture and cell adhesion to biomimetic surfaces. It should therefore be of particular interest in a wide range of biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengwen Zhang
- Division of Bioengineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Department of Cell Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA
| | - Björn Neu
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Rhine-Waal, Kleve, Germany.
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Lin M, Raghuwanshi VS, Browne C, Simon GP, Garnier G. Modulating transparency and colour of cellulose nanocrystal composite films by varying polymer molecular weight. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 584:216-24. [PMID: 33069020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.09.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) can produce photonic composite films that selectively reflect light based on their periodic cholesteric structure. The hypothesis of this research is that by incorporating water-soluble polymer, photonic properties of CNC composite film can be designed by manipulating the polymer molecular weight. EXPERIMENTAL Flexible free-standing composite films of five different poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecular weights were prepared via air drying under a controlled environment, and characterised by reflectance UV-vis spectrometer, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Films with each molecular weight were investigated over a concentration range. FINDINGS The colour and transmission haze of the composite films was modified by varying both the PEG molecular weight and concentration. Depending on the molecular weight, the films were able to reflect light from the UV region (242 nm) across the visible spectrum to the near-infrared region (832 nm). Different trends in variation of the reflected light based on the molecular weight was found with increasing PEG concentration and was explained by weak depletion interactions occurring between CNC and PEG, which was reduced with increasing PEG molecular weight.
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Thiyam P, Woodward CE, Forsman J. Non-monotonic phase behaviour of a mixture containing non-adsorbing particles and polymerising rod-like molecules. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 568:25-35. [PMID: 32078936 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Previous works have shown that many-body interactions induced by dispersants with increasing correlation length will generate a diminishing two-phase region [Soft Matter 14, 6921 (2018)]. We conjecture that the attenuation of the depletion attraction due to many-body interactions is a ubiquitous phenomenon in medium-induced interactions. We propose mixtures of colloidal particles and rod-like polymers as a feasible experimental system for verifying these predictions, since the intra-molecular correlations are not screened in a good solvent for rod-like polymers as they are in flexible polymers. The length of the rods can grow and become the dominant length scale that determines the range of the depletion interactions for the imbedded non-adsorbing particles. Simulations: We study many-body depletion forces induced by polymerizing rod-like polymers on spherical non-adsorbing colloids, using Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations. We also employ a simple mean-field theory to further justify our numerical predictions. FINDINGS We demonstrate that the phase diagram displays the same qualitative features that have previously been predicted by many-body theory, for mixtures containing flexible polymers under theta solvent conditions. The contraction of the particle two-phase region that we observe, as the correlation length increases beyond some specific value, could be a signature of the weakening of the depletion caused by many-body effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyadarshini Thiyam
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Lund University, P. O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Clifford E Woodward
- School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, ADFA, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Jan Forsman
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Lund University, P. O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
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