Biointerphases (BIOINTERPHASES)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Information visualization to enhance sensitivity and selectivity in biosensing.

  Osvaldo N Oliveira, Felippe J Pavinatto, Carlos J L Constantino, Fernando V Paulovich, Maria Cristina F de Oliveira
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  ABSTRACT: An overview is provided of the various methods for analyzing biosensing data, with emphasis on information visualization approaches such as multidimensional projection techniques. Emphasis is placed on the importance of data analysis methods, with a description of traditional techniques, including the advantages and limitations of linear and non-linear methods to generate layouts that emphasize similarity/dissimilarity relationships among data instances. Particularly important are recent methods that allow processing high-dimensional data, thus taking full advantage of the capabilities of modern equipment. In this area, now referred to as e-science, the choice of appropriate data analysis methods is crucial to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of sensors and biosensors. Two types of systems deserving attention in this context are electronic noses and electronic tongues, which are made of sensor arrays whose electrical or electrochemical responses are combined to provide "finger print" information for aromas and tastes. Examples will also be given of unprecedented detection of tropical diseases, made possible with the use of multidimensional projection techniques. Furthermore, ways of using these techniques along with other information visualization methods to optimize biosensors will be discussed.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):53.
• Article: Response of osteoclasts to titanium surfaces with increasing surface roughness: an in vitro study.

  Jenny Brinkmann, Thomas Hefti, Falko Schlottig, Nicholas D Spencer, Heike Hall
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  ABSTRACT: Osteoclasts are responsible for bone resorption and implant surface roughness promotes osseointegration. However, little is known about the effect of roughness on osteoclast activity. This study aims at the characterization of osteoclastic response to surface roughness. The number of osteoclasts, the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activities, the cell morphology and the actin-ring formation were examined on smooth (TS), acid-etched (TA) and sandblasted acid-etched (TLA) titanium and on native bone. Cell morphology was comparable on TA, TLA and bone, actin rings being similar in size on TLA and bone, but smaller on TA and virtually absent on TS. Gelatin zymography revealed increased proMMP-9 expression on TA, TLA, and bone compared to TS. In general, osteoclasts show similar characteristics on rough titanium surfaces and on bone, but reduced activity on smooth titanium surfaces. These results offer some insight into the involvement of osteoclasts in remodeling processes around implant surfaces.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):34.
• Article: Deciphering an underlying mechanism of differential cellular effects of nanoparticles: an example of Bach-1 dependent induction of HO-1 expression by gold nanorod.

  Zhenlin Fan, Xiao Yang, Yiye Li, Suping Li, Shiwen Niu, Xiaochun Wu, Jingyan Wei, Guangjun Nie
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  ABSTRACT: Gold nanoparticles are extensively investigated for their potential biomedical applications. Therefore, it is pertinent to thoroughly evaluate their biological effects at different levels and their underlying molecular mechanism. Frequently, there are discrepancies about the biological effects of various gold nanoparticles among the reports dealing with different models. Most of the studies focused on the different biological effects of various nano-properties of the nanomaterials. We hypothesize that the biological models with different metabolic processes would be taken into account to explain the observed discrepancies of biological effects of nanomaterials. Herein, by using mouse embryo fibroblast cell line (MEF-1) and human embryonal lung fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) as in vitro models, we studied the cellular effects of gold nanorods (AuNRs) coated with poly (diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDAC), polyethylene glycol and polystyrene sulfonae (PSS). We found that all three AuNRs had no effects on cellular viability at the concentration of 1 nM; however, AuNRs that coated with PDDAC and PSS induced significant up-regulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) which was believed to be involved in cellular defense activities in MEF-1 but not in MRC-5 cells. Further study showed that the low fundamental expression of transcription factor Bach-1, the major regulator of HO-1 expression, in MEF-1 was responsible for the up-regulation of HO-1 induced by the AuNRs. Our results indicate that although AuNRs we used are non-cytotoxic, they cell-specifically induce change of gene expression, such as HO-1. Our current study provides a good example to explain the molecular mechanisms of differential biological effects of nanomaterials in different cellular models. This finding raises a concern on evaluation of cellular effects of nanoparticles where the cell models should be critically considered.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):10.
• Article: Microfluidic assay to quantify the adhesion of marine bacteria.

  M P Arpa-Sancet, C Christophis, A Rosenhahn
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  ABSTRACT: For both, environmental and medical applications, the quantification of bacterial adhesion is of major importance to understand and support the development of new materials. For marine applications, the demand is driven by the quest for improved fouling-release coatings. To determine the attachment strength of bacteria to coatings, a microfluidic adhesion assay has been developed which allows probing at which critical wall shear stress bacteria are removed from the surface. Besides the experimental setup and the optimization of the assay, we measured adhesion of the marine bacterium Cobetia marina on a series of differently terminated self-assembled monolayers. The results showed that the adhesion strength of C. marina changes with surface chemistry. The difference in critical shear stress needed to remove bacteria can vary by more than one order of magnitude if a hydrophobic material is compared to an inert chemistry such as polyethylene glycol.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):26.
• Article: Polyethylenimine-based amphiphilic core-shell nanoparticles: study of gene delivery and intracellular trafficking.

  Yuen Shan Siu, Lijun Li, Man Fai Leung, Kam Len Daniel Lee, Pei Li
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  ABSTRACT: Amphiphilic core-shell nanoparticle, which is composed of a hydrophobic core and a branched polyethylenimine (PEI) shell, has been designed and synthesized as a novel gene delivery nanocarrier. In our previous study, we demonstrated that the core-shell nanoparticle was not only able to efficiently complex with plasmid DNA (pDNA) and protect it against enzymatic degradation, but also three times less cytotoxic, and threefold more efficient in gene transfection than branched 25 kDa PEI. This paper reports our further studies in the following three aspects: (1) the ability of the PEI-based nanoparticles to deliver gene in various mammalian cell lines; (2) intracellular distributions of the nanoparticles and their pDNA complexes in HeLa cells; and (3) incorporation of nuclear targeting agent into the nanoparticle/pDNA complexes to enhance the nuclear targeting ability. The PEI-based nanoparticles were able to transfect both human and non-human cell lines and their transfection efficiencies were cell-dependent. Within our four tested cell lines (MCF-7, BEL 7404, C6 and CHO-K1), gene transfer using PEI-based core-shell nanoparticles displayed gene expression levels comparable to, or even better than, the commercial Lipofectamine™ 2000. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the nanoparticles and their pDNA complexes were effectively internalized into the HeLa cells. The in vitro time series experiments illustrated that both the nanoparticle/pDNA complexes and PEI-based nanoparticles were distributed in the cytoplasmic region after transfection for 10 and 60 min, respectively. Nuclear localization was also observed in both samples after transfection for 20 and 60 min, respectively. Incorporation of the high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein for nuclear targeting has also been demonstrated with a simple approach: electrostatic complexation between the PEI-based nanoparticles and HMGB1. In the in vitro transfection study in MCF-7 cells, the expression level of the firefly luciferase gene encoded by the pDNA increased remarkably by up to eightfold when the HMGB1 protein was incorporated into the nanoparticle/pDNA complexes. Our results demonstrate that the PEI-based core-shell nanoparticles are promising nanocarriers for gene delivery.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):16.
• Article: Polythiophene synthesis coupled to quartz crystal microbalance and Raman spectroscopy for detecting bacteria.

  R P Kengne-Momo, F Lagarde, Ph Daniel, J F Pilard, M J Durand, G Thouand
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  ABSTRACT: A simple electrochemical procedure was used for the synthesis of a polythiophene containing para-benzenesulfonyl chloride groups. The obtained polymer was shown to be very reactive and directly able to covalently bind nucleophile biomolecules. Protein A and a specific antibody were then successively immobilized on the conductive polymer through a covalent bonding of Protein A with the as-prepared linker for bacteria trapping purpose. All reactions were controlled in situ by cyclic voltammetry, quartz crystal microbalance and Raman spectroscopy. The results were compared to those previously obtained on gold surface modified with the same chemical linker. The conductive polymer led to a very high rate of antibody recognition compared to the gold surface and to literature, probably due to a large available surface obtained after polymerization. One example of pathogenic bacteria "Salmonella enterica paratyphi" detection was successfully tested on the substrates. The presented results are promising for the future design of simple and inexpensive immunocapture-based sensors.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):67.
• Article: Investigations on the Secondary Structure of Polypeptide Chains in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers and their Effect on the Adhesion and Spreading of Osteoblasts.

  Steffi Grohmann, Holger Rothe, Klaus Liefeith
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  ABSTRACT: Inspired by the composition of the native extracellular matrix, biomimetic polyelectrolyte multilayers were assembled from polypeptides and the glycosaminoglycan chondroitin sulfate (CS). To investigate whether peptide conformation imposes an effect on the cell biological functions of osteoblasts, the secondary structure was analyzed by in situ infra-red and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Multilayers composed of polypeptides and CS reveal a predominantly random coiled conformation and impede osteoblast spreading. On the contrary, polypeptide chains in assemblies of poly-L-lysine and poly-L-glutamic acid (PGA) primarily adopt an intermolecular β sheet structure and reveal an increased area of spread, which consequently supports the proliferation of osteoblasts. When CS is replaced by PGA in mixed multilayers, we observe a structural rearrangement from random coils to β sheets with a concomitant improved cell response. We conclude that polypeptide conformation in biomimetic multilayer assemblies affects osteoblast response by altering the stiffness of the multilayer.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):62.
• Article: Changes in Permeability and in Mechanical Properties of Layer-by-Layer Films Made from Poly(allylamine) and Montmorillonite Postmodified upon Reaction with Dopamine.

  Vincent Ball, Kadir Apaydin, Abdelghani Laachachi, Valérie Toniazzo, David Ruch
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  ABSTRACT: Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films present a versatile surface functionalization method allowing to address many applications. These coatings suffer; however, from weak mechanical properties this problem can be addressed by the regular incorporation of clays in the layering process. To allow for an even better control of a whole set of film properties, among them their thermal stability, their stability in water, and their impermeability to anions, we postmodify (PAH-MMT)(n) films with polydopamine, by putting the pristine PEM films in contact with an oxygenated dopamine solution. This straightforward treatment allows to totally suppress the diffusion of hexacyanoferrate anions in the films and affects significantly its mechanical properties even, if the distribution of polydopamine through the film thickness is not yet known.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):59.
• Article: Design and fabrication of tubular scaffolds via direct writing in a melt electrospinning mode.

  Toby D Brown, Anna Slotosch, Laure Thibaudeau, Anna Taubenberger, Daniela Loessner, Cedryck Vaquette, Paul D Dalton, Dietmar W Hutmacher
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  ABSTRACT: Flexible tubular structures fabricated from solution electrospun fibers are finding increasing use in tissue engineering applications. However it is difficult to control the deposition of fibers due to the chaotic nature of the solution electrospinning jet. By using non-conductive polymer melts instead of polymer solutions the path and collection of the fiber becomes predictable. In this work we demonstrate the melt electrospinning of polycaprolactone in a direct writing mode onto a rotating cylinder. This allows the design and fabrication of tubes using 20 μm diameter fibers with controllable micropatterns and mechanical properties. A key design parameter is the fiber winding angle, where it allows control over scaffold pore morphology (e.g. size, shape, number and porosity). Furthermore, the establishment of a finite element model as a predictive design tool is validated against mechanical testing results of melt electrospun tubes to show that a lesser winding angle provides improved mechanical response to uniaxial tension and compression. In addition, we show that melt electrospun tubes support the growth of three different cell types in vitro and are therefore promising scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):13.
• Article: Correlations between the biochemistry and mechanical states of a sea-urchin ligament: a mutable collagenous structure.

  A R Ribeiro, A Barbaglio, M J Oliveira, R Santos, A V Coelho, C C Ribeiro, I C Wilkie, M D Candia Carnevali, M A Barbosa
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  ABSTRACT: Mutable collagenous tissues (MCTs) of echinoderms can be regarded as intelligent and dynamic biomaterials, due to their ability to reversibly change their mechanical properties in a short physiological time span. This mutability phenomenon is nervously mediated and involves secreted factors of the specialized 'juxtaligamental' cells, which, when released into the extracellular matrix (ECM), change the cohesive forces between collagen fibrils. MCTs exist in nature in several forms, including some associated with echinoderm autotomy mechanisms. Since the molecular mechanism of mutability is still incompletely understood, the aim of this work was to provide a detailed biochemical analysis of a typical mutable collagenous structure and to identify possible correlations between its biochemistry and mechanical states. A better understanding of the mutability phenomena is likely to provide a unique opportunity to develop new concepts that can be applied in the design of dynamic biomaterial for tissue regeneration, leading to new strategies in regenerative medicine. The MCT model used was the compass depressor ligament (CDL) of a sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus), which was analyzed in different mechanical states, mimicking the mutability phenomenon. Spectroscopic techniques, namely Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and confocal Raman microscopy, were used to identify the specific molecular components that contribute to the CDL biochemical microenvironment and to investigate the possibility that remodelling/synthesis of new ECM components occurs during the mutability phenomenon by analogy with events during pregnancy in the uterine cervix of mammals (which also consists mainly of mechanically adaptable connective tissues). The results demonstrate that CDL ECM includes collagen with biochemical similarities to mammalian type I collagen, as well as sulphated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). CDL mutability seems to involve a molecular rearrangement of the ECM, without synthesis of new ECM components. Although there were no significant biochemical differences between CDLs in the various mechanical states were observed. However, subtle adjustments in tissue hydration seemed to occur, particularly during stiffening.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):38.
• Article: Surface Sensing and Settlement Strategies of Marine Biofouling Organisms.

  A Rosenhahn, G H Sendra
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  ABSTRACT: This review article summarizes some recent insights into the strategies used by marine organisms to select surfaces for colonization. While larger organisms rely on their sensory machinery to select surfaces, smaller microorganisms developed less complex but still effective ways to probe interfaces. Two examples, zoospores of algae and barnacle larvae, are discussed and both appear to have build-in test mechanisms to distinguish surfaces with different physicochemical properties. Some systematic studies on the influence of surface cues on exploration, settlement and adhesion are summarized. The intriguing notion that surface colonization resembles a parallelized surface sensing event is discussed towards its complementarity with conventional surface analytical tools. The strategy to populate only selected surfaces seems advantageous as waves, currents and storms constantly challenge adherent soft and hard fouling organism.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):63.
• Article: Multivariate analysis of ToF-SIMS data from multicomponent systems: the why, when, and how.

  Daniel J Graham, David G Castner
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  ABSTRACT: The use of multivariate analysis (MVA) methods in the processing of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) data has become increasingly more common. MVA presents a powerful set of tools to aid the user in processing data from complex, multicomponent surfaces such as biological materials and biosensors. When properly used, MVA can help the user identify the major sources of differences within a sample or between samples, determine where certain compounds exist on a sample, or verify the presence of compounds that have been engineered into the surface. Of all the MVA methods, principal component analysis (PCA) is the most commonly used and forms an excellent starting point for the application of many of the other methods employed to process ToF-SIMS data. Herein we discuss the application of PCA and other MVA methods to multicomponent ToF-SIMS data and provide guidelines on their application and use.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):49.
• Article: Selective Cell Recruitment and Spatially Controlled Cell Attachment on Instructive Chitosan Surfaces Functionalized with Antibodies.

  C A Custódio, A M Frias, A Del Campo, R L Reis, J F Mano
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  ABSTRACT: Bioactive constructs to guide cellular mobilization and function have been proposed as an approach for a new generation of biomaterials in functional tissue engineering. Adult mesenchymal stem cells have been widely used as a source for cell based therapeutic strategies, namely tissue engineering. This is a heterogeneous cell population containing many subpopulations with distinct regenerative capacity. Thus, one of the issues for the effective clinical use of stem cells in tissue engineering is the isolation of a highly purified, expandable specific subpopulation of stem cells. Antibody functionalized biomaterials could be promising candidates to isolate and recruit specific cell types. Here we propose a new concept of instructive biomaterials that are able to recruit and purify specific cell types from a mixed cell population. This biomimetic concept uses a target-specific chitosan substrate to capture specific adipose derived stem cells. Specific antibodies were covalently immobilized onto chitosan membranes using bis[sulfosuccinimidyl] suberate (BS3). Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was used to monitor antibody immobilization/adsorption onto the chitosan films. Specific antibodies covalently immobilized, kept their bioactivity and captured specific cell types from a mixed cell population. Microcontact printing allowed to covalently immobilize antibodies in patterns and simultaneously a spatial control in cell attachment.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):65.
• Article: Sensing immune responses with customized peptide microarrays.

  Christopher Schirwitz, Felix F Loeffler, Thomas Felgenhauer, Volker Stadler, Frank Breitling, F Ralf Bischoff
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  ABSTRACT: The intent to solve biological and biomedical questions in high-throughput led to an immense interest in microarray technologies. Nowadays, DNA microarrays are routinely used to screen for oligonucleotide interactions within a large variety of potential interaction partners. To study interactions on the protein level with the same efficiency, protein and peptide microarrays offer similar advantages, but their production is more demanding. A new technology to produce peptide microarrays with a laser printer provides access to affordable and highly complex peptide microarrays. Such a peptide microarray can contain up to 775 peptide spots per cm², whereby the position of each peptide spot and, thus, the amino acid sequence of the corresponding peptide, is exactly known. Compared to other techniques, such as the SPOT synthesis, more features per cm² at lower costs can be synthesized which paves the way for laser printed peptide microarrays to take on roles as efficient and affordable biomedical sensors. Here, we describe the laser printer-based synthesis of peptide microarrays and focus on an application involving the blood sera of tetanus immunized individuals, indicating the potential of peptide arrays to sense immune responses.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):47.
• Article: Adsorption of fibronectin, fibrinogen, and albumin on TiO2: time-resolved kinetics, structural changes, and competition study.

  Marta Pegueroles, Chiara Tonda-Turo, Josep A Planell, Francisco-Javier Gil, Conrado Aparicio
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  ABSTRACT: An understanding of protein adsorption process is crucial for designing biomaterial surfaces. In this work, with the use of a quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, we researched the following: (a) the kinetics of adsorption on TiO(2) surfaces of three extensively described proteins that are relevant for metallic implant integration [i.e., albumin (BSA), fibrinogen (Fbg), and fibronectin (Fn)]; and (b) the competition of those proteins for adsorbing on TiO(2) in a two-step experiment consisted of sequentially exposing the surfaces to different monoprotein solutions. Each protein showed a different process of adsorption and properties of the adlayer-calculated using the Voigt model. The competition experiments showed that BSA displaced larger proteins such as Fn and Fbg when BSA was introduced as the second protein in the system, whereas the larger proteins laid on top of BSA forming an adsorbed protein bi-layer when those were introduced secondly in the system.
  Biointerphases 12/2012; 7(1-4):48.