Hybrid functional materials for tissue engineering : synthesis, in vivo drug release and SERS effect

The research presents the designing new hybrid biocompatible materials aimed to bone tissue engineering with enhanced osteoconductivity and functionality. The scaffolds consisted of electrospun polymeric matrix, modified with porous calcium carbonate (vaterite) coatings, were developed and studied. The subcutaneous implantation tests in vivo with white rats demonstrated the high degree of biocompatibility of vaterite-mineralized scaffolds. Moreover, the performed in vivo release of bioactive molecules, immobilized in mineral coating of scaffold, allowed to control the regeneration process in tissues in the implantation area. Also, the decoration of mineralized scaffold with silver nanoparticles exhibited the capability of exploiting these materials as effective substrates with providing surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for precise detection of low concentrations of analyte. In this way, developed scaffolds can be promising materials with enhanced functionality of tissue regeneration, in vivo drug release and detection for designing novel smart devices for biomedicine

Encapsulation, release and applications of LbL polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules

Ever since their invention in 1998, polyelectrolyte multilayer micro- and nano-capsules have impacted various areas of biology, chemistry and physics. Here we highlight progress achieved since the millennium in the areas of encapsulation in and release from microcapsules, describe various structures including multicompartment and anisotropic constructs, and provide examples of several applications in biology. We also describe application areas such as drug delivery, intracellular trafficking, enzyme-catalyzed reactions, mechano-biology which benefited from recent developments in the area of polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules

Hollow silver alginate microspheres for drug delivery and surface enhanced Raman scattering detection

Multifunctional silver alginate hydrogel microspheres are assembled via a template assisted approach using calcium carbonate cores. Sodium alginate is immobilized into the highly porous structure of calcium carbonate microspheres followed by cross-linking in the presence of silver ions. The simultaneous processes of the growth of silver nanoparticles in the alginate matrix and the removal of the calcium carbonate template are triggered by ascorbic acid. The abundance of silver nanoparticles and their interparticular junctions in the alginate network allow for the detection of solutes using Raman spectroscopy using the surface of the plasmonic microspheres. Rhodamine B was used to illustrate the potential applications of such multifunctional plasmonic alginate hydrogel microspheres for sensing at low concentrations. A proof of principle for using such particles for the quick identification of microorganisms is then demonstrated using the Escherichia coli bacterium