Protein-based materials, toward a new level of structural control

Through billions of years of evolution nature has created and refined structural proteins for a wide variety of specific purposes. Amino acid sequences and their associated folding patterns combine to create elastic, rigid or tough materials. In many respects, nature’s intricately designed products provide challenging examples for materials scientists, but translation of natural structural concepts into bio-inspired materials requires a level of control of macromolecular architecture far higher than that afforded by conventional polymerization processes. An increasingly important approach to this problem has been to use biological systems for production of materials. Through protein engineering, artificial genes can be developed that encode protein-based materials with desired features. Structural elements found in nature, such as β-sheets and α-helices, can be combined with great flexibility, and can be outfitted with functional elements such as cell binding sites or enzymatic domains. The possibility of incorporating non-natural amino acids increases the versatility of protein engineering still further. It is expected that such methods will have large impact in the field of materials science, and especially in biomedical materials science, in the future

Bio-inks for 3D bioprinting : recent advances and future prospects

In the last decade, interest in the field of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has increased enormously. 3D bioprinting combines the fields of developmental biology, stem cells, and computer and materials science to create complex bio-hybrid structures for various applications. It is able to precisely place different cell types, biomaterials and biomolecules together in a predefined position to generate printed composite architectures. In the field of tissue engineering, 3D bioprinting has allowed the study of tissues and organs on a new level. In clinical applications, new models have been generated to study disease pathogenesis. One of the most important components of 3D bio-printing is the bio-ink, which is a mixture of cells, biomaterials and bioactive molecules that creates the printed article. This review describes all the currently used bio-printing inks, including polymeric hydrogels, polymer bead microcarriers, cell aggregates and extracellular matrix proteins. Amongst the polymeric components in bio-inks are: natural polymers including gelatin, hyaluronic acid, silk proteins and elastin; and synthetic polymers including amphiphilic block copolymers, PEG, poly(PNIPAAM) and polyphosphazenes. Furthermore, photocrosslinkable and thermoresponsive materials are described. To provide readers with an understanding of the context, the review also contains an overview of current bio-printing techniques and finishes with a summary of bio-printing applications

Confined Motion: Motility of Active Microparticles in Cell-Sized Lipid Vesicles

[EN] Active materials can transduce external energy into kinetic energy at the nano and micron length scales. This unique feature has sparked much research, which ranges from achieving fundamental understanding of their motility to the assessment of potential applications. Traditionally, motility is studied as a function of internal features such as particle topology, while external parameters such as energy source are assessed mainly in bulk. However, in real-life applications, confinement plays a crucial role in determining the type of motion active particles can adapt. This feature has been however surprisingly underexplored experimentally. Here, we showcase a tunable experimental platform to gain an insight into the dynamics of active particles in environments with restricted 3D topology. Particularly, we examined the autonomous motion of coacervate micromotors confined in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) spanning 10¿50 ¿m in diameter and varied parameters including fuel and micromotor concentration. We observed anomalous diffusion upon confinement, leading to decreased motility, which was more pronounced in smaller compartments. The results indicate that the theoretically predicted hydrodynamic effect dominates the motion mechanism within this platform. Our study provides a versatile approach to understand the behavior of active matter under controlled, compartmentalized conditions.The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Gravitation program 024.001.035 and Spinoza premium) and the ERC Advanced Grant (Artisym 694120) . A.L.-L. acknowledges the support from the MSCA Cofund Project of Life, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the grant agreement 847675, and the Maria Zambrano Program from the Spanish Government funded by NextGenerationEU from the European Union. Dr. Bastiaan Buddingh is thanked for useful discussions regarding GUV preparation and handling. Dr. Shoupeng Cao is thanked for providing the azido-functionalized block polymer. We specially thank Prof. Samuel Sanchez for the tailor-made particle-tracking software based on Python.Song, S.; Llopis-Lorente, A.; Mason, AF.; Abdelmohsen, LK.; Van Hest, JCM. (2022). Confined Motion: Motility of Active Microparticles in Cell-Sized Lipid Vesicles. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 144:13831-13838. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c05232138311383814

Exploring the Impact of Morphology on the Properties of Biodegradable Nanoparticles and Their Diffusion in Complex Biological Medium

Nanoparticle morphology (size, shape, and composition) and surface chemistry are the determining factors underpinning the efficacy of such materials in therapeutic applications. The size, shape, and surface chemistry of a nanoparticle can strongly influence key properties such as interactions with diverse biological fluids and interfaces and, in turn, impact the delivery of bioactive cargo, modulating therapeutic performance. This is exemplified in ocular drug delivery, where potential therapeutics must navigate complex biological media such as the gel-like vitreal fluid and the retina. Biodegradable block copolymer amphiphiles are a robust tool for the engineering of various types of self-assembled nanoparticles with diverse morphologies ranging from spherical and tubular polymersomes to spherical and worm-like micelles. Here, we explore the effect of morphological features such as shape and surface chemistry upon the interactions of a series of copolymer nanoparticles with retinal (ARPE-19) cells and the release of a low solubility drug (dexamethasone) that is currently used in ocular therapy and study their diffusion in vitreous using ex vivo eyes. We demonstrate that both aspect ratio and surface chemistry of nanoparticles will influence their performance in terms of cell uptake, drug release, and diffusion with high aspect ratio shapes demonstrating enhanced properties in relation to their spherical counterparts.Peer reviewe

Controlled Assembly of Macromolecular β-Sheet Fibrils

Construction of functional molecular devices by directed assembly processes is one of the main challenges in the field of nanotechnology. Many approaches to this challenge use biological assembly as a source of inspiration for the build up of new materials with controlled organization at the nanoscale. In particular, the self-assembly properties of β-sheet peptides have been used in the design of supramolecular materials, such as tapes, nanotubes, and fibrils

Spatiotemporal Communication in Artificial Cell Consortia for Dynamic Control of DNA Nanostructures

[EN] The spatiotemporal orchestration of cellular processes is a ubiquitous phenomenon in pluricellular organisms and bacterial communities, where sender cells secrete chemical signals that activate specific pathways in distant receivers. Despite its importance, the engineering and investigation of spatiotemporal communication in artificial cell consortia remains underexplored. In this study, we present spatiotemporal communication between cellular-scale entities acting as both senders and receivers. The transmitted signals are leveraged to elicit conformational alterations within compartmentalized DNA structures. Specifically, sender entities control and generate diffusive chemical signals, namely, variations in pH, through the conversion of biomolecular inputs. In the receiver population, compartmentalized DNA nanostructures exhibit changes in conformation, transitioning between triplex and duplex assemblies, in response to this pH variation. We demonstrate the temporal regulation of activated DNA nanostructures through the coordinated action of two antagonistic sender populations. Furthermore, we illustrate the transient distance-dependent activation of the receivers, facilitated by sender populations situated at defined spatial locations. Collectively, our findings provide novel avenues for the design of artificial cell consortia endowed with programmable spatiotemporal dynamics through chemical communication.The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (Gravitation programs 024.001.035, 024.003.013, 024.005.020 - Interactive Polymer Materials IPM, and the Spinoza premium), ERC Advanced Grant (Artisym 694120), ERC Advanced Grant Edison (101052997), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, AEI, and FEDER-EU (project PID2021-126304OB-C41), and the GVA (Project CIPROM/2021/007). A.L.-L. acknowledges support from the MSCA Cofund project oLife, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Grant Agreement 847675. A.L.-L. thanks the Spanish Government for his "Ramon y Cajal" Fellowship (RYC2021-034728-I), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union >/>. A.L-L. also thanks the UPV for funding (Ayuda para potenciar la investigacion postdoctoral de la UPV (PAID-PD-22), Ayuda a Primeros Proyectos de Investigacion (PAID-06-22), Vicerrectorado de Investigacion de la Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV)).Llopis-Lorente, A.; Shao, J.; Ventura-Cobos, J.; Buddingh, BC.; Martínez-Máñez, R.; Van Hest, JCM.; Abdelmohsen, LKEA. (2024). Spatiotemporal Communication in Artificial Cell Consortia for Dynamic Control of DNA Nanostructures. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE. 10(8):1619-1628. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.4c007021619162810

Formation of Well-Defined, Functional Nanotubes via Osmotically Induced Shape Transformation of Biodegradable Polymersomes

Contains fulltext : 161997.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Intravitreal Polymeric Nanocarriers with Long Ocular Retention and Targeted Delivery to the Retina and Optic Nerve Head Region

Posterior eye tissues, such as retina, are affected in many serious eye diseases, but drug delivery to these targets is challenging due to various anatomical eye barriers. Intravitreal injections are widely used, but the intervals between invasive injections should be prolonged. We synthesized and characterized (1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography) block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol), poly(caprolactone), and trimethylene carbonate. These polymers self-assembled to polymersomes and polymeric micelles. The mean diameters of polymersomes and polymeric micelles, about 100 nm and 30–50 nm, respectively, were obtained with dynamic light scattering. Based on single particle tracking and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation, the polymeric micelles and polymersomes were stable and diffusible in the vitreous. The materials did not show cellular toxicity in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells in the Alamar Blue Assay. Pharmacokinetics of the intravitreal nanocarriers in the rabbits were evaluated using in vivo fluorophotometry. The half-lives of the polymersomes (100 nm) and the micelles (30 nm) were 11.4–32.7 days and 4.3–9.5 days. The intravitreal clearance values were 1.7–8.7 µL/h and 3.6–5.4 µL/h for polymersomes and polymeric micelles, respectively. Apparent volumes of distribution of the particles in the rabbit vitreous were 0.6–1.3 mL for polymeric micelles and 1.9–3.4 mL for polymersomes. Polymersomes were found in the vitreous for at least 92 days post-dosing. Furthermore, fundus imaging revealed that the polymersomes accumulated near the optic nerve and retained there even at 111 days post-injection. Polymersomes represent a promising technology for controlled and site-specific drug delivery in the posterior eye segment

Cucurbit-Like Polymersomes with Aggregation-Induced Emission Properties Show Enzyme-Mediated Motility

Polymersomes that incorporate aggregation-induced emission (AIE) moieties are attractive inherently fluorescent nanoparticles with biomedical application potential for cell/tissue imaging and tracking, as well as phototherapeutics. An intriguing feature that has not been explored yet is their ability to adopt a range of asymmetric morphologies. Structural asymmetry allows nanoparticles to be exploited as active (motile) systems. Here, we present the design and preparation of AIE fluorophore integrated (AIEgenic) cucurbit-shaped polymersome nanomotors with enzyme-powered motility. The cucurbit scaffold was constructed via morphology engineering of biodegradable fluorescent AIE-polymersomes, followed by functionalization with enzymatic machinery via a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly process. Because of the enzyme-mediated decomposition of chemical fuel on the cucurbit-like nanomotor surface, enhanced directed motion was attained, when compared with the spherical counterparts. These cucurbit-shaped biodegradable AIE-nanomotors provide a promising platform for the development of active delivery systems with potential for biomedical applications

Hierarchical Self-Assembly of a Copolymer-Stabilized Coacervate Protocell

Complex coacervate microdroplets are finding increased utility in synthetic cell applications due to their cytomimetic properties. However, their intrinsic membrane-free nature results in instability that limits their application in protocell research. Herein, we present the development of a new protocell model through the spontaneous interfacial self-assembly of copolymer molecules on biopolymer coacervate microdroplets. This hierarchical protocell model not only incorporates the favorable properties of coacervates (such as spontaneous assembly and macromolecular condensation) but also assimilates the essential features of a semipermeable copolymeric membrane (such as discretization and stabilization). This was accomplished by engineering an asymmetric, biodegradable triblock copolymer molecule comprising hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and polyanionic components capable of direct coacervate membranization via electrostatic surface anchoring and chain self-association. The resulting hierarchical protocell demonstrated striking integrity as a result of membrane formation, successfully stabilizing enzymatic cargo against coalescence and fusion in discrete protocellular populations. The semipermeable nature of the copolymeric membrane enabled the incorporation of a simple enzymatic cascade, demonstrating chemical communication between discrete populations of neighboring protocells. In this way, we pave the way for the development of new synthetic cell constructs