Abstract Highly hydrophobic surfaces, with contact angles approaching or exceeding 150° (the superhydrophobic criterion), are often considered poor at supporting cell adhesion, a view largely derived from wettability theories that did not account for proteins. Although protein adsorption in serum-containing media has been shown to mitigate the adverse effects of high hydrophobicity, it remains unclear whether, among surfaces with comparably high contact angles, the specific microscale topography governs cellular behavior and how the wettability of the cell-conditioned surface evolves with culture time. To address these questions, three femtosecond laser-induced micro-/nanostructures (concentric rings HL1, vertical grooves HL2, and rhombic textures HL3) were fabricated on Ti6Al4V and heat-treated to comparably high contact angles of 142.3° ± 2.5°, 148.7° ± 3.1°, and 141.3° ± 6.1°, respectively. HL2 and HL3 significantly promoted the adhesion, spreading, viability, and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells despite the comparably high contact angles, whereas HL1 and the ground control performed poorly. These results indicate that high hydrophobicity per se does not necessarily inhibit cell adhesion and that the microscale topographical feature is a major determinant of cellular behavior under comparable high-contact-angle conditions. Droplet-impact experiments suggested a plausible mechanism: from day 1 to day 7, the cell-conditioned HL2 surface showed markedly increased droplet spreading and reduced rebound, likely attributable to progressive cell adhesion, spreading, and cytoskeletal network maturation. Atomic force microscopy revealed that HL2 and HL3 guided cells into flattened morphologies (thickness 757 ± 491 nm and 591 ± 429 nm) with moderate cytoskeletal stiffness (3.54 ± 3.36 kPa and 3.53 ± 2.26 kPa), whereas HL1 induced excessive polarization and high stiffness (4.39 ± 3.55 kPa), reflecting a distinct mechanical phenotype associated with its elongated, polarized morphology.
Abstract The growing crisis of bacterial resistance has prompted the development of novel antibacterial therapeutic systems to combat Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia. This study reports a nano-micelle system (RMLH-Ms) for the co-delivery of the antibiotic Linezolid and the traditional Chinese medicine monomer Honokiol. Antibacterial peptide Magainin II (Mag II) was employed to endow the micelles with bacterial targeting ability, and thioketal bond modification was used to confer ROS-responsive properties. Linezolid and Honokiol were successfully encapsulated into micelles with entrapment efficiencies (EE%> 95%.) A low critical micelle concentration of 0.0138 mg ml −1 and sustained colloidal stability over 21 d were observed. Mag II‐modified RMLH‐Ms appeared to show improved bacterial targeting ability compared with unmodified micelles. The ZIP score for Linezolid and Honokiol combination was 7.61, exhibiting a synergistic antibacterial effect. Micelles incorporated with honokiol (LH-Ms) reduced the MIC of L-Ms from 4 μg ml −1 –2 μg ml −1 . Furthermore, the incorporation of Honokiol also exhibited additional anti-inflammatory, macrophage polarization regulation immune microenvironment regulating activities in vitro. In vivo , The survival rates were 12.5%, 37.5%, 50%, 62.5%, and 75% for the model group, L-Ms, LH-Ms, MLH-Ms, and RMLH-Ms group, respectively. The survival rate of the RMLH-Ms group rose by 62.5% compared with the model group. RMLH-Ms induced mild decreases in lung bacterial burden, mitigated inflammatory responses and alleviated pathological lung damage, exhibiting favorable in vivo activity under experimental conditions.
Abstract Early detection of primary tumors and metastatic processes increases the success of anti‐tumor therapies and favors good prognoses. Within the current range of methods available to detect the presence of tumors, liquid biopsy is receiving particular attention as it is a minimally invasive and quick procedure. Identification of cancer elements such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) constitutes valuable information about tumor biology. However, this is a challenging process due to the rarity of those cells in corporal fluids such as blood (CTCs <10 cell/10 mL blood). Microfluidics, an affordable, sensitive, user‐friendly and rapidly evolving technology, has significantly provided advances in the detection and isolation of rare cancer cells. One of the main strategies currently employed is the development of inertial focusing devices with spiral geometries. In these systems, hydrodynamic forces are used to focus particles as a function of their size without additional mechanical or electronic equipment. Specifically, the interactions between inertial lift forces and Dean vortices determine the equilibrium position of particles as a function of their size, enhancing their sorting. Here, by combination of viscoelastic and inertial microfluidics approaches, we have developed a spiral device for isolation of CTCs from liquid biopsies. Our device was able to isolate and enrich with high efficiency osteosarcoma cells presented in a low number from whole blood samples. This device constitutes a promising tool for isolation, characterization and potential culture of tumor cells from patient samples and improve personalized medicine.
Postoperative pain management is one of the significant components of patient care, with the reduction of the risks of complications. However, there is a perceived unmet need for pain management due to both the adverse effects of systemic analgesics and the shortcomings of local anaesthetics. In this study, ropivacaine (RPC)- and ascorbic acid (AA)-loaded hyaluronic acid/Pluronic F127 (HA/F127) composite thermosensitive hydrogels were prepared for sustained analgesia and antioxidant activity. The HA/F127 hydrogels showed temperature-responsive sol-gel behavior with injectable properties at 4 degrees C-20 degrees C. In addition, the hydrogels showed sustained release of RPC and AA over 72 h with significant radical scavenging activity. In vivo studies indicated that the HA/F127 hydrogels resulted in increased mechanical withdrawal thresholds compared to free RPC, without causing motor impairment, and plasma levels of IL-1 beta and IL-6 were reduced. In addition, hematological, biochemical, and histological analyses showed acceptable ranges of biocompatibility without evidence of systemic toxicity or adverse local tissue reactions. Thus, the thermosensitive HA/F127 composite hydrogels provided sustained drug release, prolonged analgesic effects, reduced inflammatory responses, and acceptable biocompatibility. These findings indicate that these thermosensitive composite hydrogels may be a promising strategy for local drug delivery in managing postoperative pain and inflammation.
This study reports the fabrication of polylactic acid (PLA)-based biopolymer nanocomposite fibers reinforced with functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanoparticles to enhance both mechanical and electrical properties through dual-filler reinforcement. The electrospun fibers were characterized using mechanical testing, FTIR, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, XRD, differential scanning calorimetry measurements, and polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis measurements to understand how the incorporation of CNTs and Fe2O3 influenced fiber morphology, crystallinity, and functional behavior. Morphological and structural analyses confirmed the presence of continuous, bead-free fibers with a highly porous nanoscale fibrous network. The decrease in fiber diameter and enhanced dipolar alignment contributed to improved electrical polarization behavior. Due to the inherent biocompatibility of PLA and its relevance in biomedical devices, the biocompatibility and toxicity of the developed PLA/CNT/Fe2O3 nanocomposite fibers were evaluated. In vitro cell studies, along with short-term in vivo implantation and acute toxicity assessments, indicated favorable biocompatibility and absence of acute systemic toxicity. Together, these results demonstrate that PLA/CNT/Fe2O3 nanocomposite fiber mats exhibit improved mechanical and electrical polarization characteristics with acceptable short-term biological response.
