Irina N. Savina

Chromatography of microbial cells using continuous supermacroporous affinity and ion-exchange columns

Continuous supermacroporous chromatographic columns with anion-exchange ligands [2-(dimethylamino)ethyl group] and immobilized metal affinity (IMA) ligands (Cu2+-loaded iminodiacetic acid) have been developed allowing binding of Escherichia coli cells and the elution of bound cells with high recoveries. These poly(acrylamide)-based continuous supermacroporous columns have been produced by radical co-polymerization of monomers in aqueous solution frozen inside a column (cryo-polymerization). After thawing, the column contains a continuous matrix (so-called cryogel) with interconnected pores of 10-100 microm in size. The large pore size of the matrix makes it possible for E. coli cells to pass unhindered through a plain column containing no ligands. E. coli cells bound to an ion-exchange column at low ionic strength were eluted with 70-80% recovery at NaCl concentrations of 0.35-0.40 M, while cells bound to an IMA-column were eluted with around 80% recovery using either 10 mM imidazole or 20 mM EDTA solutions, respectively. The cells maintain their viability after the binding/elution procedure. These preliminary results indicate that microbial cells can be handled in a chromatographic mode using supermacroporous continuous columns. These columns are easy to manufacture from cheap and readily available starting materials, which make the columns suitable for single-time use.

Gelatin-fibrinogen cryogel dermal matrices for wound repair: Preparation, optimisation and in vitro study.

Macroporous sponge-like gelatin-fibrinogen (Gl-Fg) scaffolds cross-linked with different concentrations (0.05-0.5%) of glutaraldehyde (GA) were produced using cryogelation technology, which allows for the preparation of highly porous scaffolds without compromising their mechanical properties, and is a more cost-efficient process than freeze-drying. The produced Gl-Fg-GA(X) scaffolds had a uniform interconnected open porous structure with a porosity of up to 90-92% and a pore size distribution of 10-120 microm. All of the obtained cryogels were elastic and mechanically stable, except for the Gl-Fg-GA(0.05) scaffolds. Swelling kinetics and degradation rate, but not the porous structure of the cryogels, were strongly dependent on the degree of cross-linking. A ten-fold increase in the degree of cross-linking resulted in an almost 80-fold decrease in the rate of degradation in a solution of protease. Cryogels were seeded with primary dermal fibroblasts and the densities observed on the surface, plus the expression levels of collagen types I and III observed 5 days post-seeding, were similar to those observed on a control dermal substitute material, Integra. Fibroblast proliferation and migration within the scaffolds were relative to the GA content. Glucose consumption rate was 3-fold higher on Gl-Fg-GA(0.1) than on Gl-Fg-GA(0.5) cryogels 10 days post-seeding. An enhanced cell motility on cryogels with reducing GA crosslinking was obtained after long time culture. Particularly marked cell infiltration was seen in gels using 0.1% GA as a crosslinker. The scaffold started to disintegrate after 42 days of in vitro culturing. The described in vitro studies demonstrated good potential of Gl-Fg-GA(0.1) scaffolds as matrices for wound healing.

Cryogels: Morphological, structural and adsorption characterisation

Experimental results on polymer, protein, and composite cryogels and data treatment methods used for morphological, textural, structural, adsorption and diffusion characterisation of the materials are analysed and compared. Treatment of microscopic images with specific software gives quantitative structural information on both native cryogels and freeze-dried materials that is useful to analyse the drying effects on their structure. A combination of cryoporometry, relaxometry, thermoporometry, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), equilibrium and kinetic adsorption of low and high-molecular weight compounds, diffusion breakthrough of macromolecules within macroporous cryogel membranes, studying interactions of cells with cryogels provides a consistent and comprehensive picture of textural, structural and adsorption properties of a variety of cryogels. This analysis allows us to establish certain regularities in the cryogel properties related to narrow (diameter 0.4100 μm) with boundary sizes within modified life science pore classification. Particular attention is paid to water bound in cryogels in native superhydrated or freeze-dried states. At least, five states of water - free unbound, weakly bound (changes in the Gibbs free energy-ΔG<0.5-0.8 kJ/mol) and strongly bound (-ΔG>0.8 kJ/mol), and weakly associated (chemical shift of the proton resonance δ(H)=1-2 ppm) and strongly associated (δ(H)=3-6 ppm) waters can be distinguished in hydrated cryogels using (1)H NMR, DSC, TSDC, TG and other methods. Different software for image treatment or developed to analyse the data obtained with the adsorption, diffusion, SAXS, cryoporometry and thermoporometry methods and based on regularisation algorithms is analysed and used for the quantitative morphological, structural and adsorption characterisation of individual and composite cryogels, including polymers filled with solid nano- or microparticles.

High efficiency removal of dissolved As(III) using iron nanoparticle-embedded macroporous polymer composites

Novel nanocomposite materials where iron nanoparticles are embedded into the walls of a macroporous polymer were produced and their efficiency for the removal of As(III) from aqueous media was studied. Nanocomposite gels containing α-Fe(2)O(3) and Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles were prepared by cryopolymerisation resulting in a monolithic structure with large interconnected pores up to 100 μm in diameter and possessing a high permeability (ca. 3 × 10(-3) ms(-1)). The nanocomposite devices showed excellent capability for the removal of trace concentrations of As(III) from solution, with a total capacity of up to 3mg As/g of nanoparticles. The leaching of iron was minimal and the device could operate in a pH range 3-9 without diminishing removal efficiency. The effect of competing ions such as SO(4)(2-) and PO(4)(3-) was negligible. The macroporous composites can be easily configured into a variety of shapes and structures and the polymer matrix can be selected from a variety of monomers, offering high potential as flexible metal cation remediation devices.

Porous structure and water state in cross-linked polymer and protein cryo-hydrogels

The porous structure and the state of the water are two main factors which define the vast applications of hydrogels in the life science arena. The structural characterisation and water state in hydrogels produced by the cryogelation of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and gelatine were undertaken using different techniques. Images obtained using confocal laser scanning and multiphoton microscopies were analysed using ImageJ/Fiji software to estimate the total porosity, specific surface area and pore size and wall thickness distribution functions of each of the hydrogels. The hydration properties and structural characteristics of the nanopore component of the polymer and protein hydrogels were analysed using DSC, 1H NMR spectroscopy and cryoporometry and modelled using the PM6 quantum chemical method. The hydrogels produced by cryogelation were shown to have a large macropore volume, high pore interconnectivity and small specific surface area. The main portion of water was shown to be attributable to bulk water located within macropores. The relative amounts of bound water in the hydrogels were demonstrated to be small (<10 wt% of bulk water) making macroporous hydrogels an attractive system for biological applications. An understanding of the parameters studied here is important for the future engineering of cryogels for biological applications.

Biomimetic Macroporous Hydrogels: Protein Ligand Distribution and Cell Response to the Ligand Architecture in the Scaffold

Macroporous hydrogels (MHs), cryogels, are a new type of biomaterials for tissue engineering that can be produced from any natural or synthetic polymer that forms a gel. Synthetic MHs are rendered bioactive by surface or bulk modifications with extracellular matrix components. In this study, cell response to the architecture of protein ligands, bovine type-I collagen (CG) and human fibrinogen (Fg), immobilised using different methods on poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) macroporous hydrogels (MHs) was analysed. Bulk modification was performed by cross-linking cryo-co-polymerisation of HEMA and poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGA) in the presence of proteins (CG/pHEMA and Fg/pHEMA MHs). The polymer surface was modified by covalent immobilisation of the proteins to the active epoxy (ep) groups present on pHEMA after hydrogel fabrication (CG–epHEMA and Fg–epHEMA MHs). The concentration of proteins in protein/pHEMA and protein–epHEMA MHs was 80–85 and 130–140 μg/ml hydrogel, respectively. It was demonstrated by immunostaining and confocal laser scanning microscopy that bulk modification resulted in spreading of CG in the polymer matrix and spot-like distribution of Fg. On the contrary, surface modification resulted in spot-like distribution of CG and uniform spreading of Fg, which evenly coated the surface. Proliferation rate of fibroblasts was higher on MHs with even distribution of the ligands, i.e., on Fg–epHEMA and CG/pHEMA. After 30 days of growth, fibroblasts formed several monolayers and deposited extracellular matrix filling the pores of these MHs. The best result in terms of cell proliferation was obtained on Fg–epHEMA. The ligands displayed on surface of these scaffolds were in native conformation, while in bulk-modified CG/pHEMA MHs most of the proteins were buried inside the polymer matrix and were less accessible for interactions with specific antibodies and cells. The method used for MH modification with bioligands strongly affects spatial distribution, density and conformation of the ligand on the scaffold surface, which, in turn, influence cell–surface interactions. The optimal type of modification varies depending on intrinsic properties of proteins and MHs.

Biomimetic macroporous hydrogel scaffolds in a high‐throughput screening format for cell‐based assays

Macroporous hydrogels (MHs) hold great promise as scaffolds in tissue engineering and cell‐based assays. In this study, the possibility of combination of three‐dimensional (3D) cell culture with a miniaturized screening format was demonstrated on human colon cancer HCT116, human acute myeloid leukemia KG‐1 cells, and embryonic fibroblasts cultured on MHs (12.5 mm × 7.1 mm I.D.) in a 96‐minicolumn plate format. MHs were prepared by cryogelation technique and functionalized by coating with type I collagen and by copolymerization with agmatine‐based mimetic of cell adhesive peptide RGD (abRGDm). Cancer cells formed multicellular aggregates while fibroblasts formed adhesions on abRGDm‐containing and collagen‐MHs but not on plain MHs, as was demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. HCT116 and KG‐1 cells grown as aggregates were more resistant to the treatment with cis‐diaminedichloroplatinum (II) (cisplatin) and cytosine 1‐β‐D‐arabinofuranoside (Ara‐C), respectively, during the first 18–24 h of incubation, than single cells grown on unmodified MH. HCT116 cells grown as 2D cultures in conventional 96‐well tissue culture plates were 1.5‐ to 3.5‐fold more sensitive to the treatment with 70 μM cisplatin than cells in 3D cultures in functionalized MHs. Further development of the described experimental system including matching of a specific cell type with appropriate extracellular matrix (ECM) components and 3D cocultures on ECM‐modified MHs may provide a realistic in vitro experimental model for high‐throughput toxicity tests.

Nano carriers for drug transport across the blood–brain barrier

Abstract Effective therapy lies in achieving a therapeutic amount of drug to the proper site in the body and then maintaining the desired drug concentration for a sufficient time interval to be clinically effective for treatment. The blood–brain barrier (BBB) hinders most drugs from entering the central nervous system (CNS) from the blood stream, leading to the difficulty of delivering drugs to the brain via the circulatory system for the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of brain diseases. Several brain drug delivery approaches have been developed, such as intracerebral and intracerebroventricular administration, intranasal delivery and blood-to-brain delivery, as a result of transient BBB disruption induced by biological, chemical or physical stimuli such as zonula occludens toxin, mannitol, magnetic heating and ultrasound, but these approaches showed disadvantages of being dangerous, high cost and unsuitability for most brain diseases and drugs. The strategy of vector-mediated blood-to-brain delivery, which involves improving BBB permeability of the drug–carrier conjugate, can minimize side effects, such as being submicrometre objects that behave as a whole unit in terms of their transport and properties, nanomaterials, are promising carrier vehicles for direct drug transport across the intact BBB as a result of their potential to enter the brain capillary endothelial cells by means of normal endocytosis and transcytosis due to their small size, as well as their possibility of being functionalized with multiple copies of the drug molecule of interest. This review provids a concise discussion of nano carriers for drug transport across the intact BBB, various forms of nanomaterials including inorganic/solid lipid/polymeric nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, quantum dots, nanogels, liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, polymersomes and exosomes are critically evaluated, their mechanisms for drug transport across the BBB are reviewed, and the future directions of this area are fully discussed.

A simple method for the production of large volume 3D macroporous hydrogels for advanced biotechnological, medical and environmental applications

The development of bulk, three-dimensional (3D), macroporous polymers with high permeability, large surface area and large volume is highly desirable for a range of applications in the biomedical, biotechnological and environmental areas. The experimental techniques currently used are limited to the production of small size and volume cryogel material. In this work we propose a novel, versatile, simple and reproducible method for the synthesis of large volume porous polymer hydrogels by cryogelation. By controlling the freezing process of the reagent/polymer solution, large-scale 3D macroporous gels with wide interconnected pores (up to 200 μm in diameter) and large accessible surface area have been synthesized. For the first time, macroporous gels (of up to 400 ml bulk volume) with controlled porous structure were manufactured, with potential for scale up to much larger gel dimensions. This method can be used for production of novel 3D multi-component macroporous composite materials with a uniform distribution of embedded particles. The proposed method provides better control of freezing conditions and thus overcomes existing drawbacks limiting production of large gel-based devices and matrices. The proposed method could serve as a new design concept for functional 3D macroporous gels and composites preparation for biomedical, biotechnological and environmental applications.

Evaluation of boronate-containing polymer brushes and gels as substrates for carbohydrate-mediated adhesion and cultivation of animal cells

Boronate-containing thin polyacrylamide gels (B-Gel), polymer brushes (B-Brush) and chemisorbed organosilane layers (B-COSL) were prepared on the surface of glass slides and studied as substrates for carbohydrate-mediated cell adhesion. B-COSL- and B-Brush-modified glass samples exhibited multiple submicron structures densely and irregularly distributed on the glass surface, as found by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. B-Gel was ca. 0.1 mm thick and contained pores with effective size of 1-2 microm in the middle and of 5-20 microm on the edges of the gel sample as found by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Evidence for the presence of phenylboronic acid in the samples was given by time-of-flight secondary ion mass-spectrometry (ToF SIMS), contact angle measurements performed in the presence of fructose, and staining with Alizarin Red S dye capable of formation specific, fluorescent complexes with boronic acids. A comparative study of adhesion and cultivation of animal cells on the above substrates was carried out using murine hybridoma M2139 cell line as a model. M2139 cells adhered to the substrates in the culture medium without glucose or sodium pyruvate at pH 8.0, and then were cultivated in the same medium at pH 7.2 for 4 days. It was found that the substrates of B-Brush type were superior both regarding cell adhesion and viability of the adhered cells, among the substrates studied. MTT assay confirmed proliferation of M2139 cells on B-Brush substrates. Some cell adhesion was also registered in the macropores of B-Gel substrate. The effects of surface microstructure of the boronate-containing polymers on cell adhesion are discussed. Transparent glass substrates grafted with boronate-containing copolymers offer good prospects for cell adhesion studies and development of cell-based assays.