| 1. |
- Berts, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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Polymeric Smart Coating Strategy for Titanium Implants
- 2014
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Ingår i: Advanced Engineering Materials. - : Wiley. - 1438-1656 .- 1527-2648. ; 16:11, s. 1340-1350
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hyaluronan based hydrogel coatings can mimic extracellular matrix components and incorporate growth factors that can be released during a progressive degradation while new tissue regenerates. This paper describes a structural characterization of a hydrogel coating made of modified hyaluronan polymers and how these coatings interact with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). Quartz crystal microbalance and neutron reflectivity measurements were used for in-situ, real-time measurements of the adsorption properties of polymers and proteins on smooth titanium oxide surfaces that mimic implant products in orthopedics. The adsorption of BMP-2 on a bare titanium oxide surface is compared to that on titanium oxide coated with different chemically modified hyaluronan, the most important being hyaluronan with bisphosphonate groups (HA-BP). The subsequent release of the BMP-2 from these hydrogel coatings could be triggered by calcium ions. The amount of adsorbed protein on the surfaces as well as the amount of released protein both depend on the type of hyaluronan coating. We conclude that HA-BP coated titanium oxide surfaces provide an excellent material for growth factor delivery in-vivo.
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| 2. |
- Berts, Ida, 1984-
(författare)
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Relating the Bulk and Interface Structure of Hyaluronan to Physical Properties of Future Biomaterials
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation describes a structural investigation of hyaluronan (HA) with neutron scattering techniques. HA is a natural biopolymer and one of the major components of the extracellular matrix, synovial fluid, and vitreous humor. It is used in several biomedical applications like tissue engineering, drug delivery, and treatment of osteoarthritis. Although HA is extensively studied, very little is known about its three-dimensional conformation and how it interacts with ions and other molecules. The study aims to understand the bulk structure of a cross-linked HA hydrogel, as well as the conformational arrangement of HA at solid-liquid interfaces. In addition, the structural changes of HA are investigated by simulation of physiological environments, such as changes in ions, interactions with nanoparticles, and proteins etc. Small-angle neutron scattering and neutron reflectivity are the two main techniques applied to investigate the nanostructure of hyaluronan in its original, hydrated state.The present study on hydrogels shows that they possess inhomogeneous structures best described with two correlation lengths, one of the order of a few nanometers and the other in the order of few hundred nanometers. These gels are made up of dense polymer-rich clusters linked to each other. The polymer concentration and mixing governs the connectivity between these clusters, which in turn determines the viscoelastic properties of the gels. Surface-tethered HA at a solid-liquid interface is best described with a smooth varying density profile. The shape of this profile depends on the immobilization chemistry, the deposition protocol, and the ionic interactions. HA could be suitably modified to enhance adherence to metal surfaces, as well as incorporation of proteins like growth factors with tunable release properties. This could be exploited for surface coating of implants with bioactive molecules. The knowledge gained from this work would significantly help to develop future biomaterials and surface coatings of implants and biomedical devices.
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| 3. |
- Berts, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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Tuning the density profile of surface-grafted hyaluronan and the effect of counter-ions
- 2013
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal E. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1292-8941 .- 1292-895X. ; 36:7, s. 70-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present paper investigates the structure and composition of grafted sodium hyaluronanat a solid-liquid interface using neutron reflection. The solvated polymer at the surface could be described with a density profile that decays exponentially towards the bulk solution. The density profileof the polymer varied depending on the deposition protocol. A single-stage deposition resulted in denser polymer layers, while layers created with a two-stage deposition process were more diffuse and had an overall lower density. Despite the diffuse density profile, two-stage deposition leads to a highersurface excess. Addition of calcium ions causes a strong collapse of the sodium hyaluronan chains, increasing the polymer density near the surface. This effect is more pronounced on the sample prepared by two-stage deposition due to the initial less dense profile. This study provides an understanding at a molecular level of how surface functionalization alters the structure and howsurface layers respond to changes in calcium ions in the solvent.
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| 4. |
- de Ghellinck, Alexis, et al.
(författare)
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Production and Analysis of Perdeuterated Lipids from Pichia pastoris Cells
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Probing molecules using perdeuteration (i.e deuteration in which all hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium) is extremely useful in a wide range of biophysical techniques. In the case of lipids, the synthesis of the biologically relevant unsaturated perdeuterated lipids is challenging and not usually pursued. In this work, perdeuterated phospholipids and sterols from the yeast Pichia pastoris grown in deuterated medium are extracted and analyzed as derivatives by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry respectively. When yeast cells are grown in a deuterated environment, the phospholipid homeostasis is maintained but the fatty acid unsaturation level is modified while the ergosterol synthesis is not affected by the deuterated culture medium. Our results confirm that the production of well defined natural unsaturated perdeuterated lipids is possible and gives also new insights about the process of desaturase enzymes.
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| 5. |
- Follows, David, et al.
(författare)
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Co-adsorption of beta-casein and calcium phosphate nanoclusters (CPN) at hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid-solution interfaces studied by neutron reflectometry
- 2011
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Ingår i: Food Hydrocolloids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0268-005X .- 1873-7137. ; 25:4, s. 724-733
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutron reflectometry was used to study the co-adsorption of calcium phosphate nanoclusters (CPN) and beta-casein at hydrophobized and hydrophilic silica-water interfaces. The structural characteristics of the adsorbed layer were determined from neutron reflectivity curves analysed with multi-layer optical models. We used a highly specific proteolytic enzyme, endoproteinase Asp-N in conjunction with a single neutron contrast to verify the model of the protein layer structure. The results showed that the calcium phosphate nanoclusters profoundly affected the rate of adsorption and structure of the interface compared to the adsorption of beta-casein alone and for the hydrophobic interface the effects depended on the point at which the nanoclusters were added. It is proposed that the nanoclusters become surface active because whole beta-casein molecules can replace one or more of the hydrophilic peptides in the shell of the nanoclusters. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Hellstrand, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Adsorption of α-Synuclein to Supported Lipid Bilayers: Positioning and Role of Electrostatics.
- 2013
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Ingår i: ACS Chemical Neuroscience. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-7193. ; 4:10, s. 1339-1351
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An amyloid form of the protein α-synuclein is the major component of the intraneuronal inclusions called Lewy bodies, which are the neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). α-Synuclein is known to associate with anionic lipid membranes, and interactions between aggregating α-synuclein and cellular membranes are thought to be important for PD pathology. We have studied the molecular determinants for adsorption of monomeric α-synuclein to planar model lipid membranes composed of zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine alone or in a mixture with anionic phosphatidylserine (relevant for plasma membranes) or anionic cardiolipin (relevant for mitochondrial membranes). We studied the adsorption of the protein to supported bilayers, the position of the protein within and outside the bilayer, and structural changes in the model membranes using two complementary techniques-quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, and neutron reflectometry. We found that the interaction and adsorbed conformation depend on membrane charge, protein charge, and electrostatic screening. The results imply that α-synuclein adsorbs in the headgroup region of anionic lipid bilayers with extensions into the bulk but does not penetrate deeply into or across the hydrophobic acyl chain region. The adsorption to anionic bilayers leads to a small perturbation of the acyl chain packing that is independent of anionic headgroup identity. We also explored the effect of changing the area per headgroup in the lipid bilayer by comparing model systems with different degrees of acyl chain saturation. An increase in area per lipid headgroup leads to an increase in the level of α-synuclein adsorption with a reduced water content in the acyl chain layer. In conclusion, the association of α-synuclein to membranes and its adsorbed conformation are of electrostatic origin, combined with van der Waals interactions, but with a very weak correlation to the molecular structure of the anionic lipid headgroup. The perturbation of the acyl chain packing upon monomeric protein adsorption favors association with unsaturated phospholipids preferentially found in the neuronal membrane.
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