Biosurfaces

Nanoparticle elasticity is known to affect physiological fate but how this occurs is largely unknown. Here, the authors report on a study using nanoparticles differing in elasticity alone to show a difference in the protein corona, in particular apolipoprotein A-1 absorption, corresponds to differences in circulation time.

A side-chain crystalline block copolymer (SCCBC) was applied for the chemical modification of polyethylene surfaces. A block copolymer with stearyl and epoxy groups was prepared by nitroxide-mediated living radical polymerization. This copolymer had a phase transition temperature of ~40 °C. When the SCCBC was immobilized on polyethylene, a polymeric layer with nucleophilic reactivity was formed. The layer thickness increased with increasing copolymer concentration. Galactoside ligands were added to the polymeric layer by the ring-opening addition reaction of the epoxide. The glyco-functionalized interface exhibited specific protein binding.

Weakly hydrated anions solubilize macromolecules but cause small molecules that are made from identical chemical constituents to precipitate out of aqueous solutions. Now, this phenomenon has been understood by demonstrating that the binding of anions to polymers is regulated by molecular curvature and interfacial water structure.

What do a rock in a river, a red blood cell in our body and the electrodes inside a car battery have in common? Charged surfaces in contact with water. Although a unified approach to study such a variety of systems is not available yet, the current understanding — even with its limitations — paves the road to the development of new concepts and techniques.

pH- and thermoresponsive polymer bearing pendant tertiary amino groups was grafted onto the surface of Resovist (PDMA@Rv). At pH 5.4, the grafted-polymer became hydrophilic, and the size of PDMA@Rv remained constant, irrespective of temperature. PDMA@Rv formed aggregates and showed lower critical solution temperature behavior above pH 7. PDMA@Rv contained a larger number of core particles of iron oxide than Resovist, which reduced the initial magnetic susceptibility due to the interaction of the core magnetic particles inside PDMA@Rv.