Novel self-assembling conjugates as vectors for agrochemical delivery.

BACKGROUND: Modern agricultural practises rely on surfactant-based spray applications to eliminate weeds in crops. The wide spread and indiscriminate use of surfactants may result in a number of deleterious effects that are not limited to impacts on the crop and surrounding farm eco-system but include effects on human health. To provide a safer alternative to the use of surfactant-based formulations, we have synthesised a novel, self-assembling herbicide conjugate for the delivery of a broad leaf herbicide, picloram. RESULTS: The synthesized self-assembling amphiphile-picloram (SAP) conjugate has three extending arms: a lipophilic lauryl chain, a hydrophilic polyethylene glycol chain and the amphiphobic agrochemical active picloram. We propose that the SAP conjugate maintains its colloidal stability by quickly transitioning between micellar and inverse micellar phases in hydrophilic and lipophilic environments respectively. The SAP conjugate provides the advantage of a phase structure that enables enhanced interaction with the hydrophobic epicuticular wax surface of the leaf. We have investigated the herbicidal efficiency of the SAP conjugate compared against that of commercial picloram formulations using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and found that when tested at agriculturally relevant doses between 0.58 and 11.70 mM a dose-dependent herbicidal effect with comparable kill rates was evident. CONCLUSION: Though self-assembling drug carriers are not new to the pharmaceutical industry their use for the delivery of agrochemicals shows great promise but is largely unexplored. We have shown that SAP may be used as an alternative to current surfactant-based agrochemical formulations and has the potential to shift present practises towards a more sustainable approach.

Environmental-friendly, flexible silk fibroin-based film as dual-responsive shape memory material.

Bio-based shape memory materials have attracted wide attention due to their biocompatibility, degradability and safety. However, designing and manufacturing wearable bio-based shape memory films with excellent flexibility and toughness is still a challenge. In this work, silk fibroin substrate with a ß-sheet structure was combined with a tri-block shape memory copolymer to prepare a transparent composited shape memory film. The silk fibroin-based film showed a dual-responsive shape memory function, which can respond to both temperature and water stimuli. This film has a sensitive water-responsive shape memory, which starts deforming after exposure to water for 3 s and fully recovers in 30 s. In addition, the composite film shows highly stretchable (>300 %) and could maintain its high tensile properties after 5 cycles of regeneration. The films also exhibited rapid degradation ability. This study provides new insights for the design of dual-responsive shape memory materials by combining biocompatible matrix and multi-block SMP to simultaneously enhance the mechanical properties, which can be used for intelligent packaging, medical supplies, soft actuators and wearable devices.

Liposomes in biosensors.

Liposomes have been widely applied as carriers of molecules in the fields of nanodevices, drug delivery and gene delivery, as well as a mimic for cell membranes. In the biosensor field, liposomes find special application in signal amplification, due to their excellent carrier properties for encapsulation of signal marker compounds across a wide spectrum of sensing modalities. Additionally, the ability to modify the liposome surface structure to perform recognition functions with a wide range of types of analytes is an important aspect of their use in bioanalysis. This article provides an extensive review of the utility of liposomes in the fields of biosensor and bioanalysis with a focus on these two aspects. The aspects related to the translation of liposomes into commercially viable devices for biosensing are also discussed, and the hurdles to more widespread deployment in point of care systems are addressed.

PEGylation and surface functionalization of liposomes containing drug nanocrystals for cell-targeted delivery.

Liposomal formulations have important therapeutic applications in anti-cancer treatments but current formulations suffer from serious side effects, high dosage requirements and prolonged treatment. In this study, PEGylated azide-functionalized liposomes containing drug nanocrystals were investigated with the aim of increasing the drug payload and achieving functionalization for targeted delivery. Liposomes were characterized using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), small and ultra-small angle neutron scattering (SANS/USANS) and small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS). Cryo-TEM experiments revealed the dimensions of the nanocrystal-loaded liposomes and the change of shape from spherical to elongated after the formation of nanocrystals. Results from SANS/USANS experiments confirmed the asymmetric particle shape. SAXS/WAXS experiments confirmed that the crystalline drug only occurred in freeze-thawed samples and correlated with a new unidentified polymorphic form of ciprofloxacin. Using a small molecule dye, dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO)-cy5, specific conjugation between DBCO groups and surface azide groups on the liposomes was confirmed; this indicates the promise of this system for tumour-targeted delivery.