Triggered release from liposomes through magnetic actuation of iron oxide nanoparticle containing membranes.

The ideal nanoscale drug delivery vehicle allows control over the released dose in space and time. We demonstrate that this can be achieved by stealth liposomes comprising self-assembled superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) individually stabilized with palmityl-nitroDOPA incorporated in the lipid membrane. Alternating magnetic fields were used to control timing and dose of repeatedly released cargo from such vesicles by locally heating the membrane, which changed its permeability without major effects on the environment.

Functionalizing a dentin bonding resin to become bioactive.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate chemo-mechanical effects of incorporating alkaline bioactive glass nanoparticles into a light-curable dental resin matrix. METHODS: An unfilled Bis-GMA/TEGDMA material was infiltrated with up to 20 wt% of ultrafine SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5-Bi2O3 particles. The unfilled and filled resins were investigated regarding their viscosity before setting and compared to commercially available materials. Set specimens were immersed for 21 days in phosphate buffered saline at 37°C. Water uptake, pH, Knoop hardness, and degree of conversion of freshly polymerized and stored samples were investigated. Resin surfaces were viewed and mapped in a scanning electron microscope for the formation of calcium phosphate (Ca/P) precipitates. In addition, Raman spectroscopy was performed. Numeric values were statistically compared (p<0.01). RESULTS: Viscosity increased with particle loading, but remained below that of a flowable dental composite material. Water uptake into and pH induction from the polymerized samples also increased with particle loading (p<0.01). The addition of 20 wt% nanoparticles had no significant influence on microhardness, yet it slightly (p<0.01) increased the degree of conversion after 21 days. Ca/P precipitates formed on specimens filled with 20 wt% of the particles, while they were scarce on counterparts loaded with 10 wt%, and absent on unfilled resin surfaces. SIGNIFICANCE: The results of the current study show that a Bis-GMA-based resin can be functionalized using alkaline nanoparticles. A material with bioactive properties and similar hardness as the unfilled resin was obtained by incorporating 20wt% of ultrafine SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5-Bi2O3 particles into the resin matrix.

A toolbox of oligopeptide-modified polymers for tailored elastomers.

Biomaterials are constructed from limited sets of building blocks but exhibit extraordinary and versatile properties, because hierarchical structure formation lets them employ identical supramolecular motifs for different purposes. Here we exert a similar degree of structural control in synthetic supramolecular elastomers and thus tailor them for a broad range of thermomechanical properties. We show that oligopeptide-terminated polymers selectively self-assemble into small aggregates or nanofibrils, depending on the length of the oligopeptides. This process is self-sorting if differently long oligopeptides are combined so that different nanostructures coexist in bulk mixtures. Blends of polymers with oligopeptides matching in length furnish reinforced elastomers that exhibit shear moduli one order of magnitude higher than the parent polymers. By contrast, novel interpenetrating supramolecular networks that display excellent vibration damping properties are obtained from blends comprising non-matching oligopeptides or unmodified polymers. Hence, blends of oligopeptide-modified polymers constitute a toolbox for tailored elastomers with versatile properties.