Mechanistic insights of evaporation-induced actuation in supramolecular crystals.

Water-responsive materials undergo reversible shape changes upon varying humidity levels. These mechanically robust yet flexible structures can exert substantial forces and hold promise as efficient actuators for energy harvesting, adaptive materials and soft robotics. Here we demonstrate that energy transfer during evaporation-induced actuation of nanoporous tripeptide crystals results from the strengthening of water hydrogen bonding that drives the contraction of the pores. The seamless integration of mobile and structurally bound water inside these pores with a supramolecular network that contains readily deformable aromatic domains translates dehydration-induced mechanical stresses through the crystal lattice, suggesting a general mechanism of efficient water-responsive actuation. The observed strengthening of water bonding complements the accepted understanding of capillary-force-induced reversible contraction for this class of materials. These minimalistic peptide crystals are much simpler in composition compared to natural water-responsive materials, and the insights provided here can be applied more generally for the design of high-energy molecular actuators.

Transdermal microneedles for the programmable burst release of multiple vaccine payloads.

Repeated bolus injections are associated with higher costs and poor compliance and can hinder the implementation of global immunization campaigns. Here, we report the development and preclinical testing of patches of transdermal core-shell microneedles-which were fabricated by the micromoulding and alignment of vaccine cores and shells made from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) with varying degradability kinetics-for the preprogrammed burst release of vaccine payloads over a period of a few days to more than a month from a single administration. In rats, microneedles loaded with a clinically available vaccine (Prevnar-13) against the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae induced immune responses that were similar to immune responses observed after multiple subcutaneous bolus injections, and led to immune protection against a lethal bacterial dose. Microneedle patches delivering preprogrammed doses may offer an alternative strategy to prophylactic and therapeutic protocols that require multiple injections.

Isoeugenol has a non-disruptive detergent-like mechanism of action.

Isoeugenol is an essential oil constituent of nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon. Despite isoeugenol's promising antimicrobial activity, no studies have yet investigated its mode of antibacterial action at the molecular level. The aim of this study is to clarify isoeugenol's antibacterial mode of action using the Gram-negative and Gram-positive model organisms Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua, respectively. We determined the antimicrobial activity of isoeugenol against the model organisms, and examined how isoeugenol affects cell morphology, cell membrane permeabilization, and how isoeugenol interacts with phospholipid membranes using vesicle and supported lipid bilayer models. Isoeugenol demonstrated a bactericidal activity against E. coli and L. innocua that did not affect cell morphology, although the cell membrane was permeabilized. We hypothesized that the cell membrane was the primary site of action, and studied this interaction in further detail using purified membrane model systems. Isoeugenol's permeabilization of calcein-encapsulated vesicles was concentration dependent, and isoeugenol's interaction with giant unilamellar vesicles indicated increased membrane fluidity and a non-disruptive permeabilization mechanism. This contradicted membrane fluidity measurements on supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), which indicated decreased membrane fluidity. However, further investigations demonstrated that the interaction between isoeugenol and bilayers was reversible, and caused membranes to display heterogeneous topography, an increased mass, and a higher degree of hydration. In conclusion, we propose that isoeugenol interacts with membranes in a reversible non-disruptive detergent-like manner, which causes membrane destabilization. Furthermore, we argue that isoeugenol increases membrane fluidity. Our work contributes to the understanding of how essential oil constituents interact with cell components.