The mucus layer is a hydrogel network that covers mucosal surfaces of the human body. Mucus has important protective properties that are related to its unique rheological properties, which are based on mucins being the main glycoprotein constituents. Mucin macromolecules entangle with one another and form a physical network that is instrumental for many important defense functions. Mucus derived from various human or animal sources is poorly defined and thus not suitable for many application purposes. Herein, a synthetic route is fabricated to afford a library of compositionally defined mucus‐inspired hydrogels (MIHs). MIHs are synthesized by thiol oxidation to render disulfide bonds between the crosslinker ethoxylated trimethylolpropane tri(3‐mercaptopropionate) (THIOCURE ETTMP 1300) and the linear precursors, dithiolated linear polyglycerol (LPG(SH)2) or polyethylene glycol (PEG(SH)2) of different molecular weights. The mixing ratio of linear polymers versus crosslinker and the length of the linear polymer are varied, thus delivering a library of compositionally defined mucin‐inspired constructs. Their viscoelastic properties are determined by frequency sweeps at 25 and 37 °C and compared to the corresponding behavior of native human mucus. Here, MIHs composed of a 10:1 ratio of LPG(SH)2 and ETTMP 1300 are proved to be the best comparable to human airway mucus rheology.
Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) with a diameter of 155-240 nm uses electrostatic interactions to bind with the heparan sulfate present on the cell surface to initiate infection. In this work, the initial contact using polysulfate-functionalized hydrogels is aimed to deter. The hydrogels provide a large contact surface area for viral interaction and sulfated hydrogels are good mimics for the native heparan sulfate. In this work, hydrogels of different flexibilities are synthesized, determined by rheology. Gels are prepared within an elastic modulus range of 10-1119 Pa with a mesh size of 80-15 nm, respectively. The virus binding studies carried out with the plaque assay show that the most flexible sulfated hydrogel performs the best in binding HSV viruses. These studies prove that polysulfated hydrogels are a viable option as HSV-1 antiviral compounds. Furthermore, such hydrogel networks are also physically similar to naturally occurring mucus gels and therefore may be used as mucus substitutes.
To increase the bioavailability of Rhodanine (RH), inclusion complexes (ICs) of RH with both α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD) and β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) were prepared. The complexes were characterized by different physicochemical as well as spectroscopic techniques thereby indicating encapsulation of RH molecule into the cavities of α‐CD and β‐CD cavity. DSC analysis showed that the thermal stability of RH was enhanced after complexation. Computational study suggests the most preferred orientation of RH molecule within both CD cavities. In vitro antibacterial activity test illustrates that the IC2 RH‐α‐CD displayed better activity than pure RH and IC1 RH‐β‐CD. IC2 RH‐α‐CD (IC50=7.88 μM) shows the remarkable in vitro cytotoxic activity than pure RH (IC50=44 μM) and IC1 RH‐β‐CD towards human kidney cancer cell line (ACHN). Furthermore, interaction of RH, IC1 RH‐β‐CD and IC2 RH‐α‐CD with CT‐DNA was investigated and found that α‐CD enhances bioavailability of RH to greater extent compared to β‐CD. Additionally, photostability studies reveals that inclusion of RH using α‐CD induces better stabilization of RH as compared to β‐CD.
The toxicity of any drug against normal cells is a health
hazard
for all humans. At present, health and disease researchers from all
over the world are trying to synthesize designer drugs with diminished
toxicity and side effects. The purpose of the present study is to
enhance the bioavailability and biocompatibility of gemcitabine (GEM)
by decreasing its toxicity and reducing deamination during drug delivery
by incorporating it inside the hydrophobic cavity of β-cyclodextrin
(β-CD) without affecting the drug ability of the parent compound
(GEM). The newly synthesized inclusion complex (IC) was characterized
by different physical and spectroscopic techniques, thereby confirming
the successful incorporation of the GEM molecule into the nanocage
of β-CD. The molecular docking study revealed the orientation
of the GEM molecule into the β-CD cavity (−5.40 kcal/mol)
to be stably posed for ligand binding. Photostability studies confirmed
that the inclusion of GEM using β-CD could lead to better stabilization
of GEM (≥96%) for further optical and clinical applications.
IC (GEM-β-CD) and GEM exhibited effective antibacterial and
antiproliferative activities without being metabolized in a dose-dependent
manner. The CT-DNA analysis showed sufficiently strong IC (GEM-β-CD)
binding (K
a = 8.1575 × 1010), and this interaction suggests that IC (GEM-β-CD) may possibly
exert its biological effects by targeting nucleic acids in the host
cell. The newly synthesized biologically active IC (GEM-β-CD),
a derivative of GEM, has pharmaceutical development potentiality.
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