Lecithin/dodecylamine/lactose mixtures in ethanol/aqueous media led to the formation of sponge mesoporous silica (SMS) materials by means of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as silica source. SMS materials show a "sponge-mesoporous" porosity with a pore diameter of about 5-6 nm, in accordance to the length of a lecithin bilayer. SMS synthesis was developed to create a new class of powerful biocatalysts able to efficiently encapsulate enzymes by adding a porosity control to the classical sol-gel synthesis and by using phospholipids and lactose as protecting agents for the enzymes. In the present study, the formation of SMS was investigated by using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) probes inserted inside phospholipid bilayers. The influence of progressive addition of each component (ethanol, dodecylamine, lactose, TEOS) on phospholipid bilayers was first examined; then, the time evolution of EPR spectra during SMS synthesis was studied. Parameters informative of mobility, structure, order, and polarity around the probes were extracted by computer analysis of the EPR line shape. The results were discussed on the basis of solids characterization by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen isotherm, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results, together with the well-known ability of ethanol to promote membrane hemifusion, suggested that the templating structure is a bicontinuous phospholipid bilayer phase, shaped as a gyroid, resulting of multiple membrane hemifusions induced by the high alcohol content used in SMS synthesis. SMS synthesis was compared to hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) synthesis accomplished by adding TEOS to a dodecylamine/EtOH/water mixture. EPR evidenced the difference between HMS and SMS synthesis; the latter uses an already organized but slowly growing mesophase of phospholipids, never observed before, whereas the former shows a progressive elongation of micelles into wormlike structures. SMS-type materials represent a new class of biocompatible materials and open a bright perspective for biomolecule processing for pharmaceutical, biocatalysis, biosensors, or biofuel cell applications.
Diabetes has no well-established cure; thus, its management is critical for avoiding severe health complications involving multiple organs. This requires frequent glycaemia monitoring, and the gold standards for this are fingerstick tests. During the last decades, several blood-withdrawal-free platforms have been being studied to replace this test and to improve significantly the quality of life of people with diabetes (PWD). Devices estimating glycaemia level targeting blood or biofluids such as tears, saliva, breath and sweat, are gaining attention; however, most are not reliable, user-friendly and/or cheap. Given the complexity of the topic and the rise of diabetes, a careful analysis is essential to track scientific and industrial progresses in developing diabetes management systems. Here, we summarize the emerging blood glucose level (BGL) measurement methods and report some examples of devices which have been under development in the last decades, discussing the reasons for them not reaching the market or not being really non-invasive and continuous. After discussing more in depth the history of Raman spectroscopy-based researches and devices for BGL measurements, we will examine if this technique could have the potential for the development of a user-friendly, miniaturized, non-invasive and continuous blood glucose-monitoring device, which can operate reliably, without inter-patient variability, over sustained periods.
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