In this study, the self-assembly mechanism of Zein/(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate/polyethylene glycol (Zein/EGCG/PEG) composite nanoparticles and their interface adsorption behavior at the oil-water interface were investigated by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and conformation analysis demonstrated that there were electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions between Zein and EGCG, physical entanglement between PEG and Zein, and hydrogen bond interaction between EGCG and PEG. The nanoparticles accumulated at the oil-water interface, and there was an obvious interface layer between oil phase and water phase, as indicated by confocal laser scanning microscope and scanning electron microscope. The adsorbing of Zein/EGCG/PEG nanoparticles at the oil-water interface was confirmed by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. Further findings confirmed that Zein/EGCG/PEG nanoparticles could serve as stabilizers for oleogels with self-supporting structure, viscoelastic solid behavior and temperature response characteristics. The current research offered a novel approach to enhance protein interface characteristics and create food-grade emulsifiers and oleogelators.

A semi-synthetic camptothecin derivative known as irinotecan hydrochloride is frequently used to treat colorectal cancer, including colorectal adenocarcinoma and lung cancers involving small cells. Irinotecan has a very short half-life; therefore, continuous infusions are required to keep the drug\'s blood levels at therapeutic levels, which could produce cumulative toxicities. Effective delivery techniques, including liposomes, have been developed to address these shortcomings. In this study, a continuous supercritical fluid approach dubbed Expansion Supercritical Fluid into an aqueous solution, in which the pressure decreases rapidly but remains over the critical pressure, is proposed to manufacture polyethylene glycolylated (PEGylated) liposomes carrying irinotecan hydrochloride. To accomplish this, PEGylated liposomes were created using a Box-Behnken design, and the operating parameters (flow rate, temperature, and pressure drop) were optimized. Encapsulation efficiency, mean size, and prepared liposome count were 94.6%, 55 nm, and 758 under ideal circumstances. Additionally, the stability of the PEGylated liposome was investigated during 8 weeks, and also PEGylated liposome-loaded irinotecan release profile was compared to conventional liposomes and free irinotecan, and a constant drug release was seen after the first burst release from liposomes.

This study investigates the prolonged effect of immune disease resistance in Litopenaeus vannamei through the administration of tyramine (TA) formulated with polyethylene glycol (PEG). Facing the challenges of intensive farming, environmental stress, and global climate changes, innovative approaches to improve shrimp health are essential. The research focuses on the role of biogenic amines in stress response and immune regulation, demonstrating that TA, especially when combined with PEG, significantly prolongs immunity and resistance against Vibrio alginolyticus. The experimental design included administering TA, PEG, and TA-PEG, followed by evaluations of immunity, lactate and glucose levels, and immune-related gene expressions. Results showed notable prolonged effects in total hemocyte count, phenoloxidase activity, and phagocytic activity in the TA-PEG group, indicating enhanced immune activation period. Additionally, the expression of prophenoloxidase system-related genes was significantly upregulated in the TA-PEG group. Furthermore, the TA-PEG group exhibited a significantly higher survival rate in a susceptibility test against V. alginolyticus. The results of this study confirm that the combined use of PEG can effectively extend the immunostimulatory duration of TA.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health concern that can result in long-term neurological impairments. Calpain is a calcium-dependent cysteine protease that is activated within minutes after TBI, and sustained calpain activation is known to contribute to neurodegeneration and blood-brain barrier dysregulation. Based on its role in disease progression, calpain inhibition has been identified as a promising therapeutic target. Efforts to develop therapeutics for calpain inhibition would benefit from the ability to measure calpain activity with spatial precision within the injured tissue. In this work, we designed an activity-based nanotheranostic (ABNT) that can both sense and inhibit calpain activity in TBI. To sense calpain activity, we incorporated a peptide substrate of calpain flanked by a fluorophore/quencher pair. To inhibit calpain activity, we incorporated calpastatin peptide, an endogenous inhibitor of calpain. Both sensor and inhibitor peptides were scaffolded onto a polymeric nanoscaffold to create our ABNT. We show that in the presence of recombinant calpain, our ABNT construct is able to sense and inhibit calpain activity. In a mouse model of TBI, systemically administered ABNT can access perilesional brain tissue through passive accumulation and inhibit calpain activity in the cortex and hippocampus. In an analysis of cellular calpain activity, we observe the ABNT-mediated inhibition of calpain activity in neurons, endothelial cells, and microglia of the cortex. In a comparison of neuronal calpain activity by brain structure, we observe greater ABNT-mediated inhibition of calpain activity in cortical neurons compared to that in hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, we found that apoptosis was dependent on both calpain inhibition and brain structure. We present a theranostic platform that can be used to understand the regional and cell-specific therapeutic inhibition of calpain activity to help inform drug design for TBI.

Laxative misuse is a well-known occurrence, most often identified in patients struggling with eating disorders. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 is a readily available, well-tolerated osmotic laxative. High doses of PEG 3350 may cause gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance, although systemic toxicity is infrequently reported. This case report highlights the exceedingly rare metabolic derangements associated with profound levels of protracted PEG misuse. A 60-year-old female presented to the emergency department with altered mental status. She was found to have acute renal failure (ARF), anion gap metabolic acidosis (AGMA), and rhabdomyolysis secondary to excessive PEG 3350 use, requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Renal function improved after three days of CRRT, and no alternative causes beyond PEG ingestion were found to account for her mental status changes or metabolic anomalies. This report illustrates the importance of considering osmotic laxative misuse in the setting of pre-renal and intrinsic renal failure.

Polylactic acid (PLA) wood-plastic composites have a significant advantage over traditional petroleum-based plastics due to their biodegradability. However, PLA has several shortcomings, including high brittleness, low heat resistance, slow crystallization, and poor compatibility with biomass materials, which have limited its potential applications. In this paper, we investigated the effects of carboxy-terminated hyperbranched polyester (CHBP) on the mechanical, crystalline, and thermal properties of PLA/straw flour (SF) blends through extrusion injection molding. Additionally, we added the traditional plasticizer polyethylene glycol (PEG) to synergize with CHBP to enhance the toughness of PLA/SF composites. Our results showed that the appropriate addition of CHBP effectively improved the interfacial bonding between PLA and straw flour. The incorporation of CHBP also improved the tensile strength, bending strength, impact strength, elongation at break, thermal stability, and crystallization rate of the composites. Furthermore, the addition of both CHBP and PEG significantly improved the impact strength of the composites compared to using PEG alone. This method also improved the heat resistance of the material and reduced the migration of plasticizers. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using hyperbranched polymers and plasticizers to enhance the toughness, thermal stability, and crystalline properties of PLA wood-plastic composites, providing a new approach to improving the properties of these composites.

Both exogenous and endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) play pivotal roles in promoting the hyphal formation of Candida albicans (CA), which suggests that clearing ROS could inhibit CA hyphae formation. A ROS-sensitive hydrogel (CAS@4Arm-PB/CS) was formulated by using a novel four-arm polyethylene glycol (4Arm-PEG) derivative (4Arm-PB) as a crosslinking agent, chitosan (CS) as the hydrogel matrix, and caspofungin (CAS) as the antifungal drug against CA. The ROS-sensitivity, disintegration mechanism, crosslinking action, swelling degree, microstructure, modulus, and rheological properties of 4Arm-PB were characterized. According to the results, 5.0 % 4Arm-PB could quickly and efficiently cross-link 0.5 mg/mL of CS. The ROS-sensitivity of 4Arm-PB was 10-50 μM, indicating a strong ROS sensitivity. The in vitro and in vivo anti-CA results indicated that CAS@4Arm-PB/CS not only cleared endogenous and exogenous ROS and inhibited the formation of CA hyphae and biofilm but also contributed beneficially to the treatment of VVC mice caused by CA infection, implying a certain safety aspect and an in vivo applicability. This research introduces a novel functional crosslinking agent for CS hydrogel formulation, presenting a new avenue for hydrogel-based drug delivery systems and therapeutic strategies for VVC treatment.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and challenging malignancy that needs some effective and safer chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment. In this study, anticancer agent epirubicin (Epi) was loaded in polymeric polyethylene glycol-polylactic acid-nanoparticles (mPEG-PLA-NPs) coated with a marine anti-cancer non-toxic polysaccharide fucoidan (FC), to achieve a synergistic activity against CRC. The characterization of the NPs revealed that they were spherical, monodispersed, stable, with a negative zeta potential, and exhibited good biocompatibility and controlled release. In vitro anti-cancer activity of the NPs on HCT116 cell line was found to be promising, and corroborated well with in vivo studies involving BALB/C mice injected with C26 murine cancer cells. The outcome of MTT assay demonstrated that IC50 value of free Epi was 3.72 µM, and that of non-coated and coated Epi nano-formulations was 33.67 and 10.19 µM, respectively. Higher tumor regression, better survival and reduced off-side cardiotoxicity were observed when this novel NPs formulation was used to treat tumor-bearing mice. Free FC and Epi treated mice showed 37.73 % and 61.49 % regression in tumor size, whereas there was 79.76 % and 90.34 % tumor regression in mice treated with non-coated Epi NPs and coated Epi NPs, respectively. Therefore, mPEG-PLA-FC-Epi-NPs hold a potential to be used as an effective chemotherapeutic formulation against CRC, since it exhibited better efficacy and lower toxicity.

CONCLUSIONS: Natural transformation with R. rhizogenes enhances osmotic stress tolerance in oilseed rape through increasing osmoregulation capacity, enhancing maintenance of hydraulic integrity and total antioxidant capacity. Transformation of plants using wild strains of agrobacteria is termed natural transformation and is not covered by GMO legislation in, e.g., European Union and Japan. In this study, offspring lines of Rhizobium rhizogenes naturally transformed oilseed rape (Brassica napus), i.e., A11 and B3 (termed root-inducing (Ri) lines), were investigated for osmotic stress resilience. Under polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) 10% (w/v)-induced osmotic stress, the Ri lines, particularly A11, had less severe leaf wilting, higher stomatal conductance (8.2 times more than WT), and a stable leaf transpiration rate (about 2.9 mmol m-2 s-1). Although the leaf relative water content and leaf water potential responded similarly to PEG treatment between the Ri lines and WT, a significant reduction of the turgid weight to dry weight ratio in A11 and B3 indicated a greater capacity of osmoregulation in the Ri lines. Moreover, the upregulation of plasma membrane intrinsic proteins genes (PIPs) in roots and downregulation of these genes in leaves of the Ri lines implied a better maintenance of hydraulic integrity in relation to the WT. Furthermore, the Ri lines had greater total antioxidant capacity (TAC) than the WT under PEG stress. Collectively, the enhanced tolerance of the Ri lines to PEG-induced osmotic stress could be attributed to the greater osmoregulation capacity, better maintenance of hydraulic integrity, and greater TAC than the WT. In addition, Ri-genes (particularly rolA and rolD) play roles in response to osmotic stress in Ri oilseed rape. This study reveals the potential of R. rhizogenes transformation for application in plant drought resilience.

Seeking effective ways to maintain cellular homeostasis is crucial to the survival of organisms when they encounter osmotic stress. Glycine betaine (GB) is a widely generated natural osmolyte, but its endogenous production and action are limited. Herein, a kind of nonionic surfactant dodecyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (DG) and a common polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) are proven to have the ability to enhance the osmotic stress (induced by sugar concentration changes) tolerance of cell and organism models, those are giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and gram-negative Escherichia coli. DG or PEG only induces small size decrease and certain shape change of GUVs. Importantly, DG or PEG at the concentration 100 times lower than that of GB effectively increases the survival rate of bacteria under both hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic conditions. This intriguing result is attributed to the insertion of DG or adsorption of PEG in the lipid bilayer membrane, leading to enhanced membrane permeability. These exogenous substances can replace GB to facilely and highly efficiently augment adaptation of organisms to osmotic stress.