Browsing by Author "Lee, TH"

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    BioPEGylation of polyhydroxybutyrate promotes nerve cell health and migration
    (ACS Publications, 2013-12-03) Chan, RTH; Russell, RA; Marçal, H; Lee, TH; Holden, PJ; Foster, LJR
    This study reports on the superior suitability of Polyhydroxybutyrate-polyethylene glycol hybrid polymers biosynthesised by Cupriavidus necator over PHB as biomaterials for tissue engineering. Incorporation of PEG106 (DEG) during PHB biosynthesis reduced crystallinity, molecular weight, and hydrophobicity while improving mechanical properties. In vitro olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) proliferation was enhanced by cultivation on PHB-b-DEG films. Cultivation on PHB and PHB-b-DEG films showed no cytotoxic responses and cell viability and membrane integrity was sustained. PHB-b-DEG films promoted OECs entering into the DNA replication (S) phase and mitotic (G2-M) phase during the cell growth cycle and apoptosis was low. This study also confirmed an association between the level of neurite-outgrowth inhibitory protein (Nogo) and receptor pair Ig-like receptor B (PirB) expression and cell proliferation, both being down-regulated in cells grown on hybrid films when compared with PHB and asynchronous growth. Thus, DEG-terminated PHB-based biomaterials have great potential as biological scaffolds supporting nerve repair. © 2013 American Chemical Society.
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    Structural effects of the antimicrobial peptide maculatin 1.1 on supported lipid bilayers
    (Springer, 2013-01-01) Fernandez, DI; Brun, AP; Lee, TH; Bansal, PS
    The interactions of the antimicrobial peptide maculatin 1.1 (GLFGVLAKVAAHVVPAIAEHF-NH2) with model phospholipid membranes were studied by use of dual polarisation interferometry and neutron reflectometry and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and mixed DMPC–dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG)-supported lipid bilayers chosen to mimic eukaryotic and prokaryotic membranes, respectively. In DMPC bilayers concentration-dependent binding and increasing perturbation of bilayer order by maculatin were observed. By contrast, in mixed DMPC–DMPG bilayers, maculatin interacted more strongly and in a concentration-dependent manner with retention of bilayer lipid order and structure, consistent with pore formation. These results emphasise the importance of membrane charge in mediating antimicrobial peptide activity and emphasise the importance of using complementary methods of analysis in probing the mode of action of antimicrobial peptides.© 2013, Springer.