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Search for "mucus" in Full Text gives 26 result(s) in Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology.
Development of a mucoadhesive drug delivery system and its interaction with gastric cells
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 371–384, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.28
- , which were also capable of diffusion through artificial mucus. The nanoparticles were not toxic to gastric epithelial cells and can be internalized by the cells within 4 h. The adsorption of nanoparticles onto mucus-secreting gastric cells was found to be correlated with cell number. The delivery system
- developed in this study is intended to be loaded with active therapeutic agents and has the potential to be used as an alternative drug delivery strategy for the treatment of gastric related diseases. Keywords: alginate; Eudragit RS100; mucoadhesive nanoparticles; mucus; smart drug delivery; Introduction
- to the site of action because of increased drug retention at the mucosa [7]. These systems have the capacity to strongly adhere to the mucus layer, provide slow release of its contents, and even reduce the required dose because of higher accumulation of the drug at the target site [8]. Nanoparticles
Natural nanofibers embedded in the seed mucilage envelope: composite hydrogels with specific adhesive and frictional properties
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1603–1618, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.126
- of the mucilage – from pressed layers to a 3D network Substances with gel character (slime, mucus, and mucilage) are ubiquitous in nature and are produced by diverse organisms such as bacteria, plants representing diverse groups (algae, ferns, and higher plants), and animals (fishes, frogs, and
Nanotechnological approaches for efficient N2B delivery: from small-molecule drugs to biopharmaceuticals
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1400–1414, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.113
- glands, responsible for producing mucus [53]. The lamina propria is also the region where the olfactory sensory neurons start and form the installments of the olfactory sensory neurons [54]. The respiratory mucosa, in contrast, lines with the respiratory epithelium and contains mainly ciliated cells
- limited insights as some factors, such as injection position and the effect of the mucus layer, were not considered [84]. The study also highlighted that the chitosan coating favored the penetration in the mucosa. This was attributed to the swelling of chitosan at the pH value of the healthy nose and the
Unveiling the potential of alginate-based nanomaterials in sensing technology and smart delivery applications
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1077–1104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.88
- modified alginate materials for mucoadhesive drug delivery. Scientists combined the alginate hydroxy groups with maleimid-terminated PEG. This novel mucoadhesive biopolymer exhibited polymer–mucus glycoprotein interactions. The results showed that the new alginate-based mucoadhesive matrix can enhance the
Elasticity, an often-overseen parameter in the development of nanoscale drug delivery systems
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1149–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.95
- examining the characteristics of nanoparticles used for drug delivery, one can see that some are better understood then others. The size of nanoparticles, for example, is shown to play an important role in tissue or mucus penetration [8] and in cellular uptake [9]. Also surface charge and chemical
- barriers besides cellular membranes need to be addressed. A few examples of these barriers are penetration in or permeation through mucus, skin penetration, overcoming the blood brain barrier, or extravasation from blood vessels. Another challenge is the accumulation of particulate drug delivery systems in
- particle elasticity to overcome the mucosal barrier Mucus covers a large area of our body and is an important barrier for many drugs as it covers common application routes such as the intestines, the lungs, nose, and vagina. Regarding the penetration through mucus, Lenzini et al. demonstrated in a study
Suspension feeding in Copepoda (Crustacea) – a numerical model of setae acting in concert
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 603–615, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.50
- a basis to unravel the interplay between the feeding structures of suspension feeders, the preferred food, and the gathering performance. Additionally, it could open new avenues in the development of new filtration technologies (e.g., mucus-like filter media or bioinspired membranes) that use
Orally administered docetaxel-loaded chitosan-decorated cationic PLGA nanoparticles for intestinal tumors: formulation, comprehensive in vitro characterization, and release kinetics
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1393–1407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.115
- from GIT conditions and deliver the drug to the intestinal tumoral region by accumulating in mucus has been designed. For this purpose, DCX-PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) and CS/DCX-PLGA NPs were prepared, and their in vitro characteristics were elucidated. Nanoparticles around 250–300 nm were obtained. DCX
- -PLGA NPs had positive surface charge with CS coating. The formulations have the potential to deliver the encapsulated drug to the bowel according to the in vitro release studies in three different simulated GIT fluids for approximately 72 h. Mucin interaction and penetration into the artificial mucus
- layer were also investigated in detail, and the mucoadhesive and mucus-penetration characteristics of the formulations were examined. Furthermore, in vitro release kinetic studies of the NPs were elucidated. DCX-PLGA NPs were found to be compatible with the Weibull model, and CS/DCX-PLGA NPs were found
Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64
Differences in surface chemistry of iron oxide nanoparticles result in different routes of internalization
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 270–281, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.22
- of a pulmonary disease, where the airway–mucus barrier is difficult to penetrate, nanoparticles in the size range of 200 nm are more effective in mucus penetration [20][37]. The effect of surface chemistry on the mechanism of NPs uptake is, however, not sufficiently understood yet. Understanding the
Multilayer capsules made of weak polyelectrolytes: a review on the preparation, functionalization and applications in drug delivery
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 508–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.41
Microfluidics as tool to prepare size-tunable PLGA nanoparticles with high curcumin encapsulation for efficient mucus penetration
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2280–2293, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.220
- , 66119 Saarbrücken, Germany KIST Europe, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.10.220 Abstract Great challenges still remain to develop drug carriers able to penetrate biological barriers (such as the dense mucus in cystic fibrosis) and for the treatment of bacteria residing in biofilms, embedded in
- mucus. Drug carrier systems such as nanoparticles (NPs) require proper surface chemistry and small size to ensure their permeability through the hydrogel-like systems. We have employed a microfluidic system to fabricate poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles coated with a muco-penetrating
- was loaded (EE% of ≈68%) very efficiently into the nanoparticles. Finally, the permeability of muco-penetrating PLGA NPs through pulmonary human mucus was assessed; small NPs with a diameter of less than 100 nm showed fast permeation, underlining the potential of microfluidics for such pharmaceutical
Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85
- example of an innate immune system in a human, with external defenses such as hair, skin, and mucus and internal defenses such as mast cells, natural killer cells, and phagocytes [40]. The internal response in all animals has both humoral and cellular components [47]. Humoral components refer to those
- include mucus, melanin, and/or agglutinin. The cellular response of invertebrates includes haemocytes/coelomocytes (invertebrate equivalents of blood cells and leukocytes) circulating throughout the body, humoral factors, and complement factors to aid in the destruction and removal of harmful microbes [16
Development of an advanced diagnostic concept for intestinal inflammation: molecular visualisation of nitric oxide in macrophages by functional poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1637–1641, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.163
- approach is based on the epithelial barrier dysfunction of the intestine during intestinal inflammation. The intestinal barrier shows an increased permeability by disabled tight junction proteins, alterations in the thickness and composition of the mucus. Thus, particles penetrate and accumulate only into
Low uptake of silica nanoparticles in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial barriers
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1396–1406, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.141
- mucus on the apical cell side could also constitute a further obstacle for particle association with the barrier. Furthermore, we found that the majority of nanoparticles associated with the cells were adsorbed to the outer cell membranes, rather than being internalised by the Caco-2 barriers. Thus
Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 403–407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.42
- systems [16]. The adhesive tongues of frogs are an efficient tool capable of capturing fast moving prey. It is plausible that the interaction between the tongue surface and the adhesive mucus coating is important for generating strong pull-off forces. The paper by Kleinteich and Gorb is a comparative
Frog tongue surface microstructures: functional and evolutionary patterns
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 893–903, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.81
- adhere instantaneously to various prey surfaces. Recently, the functional morphology of frog tongues was discussed in context of their adhesive performance. It was suggested that the interaction between the tongue surface and the mucus coating is important for generating strong pull-off forces. However
- demonstrated for South American horned frogs (genus Ceratophrys) that the adhesive forces that frog tongues can produce and withstand are even higher than the body weight of the animals, at least if measured against a glass surface [7]. Further, we found that adhesive forces are higher if less mucus remained
- on our test surface and that the amount of the mucus coverage increases with increasing contact duration. These results suggested (1) that during the initial contact formation, only small amounts of mucus are present on the tongue and (2) that besides chemical and physical properties of the mucus
The eNanoMapper database for nanomaterial safety information
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1609–1634, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.165
- proposed to extend the list of endpoints for hazard identification to include cell uptake, cell viability, oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, immunotoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, ventilation rate, gill pathologies, mucus secretion and brain pathology. The EU guidance document lists the main
Atomic force microscopy as analytical tool to study physico-mechanical properties of intestinal cells
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1457–1466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.151
- ; elasticity; M cells; mechanical properties; Introduction The human small intestine consists of a cell monolayer, which is predominantly composed of enterocytes mixed with mucus-secreting goblet cells [1]. Apart from enterocytes, membranous epithelial cells (M cells) reside throughout the small intestine as
- . However, it has to be added that AFM measurements performed under semi-dried conditions also show limitations, since physiological conditions are not fully reflected but are likely to change the interface between the gut lumen and the brush boarder membrane. Intestinal mucus, for instance, is continuously
- secreted by goblet cells and forms an efficient acellular barrier that strongly impacts adhesive interactions between intestinal epithelial cells and diverse substances/antigens. Due to intake of food, differences in the pH occur, which leads to changes in the viscoelastic properties of the mucus layer
Aquatic versus terrestrial attachment: Water makes a difference
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2424–2439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.252
- the plates, the viscosity of the fluid, the speed of separation and the inverse of the separation distance. The equation for Stefan adhesion predicts very high forces for materials with the viscosity of mucus, but assumes rigid plates, and attempts to quantify the effect in limpets and tree frogs have
- mucus dictates the sliding force. The topic is further complicated by the fact that animals can secrete more than one material. Moreover, as the viscosity of the material increases there is a transition to glues. In particular, adhesive gels of gastropods can contain specific glue proteins with gel
- demonstration that we need better understanding of viscosity-mediated attachment. Viscous adhesion is clearly important to the real, biologically messy, and sometimes mucus-laden real world, but the underlying processes are not fully understood for submerged cases. The community needs useful theoretical models
Coating with luminal gut-constituents alters adherence of nanoparticles to intestinal epithelial cells
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2308–2315, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.239
- and secreted mucus [16]. As a final barrier the enterocyte cell layer must be breached. These cells are columnar epithelial cells with a brush border membrane on the apical side, covered by the glycocalyx, a dense mesh of glycostructures [17], and connected to each other by tight junctions [18]. From
The gut wall provides an effective barrier against nanoparticle uptake
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2092–2101, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.218
- adhered to the epithelium or resided in the tissue, the bulk of particles seemed to be trapped in the mucus lining the gut tube. When this mucus was dissolved and removed from the gut almost the entire amount of particles missing could be recovered: over 95% of the given NPs were present in the two
- fractions, the luminal samples and the dissolved mucus. To foster NP uptake via an extended interaction time with the epithelium, the intestinal peristalsis was decelerated and the duration of the experiment was prolonged. Even under those conditions, no particle fluorescence was detected in the vascular
- and lymphatic samples. Conclusion: We could show that after intestinal exposure with a large dose of NPs the vast majority of NPs did obviously not come into contact with the epithelium but was either directly discarded from the gut or trapped in mucus. The healthy small intestinal tract evidently
Data-adaptive image-denoising for detecting and quantifying nanoparticle entry in mucosal tissues through intravital 2-photon microscopy
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2016–2025, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.210
- dot nanoparticles (yellow). Some of the nanoparticles adhere to mucus (upper third in a and b), some others adhere to the apical membrane of the epithelial cells (arrows in b). The grainy structure in the lumen (encircled in a) represents photon shot noise only; it is completely removed by the
The protein corona protects against size- and dose-dependent toxicity of amorphous silica nanoparticles
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1380–1392, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.151
- ) and epithelial GI tract Caco-2 cells as a model to study the biological impact of particle size as well as of the protein corona. Caco-2 or mucus-producing HT-29 cells were exposed to thoroughly characterized, negatively charged ASP of different size in the absence or presence of proteins
- MTT assay (Figure 6). Similar to the lung surfactant [32], also epithelial cell of the GI tract are covered by an additional biobarrier, i.e., by mucous matrices [33]. To investigate the impact of mucus associated to GI tract cells on the observed effects, we included the mucus-secreting colorectal
- cell line HT-29 in our study. The HT-29 cell model is a widely accepted model for studying the impact of mucus associated to cells of the GI tract [33]. As shown in Figure 6C, even in the presence of cell-associated mucus the cytoprotective impact of the protein corona was preserved. Effect of the
The surface microstructure of cusps and leaflets in rabbit and mouse heart valves
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 622–629, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.73
- structure is also present on the surface of the mitral valve leaflets. Namely the distribution of the nano-scale cilia structure on the micron papillae is similar to the distribution of the microstructure on the surface of the aortic valve cusps. Without treatment by heparin there is a lot of mucus attached
- , the cilia structure was destroyed, so it is not obvious. However, because of the elimination of mucus, the mastoid structure became very clear. In addition, the arrangement of the microstructure on the surface of the mitral valve leaflets can be seen as directional, and its direction is consistent
Hairy suckers: the surface microstructure and its possible functional significance in the Octopus vulgaris sucker
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 561–565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.66
- this case, small ciliary tufts occur at a very low density in the side foot; whereas, they become significantly more dense in the sole foot. Similar to octopus suckers, the cilia are covered by a layer of mucus. However, in all the three cases (octopus, abalone, and clingfish), the hairs lack the
- termini contact elements as well as the presence of water and mucus between hairs and respective substrates suggest that biological structures operating underwater cannot exploit filament-like structures to generate van der Waals forces [3]. We completely agree with this idea and think that under wet
- adhesion conditions, a system consisting of hairs, mucus, and water (just like octopus suckers) could improve attachment due to following mechanisms: (i) exploiting the presence of mucus and filaments to increase the viscosity coefficient at the interface and to resist to the shear forces; and (ii
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