Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Adjuvant Pluronic F68 Is Compatible With A Plant Root-Colonizing Probiotic, Pseudomonas Chlororaphis O6, Amanda R. Streeter, Anthony Cartwright, Mohammad Zargaran, Anagha Wankhade, Anne J. Anderson, David W. Britt

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Plant probiotic bacteria are being increasingly used to maximize both the productivity and quality of field crops. Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6 (PcO6) is a plant root colonizer with probiotic activities. This bacterium produces an array of metabolites, including a group of phenazines that are functional in plant protection. The paper reports responses of PcO6 to a nonionic triblock copolymer surfactant, Pluronic F68. This Pluronic exhibits membrane "healing" activity and improves cryopreservation recovery in eukaryotic cells. The product is FDA-approved and is applied as an adjuvant in formulations used in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology. Growth of PcO6 on …

Production And Biocompatibility Of Spider Silk Proteins In Goat Milk, Richard E. Decker Jr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to its strength, flexibility, and biocompatibility, spider silk is a highly appealing material for applications in the medical field. Unfortunately, natural spider silk is difficult to obtain in large quantities because spiders are territorial and cannibalistic, making them impractical to farm. Synthetic spider silk proteins produced by transgenic hosts such as bacteria and goats have made it possible to obtain the quantities of spider silk needed to study it more fully and to investigate its potential uses. The spider silk proteins produced in our laboratory do not have an optimal purification method to remove all of the non-biocompatible contaminants …

Development And Characterization Of Aqueous-Based Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Biomaterials With Investigations Into Potential Applications, Thomas I. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider silks are incredible natural materials that possess desirable combinations of strength, elasticity, weight, and robustness. Other properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability further increase the worth of these materials. The possibility of farming spiders is impractical due to spiders’ natural behaviors. Modern biotechnologies have allowed for recombinant spider silk proteins (rSSps) to be produced without the use of spiders. However, the features responsible for spider silks impressive properties can cause difficulties with producing silk materials. A recently developed water-based and biomimetic solvation method has provided a solution to such difficulties and has also led to novel silk biomaterials. Most …

Piezoresponse, Mechanical, And Electrical Characteristics Of Synthetic Spider Silk Nanofibers, Nader Shehata, Ishac Kandas, Ibrahim Hassounah, Patrik Sobolčiak, Igor Krupa, Miroslav Mrlik, Anton Popelka, Jesse Steadman, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Faculty Publications

This work presents electrospun nanofibers from synthetic spider silk protein, and their application as both a mechanical vibration and humidity sensor. Spider silk solution was synthesized from minor ampullate silk protein (MaSp) and then electrospun into nanofibers with a mean diameter of less than 100 nm. Then, mechanical vibrations were detected through piezoelectric characteristics analysis using a piezo force microscope and a dynamic mechanical analyzer with a voltage probe. The piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃) was determined to be 3.62 pC/N. During humidity sensing, both mechanical and electric resistance properties of spider silk nanofibers were evaluated at varying high-level …

The Role Of Surface Characteristics In The Initial Adhesion Of Human Bone-Derived Cells On Ceramics, H. Zreiqat, O. C. Standard, T. Gengenbach, J. G. Steele, C. R. Howlett

Cells and Materials

The tissue/biomaterial interactions of three biomaterials of potential use in bone implants were studied in vitro. The mechanism of cell adherence to various ceramic substrata has been investigated by measurement of short term (90 minutes) cell attachment and spreading rate. We have determined the effect of two serum glycoproteins, fibronectin and vitronectin, on the adhesion of human bone derived cells (HBD-cells) cultured on three different types of ceramics {alumina (Al₂O₃), hydroxyapatite (HAP) and yttria-doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP)} . The attachment of HBD-cells to alumina and hydroxyapatite was approximately 60% of that to Y-TZP. Furthermore, …

Biomaterials Associated Infections: The Scale Of The Problem, David J. Stickler, Robert J. C. Mclean

Cells and Materials

The biomaterials used in the manufacture of implanted prosthetic devices profoundly impair the host's ability to opsonise and phagocytose invading microbes. As a result, while these devices generally provide effective relief from painful, crippling and life-threatening disorders, they can also induce vulnerability to infection in the recipients. The surfaces of the implants are susceptible to colonisation by microbial biofilms. The cells in the biofilm.s are further protected against opsonophagocytosis and are also resistant to antibacterials. Device associated infections thus tend to be refractile to antibiotic therapy and in many cases the device has to be removed before the infection will …

Projection Effect Errors In Biomaterials And Bone Research, K. N. Bachus, R. D. Bloebaum

Cells and Materials

Micoradiography and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging are techniques used to investigate the morphologic, histometric, and mineral content changes at the bone/biomaterials interface. Investigators have shown that the superimposition of multiple tissue layers can cause errors with both the morphologic observations and the histometric measurements of bone. The objective of this study was to document errors in the bone mineral content measurements associated with overlapping tissues.

Using a digital image analysis system, microradiographic and BSE images from canine cortical and cancellous bone were captured and analyzed. The results of this study showed that microradiography had more projection effect errors associated with …