81 documents found, page 1 of 9
Cryogenic, but not hypothermic, preservation disrupts the extracellular matrix ...
Ribeiro, Sara Cristina Freitas; Carvalho, A. F.; Rodrigues, Daniel Barreira; Martins, L.; Pires, R. A.; Mendes, V. M.; Manadas, B.; Jarnalo, M.Cell sheet (CS)-based approaches hold significant potential for tissue regeneration, relying on the extracellular matrix (ECM) for success. Like in native tissues, the ECM provides structural and biochemical support for cellular homeostasis and function. Effective preservation strategies that maintain ECM integrity are critical to enhance the therapeutic potential of CS-based approaches. While cryogenic and hyp...
Patterned glycopeptide-based supramolecular hydrogel promotes the alignment and...
Castro, Vânia Isabel Baptista; Amorim, Sara; Caballero, David; Abreu, Catarina M.; Kundu, Subhas C; Reis, R. L.; Pashkuleva, I.; Pires, R. A.The functional restoration of a damaged cardiac tissue relies on a synchronized contractile capacity of exogenous and/or endogenous cardiomyocytes, which is challenging to achieve. Here, we explored the potential of the short glycopeptide diphenylalanine glucosamine-6-sulfate (FFGlcN6S) conjugated with an aromatic moiety, namely fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc), to enhance cardiac tissue regeneration. At physiol...
Nanoengineered self-assembling peptides with increased proteolytic stability pr...
Castro, Vânia Isabel Baptista; Araújo, Ana Rita Rodrigues; Reis, R. L.; Pashkuleva, I.; Pires, R. A.The copper complex of the tripeptide glycineâ histidineâ lysine (GHK) has proven benefits in wound healing and tissue remodeling by promoting blood vessel growth and increasing skin oxygen levels, but its activity is reduced in body fluids due to fast proteolytic cleavage. Herein, we designed several peptides that bear the GHK sequence and can self-assemble into supramolecular nanostructures aiming for enhanced...
Gellan gum-based bioink for bioprinting of a mechanically mimetic 3D in vitro l...
Kohori, N. A.; Cengiz, I. F.; Carvalho, Mariana; Silva-Correia, J.; Pires, R. A.; Riccardi, C.; Pereira, L. C.; Reis, R. L.; Oliveira, Joaquim M.The liver is vital for the human body's metabolism, making the development of more predictable and reproducible pathophysiological-relevant three-dimensional (3D) liver models crucial for studying the accumulation of xenobiotics and associated liver diseases. In this work, we describe the development of a bioink comprising 0.2% w/v TayaGel® HA (high acyl gellan gum) and 1.2% w/v Gelzan™ CM (low acyl gellan gum)...
Cooling rate uncovers epimer-dependent supramolecular organization of carbohydr...
Castro, Vânia I. B.; Gao, Yuting; Brito, Alexandra; Chen, Jie; Reis, R. L.; Pashkuleva, I.; Pires, R. A.We show distinct CH-pi interactions and assembly pathways for the amphiphile N-(fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-galactosamine and its epimer N-(fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-glucosamine. These differences result in the formation of supramolecular nanofibrous systems with opposite chirality. Our results showcase the importance of the carbohydrates structural diversity for their specific biointeractions and the opportunity...
Antibacterial properties of photo-crosslinked chitosan/methacrylated hyaluronic...
Gonçalves, Raquel R.; Peixoto, Daniela; Costa, Rui R.; Franco, Albina Ribeiro; Castro, Vânia I. B.; Pires, R. A.; Reis, R. L.; Pashkuleva, I.The current treatments for wounds often fail to produce adequate healing, leaving wounds vulnerable to persistent infections and development of drug-resistant microbial biofilms. New natural-derived nanoparticles were studied to impair bacteria colonization and hinder the formation of biofilms in wounds. The nanoparticles were fabricated through polyelectrolyte complexation of chitosan (CS, polycation) and hyal...
The potential of the fibronectin inhibitor Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser in the development o...
Castro-Ribeiro, Maria L.; Castro, Vânia Isabel Baptista; Castro, Joana vieira de; Pires, R. A.; Reis, R. L.; Costa, Bruno M.; Ferreira, HelenaGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal and common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. An important feature that supports GBM aggressiveness is the unique composition of its extracellular matrix (ECM). Particularly, fibronectin plays an important role in cancer cell adhesion, differentiation, proliferation, and chemoresistance. Thus, herein, a hydrogel with mechanical properties compatible with the brain and...
Questionário endereçado à comunidade académica sobre perspetivas de carreiras p...
Rodrigues, Ana João; Zille, Andrea; Lúcio, Joana; Castro, Nuno Filipe; Cerca, Nuno; Pires, R. A.[Sumário executivo] Mais de vinte anos passados sobre a publicação do Estatuto da Carreira de Investigação Científica é natural que a comunidade Académica se interrogue sobre as suas limitações e eventual necessidade de adaptação à realidade atual. Também na Universidade do Minho o muito significativo aumento do número de Investigadores tornou esta questão mais premente. É neste contexto que o Conselho Geral da...
The influence of feeder cell-derived extracellular matrix density on thymic epi...
Silva, Catarina S.; Pinto, Rute D.; Pires, R. A.; Correia-Neves, M; Reis, R. L.; Alves, Nuno L.; Martins, Albino; Neves, N. M.The thymus is responsible for the selection and development of T cells, having an essential role in the establishment of adaptive immunity. Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are key players in T cell development interacting with thymocytes in the thymic 3D environment. Feeder-layer cells have been frequently used as platforms for the successful establishment of TEC cultures. Nevertheless, the role of the feeder ce...
Fucoidan-coated silica nanoparticles promote the differentiation of human mesen...
Amorim, Sara; Dudik, Olesia; Soares da Costa, Diana; Reis, R. L.; Silva, Tiago H.; Pires, R. A.Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are widely used in biomedical applications, such as cancer therapy/diagnosis or tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Herein, we synthesized SiNPs and modified them with sulfonic acid groups (by organosilylation followed by oxidation) or a sulfated polysaccharide (i.e., fucoidan, a seaweed biopolymer, by using electrostatic surface immobilization) due to the known capacity o...