Wuhan University

About: Wuhan University is a education organization based out in Wuhan, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Population. The organization has 92849 authors who have published 92882 publications receiving 1691049 citations. The organization is also known as: WHU & Wuhan College.

High Strength Chitosan Hydrogels with Biocompatibility via New Avenue Based on Constructing Nanofibrous Architecture

Abstract: Breaking the limitation of traditional acid dissolving methods for chitosan by creating an alkali/urea hydrogen-bonded chitosan complex, a new solvent (4.5 wt % LiOH/7 wt % KOH/8 wt % urea aqueous solution) was used to successfully dissolve chitosan via the freezing–thawing process, for the first time. Subsequently, high strength hydrogels with unique nanofibrous architecture were constructed from the chitosan alkaline solution. The results from 13C NMR, laser light scattering, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy confirmed that chitosan easily aggregated in the solution and could self-assemble in parallel to form perfect regenerated nanofibers induced by heating. At elevated temperature and concentration, the regenerated chitosan nanofibers could entangle and cross-link with each other through hydrogen bonds to form hydrogels. The novel chitosan hydrogels exhibited homogeneous architecture and high strength as a result of the strong networks woven wi...

Core–Shell Supramolecular Gelatin Nanoparticles for Adaptive and “On-Demand” Antibiotic Delivery

Abstract: The treatment of bacterial infection is one of the most challenging tasks in the biomedical field. Antibiotics were developed over 70 years and are regarded as the most efficient type of drug to treat bacterial infection. However, there is a concern that the overuse of antibiotics can lead to a growing number of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The development of antibiotic delivery systems to improve the biodistribution and bioavailability of antibiotics is a practical strategy for reducing the generation of antibiotic resistance and increasing the lifespan of newly developed antibiotics. Here we present an antibiotic delivery system (Van⊂SGNPs@RBC) based on core–shell supramolecular gelatin nanoparticles (SGNPs) for adaptive and “on-demand” antibiotic delivery. The core composed of cross-linked SGNPs allows for bacterial infection–microenvironment responsive release of antibiotics. The shell coated with uniform red blood cell membranes executes the function of disguise for reducing the clearance by the imm...

Aggressive Man-Made Red Blood Cells for Hypoxia-Resistant Photodynamic Therapy.

Abstract: Extreme hypoxia of tumors represents the most notable barrier against the advance of tumor treatments. Inspired by the biological nature of red blood cells (RBCs) as the primary oxygen supplier in mammals, an aggressive man-made RBC (AmmRBC) is created to combat the hypoxia-mediated resistance of tumors to photodynamic therapy (PDT). Specifically, the complex formed between hemoglobin and enzyme-mimicking polydopamine, and polydopamine-carried photosensitizer is encapsulated inside the biovesicle that is engineered from the recombined RBC membranes. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin of AmmRBCs reaches about tenfold as high as that of natural RBCs. Owing to the same origin of outer membranes, AmmRBCs share excellent biocompatibility with parent RBCs. The introduced polydopamine plays the role of the antioxidative enzymes existing inside RBCs to effectively prevent the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin from the oxidation damage during the circulation. This biomimetic engineering can accumulate in tumors, permit in situ efficient oxygen supply, and impose strong PDT efficacy toward the extremely hypoxic tumor with complete tumor elimination. The man-made pseudo-RBC shows potentials as a universal oxygen-self-supplied platform to sensitize hypoxia-limited tumor treatment means, including but not limited to PDT. Meanwhile, this study offers ideas to the production of artificial substitutes of packed RBCs for clinical blood transfusion.