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 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effects of fatty acids on the ionic currents of the voltage-clamped squid giant axon were investigated using intracellular and extracellular application of the test substances. Fatty acids mainly suppress the Na current but have little effect on the K current. These effects are completely reversed after washing with control solution. The concentrations required to suppress the peak inward current by 50% and Hill number were determined for each fatty acid. ED50 decreased about 1/3 for each increase of one carbon atom. The standard free energy was -3.05 kJ mole-1 for CH2. The Hill number was 1.58 for 2-decenoic acid. The suppression effect of the fatty acids depends on the number of carbon atoms in the compounds and their chemical structure. Suppression of the Na current was clearly observed when the number of carbon atoms exceeded eight. When fatty acids of the same chain length were compared, 2-decenoic acid had strong inhibitory activity, but sebacic acid had no effect at all on the Na channel. The currents were fitted to equations similar to those proposed by Hodgkin and Huxley (J. Physiol. (London) 117:500-544, 1952) and the changes in the parameters of these equations in the presence of fatty acids were calculated. The curve of the steady-state activation parameter (m infinity) for the Na current against membrane potential and the time constant of activation (tau m) were shifted 20 mV in a depolarizing direction by the application of fatty acids. The time constant for inactivation (tau h) was almost no change by application of the fatty acids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Effects of fatty acids on membrane currents in the squid giant axon. 357 30

The myocardial tissue lacks significant intrinsic regenerative capability to replace the lost cells. Therefore, the heart is a major target of research within the field of tissue engineering, which aims to replace infarcted myocardium and enhance cardiac function. The primary objective of this work was to develop a biocompatible, degradable and superelastic heart patch from poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS). PGS was synthesised at 110, 120 and 130 degrees C by polycondensation of glycerol and sebacic acid with a mole ratio of 1:1. The investigation was focused on the mechanical and biodegrading behaviours of the developed PGS. PGS materials synthesised at 110, 120 and 130 degrees C have Young's moduli of 0.056, 0.22 and 1.2 MPa, respectively, which satisfy the mechanical requirements on the materials applied for the heart patch and 3D myocardial tissue engineering construction. Degradation assessment in phosphate buffered saline and Knockout DMEM culture medium has demonstrated that the PGS has a wide range of degradability, from being degradable in a couple of weeks to being nearly inert. The matching of physical characteristics to those of the heart, the ability to fine tune degradation rates in biologically relevant media and initial data showing biocompatibility indicate that this material has promise for cardiac tissue engineering applications.
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PMID:Characterisation of a soft elastomer poly(glycerol sebacate) designed to match the mechanical properties of myocardial tissue. 1791 9

Porous poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) scaffolds were prepared using a salt leaching technique and subsequently surface modified by a low oxygen plasma treatment prior to the use in the in vitro culture of human chondrocytes. Condensation polymerization of glycerol and sebacic acid used at various mole ratios, i.e. 1:1, 1:1.25, and 1:1.5, was initially conducted to prepare PGS prepolymers. Porous elastomeric PGS scaffolds were directly fabricated from the mixtures of each prepolymer and 90% (w/w) NaCl particles and then subjected to the plasma treatment to enhance the surface hydrophilicity of the materials. The properties of both untreated and plasma-treated PGS scaffolds were comparatively evaluated, in terms of surface morphology, surface chemical composition, porosity, and storage modulus using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, micro-computed tomography, and dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively. The responses of chondrocytes cultured on individual PGS scaffolds were assessed, in terms of cell proliferation and ECM production. The results revealed that average pore sizes and porosity of the scaffolds were increased with an increasing sebacic acid concentration used. The storage moduli of the scaffolds were raised after the plasma treatment, possibly due to the further crosslinking of PGS upon treatment. Moreover, the scaffold prepared with a higher sebacic acid content demonstrated a greater capability of promoting cell infiltration, proliferation, and ECM production, especially when it was plasma-treated; the greatest HA, sGAG, uronic acid, and collagen contents were detected in matrix of this scaffold. The H & E and safranin O staining results also strongly supported this finding. The storage modulus of the scaffold was intensified after incubation with the chondrocytes for 21 days, indicating the accretion and retention of matrix ECM on the cell-cultured scaffold.
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PMID:In vitro human chondrocyte culture on plasma-treated poly(glycerol sebacate) scaffolds. 2638 14

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), produced from renewable monomers such as sebacic acid and glycerol, has been explored extensively for various biomedical applications. However, relatively less attention has been paid to explore PGS as sustainable materials in applications such as elastomers and rigid plastics, primarily because of serious deficiencies in physical properties of PGS. Here, we present two new approaches for enhancing the properties of PGS; (i) synthesizing block copolymers of PGS with poly(tetramethylene oxide)glycol (PTMO) and (ii) preparing a blend of PGS-b-PTMO with a poly(ester-ether) thermoplastic elastomer. The consequence of molar ratio (hard and soft segments) and M n of soft segment on tensile properties of the material was investigated. The PGS-b-PTMO with 25:75 mole ratios of hard and soft segments and having a medium M n soft segment (5350 g mol-1) exhibits an appreciable increase in percentage of elongation that is from 32% for PGS to 737%. Blends of PGS-b-PTMO and a thermoplastic polyester elastomer, Hytrel 3078, form a semi-interpenetrated polymer network, which exhibits increased tensile strength to 2.11 MPa and percentage of elongation to 2574. An elongation of such magnitude is unprecedented in the literature for predominantly aliphatic polyesters and demonstrates that the simple polyester can be tailored for superior performance.
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PMID:Poly(glycerol sebacate)-Based Polyester-Polyether Copolymers and Their Semi-Interpenetrated Networks with Thermoplastic Poly(ester-ether) Elastomers: Preparation and Properties. 3061 21

In this study, poly(butylene sebacate-co-terephthalate) (PBSeT) was successfully synthesized using various ratios of sebacic acid (Se) and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT). The synthesized PBSeT showed a high molecular weight (Mw, 88,700-154,900 g/mol) and good elastomeric properties. In particular, the PBSeT64 (6:4 sebacic acid/dimethyl terephthalate mole ratio) sample showed an elongation at break value of over 1600%. However, further increasing the DMT content decreased the elongation properties but increased the tensile strength due to the inherent strength of the aromatic unit. The melting point and crystallization temperature were difficult to observe in PBSeT64, indicating that an amorphous copolyester was formed at this mole ratio. Interestingly, wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) curves was shown in the cases of PBSeT46 and PBSeT64, neither the crystal peaks of PBSe nor those of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) are observed, that is, PBSeT64 showed an amorphous form with low crystallinity. The Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum showed C-H peaks at around 2900 cm-1 that reduced as the DMT ratio was increased. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed well-resolved peaks split by coupling with the sebacate and DMT moieties. These results highlight that elastomeric PBSeT with high molecular weight could be synthesized by applying DMT monomer and showed promising mechanical properties.
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PMID:Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of Biodegradable Poly(Butylene Sebacate-Co-terephthalate). 3308 79