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A new approach to prepare functional polymeric micelles in a one step reaction using the unique catalytic property of PHA synthase is described. A biopolymer-based nanocarrier with cancer targeting capability was successfully synthesized from genetically engineered PHA synthase fused with RGD peptide.

Hypercholesterolaemia is a major risk factor related to atherosclerosis, and it may be influenced by our diet. This study addresses the impact of Lactobacillus rhamnosus BFE5264 (isolated from Maasai fermented milk) and Lactobacillus plantarum NR74 (from Korean kimchi) on the control of cholesterol absorption through down-regulation of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) expression. Caco-2 enterocytes were treated with the live, heat-killed (HK) bacteria, bacterial cell wall extracts and metabolites; mRNA level and protein expression were measured. Caco-2 cells showed lower NPC1L1 expression in the presence of the live test strains than the control, elucidating down-regulation of cholesterol uptake, and were compared well with the positive control, L. rhamnosus GG. This effect was also observed with HK bacteria and cell wall fractions but not with their metabolites. The potential of some Lactobacillus strains associated with traditional fermented foods to suppress cholesterol uptake and promote its efflux in enterocytes has been suggested from these data.

We report a facile way of preparing microfluidic channels filled with electrospun functional fibers. Patterned elastic molds were in tight contact with electrospun fiber mats without any leak of the analyte solution. As an example of the simple devices, we demonstrated a microfluidic protein chip selectively purifying histidine-tagged proteins. Highly mesoporous nitrilotriacetic acid-functionalized polystyrene (PS-NTA) fibers were produced by taking advantage of interpenetrating phase separation between PS and PEO during electrospinning. The specific interaction of Ni-complexed PS-NTA fibers with histidine enabled us to immobilize only target proteins from highly heterogeneous protein mixtures. The easy process to fabricate functionalized microchannels combined with the high production throughput from electrospinning may greatly contribute to chip-based chromatographic and bioanalytical devices. V C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: [89][90][91][92][93][94][95] 2011

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