The current study describes the effect of the concentration of Span 60 (gelator) on the properties of oleogels. Mustard oil was chosen as the representative vegetable oil. Microscopy showed that an increase in the gelator concentration resulted in the increase in the gelator network density. Thermal studies (crystallization kinetics and differential scanning calorimetry) indicated a 2-stage crystallization process. An increase in the gelator proportion resulted in the increase in the compatibility amongst the oleogel components. The formation of gelator network was governed by the interaction amongst the hydroxyl groups of Span 60. A variation in the gelator proportion resulted in the alteration in the d-spacing, crystallite size and lattice strain. The variation in the above-mentioned properties was found to affect the viscoelastic properties of the oleogels as was predicted from the Weichert model. The drug release studies suggested that the drug diffusion due to the gelator network relaxation during drug release was predominant as compared to the Fickian diffusion. The results suggested that it is possible to alter not only the release profile of drugs but also the physical properties (of the oleogels) by tailoring the gelator concentration.

Success of bone tissue engineering (BTE) relies on the osteogenic microarchitecture of the biopolymeric scaffold and appropriate spatiotemporal distribution of therapeutic molecules (growth factors and drugs) inside it. However, the existing technologies have failed to address both the issues together. Keeping this perspective in mind, we have developed a novel three-dimensional (3D) implant prototype by stacking hexagonal close packed (HCP) layers of calcium alginate beads. The HCP arrangement of the beads lead to a patterned array of interconnected tetrahedral and octahedral pores of average diameter of 142.9 and 262.9 μm, respectively, inside the implant. The swelling pattern of the implants changed from isotropic to anisotropic in the z-direction in the absence of bivalent calcium ions (Ca) in the swelling buffer. Incubation of the implant in simulated body fluid (SBF) resulted in a 2.7-fold increase in the compressive modulus. The variation in the relaxation times as derived from the Weichert viscoelasticity model predicted a gradual increase in the interactions among the alginate molecules in the matrix. We demonstrated the tunability of the spatiotemporal drug release from the implant in a tissue mimicking porous semisolid matrix as well as in conventional drug release set up by changing the spatial coordinates of the "drug loaded depot layer" inside the implant. The therapeutic potential of the implant was confirmed against Escherichia coli using metronidazole as the model drug. Detailed analysis of cell viability, cell cycle progression, and cytoskeletal reorganization using osteoblast cells (MG-63) proved the osteoconductive nature of the implant. Expression of differentiation markers such as alkaline phosphatase, runx2, and collagen type 1 in human mesenchymal stem cell in vitro confirmed the osteogenic nature of the implant. When tested in vivo, VEGF loaded implant was found capable of inducing angiogenesis in a mice model. In conclusion, the bead based implant may find its utility in non-load-bearing BTE.

Epithelial cells response to the varying stiffness of polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) substrate.

The present study delineates the effect of stearic acid on the properties of stearyl alcohol oleogel. Herein, a series of oleogels were prepared by mixing different proportions of fatty alcohol (Stearyl alcohol; gelator) and fatty acid (stearic acid; co‐gelator). The characterization of the oleogels was done by thermal, macro‐scale stress relaxation, drug release, and antimicrobial studies. The oleogels were formed by the self‐assembly of stearyl alcohol/stearic acid. Thermal studies indicated that the stearic acid alters the crystal morphology, polymorphic transition and rate of crystallization of stearyl alcohol. The firmness of the oleogels with higher stearic proportion was better, which was due to the formation of a rigid network structure of stearyl alcohol in the presence of stearic acid. The release of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride, model drug, from the oleogels was better from the oleogels with higher stearic acid content. The release of the drug from the oleogels was Fickian diffusion‐mediated; except the oleogel with the highest stearic acid proportion. The antimicrobial study showed that the drug loaded oleogels were able to resist the growth of Escherichia coli, model microbe.

Objective: Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Nowadays, electrical impedance spectroscopy is an emerging tool to differentiate between normal and stroke conditions. Approach: In this study, changes in the bio-impedance spectroscopy using a two-electrode method with varying frequencies from 100 to 35 kHz have been assessed in a model of global cerebral ischemia in anesthetized rats during normal, occlusion and reperfusion conditions. Global cerebral ischemia was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion for 40 min following 40 min of reperfusion. The concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride ions in the whole rat brain was determined by electrolyte analyzer. For the interpretation of in vivo results, changes in electrical impedance with varying concentrations of sodium, potassium and calcium ions in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) were also observed using the bio-impedance spectroscopy method. Main results: The in vivo bio-impedance analysis suggests that the impedance is consistently increased during occlusion as compared to the normal condition. The in vitro study revealed that the impedance escalates with an increase in the concentration of potassium and calcium ions and reduces with an increase in the concentration of sodium ions in aCSF. A further electrolyte analysis suggested that the level of sodium and chloride ions is significantly decreased and the level of calcium and potassium is significantly increased during occlusion as compared to the normal condition. Significance: These findings suggest that the increase in impedance during occlusion may be due to changes in the ionic concentration of the rat brain. The above in vivo and in vitro studies successfully demonstrated and interrelated the change in impedance with corresponding changes in ionic concentration.