Exploiting pollen and sporopollenin for the sustainable production of microstructures

Pomelli, Christian Silvio; D’Andrea, Felicia; Mezzetta, Andrea; Guazzelli, Lorenzo

doi:10.1039/c9nj05082e

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Besides, while nanoscale architectures based on inorganic systems functionalized with metals represent a solid playground for advanced studies across magnetism, electronics and photonics at large 32 – 35 , the Fe-functionalized organic microparticles investigated in the present work bear great potential for applications in biotechnology, biomedicine and microrobotic. Proof of concept and/or possible application of chemical modified pollen grains has been reported in literature and recently reviewed 36 . Our Fe-decorated microparticles, characterized by a remarkably narrow size dispersion, are expected to be compatible with human blood vessels for drug delivery of highly localized pharmaceutical agents in difficult-to-access regions 37 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fe-functionalized paramagnetic sporopollenin from pollen grains: one-pot synthesis using ionic liquids

Chiappe

Rodriguez‐Douton

Mozzati

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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the preparation of fe-decorated sporopollenins was achieved using pollen grains and an ionic liquid as solvent and functionalizing agent. the integrity of the organic capsules was ascertained through scanning electron microscopy studies. The presence of Fe in the capsule was investigated using FT-IR, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. electron paramagnetic resonance and magnetization measurements allowed us to demonstrate the paramagnetic behavior of our Fe-functionalized sporopollenin. A few potential applications of pollen-based systems functionalized with magnetic metal ions via ionic liquids are discussed. Highly organized and complex 3D microstructures hold great promise for manifold applications across nanotechnologies as carriers, scavengers or catalysts, to name a few possible functional uses 1-4. Driven by these exciting prospects, great efforts have been devoted in the last few years to the preparation of polymeric microcapsules through different routes, including template-assisted methods, self-assembly of block copolymer processes, and interfacial mini-emulsion polymerization methods 5-8. However, the synthesis of such structures is generally costly and difficult, especially when obtaining microcapsule of uniform size distribution and large inner cavity is crucial. In this context, innovative strategies are progressively moving beyond artificial material synthesis and looking to nature for inspiration. In particular, scientists have started to appreciate the myriad of unique, widely available biological systems and their microscale and nanoscale architectures that might be useful for the design and fabrication of functional materials. For instance, viruses, large globular proteins like ferritin, chromatids are nanoscale structures; Larger-still microscale-structures are pollen grains. In this scenario, pollen grains represent a very promising source of 3D microstructures with desirable morphologies: they can indeed be easily sourced in large amounts from plants and can provide, through cost-effective approaches, polymeric microcapsules with a wide variety of shape and size. These features, and most importantly their consistency which is guaranteed by the species specificity, are crucial and difficult to obtain with purely synthetic materials 9-11. In pollen grains, the male partner in the reproductive process, the genetic material is protected by a double-layered wall, which consists of an inner layer (intine) and an outer layer (exine). The former is constituted mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin, whereas the latter, known as sporopollenin (SP) is composed largely of a biopolymer, whose chemical structure is still unclear, containing only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. This polymer is characterized by remarkable strength and elasticity. Furthermore, it shows an extraordinary resistance to chemical degradation or dissolution while being at the same time readily amenable to derivatization due to the presence of a network of functional groups (carbo...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fe-functionalized paramagnetic sporopollenin from pollen grains: one-pot synthesis using ionic liquids

Chiappe

Rodriguez‐Douton

Mozzati

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…delivery, [19] controllable manipulation of tumor cells, [20] biodetection, [21] adsorption for environmental remediation, [22] food industry practices, [23] and so on. Furthermore, postsynthetic functionalization with magnetic and metallic nanoparticles has been achieved for multifunctional applications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering Pollen‐Derived Microstructures to Reveal Material Morpho‐Performance Paradigm

Liu

Zhang

Cheng

et al. 2022

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The morphologies of micromaterials play a key role in their functionality and efficiency across a broad range of applications, including catalysis, environmental remediation, and drug delivery. However, the relationships between the morphologies and performances of micromaterials still need to be further understood, to guide the rational design of effective morphologies for specific applications. A pollen‐derived microstructure library containing multivariate morphological characterization and functional performance data is proposed and constructed here. Systematic multivariate correlation analysis is conducted to extract the key morphological factors influencing the photocatalytic and adsorption efficiencies, to reveal the morpho–performance relationships of pollen‐derived microstructures. Subsequently, a chrysanthemum‐derived microstructure is selected as a typical candidate; it features a unique morphology suitable for advanced photocatalysis and dynamic environmental remediation. To summarize, the construction of a pollen‐derived microstructure library offers a powerful tool for studying the morpho–performance relationships of micromaterials; this can provide significant guidance and inspiration for the rational design of micro/nanomaterials for numerous applications.

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“…In this regard, different types of pollen grains are widely distributed with specific/unique sizes and morphologies as well as good biocompatibility [5][6][7][8][9]. However, among these diverse types of pollen grains, almost all documented work predominantly relates to Lycopodium clavatum and Populus deltoids species because of their availability from standard chemical product suppliers [10]. Hollow sporopollenin shell from spores or pollen can be obtained via the removal of proteins, cytoplasmic materials, and the intine layer (which is made of cellulose and pectin) underneath the exine layer without damaging the structure [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Pollen Grains: A Move Towards Green Drug and Vaccine Delivery Systems

Iravani

Varma

2021

Nano-Micro Lett.

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Pollen grains and plant spores have emerged as innovative biomaterials for various applications such as drug/vaccine delivery, catalyst support, and the removal of heavy metals. The natural microcapsules comprising spore shells and pollen grain are designed for protecting the genetic materials of plants from exterior impairments. Two layers make up the shell, the outer layer (exine) that comprised largely of sporopollenin, and the inner layer (intine) that built chiefly of cellulose. These microcapsule shells, namely hollow sporopollenin exine capsules have some salient features such as homogeneity in size, non-toxic nature, resilience to both alkalis and acids, and the potential to withstand at elevated temperatures; they have displayed promising potential for the microencapsulation and the controlled drug delivery/release. The important attribute of mucoadhesion to intestinal tissues can prolong the interaction of sporopollenin with the intestinal mucosa directing to an augmented effectiveness of nutraceutical or drug delivery. Here, current trends and prospects related to the application of plant pollen grains for the delivery of vaccines and drugs and vaccine are discussed. "Image missing"

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Exploiting pollen and sporopollenin for the sustainable production of microstructures

Abstract: Pollen grains can be easily processed in order to obtain versatile and sustainable microcapsules.

Cited by 24 publications

References 27 publications

Fe-functionalized paramagnetic sporopollenin from pollen grains: one-pot synthesis using ionic liquids

Fe-functionalized paramagnetic sporopollenin from pollen grains: one-pot synthesis using ionic liquids

Engineering Pollen‐Derived Microstructures to Reveal Material Morpho‐Performance Paradigm

Plant Pollen Grains: A Move Towards Green Drug and Vaccine Delivery Systems

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