Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Smart ECM-Based Electrospun Biomaterials
Electrospinning is a well-known technique to produce fibers that mimic the three dimensional microstructural arrangements of the extracellular matrix fibers. Natural and synthetic polymers are used in the electrospinning process; moreover, a blend of them provides composite materials that have demonstrated the potential advantage of supporting cell function and adhesion. Recently, the decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM), which is the noncellular component of tissue that retains relevant biological cues for cells, has been evaluated as a starting biomaterial to realize composite electrospun constructs. The properties of the electrospun systems can be further improved with innovative procedures of functionalization with biomolecules. Among the various approaches, great attention is devoted to the “click” concept in constructing a bioactive system, due to the modularity, orthogonality, and simplicity features of the “click” reactions. Here, we provide an overview of current approaches that can be used to obtain biofunctional composite electrospun biomaterials and propose a design of a smart ECM-based electrospun system suitable for skeletal muscle tissue regeneration.
  • 1.9K
  • 24 Sep 2020
Topic Review
PPAR-γ Partial Agonists in Disease-Fate Decision
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) has emerged as one of the most extensively studied transcription factors since its discovery in 1990, highlighting its importance in the etiology and treatment of numerous diseases involving various types of cancer, type 2 diabetes mellitus, autoimmune, dermatological and cardiovascular disorders. Ligands are regarded as the key determinant for the tissue-specific activation of PPAR-γ. However, the mechanism governing this process is merely a contradictory debate which is yet to be systematically researched. Either these receptors get weakly activated by endogenous or natural ligands or leads to a direct over-activation process by synthetic ligands, serving as complete full agonists. Therefore, fine-tuning on the action of PPAR-γ and more subtle modulation can be a rewarding approach which might open new avenues for the treatment of several diseases.
  • 1.9K
  • 14 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Lipopeptide and Protein-Containing Biosurfactants
Biosurfactants are amphipathic molecules capable of lowering interfacial and superficial tensions. Produced by living organisms, these compounds act the same as chemical surfactants but with a series of improvements, the most notable being biodegradability. Biosurfactants have a wide diversity of categories. Within these, lipopeptides are some of the more abundant and widely known.
  • 1.9K
  • 17 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Dynamics of Glucose Transport in Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is the best-known model for the biotechnological production of many biotechnological products, including housekeeping and heterologous primary and secondary metabolites and recombinant proteins, and is an efficient biofactory model to produce biofuels to nanomaterials. Glucose is the primary substrate used as the carbon source for laboratory and industrial cultivation of E. coli for production purposes. Efficient growth and associated production and yield of desired products depend on the efficient sugar transport capabilities, sugar catabolism through the central carbon catabolism, and the efficient carbon flux through specific biosynthetic pathways. The genome of E. coli MG1655 is 4,641,642 bp, corresponding to 4702 genes encoding 4328 proteins. The EcoCyc database describes 532 transport reactions, 480 transporters, and 97 proteins involved in sugar transport. Nevertheless, due to the high number of sugar transporters, E. coli uses preferentially few systems to grow in glucose as the sole carbon source. E. coli nonspecifically transports glucose from the extracellular medium into the periplasmic space through the outer membrane porins. Once in periplasmic space, glucose is transported into the cytoplasm by several systems, including the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS), the ATP-dependent cassette (ABC) transporters, and the major facilitator (MFS) superfamily proton symporters.
  • 1.9K
  • 27 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Proteomics
Global proteomic tools, such as liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight, are used to profile the sperm proteins to identify the molecular pathways that are defective in infertile men. This article discusses the use of proteomic techniques to analyze the spermatozoa proteome. It also highlights the general steps involved in global proteomic approaches including bioinformatic analysis of the sperm proteomic data.
  • 1.9K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease
The main protease (Mpro) of the newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was subjected to hyphenated pharmacophoric-based and structural-based virtual screenings using a library of microbial natural products (>24,000 compounds). Subsequent filtering of the resulted hits according to Lipinski’s rules was applied to select only the drug-like molecules. Top-scoring hits were further filtered out depending on their ability to show constant good binding affinities towards the molecular dynamic simulation (MDS)-derived enzyme’s conformers. Final MDS experiments were performed on the ligand-protein complexes to verify their binding modes and calculate their binding free energy. Consequently, a final selection of six compounds of microbial origin was proposed to possess high potential as anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug candidates. Our study provides insight into the role of the Mpro structural flexibility during interactions with the possible inhibitors and sheds light on the structure-based design of anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2
  • 1.9K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Therapeutic miRNA-Enriched Extracellular Vesicles
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are 50–300 nm vesicles secreted by eukaryotic cells. They can carry cargo (including miRNA) from the donor cell to the recipient cell. miRNAs in EVs can change the translational profile of the recipient cell and modulate cellular morphology. This endogenous mechanism has attracted the attention of the drug-delivery community in the last few years. EVs can be enriched with exogenous therapeutic miRNAs and used for treatment of diseases by targeting pathological recipient cells. However, there are some obstacles that need to be addressed before introducing therapeutic miRNA-enriched EVs in clinics.
  • 1.9K
  • 19 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Epimedium Flavonoids
Epimedium is a classical Chinese herbal medicine, which has been used extensively to treat various diseases, such as sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and brain diseases. Flavonoids, such as icariin, baohuoside I, icaritin, and epimedin C, are the main active ingredients with diverse pharmacological activities.
  • 1.9K
  • 23 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Hexavalent Chromium and Antioxidants
Hexavalent chromium is a highly soluble environmental contaminant. It is a widespread anthropogenic chromium species that is 100 times more toxic than trivalent chromium. Leather, chrome plating, coal mining and paint industries are the major sources of hexavalent chromium in water. Hexavalent chromium is widely recognised as a carcinogen and mutagen in humans and other animals. It is also responsible for multiorgan damage, such as kidney damage, liver failure, heart failure, skin disease and lung dysfunction. The fate of the toxicity of hexavalent chromium depends on its oxidation state. The reduction of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) is responsible for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and chromium intermediate species, such as Cr (V) and Cr (IV). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for oxidative tissue damage and the disruption of cell organelles, such as mitochondria, DNA, RNA and protein molecules. Cr (VI)-induced oxidative stress can be neutralised by the antioxidant system in human and animal cells. 
  • 1.9K
  • 15 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Plant Pathogen Detection with Nanotechnology
It is crucial to increase agricultural yields to fulfill the rising demand for food and the security it provides for a growing population. To protect human food supplies and agricultural outputs, disease management is essential. Plant infections are a silent enemy of economic crop production and cross-border commerce of agricultural goods, inflicting roughly 20–30% losses a year. If infections are accurately and rapidly detected and identified, this can be minimized, and specialized treatment can be given. 
  • 1.9K
  • 08 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Autophagy and Chronic Kidney Disease
Autophagy is a lysosomal protein degradation system that eliminates cytoplasmic components such as protein aggregates, damaged organelles, and even invading pathogens. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved homoeostatic strategy for cell survival in stressful conditions and has been linked to a variety of biological processes and disorders. It is vital for the homeostasis and survival of renal cells such as podocytes and tubular epithelial cells, as well as immune cells in the healthy kidney. Autophagy activation protects renal cells under stressed conditions, whereas autophagy deficiency increases the vulnerability of the kidney to injury, resulting in several aberrant processes that ultimately lead to renal failure.
  • 1.9K
  • 25 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Agar-Agar in the Synthesis of Functional Film
The food industry produces an exorbitant amount of solid waste of petrochemical origin as a result of the increase in the development of new products. Natural polymers are an alternative to this theme; however, their development with adequate properties is a challenge. The union of different polymers in the synthesis of packaging is usually carried out to improve these properties. The combination of agar-agar and chitosan biopolymers show particular advantages through hydrogen bonds and electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged groups, presenting a promising source of studies for the synthesis of green packaging. When combined with natural extracts with active properties, these polymers allow an increase in the microbiological stability of foods associated with lower chemical preservative content and greater environmental sustainability.
  • 1.9K
  • 30 May 2023
Topic Review
Monoterpenes as Anticancer Therapeutic Agents
Terpenes—a diverse group of secondary metabolites—constitute the largest class of natural products abundant in almost every plant species.
  • 1.9K
  • 17 May 2021
Topic Review
Neurotropic Black Yeast Exophiala dermatitidis
The neurotropic and extremophilic black yeast Exophiala dermatitidis (Herpotrichellaceae) inhabits diverse indoor environments, in particular bathrooms, steam baths and dishwashers. It can grow at human body temperature, assimilate cyclic hydrocarbons and human neurotransmitters. Accordingly, they are capable to grow in artificial and natural environments, including synthetic/rubber hydrocarbon-rich materials. Their polymorphic nature allows them to survive environmental stress, such as UV radiation, high temperatures, pH fluctuations, low water activity and others. E. dermatitidis is known as extremely plastic which has evolutionarily led to adaptation on the human body. It causes numerous infections in almost all human organs, and may also be associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
  • 1.9K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Chitosan Composites
This topic discusses the properties of chitosan, which is synthesized from the biopolymer named chitin. Chitin is available in nature in abundance. Chitosan is a biodegradable polymer with other biological properties like antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The polymer and its derivatives are nonimmunogenic and noninflammatory. Due to their advantages, these polymers have received much attention in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the present topic, the sources of chitosan and their properties will be discussed in brief.
  • 1.9K
  • 29 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Molecular Markers
Fungi are amongst the most abundant and diverse organisms. Despite being widely known for their adverse role in food spoilage or as pathogens for humans, animals, or plants, they also present several beneficial effects. Fungi contribute to human well-being due to their role as decomposers, degrading decay matter into smaller molecules which can be easily used by other ecosystem members. These organisms can produce medicinal compounds or modulate protective immune responses in human intestine. Fungi intervene in diverse food processes or act as a food supply. Due to fungal diversity, the unequivocal identification of these organisms is crucial to increasing their practical applications and decreasing their adverse effects.
  • 1.9K
  • 02 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Brettanomyces bruxellensis
The Brettanomyces bruxellensis species plays various roles in both the industrial and food sectors. At the biotechnological level, B. bruxellensis is considered to be a promising species for biofuel production. Its presence in alcoholic beverages can be detrimental or beneficial to the final product; B. bruxellensis can contribute to spoilage of wine and beer, but can also produce good aromas.
  • 1.9K
  • 31 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Regulating Reactive Oxygen Species Concentrations in Plant Cells
Environmental factors, such as high light intensity, adverse temperature, drought, or soil salinity, are summarized as abiotic stresses and discriminated from biotic stresses that are exerted by pathogens and herbivores, for instance. It was an unexpected observation that overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common response to all kinds of stress investigated so far. ROS are important messengers in cell signaling, but exceeding a concentration threshold causes damage. This requires fine-tuning of ROS production and degradation rates. In general, there are two options to control cellular ROS levels, (I) ROS scavenging at the expense of antioxidant consumption and (II) enzyme-controlled degradation of ROS. As antioxidants are limited in quantity, the first strategy only allows temporarily buffering of a certain cellular ROS level. This way, it prevents spells of eventually damaging ROS concentrations. 
  • 1.9K
  • 28 Jul 2022
Topic Review
The CRISPR-Cas System
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated) represents a powerful genome editing technology that revolutionized in a short period of time numerous natural sciences branches. Therefore, extraordinary progress was made in various fields, such as entomology or biotechnology. 
  • 1.9K
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Structure and Properties of Mycosporine-like Amino Acids
Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), are secondary metabolites, first reported in 1960 and found to be associated with the light-stimulated sporulation in terrestrial fungi. MAAs are nitrogenous, low molecular weight, water soluble compounds, which are highly stable with cyclohexenone or cycloheximine rings to store the free radicals. Microalgae are considered as a good source of different kinds of MAAs, which in turn, has its own applications in various industries due to its UV absorbing, anti-oxidant and therapeutic properties. Microalgae can be easily cultivated and requires a short generation time, which makes them environment friendly source of biomolecules such as mycosporine-like amino acids. Modifying the cultural conditions along with manipulation of genes associated with mycosporine-like amino acids biosynthesis can help to enhance MAAs synthesis and, in turn, can make microalgae suitable bio-refinery for large scale MAAs production.
  • 1.9K
  • 06 Dec 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 38
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback