Université de Fribourg

Design and characterization of bio-inspired antimicrobial nanomaterials

Zabara, Mahsa ; Hong, Linda ; Salentinig, Stefan

In: CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 2020, vol. 74, no. 9, p. 674–680

Colloidal structures are crucial components in biological systems and provide a vivid and seemingly infinite source of inspiration for the design of functional bio-inspired materials. They form multi-dimensional confinements and shape living matter, and transport and protect bioactive molecules in harsh biological environments such as the stomach. Recently, colloidal nanostructures based on...

Université de Fribourg

Inverting structures: from micelles via emulsions to internally self-assembled water and oil continuous nanocarriers

Glatter, Otto ; Salentinig, Stefan

In: Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 2020, vol. 49, p. 82–93

Fluid-like colloidal structures are key components in nature's own functional materials and important for various applications. For instance, self-assembled structures are formed spontaneously by amphiphilic molecules in solvent, tailored by directional noncovalent intermolecular forces. These structures form the framework of cells defining their geometry and microenvironments for chemical...

Université de Fribourg

Nanostructure generation during milk digestion in presence of a cell culture model simulating the small intestine

Hempt, Claudia ; Gontsarik, Mark ; Buerki-Thurnherr, Tina ; Hirsch, Cordula ; Salentinig, Stefan

In: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2020, vol. 574, p. 430–440

Hypothesis: The development of advanced oral delivery systems for bioactive compounds requires the fundamental understanding of the digestion process within the gastrointestinal tract. Towards this goal, dynamic invitro digestion models, capable of characterising the molecular as well as colloidal aspects of food, together with their biological interactions with relevant invitro cell culture...

Université de Fribourg

Colloidal transformations in ms2 virus particles: driven by ph, influenced by natural organic matter

Watts, Samuel ; Julian, Timothy R. ; Maniura-Weber, Katharina ; Graule, Thomas ; Salentinig, Stefan

In: ACS Nano, 2020, vol. 14, no. 2, p. 1879–1887

Enteric viruses, such as enterovirus, norovirus, and rotavirus, are among the leading causes of disease outbreaks due to contaminated drinking and recreational water. Viruses are difficult to remove from water through filtration based on physical size exclusion—for example by gravity-driven filters—due to their nanoscale size. To understand virus removal in drinking water treatment ...

Université de Fribourg

Internal lamellar and inverse hexagonal liquid crystalline phases during the digestion of krill and astaxanthin oil-in-water emulsions

Yaghmur, Anan ; Lotfi, Saleh ; Ariabod, Sarah Atoussa ; Bor, Gizem ; Gontsarik, Mark ; Salentinig, Stefan

In: Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2019, vol. 7, p. -

Krill oil represents an important alternative natural source of omega-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Considering the beneficial health effects of these essential fatty acids, particularly in various disorders including cancer, cardiovascular, and inflammation diseases, it is of paramount importance to gain insight into the digestibility of krill oil. In this work, we study the...

Université de Fribourg

Hydrogen bond guidance and aromatic stacking drive liquid-liquid phase separation of intrinsically disordered histidine-rich peptides

Gabryelczyk, Bartosz ; Cai, Hao ; Shi, Xiangyan ; Sun, Yue ; Swinkels, Piet J.M. ; Salentinig, Stefan ; Pervushin, Konstantin ; Miserez, Ali

In: Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1–12

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is involved in both intracellular membraneless organelles and extracellular tissues. Despite growing understanding of LLPS, molecular-level mechanisms behind this process are still not fully established. Here, we use histidine-rich squid beak proteins (HBPs) as model IDPs to shed light on molecular interactions...

Université de Fribourg

pH-responsive nano-self-assemblies of the anticancer drug 2-hydroxyoleic acid

Prajapati, Rama ; Gontsarik, Mark ; Yaghmur, Anan ; Salentinig, Stefan

In: Langmuir, 2019, vol. 35, no. 24, p. 7954–7961

pH-responsive lipid nanocarriers have the potential to selectively target the acidic extracellular pH environment of cancer tissues and may further improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutics by minimizing their toxic side-effects. Here, we present the design and characterization of pH-sensitive nano-self-assemblies of the poorly water-soluble anticancer drug 2-hydroxyoleic acid (2OHOA) with...

Université de Fribourg

Multifunctional nano‐biointerfaces: cytocompatible antimicrobial nanocarriers from stabilizer‐free cubosomes

Zabara, Mahsa ; Senturk, Berna ; Gontsarik, Mark ; Ren, Qun ; Rottmar, Markus ; Maniura-Weber, Katharina ; Mezzenga, Raffaele ; Bolisetty, Sreenath ; Salentinig, Stefan

In: Advanced Functional Materials, 2019, p. 1904007

The rational design of alternative antimicrobial materials with reduced toxicity toward mammalian cells is highly desired due to the growing occurrence of bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. A promising approach is the design of lipid‐based antimicrobial nanocarriers. However, most of the commonly used polymer‐stabilized nanocarriers are cytotoxic. Herein, the design of a...

Université de Fribourg

Supramolecular structures in lipid digestion and implications for functional food delivery

Salentinig, Stefan

In: Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 2019, vol. 39, p. 190–201

The daily diet is important for our survival, health, and wellbeing. Functional food materials, which tailor the digestion process, can help maintaining and even improving human health and lifestyle. Knowledge on how food products, particularly food emulsions such as milk, interact with the digestive system, where they transform into supramolecular structures, can have a direct impact on the...

Université de Fribourg

Excitonic channels from bio-inspired templated supramolecular assembly of J-aggregate nanowires

Anantharaman, Surendra B. ; Messmer, Daniel ; Sadeghpour, Amin ; Salentinig, Stefan ; Nüescha, Frank ; Heier, Jakob

In: Nanoscale, 2019, vol. 11, no. 14, p. 6929–6938

Supramolecular assemblies with controlled morphology are of paramount importance for energy transport in organic semiconductors. Despite considerable freedom in molecular design, the preparation of dyes that form one dimensional J-aggregates is challenging. Here, we demonstrate a simple and effective route to functionalize dendronized polymers (DPs) with J-aggregates to construct tubular...