SEMINAR

Biodegradable polymer nanoparticles are synthesized using a membrane-assisted encapsulation technique [1], incorporating polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) or poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate, P(3HB-co-4HB)) into a chloroform-in-water emulsion, followed by chloroform evaporation. Precise control over the diameter of these PHA particles is achieved by adjusting the PHA concentration or emulsion diameter, and mechanical properties of the particles can be tailored based on the 3HB to 4HB ratio and molecular weight, primarily influenced by the level of crystallinity. These nanoparticles in solution serve as adhesives for hydrogel systems of poly(N, N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) [2]. Due to their self-adhesiveness of PHA nanoparticles, adhesion energy increases even when those PHA nanoparticles form multilayers between PDMA hydrogels [3]. Furthermore, the PHA nanoparticles demonstrate efficacy in in-vivo wound closure, underscoring their considerable impact on biomedical applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability.

[1] Shin, J. M.; Kim, M. P.; Yang, H.; Ku, K. H.; Jang, S. G.; Youm, K. H.; Yi, G.-R.; Kim, B. J. Monodisperse Microspheres of Block Copolymer-Nanoparticle Hybrids via Cross-flow Membrane Emulsification, Chem. Mater. 2015, 27, 6314–6321.
[2] Kim, J.-H; Kim, H.; Choi, Y.; Lee, D. S.; Kim, J.; Yi, G.-R. Colloidal Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Strong Adhesives for Hydrogels and Biological Tissues, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2017, 9, 31469–31477.
[3] Jang, S. K.; Song, G.; Osman, A.; Park, S. H.; Lin, E.; Lee, E., Sim, E. J.; Yoon, K., Lee, S. J., Hwang, D. S., Yi, G.-R. Monodisperse polyhydroxyalkanoate nanoparticles as self-sticky and bio-resorbable tissue adhesives, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2024, 673, 647-656.