This review concentrates on findings described in the recent literature on the response of cells and tissues to electromagnetic fields (EMF). Models of the causal interaction between different forms of EMF and ions or biomolecules of the cell will be presented together with our own results in cell surface recognition. Naturally occurring electric fields are not only important for cell-surface interactions but are also pivotal for the normal development of the organism and its physiological functions. A further goal of this review is to bridge the gap between recent cell biological studies (which, indeed, show new data of EMF actions) and aspects of EMF-based therapy, e.g., in wounds and bone fractures. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

The potential to use acidic hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ferrous ions (Fenton’s reagent) as a pre-treatment when producing microfibrillar cellulose (MFC) from a fully bleached birch (Betula verucosa) kraft pulp was investigated and the properties of the produced MFC was compared to the properties of a MFC produced with enzymatic pre-treatment with a monocomponent endoglucanase (FiberCare® R). The mechanical treatment to MFC was performed in a laboratory colloid mill or in a pilot high-pressure homogeniser and the pre-treated pulps as well as the produced MFCs were chemically and morphologically characterised. Additionally, the MFCs produced in the colloid mill were evaluated as strength enhancers in test sheets representing the middle ply of paperboard. From the chemical characterisation, it was concluded that the Fenton pre-treatment caused a decrease in the degree of polymerisation (DP) and an increase in both carboxyl- and carbonyl groups. The increase in carbonyl groups could not be explained by the formation of new reducing end groups due to depolymerisation which indicates that carbonyl groups are introduced along the cellulose chain. The enzymatic pre-treatment as performed in this study caused less impact on the cellulosic material, i.e. resulted in a pulp with a higher DP and a much lower amount of carbonyl- and carboxylic groups compared with the Fenton pre-treated pulps. In the subsequent mechanical treatment in a colloid mill, the Fenton pre-treated pulps were easier to process mechanically i.e. reached a higher specific surface area and a higher surface charge at a given mechanical treatment time compared to enzymatic pre-treated pulps and pulps not subjected to any pre-treatment. These findings were confirmed when MFCs were produced by homogenisation at high pressure in multiple passes; the birch kraft pulp was either pre-treated with Fenton’s reagent or the combined mechanic and enzymatic pre-treatment methodology used at the Centre Technique du Papier (CTP, France). By size fractionation, rheological measurements and scanning electron microscopy, it was revealed that Fenton pre-treatment resulted in MFC suspension containing a significantly higher proportion of small sized material (< 0.2 mm). When the MFCs were evaluated as strength enhancers in test sheets produced from a furnish consisting of a spruce (Picea abies) chemithermomechanical pulp, MFC and a retention system containing cationic starch and an anionic silica sol, Fenton pre-treated MFCs increased the strength properties more than the enzymatic pre-treated MFCs. Addition of 5 wt% Fenton pre-treated MFC resulted in an increase in z-directional strength of about 50%, an increase in tensile stiffness index of about 25% and an increase in tensile index of 35% compared to test sheets prepared without MFC addition. / The potential to use acidic hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ferrous ions (Fenton’s reagent) as a pre-treatment when producing microfibrillar cellulose (MFC) from a bleached birch kraft pulp was investigated and the properties of the produced MFC was compared to the properties of a MFC produced with enzymatic pre-treatment. Additionally, the MFCs evaluated as strength enhancers in test sheets representing the middle ply of paperboard. From the chemical characterisation, it was concluded that the Fenton pre-treatment caused a decrease in the degree of polymerisation (DP) and an increase in both carboxyl- and carbonyl groups. In the subsequent mechanical treatment in a colloid mill, the Fenton pre-treated pulps were easier to process mechanically indicating a potential to lower the energy consumption. When the MFCs were evaluated as strength enhancers in test sheets, Fenton pre-treated MFCs increased the strength properties more than the enzymatic pre-treated MFCs at a given mechanical treatment time. Addition of 5 wt% Fenton pre-treated MFC resulted in an increase in z-directional strength of about 50%, an increase in tensile stiffness index of about 25% and an increase in tensile index of 35% compared to test sheets prepared without MFC addition.

No description available.

La forte progression démographique mondiale induit une demande d’énergietoujours en hausse. Ceci se traduit par un fort développement de nouvelles énergiesrenouvelables qui nécessitent, de par leur nature intermittente, des dispositifs de stockagede l’énergie. Parmi eux les supercondensateurs permettent un stockage électrostatique decharges (supercondensateurs à base de carbones activés), mais certains systèmes, ditspseudocapacitifs, font en outre intervenir des réactions redox rapides de surface.L’association des deux systèmes permettent d’accéder à des propriétés intéressantes, enparticulier pour le système MnO2/carbone activé. Cependant, les oxydes de manganèse sontd’excellents matériaux pseudocapacitifs mais assez peu conducteurs électroniques.L’objectif de ce travail est d’améliorer cette conductivité en les associant avec des oxydes decobalt conducteurs. Pour cela, une approche « architecturale » de synthèse de matériaux aété choisie. En partant d’oxydes de Mn et de Co lamellaires, ceux-ci sont exfoliés pourobtenir des nanofeuillets de nature différente. S’ensuit une étape de réempilement pouraboutir à un matériau lamellaire alterné. L’analyse structurale et morphologique desmatériaux prouve que des nanocomposites très finement divisés sont obtenus. Lespropriétés électrochimiques obtenues pour ces nanocomposites s’avèrent meilleures quecelles des matériaux initiaux, tant en densité d’énergie qu’en puissance. Cette stratégieoriginale est prometteuse et ouvre la voie à des réempilements de différente nature,notamment le graphène. / The ever increasing demand of renewable energies imposes, due to theirintermittent nature, the development of performant energy storage devices. Supercapacitorsare reliable devices that offer a high power density and numerous investigations are focusingon increasing their energy densities. In particular, asymmetric "metal oxides / activatedcarbons" supercapacitors are possible candidates. The MnO2/carbon system is the mostinvestigated system, due to its capability to work in aqueous medium at potentials up to 2 V,as well as to the low cost and environmental friendliness of manganese. Nevertheless, thissystem suffers from the poor electronic conductivity of manganese. This work reports anoriginal strategy for novel electrode materials involving exfoliation and restacking processesof lamellar “building blocks”: lamellar manganese oxides for their pseudocapacitiveproperties and lamellar cobalt oxyhydroxides for their high electronic conductivity. Thematerial engineering strategy focuses on the exfoliation of the lamellar materials intooligolamellae. The obtained suspensions are then restacked through various strategies andnew well defined mixed oxides are obtained. After structural and morphologicalcharacterization, it is clear that these nanocomposites present an intimate mix of the twoinitial phases. The electrochemical responses are hereby enhanced, proving the intertwinedrelationship between structure, morphology and properties. Furthermore, this architecturalapproach of building novel electrode materials is original and efficient and can easily betransposed to other “building blocks”, including graphene.

The classical theory of colloids and surface science has universally been applied in modeling and calculations involving solid-liquid interfaces encountered in natural and engineered environments. However, several discrepancies between the observed behavior of charged solid-liquid interfaces and predictions by classical theory have been reported in the past decades. The hypothesis that the mean-field, pseudo-one-component approximation adopted within the framework of the classical theory is responsible for the differences observed is tested in this work via the application of modeling and experimental techniques at a molecular level. Silica and silicon nitride are selected as model charged solid surfaces, and mixtures of symmetric and asymmetric indifferent and non-indifferent electrolytes are used as liquid phases. Canonical Monte Carlo simulations (CMC) of the electrical double layer (EDL) structure of a discretely charged planar silica surface, embedded in solutions of indifferent electrolytes, reveal the presence of a size exclusion effect that is enhanced at larger values of surface charge densities. That effect translates into an unexpected behavior of the interaction forces between a charged planar surface and a spherical particle. CMC simulations of the electrostatic interactions and calculations of the EDL force between a spherical particle and a planar surface, similarly charged, reveal the presence of two attractive force components: a depletion effect almost at contact and a long-range attractive force of electrostatic origin due to ion-ion correlation effects. Those two-force components result from the consideration of discreteness of charge in the interaction of solid-liquid interfaces, and they contradict the classical theory predictions of electrostatic repulsive interaction between similarly charged surfaces. Direct interaction force measurements between a charged planar surface and a colloidal particle, performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), reveal that, when indifferent and non-indifferent electrolytes are present in solution, surface charge modification occurs in addition to the effects on the EDL behavior reported for indifferent electrolytes. Non-uniformity and even heterogeneity of surface charge are detected due to the action of non-indifferent, asymmetric electrolytes. The phenomena observed explain the differences between the classical theory predictions and the experimental observations reported in the open literature, validating the hypothesis of this work.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DianaCSL.pdf: 800391 bytes, checksum: c85f3fef7e600f91edb93d3096219c80 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-11-25 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The addition of active silica potentially improves the quality of concrete due to its high reactivity and pore refinement effect. The reactivity of silica is likely related to its charge density. Variations in surface charge alter the reactivity of the material consequently affecting the properties of concrete. The present study aimed at investigating variations in the charge density of silica as a function of acid treatments using nitric or phosphoric acid and different pH values (2.0, 4.0 and 6.0). Effects on concrete properties including slump, mechanical strength, permeability and chloride corrosion were evaluated. To that end, a statistical analysis was carried out and empirical models that correlate studied parameters (pH, acid and cement) with concrete properties were established. The quality of the models was tested by variance analysis. The results revealed that the addition of silica was efficiency in improving the properties of concrete, especially the electrochemical parameters. The addition of silica treated using nitric acid at pH = 4.0 displayed the best cement performance including highest strength, reduced permeability and lowest corrosion current / A adi??o da s?lica ativa ao concreto melhora a qualidade deste material, amplamente utilizado na Constru??o Civil, devido ? a??o dos efeitos: alta reatividade e refinamento dos poros. Acreditando-se que a reatividade da s?lica est? relacionada ? sua densidade de carga, uma varia??o da carga superficial modifica a reatividade do material, e consequentemente as propriedades do concreto. Assim, este trabalho objetiva estudar o efeito da varia??o da densidade de carga superficial da s?lica tratada com solu??es de ?cidos n?trico e fosf?rico a diferentes pHs: 2,0; 4,0 e 6,0 em propriedades do concreto: abatimento, resist?ncia ? compress?o, permeabilidade e par?metros indicativos do processo de corros?o por cloreto. Para tanto, realizou-se um planejamento experimental com a finalidade de obter modelos emp?ricos que relacionam as propriedades e par?metros avaliados com as vari?veis em estudo: pH, tipo de ?cido e tipo de cimento, bem como a an?lise de vari?ncia indicativa da qualidade do modelo proposto em rela??o ?s observa??es experimentais. Os resultados comprovaram a efic?cia da adi??o de s?lica ativa na mistura de concreto ?s propriedades estudadas. Indicam que uma varia??o na densidade de carga superficial da s?lica usada na confec??o de corpos de prova de concreto modifica as propriedades e par?metros eletroqu?micos estudados e que, o concreto com uso de s?lica tratada com solu??o de ?cido n?trico de pH 4,0, apresentou melhor qualidade: maior resist?ncia ? compress?o, menor permeabilidade e menor corrente de corros?o, quando tomados em rela??o aos demais

Icing on materials surface causes operational failures as well as technical and safety issues. Furthermore, it reduces the energy efficiency of the power supply and passenger/freight transportation systems. Conventional active deicing methods are widely used to remove ice, but are often associated with uneconomically high energy consumption and high maintenance costs, often not being aware of their environmental impact. Instead, passive anti-icing methods are being sought to prevent or delay ice formation by means of physico-chemical surface treatment. Pyroelectric materials can be used as possible anti-icing surfaces after their ability to inhibit ice nucleation has been experimentally demonstrated. This makes use of the effect of the pyroelectrically induced surface charge, which changes with the ambient temperature and thus, hypothetically, exerts an influence on the dipole orientation of the water molecules at the surface. This is expected to affect the hydrogen bonding network of the interfacial water in the supercooled liquid phase, depending on the sign of surface charge. However, the Classical Nucleation Theory predicts an increased nucleation rate with increasing electric field strength of the pyroelectric surface charge irrespective of its polarity, as confirmed by many experiments. This raises the question of what exactly influences the ice nucleation. The main purpose of this thesis is to find a relationship between the pyroelectricity and the ice nucleation rate. Various theoretical and experimental investigation methods have been used to examine which of the possible influencing factors related to the pyroelectric material surface plays a major role in promoting or inhibiting ice nucleation.:Contents Abstract i List of figures xi List of tables xv 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation 1 1.2 Objective and Tasks 4 1.3 Structure of the thesis 6 2 Basics 7 2.1 Pyroelectric materials 7 2.1.1 Fundamental properties 7 2.1.2 Lithium niobate, LiNbO3 14 2.2 Ice nucleation and water freezing 21 2.2.1 Thermodynamics of ice nucleation 21 2.2.2 Factors influencing ice nucleation 26 3 Materials and Methods 29 3.1 Sample materials used for the investigation 29 3.2 Theoretical methods 31 3.2.1 Theoretical background of computational quantum mechanical modeling 31 3.2.2 LiNbO3 model system 38 3.2.3 DFT implementation in CP2K 41 3.3 Experimental methods 42 3.3.1 Optical and vibrational spectroscopy 43 3.3.2 X-ray spectroscopy 47 3.3.3 Atomic force microscopy 48 3.3.4 Environmental scanning electron spectroscopy 51 3.3.5 Pyroelectric measurement 52 3.3.6 Contact angle measurement 53 3.3.7 Icing temperature measurement 54 3.4 Tabular overview of the different methods 57 ix4 Results and Discussion 59 4.1 Results 59 4.1.1 Several results of DFT calculations 59 4.1.2 MD simulations of interfacial water 75 4.1.3 Results of optical and vibrational spectroscopy 80 4.1.4 X-ray spectroscopy on LiNbO3 surfaces 96 4.1.5 Extended treatment of the Classical Nucleation Theory 100 4.1.6 Results of atomic force microscopy 108 4.1.7 ESEM images of ice crystals grown on LiNbO3 116 4.1.8 Results of pyroelectric measurements 122 4.1.9 Results of contact angle measurements 124 4.1.10 Results of icing temperature measurements 126 4.2 Discussion 135 4.2.1 Surface charge 135 4.2.2 Surface structure 144 4.2.3 Surface reactivity 149 4.3 Conclusion of the findings and remarks 151 5 Summary and Outlook 157 5.1 Conclusion of the thesis 157 5.2 Recommendations for further investigations 161 5.3 Outlook 164 Appendix 167 A.1 Additional information to the DFT calculations 167 A.2 Background spectrum for ATR spectroscopy 175 A.3 Additional information to SFG/SHG spectroscopy 176 A.4 Additional information to the XPS results 181 A.5 Additional information to the AFM measurement 182 A.6 ESEM images of ice accretion in the sample system 187 A.7 FEM simulation of local temperature and flow velocity distribution 190 A.8 Additional information to the icing temperature measurement 203 A.9 Temperature-dependent pH variation of water at LiNbO3 surface 207 List of abbreviations and symbols 213 References 217 Publications 276 Acknowledgements 277 Erklärung 281 / Vereisung auf Werkstoffoberflächen führt einerseits zu Betriebsausfällen und andererseits zur Reduzierung der Energieeffizienz von Energieversorgungs- sowie Personen- und Gütertransportsystemen. Sie stellt nicht selten ein sicherheitstechnisches und gesundheitliches Risiko dar. Da die konventionellen aktiven Enteisungsmethoden mit hohem Energieaufwand und hohen Wartungskosten verbunden sind, wird nach passiven Anti-icing-Methoden als vorbeugende Maßnahmen zur Vermeidung/Verzögerung von Eisbildung auf physikalisch-chemisch behandelten Oberflächen gesucht. Der Einsatz dieser Werkstoffoberflächen senkt nicht nur den Energieverbrauch, sondern soll auch die Umwelt schonen. Pyroelektrische Materialien kommen als passive Anti-icing-Oberflächen in Frage, nachdem ihre eiskeimbildungshemmende Fähigkeit experimentell nachgewiesen wurde. Dabei wird der Effekt der pyroelektrisch induzierten Oberflächenladung ausgenutzt, die sich mit der Umgebungstemperatur ändert und somit, hypothetisch gesehen, einen Einfluss auf die Dipolorientierung der Wassermoleküle an der Oberfläche ausübt. Das hat je nach Vorzeichen der Oberflächenladung Auswirkungen auf das Wassermolekülbindungsnetzwerk des Grenzflächenwassers in der unterkühlten flüssigen Phase. Da die klassische Keimbildungstheorie jedoch eine erhöhte Keimbildungswahrscheinlichkeit mit zunehmender Stärke des elektrischen Feldes der pyroelektrischen Oberflächenladung unabhängig von ihrem Vorzeichen voraussagt, wie es ebenfalls in vielen Experimenten nachgewiesen wurde, stellt sich die Frage, was genau die Eiskeimbildung beeinflusst. Das Hauptanliegen dieser Arbeit ist, einen Zusammenhang zwischen der Pyroelektrizität der Oberfläche und der Eiskeimbildungsrate zu finden. Mithilfe einer Vielzahl von verschiedenen theoretischen und experimentellen Methoden wird untersucht, welcher der möglichen Einflussfaktoren im Zusammenhang mit der pyroelektrischen Materialoberfläche eine große Rolle bei der Eiskeimbildung spielt.:Contents Abstract i List of figures xi List of tables xv 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation 1 1.2 Objective and Tasks 4 1.3 Structure of the thesis 6 2 Basics 7 2.1 Pyroelectric materials 7 2.1.1 Fundamental properties 7 2.1.2 Lithium niobate, LiNbO3 14 2.2 Ice nucleation and water freezing 21 2.2.1 Thermodynamics of ice nucleation 21 2.2.2 Factors influencing ice nucleation 26 3 Materials and Methods 29 3.1 Sample materials used for the investigation 29 3.2 Theoretical methods 31 3.2.1 Theoretical background of computational quantum mechanical modeling 31 3.2.2 LiNbO3 model system 38 3.2.3 DFT implementation in CP2K 41 3.3 Experimental methods 42 3.3.1 Optical and vibrational spectroscopy 43 3.3.2 X-ray spectroscopy 47 3.3.3 Atomic force microscopy 48 3.3.4 Environmental scanning electron spectroscopy 51 3.3.5 Pyroelectric measurement 52 3.3.6 Contact angle measurement 53 3.3.7 Icing temperature measurement 54 3.4 Tabular overview of the different methods 57 ix4 Results and Discussion 59 4.1 Results 59 4.1.1 Several results of DFT calculations 59 4.1.2 MD simulations of interfacial water 75 4.1.3 Results of optical and vibrational spectroscopy 80 4.1.4 X-ray spectroscopy on LiNbO3 surfaces 96 4.1.5 Extended treatment of the Classical Nucleation Theory 100 4.1.6 Results of atomic force microscopy 108 4.1.7 ESEM images of ice crystals grown on LiNbO3 116 4.1.8 Results of pyroelectric measurements 122 4.1.9 Results of contact angle measurements 124 4.1.10 Results of icing temperature measurements 126 4.2 Discussion 135 4.2.1 Surface charge 135 4.2.2 Surface structure 144 4.2.3 Surface reactivity 149 4.3 Conclusion of the findings and remarks 151 5 Summary and Outlook 157 5.1 Conclusion of the thesis 157 5.2 Recommendations for further investigations 161 5.3 Outlook 164 Appendix 167 A.1 Additional information to the DFT calculations 167 A.2 Background spectrum for ATR spectroscopy 175 A.3 Additional information to SFG/SHG spectroscopy 176 A.4 Additional information to the XPS results 181 A.5 Additional information to the AFM measurement 182 A.6 ESEM images of ice accretion in the sample system 187 A.7 FEM simulation of local temperature and flow velocity distribution 190 A.8 Additional information to the icing temperature measurement 203 A.9 Temperature-dependent pH variation of water at LiNbO3 surface 207 List of abbreviations and symbols 213 References 217 Publications 276 Acknowledgements 277 Erklärung 281

To test nanosize surface patterning for application as implant material, a suitable titanium composition has to be found first. Therefore we investigated the effect of surface chemistry on attachment and differentiation of osteoblast-like cells on pure titanium prepared by pulsed laser deposition (TiPLD) and different Ti alloys (Ti6Al4V, TiNb30 and TiNb13Zr13). Early attachment (30 min) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (day 5) was found to be fastest and highest, respectively, in cells grown on TiPLD and Ti6Al4V. Osteoblasts seeded on TiPLD produced most osteopontin (day 10), whereas expression of this extracellular matrix protein was an order of magnitude lower on the TiNb30 surface. In contrast, expression of the corresponding receptor, CD44, was not influenced by surface chemistry. Thus, TiPLD was used for further experiments to explore the influence of surface nanostructures on osteoblast adhesion, differentiation and orientation. By laser-induced oxidation, we produced patterns of parallel Ti oxide lines with different widths (0.2–10 μm) and distances (2–20 and 1,000 μm), but a common height of only 12 nm. These structures did not influence ALP activity (days 5–9), but had a positive effect on cell alignment. Two days after plating, the majority of the focal contacts were placed on the oxide lines. The portion of larger focal adhesions bridging two lines was inversely related to the line distance (2–20 μm). In contrast, the portion of aligned cells did not depend on the line distance. On average, 43% of the cells orientated parallel towards the lines, whereas 34% orientated vertically. In the control pattern (1,000 μm line distance), cell distribution was completely at random. Because a significant surplus of the cells preferred a parallel alignment, the nanosize difference in height between Ti surface and oxide lines may be sufficient to orientate the cells by contact guiding. However, gradients in electrostatic potential and surface charge density at the Ti/Ti oxide interface may additionally influence focal contact formation and cell guidance. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Les poumons présentent de nombreux avantages en tant que voie d’administration de médicaments. Ils possèdent une grande surface (70-100 m2) pour l’adsorption de molécules et de particules, une mince barrière épithéliale, une faible acidité ainsi qu’un système vasculaire sous-jacent abondant. L’administration par inhalation est une approche prometteuse pour le traitement du cancer des poumons et des infections microbiennes comorbides dans 33% des cas puisqu’elle permet la livraison ciblée d’agents chimiothérapeutiques. Les nanoparticules sont des vecteurs idéaux d’acheminements ciblés de médicaments avec des avantages tels qu’une stabilité élevée/une longue durée de conservation ainsi qu’une capacité de transport élevée. Les nanoparticules inhalées atteignant les alvéoles pulmonaires interagissent avec le surfactant pulmonaire. Ce mélange de lipides et de protéines tapisse l’interface eau/air des alvéoles servant ainsi de barrière. L’interaction physique et chimique des nanoparticules avec le surfactant pulmonaire déterminera leur clairance, rétention et translocation. Nous proposons l’utilisation de nanoparticules de phytoglycogène, extraites de maïs sans OGM, pour l’administration pulmonaire d’un peptide anticancéreux et antimicrobien à double action dont l’administration par voie orale ou par injection est problématique. Le nanophytoglycogène, composé de molécules de glucose, est non-biopersistant, non-toxique et est certifié GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) par le Food and Drug Administration pour l’ingestion. Cependant, son innocuité pour l’inhalation reste à déterminer. Avant de déterminer l’efficacité du nanophytoglycogène à des fins de nanotransporteur organique pour la délivrance par aérosol de peptides thérapeutiques, son impact sur les propriétés biophysiques et sur la structure de phase du surfactant pulmonaire doit premièrement être caractérisé. L’objectif du projet est d’étudier les effets de nanophytoglycogène de différentes charges sur les propriétés physicochimiques de modèles du surfactant pulmonaire en utilisant les monocouches Langmuir. Plus précisément, il est question d’étudier les effets des nanoparticules sur l’activité de surface, la morphologie, la réversibilité ainsi que l’épaisseur du film du surfactant pulmonaire. L’imagerie par microscopie à angle de Brewster (BAM, Brewster Angle Microscopy), les isothermes (pression de surface vs aire moléculaire) ainsi que l’ellipsométrie à l’interface eau-air permettent une conjecture des effets néfastes potentielles du nanophytoglycogène sur les poumons. À l’aide de ces techniques, il a été possible d’étudier des monocouches de phospholipides et de protéines, représentant le surfactant pulmonaire. En présence de nanoparticules anioniques et quasi-neutres, les différentes monocouches ne subissaient aucune perturbation. Cependant, les résultats ont démontré que les nanoparticules cationiques se lient aux phospholipides anioniques, ce qui augmente l’épaisseur de la monocouche et ainsi le travail requis pour effectuer un cycle respiratoire. Ces travaux ont démontré l’importance de la charge des nanomatériaux lors de leur interaction avec le surfactant pulmonaire. De plus, les résultats de cette étude ont aussi permis de classer les nanophytoglycogènes quasi-neutre et anionique comme étant des vecteurs de médicaments potentiels. / The human lungs present many advantages as a drug delivery route, namely a high surface area (70-100 m2) for the adsorption of molecular species and particles, a thin epithelial barrier, an abundant underlying vasculature, and low acidity. Inhalation delivery is expected to be an ideal approach for the treatment of lung cancer and associated pulmonary infection (33% of cases) as it allows the site-specific physical delivery of chemotherapeutic. Nanoparticle carriers broaden the options for targeted drug delivery systems with advantages including high stability/long shelf life and high carrier capacity. In the alveoli, inhaled nanoparticles interact with lung (pulmonary) surfactant, a lipid/protein mixture that lines the alveolar air/fluid interface and serves as a primary barrier to uptake. The physical/chemical interaction of the nanoparticles with the surfactant determines their clearance, retention, and translocation. We propose to use novel phytoglycogen nanoparticles, extracted from non-GMO corn, for the pulmonary delivery of a dual action anticancer and antimicrobial peptide that is problematic to deliver orally or by injection. Nanophytoglycogen, composed of glucose molecules, is non-biopersistent, non-toxic and is GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) for oral ingestion. However, its safety for inhalation remains to be determined. Before evaluating the efficacy of nanophytoglycogen to serve as an organic nanocarrier for the aerosol delivery of peptide therapeutics, their impact on the biophysical properties and phase structure of lung surfactant must first be characterized. The objective of the research is to investigate the effect of nanophytoglycogens of different surface charge on the physicochemical properties of pulmonary surfactant model systems using Langmuir monolayers. More specifically, the effect of the nanoparticles on the surface activity, morphology, reversibility, and film thickness of pulmonary surfactant is studied. Isotherms (surface pressure vs. molecular area), BAM (Brewster Angle Microscopy) imaging, and ellipsometry at the air-water interface allow a surmise of the potential adverse effects of nanophytoglycogen on the lungs. Using these techniques, it was possible to study monolayers of phospholipids and proteins, representing the pulmonary surfactant. In the presence of anionic and quasi-neutral iv nanoparticles, the different monolayers didn’t undergo any disturbance. However, the results demonstrated that cationic nanoparticles bind to anionic phospholipids, which increases the thickness of the monolayer and thus the work required to complete a respiratory cycle. This study has demonstrated the importance of nanoparticle’s surface charge during their interaction with pulmonary surfactant. In addition, the results of this study also made it possible to classify the quasi-neutral and anionic nanophytoglycogens as being potential drug vectors.

No description available.