Explanipedia

Smart Copolymer Microgels with High Volume Phase Transition Temperatures: Composition, Swelling, and Morphology Open

Aditi Ashok Gujare, S. Uredat, Jonas Runge, Felix Morgenstern, Domenico Truzzolillo , et al. · 2025

The thermosensitivity and microstructure of microgels made by copolymerizing standard microgel-forming monomers with more hydrophilic comonomers are investigated, with the aim of increasing the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT). W…

Characterization of cholesterol-containing DOPG bilayers in the presence of the saponins aescin and glycyrrhizin: A NMR and scattering study Open

Pia Hägerbäumer, Carina Dargel, Friederike Gräbitz-Bräuer, Ingo Hoffmann, Andreas Mix , et al. · 2025

Biological lipid membranes can be mimicked by small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs), which e.g. consist of the negatively charged phospholipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylglycerol (DOPG). Due to the unsaturated hydrocarbon chains and…

<span>pH</span> ‐Responsive Cationic Microgels for Naproxen Delivery Open

Marco Annegarn, Andreas Mix, Thomas Hellweg · 2025

In this work, cationic core‐shell microgels made from PNNPAM and two different amine monomers in core and shell are explored with respect to their interactions with the anionic drug naproxen. While the tertiary amine DAPMA is located insid…

Harnessing Thalassochemicals: Marine Saponins as Bioactive Agents in Nutraceuticals and Food Technologies Open

Vicente Domínguez-Arca, Thomas Hellweg, Luís T. Antelo · 2025

The expanding field of nutraceuticals and functional food science is increasingly turning to marine-derived bioactive compounds, particularly saponins, for their diverse pharmacological properties. These so-called thalassochemicals display…

Mechanical adaptivity of red blood cell flickering to extrinsic membrane stiffening by the solid-like biosurfactant β-Aescin Open

Lara H. Moleiro, Diego Herráez-Aguilar, Guillermo Solís‐Fernández, Niccolò Caselli, Carina Dargel , et al. · 2025

Harnessing Thalassochemicals: Marine Saponins as Bioactive Agents in Nutraceuticals and Food Technologies Open

Vicente Dominguez-Arca, Thomas Hellweg, Luís T. Antelo · 2025

The growing field of nutraceuticals and food technology is significantly advancing due to the integration of novel bioactive compounds such as marine saponins. These so-called thalassochemicals exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological a…

Decomposition of mixed DMPC-aescin vesicles to bicelles is linked to the lipid's main phase transition: A direct evidence by using chain-deuterated lipid Open

Carina Dargel, Lara H. Moleiro, Aurel Rădulescu, Tim Julian Stank, Thomas Hellweg · 2024

This work investigates the conversion of bicelles into larger sheets or closed vesicles upon dilution and temperature increase for a system composed of the phospholipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and the saponin aes…

Fully Degradable Polyphosphoester Cubosomes for Sustainable Agrochemical Delivery Open

Suna Azhdari, Jürgen Linders, Deniz Coban, Tim Julian Stank, Carina Dargel , et al. · 2024

Microplastic pollution and the urgent need for sustainable agriculture have raised interest in developing degradable carriers for controlled agrochemical release. Porous polymeric particles are particularly promising due to their unique re…

Volume phase transition of NIPAM based copolymer microgels with non-thermoresponsive comonomers Open

Jannis Krüger, Sergej Kakorin, Thomas Hellweg · 2024

We analyze the swelling behavior of N -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)-based microgels incorporating the non-thermoresponsive comonomer N - tert -butylacrylamide (NtBAM) using photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and atomic force microscopy (…

Characterization of size-tuneable aescin-lipid nanoparticles as platform for stabilization of membrane proteins Open

Fatima Escobedo, Mohanraj Gospalswamy, Pia Hägerbäumer, Tim Julian Stank, Julian Victor , et al. · 2024

Disc-like lipid nanoparticles stabilized by saponin biosurfactants display fascinating properties, including their temperature-driven re-organization. β-Aescin, a saponin from seed extract of the horse chestnut tree, shows strong interacti…

Photocleavable Polymer Cubosomes: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Photorelease Open

Hui Chen, Marcel Schumacher, Alessandro Ianiro, Tim Julian Stank, Nicole Janoszka , et al. · 2024

Polymer cubosomes (PCs) are a recent class of self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) microparticles with an accessible periodic channel system. Most reported PCs consist of a polystyrene scaffold, which provides mechanical stability for temp…

Confined microemulsions: pore diameter induced change of the phase behavior Open

René Haverkamp, Margarethe Dahl, Tim Julian Stank, Jessica Hübner, Peter Strasser , et al. · 2024

Possible temperature-dependent structure of the microemulsion within the pores of controlled pore glasses. Small pore sizes seem to affect the temperature-dependent phase behavior of the microemulsion.

Confinement induced change of microemulsion phase structure in controlled pore glass (CPG) monoliths Open

Margarethe Dahl, Cédric Gommes, René Haverkamp, Kathleen Wood, Sylvain Prévost , et al. · 2024

We use small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to investigate the structure and phase behavior of a complex fluid within meso- and macroporous matrices.

Confined bicontinuous microemulsions: nanoscale dynamics of the surfactant film Open

Margarethe Dahl, Olaf Holderer, René Haverkamp, Ingo Hoffmann, Kathleen Wood , et al. · 2024

A confined bicontinuous C 10 E 4 –D 2 O– n -octane microemulsion is studied using neutron spin echo spectroscopy (NSE). The pore size of the confining matrices determines the dynamics of the confined bicontinuous microemulsion.

Decomposition of Mixed Dmpc-Aescin Vesicles to Bicelles is Directly Linked to the Lipid Main Phase Transition: A Direct Evidence by Using Chain-Deuterated Lipid Open

Carina Dargel, Lara H. Moleiro, Aurel Rădulescu, Thomas Hellweg · 2024

Unusual Shell Morphologies of Responsive Amino Core‐Shell Microgels Induced by pH During Shell Synthesis Open

Marco Annegarn, Ina Ehring, Thomas Hellweg · 2024

Back Cover: In article number 2300303, Marco Annegarn, Ina Ehring and Thomas Hellweg highlight the impact of the reaction pH during the formation of responsive amino core-shell microgels. While very fuzzy shells with particulate structures…

A review of stimuli-responsive polymer-based gating membranes Open

S. Uredat, Aditi Ashok Gujare, Jonas Runge, Domenico Truzzolillo, Julian Oberdisse , et al. · 2023

The formation and properties of smart (stimuli-responsive) membranes are reviewed, with a special focus on temperature and pH triggering of gating to water, ions, polymers, nanoparticles, or other molecules of interest.

Unusual Shell Morphologies of Responsive Amino Core‐Shell Microgels Induced by pH During Shell Synthesis Open

Marco Annegarn, Ina Ehring, Thomas Hellweg · 2023

The properties of pH‐responsive microgels are strongly influenced by the pH value during synthesis. In this work, based on a N ‐ n ‐propylacrylamide (NNPAM) core with N ‐3‐(dimethylamino)propylmethacrylamide (DAPMA) as a comonomer, a serie…

Release Kinetics of Potassium, Calcium, and Iron Cations from Carboxymethyl Cellulose Hydrogels at Different pH Values Open

Yi Qu, René Haverkamp, Zhaorui Jin, Désirée Jakobs‐Schönwandt, Anant Patel , et al. · 2023

In an in‐depth study of the mechanism of cation release from carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels synthesized through Schiff base reaction, we analyze the differences in the release kinetics of potassium, calcium, and iron cations with Peleg …

Coexistence of DOPG model membranes and $$\beta$$-aescin micelles: a combined scattering and NMR study Open

Friederike Gräbitz-Bräuer, Carina Dargel, Ramsia Geisler, Pascal Fandrich, Viktor Sabadasch , et al. · 2023

The saponin $$\beta$$ -aescin is well known for its self-aggregation above the critical micelle concentration ( cmc ) and its interaction with model membranes made of zwitterionic phospholipids including the formation of mixed bicelle sy…

Mini review: recent advances in biosurfactant-based association colloids–formation of microemulsions Open

Thomas Hellweg, Julian Oberdisse, Thomas Sottmann · 2023

In the context of a more sustainable economy, bio-surfactants become increasingly important, due to their independence of petrol-based chemistry, their usually mild synthesis conditions, and in certain cases their pharmacological activity.…

Dual mechanical impact of β-escin on model lipid membranes Open

Lara H. Moleiro, Marı́a T. Martı́n-Romero, Diego Herráez-Aguilar, J. A. Santiago, Niccolò Caselli , et al. · 2023

Understanding the mechanical behavior of biological membranes is of paramount importance in cell biophysics and in developing new biomaterials for medicine. In this study, we delve into the mechanical impact of β-escin, commonly referred t…

Dual mechanical impact of β-escin on model lipid membranes Open

Lara H. Moleiro, Marı́a T. Martı́n-Romero, Diego Herráez-Aguilar, J. A. Santiago, Niccolò Caselli , et al. · 2023

Using artificially reconstituted membranes based on structurally liquidlike phospholipids, we have performed an experimental study on the mechanical impact of the saponin β-aescin, aka escin, a natural biosurfactant extracted from the seed…

Cation release from different carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels Open

Yi Qu, René Haverkamp, Désirée Jakobs‐Schönwandt, Jorge Miguel Esteban Vazquez, Thomas Hellweg , et al. · 2023

Biodegradable hydrogels have great potential in agriculture. In this study, hydrogel prototypes of biodegradable slow-release fertilizers were formulated by a Schiff base reaction between dialdehyde carboxymethyl cellulose and gelatin. The…

Interactions between DMPC Model Membranes, the Drug Naproxen, and the Saponin β-Aescin Open

Pia Hägerbäumer, Friederike Gräbitz-Bräuer, Marco Annegarn, Carina Dargel, Tim Julian Stank , et al. · 2023

In this study, the interplay among the phospholipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) as a model membrane, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen, and the saponin β-aescin are investigated. The naproxen amount wa…

Recent advances in biosurfactant-based association colloids—Self-assembly in water Open

Thomas Hellweg, Thomas Sottmann, Julian Oberdisse · 2023

Recent studies of self-assembly in binary systems of bio-surfactants, either of microbial origin or saponins extracted from plants, are reviewed. Saponins in water reported in the first section include aescin, glycyrrhizin, and quillaja sa…

Where Does an Enzyme Reside in a Bicontinuous Structure? Open

Stefan Wellert, Sandra Engelskirchen, Thomas Hellweg, Olaf Holderer · 2023

Using enzymes as catalysts in biochemical processes requires to bring them into close contact with the substrates to be processed. For oil-soluble substrates and water soluble enzymes this might be achieved by bringing the water and oil ph…

Hard carbon microspheres with bimodal size distribution and hierarchical porosity <i>via</i> hydrothermal carbonization of trehalose Open

Martin Wortmann, Waldemar Keil, Elise Diestelhorst, Michael Westphal, René Haverkamp , et al. · 2023

Hydrothermal carbonization of trehalose, in contrast to other saccharides, leads to the formation of microspheres with a bimodal size distribution. The microspheres develop hierarchical porosity with micro-, meso-, and macro-pores after py…

Lipid nanoparticles for antisense oligonucleotide gene interference into brain border-associated macrophages Open

Macarena Calero, Lara H. Moleiro, Aline Sayd, Yeray Dorca, Lluís Miquel-Rio , et al. · 2022

A colloidal synthesis’ proof-of-concept based on the Bligh–Dyer emulsion inversion method was designed for integrating into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) cell-permeating DNA antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), also known as GapmeRs (GRs), for …

Structure and Properties of Smart Micro‐ and Nanogels Determined by (Neutron) Scattering Methods Open

Julian Oberdisse, Thomas Hellweg · 2022

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