Diffusion exchange of dextran with molecular weights 4.4 and 77 kDa through polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) hollow capsules consisting of four bilayers of polystyrene sulfonate/polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride has been investigated using two-dimensional nuclear-magnetic-resonance methods: diffusion-diffusion exchange spectroscopy (DEXSY) and diffusion-relaxation correlation spectroscopy (D...

Molecular capsules have been extensively used in catalysis, drug delivery, molecular recognition and protection of ligands from degradation. Novel "apple peel" shaped helical arylamide capsules have been experimentally pursued due to their flexible nature and designability. They were found to encapsulate a variety of small molecules. The apple peel shape of the capsules led to a hypothesis that...

Transplantation of encapsulated living cells is a promising approach for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. Large-scale application of the technique, however, is hampered by insufficient biocompatibility of the capsules. In the present study, we have implemented new as well as previously reported technologies to test biocompatibility issues of immunoisolating microcapsules on the long...

The spawning of the muricid gastropod Plicopurpura pansa in the laboratory at 22-23 degrees C is described. Females deposited 1-20 capsules daily for at least 20 weeks, and produced up to 150 capsules each per spawning season. During spawning, egg clusters were formed consisting of hundreds of capsules of different ages deposited by different females. Each egg capsule contained an average of 43...

Fluoxetine drops and marketed fluoxetine capsules had quite the same Cmax (50.25 +/- 4.43 vs 47.55 +/- 5.29 ng/ml), but significantly different AUC0-t (717.27 +/- 71.29 vs 644.91 +/- 78.91 ng/ml/h). Furthermore the drops were characterised by a very early Tmax (4.61 +/- 0.85 hours) with a highly significant difference in comparison to the capsules reference compound (6.72 +/- 1.23 hours). After...

A microfluidic melt emulsification method for encapsulation and release of actives is presented. Using a water-in-oil-in-water (W-O-W) double emulsion template, solid capsules can be formed by freezing the middle shell phase. Actives encapsulated inside the solid shell can be controllably and rapidly released by applying a temperature trigger to melt the shell. The choice of the shell materials...

BACKGROUND Obesity and overweight may soon affect more than half of the population in some regions of the world and are associated with diabetes, hypertension and other diseases that cause morbidity, mortality and high health-care expenditure. No one approach, whether dietetic management, medication, or commercial weight loss programme, can alone solve the problem--all potential treatments need...

The simultaneous encapsulation of both luminescent semiconductor and magnetic oxide nanoparticles in polymer microcapsules is demonstrated for the first time. Highly luminescent CdTe semiconductor nanocrystals serve as luminescent markers, while magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles allow external manipulation of the capsules by magnetic field. The method introduced is general enough to allow the fabric...

A conceptual design for artificial antimicrobial viruses is described. The design emulates viral assembly and function to create self-assembling peptide capsules that promote efficient gene delivery and silencing in mammalian cells. Unlike viruses, however, the capsules are antimicrobial, which allows them to exhibit a dual biological function: gene transport and antimicrobial activity. Unlike ...

PURPOSE The objective of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) delivered through encapsulated cells directly into the vitreous of the eye in an rcd1 canine model of retinitis pigmentosa. The dose-range effect of the treatment was also investigated. METHODS Polymer membrane capsules (1.0 cm in length and 1.0 mm in diameter) were loaded...