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Crystallization of 5-nona-noyl-8-hy-droxy-quinoline in the presence of InCl 3 in aceto-nitrile yields a dinuclear In III complex crystallizing in the space group P . In this complex, [In 2 (C 18 H 22 NO 2 ) 2 Cl 4 (H 2 O) 2 ], each indium ion is sixfold coordinated by two chloride ions, one water mol-ecule and two 8-quinolino-late ions. The crystal of the title complex is composed of two-dimensional supra-molecular aggregates, resulting from the linkage of the O water -H⋯O=C and O water -H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds as well as bifurcated C arene -H⋯Cl contacts., (© Fuhrmann et al. 2024.)

NK cells participate in ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) and transplant rejection. Endogenous regulatory systems may exist to attenuate NK cell activation and cytotoxicity in IRI associated with kidney transplantation. A greater understanding of NK regulation will provide insights in transplant outcomes and could direct new therapeutic strategies. Kidney tubular epithelial cells (TECs) may negatively regulate NK cell activation by their surface expression of a complex family of C-type lectin-related proteins (Clrs). We have found that Clr-b and Clr-f were expressed by TECs. Clr-b was upregulated by inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IFNγ in vitro . Silencing of both Clr-b and Clr-f expression using siRNA resulted in increased NK cell killing of TECs compared to silencing of either Clr-b or Clr-f alone (p < 0.01) and when compared to control TECs (p < 0.001). NK cells treated in vitro with soluble Clr-b and Clr-f proteins reduced their capacity to kill TECs (p < 0.05). Hence, NK cell cytotoxicity can be inhibited by Clr proteins on the surface of TECs. Our study suggests a synergistic effect of Clr molecules in regulating NK cell function in renal cells and this may represent an important endogenous regulatory system to limit NK cell-mediated organ injury during inflammation., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:, (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Metal ions are important effectors of protein and cell functions. Here, polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) made of chitosan (Chi) and alginate (Alg) were doped with different metal ions (Ca 2+ , Co 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Fe 3+ ), which can form bonds with their functional groups. Ca 2+ and Fe 3+ ions can be deposited in PEM at higher quantities resulting in more positive ζ potentials and also higher water contact angles in the case of Fe 3+ . An interesting finding was that the exposure of PEM to metal ions decreases the elastic modulus of PEM. Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of multilayers provides evidence of interaction of metal ions with the carboxylic groups of Alg but not for hydroxyl and amino groups. The observed changes in wetting and surface potential are partly related to the increased adhesion and proliferation of multipotent C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts in contrast to plain nonadhesive [Chi/Alg] multilayers. Specifically, PEMs doped with Cu 2+ and Fe 3+ ions greatly promote cell attachment and adipogenic differentiation, which indicates that changes in not only surface properties but also the bioactivity of metal ions play an important role. In conclusion, metal ion-doped multilayer coatings made of alginate and chitosan can promote the differentiation of multipotent cells on implants without the use of other morphogens like growth factors.

The thermo-responsive poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is ubiquitously applied in controlled drug release and tissue engineering. However, the lack of bioactivity of PNIPAM restricts its use in cell-containing systems being a thermo-responsive adhesive substratum with no regulating effect on cell growth and differentiation. In this study, integrating PNIPAM with chitosan into PNIPAM- grafted -chitosan (PNIPAM-Chi) allows a layer-by-layer assembly with bioactive heparin to fabricate PNIPAM-modified polyelectrolyte multilayers (PNIPAM-PEMs). Grafting PNIPAM chains of either 2 (LMW) or 10 kDa (HMW) on the chitosan backbone influences the cloud point (CP) temperature in the range from 31 to 33 °C. PNIPAM-Chi with either a higher molecular weight or a higher degree of substitution of PNIPAM chains exhibiting a significant increase in diameter above CP as ensured by dynamic light scattering is selected to fabricate PEM with heparin as a polyanion at pH 4. Little difference of layer growth is detected between the chosen PNIPAM-Chi used as polycations by surface plasmon resonance, while multilayers formed with HMW-0.02 are more hydrated and show striking swelling-and-shrinking abilities when studied with quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. Subsequently, the multilayers are covalently cross-linked using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/ N -hydroxysuccinimide to strengthen the stability of the systems under physiological conditions. Ellipsometry results confirm the layer integrity after exposure to the physiological buffer at pH 7.4 compared to those without cross-linking. Moreover, significantly higher adhesion and more spreading of C3H10T1/2 multipotent embryonic mouse fibroblasts on cross-linked PEMs, particularly with heparin terminal layers, are observed owing to the bioactivity of heparin. The slightly more hydrophobic surfaces of cross-linked PNIPAM-PEMs at 37 °C also increase cell attachment and growth. Thus, layer-by-layer constructed PNIPAM-PEM with cross-linking represents an interesting cell culture system that can be potentially employed for thermally uploading and controlled release of growth factors that further promotes tissue regeneration.

Biomimetic surface coatings can be combined with conventional implants to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the surrounding tissue to make them more biocompatible. Layer-by-layer technique (LbL) can be used for making surface coatings by alternating adsorption of polyanions and polycations from aqueous solutions without need of chemical reactions. Here, polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) systems is made of hyaluronic acid (HA) as polyanion and Collagen I (Col) as polycation to mimic the ECM of connective tissue. The PEM are combined with dexamethasone (Dex)-loaded liposomes to achieve a local delivery and protection of this drug for stimulation of osteo- and chondrogenic differentiation of multipotent stem cells. The liposomes possess a positive surface charge that is required for immobilization on the PEM. The surface properties of PEM system show a positive zeta potential after liposome adsorption and a decrease in wettability, both promoting cell adhesion and spreading of C3H10T1/2 multipotent embryonic mouse fibroblasts. Differentiation of C3H10T1/2 was more prominent on the PEM system with embedded Dex-loaded liposomes compared to the basal PEM system and the use of free Dex-loaded liposomes in the supernatant. This was evident by immunohistochemical staining and an upregulation of the expression of genes, which play a key role in osteogenesis (RunX2, ALP, Osteocalcin (OCN)) and chondrogenesis (Sox9, aggrecan (ACAN), collagen type II), determined by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) after 21 days. These findings indicate that the designed liposome-loaded PEM system have high potential for use as drug delivery systems for implant coatings that can induce bone and cartilage differentiation needed for example in osteochondral implants., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)