Methods to Screen the Adhesion of Fish Cells on Plant-, Algal- and Fungal-Derived Biomaterials.

Cellular agriculture, an alternative and innovative approach to sustainable food production, has gained momentum in recent years. However, there is limited research into the production of cultivated seafood. Here, we investigated the ability of fish mackerel cells (Scomber scombrus) to adhere to plant, algal and fungal-based biomaterial scaffolds, aiming to optimize the cultivation of fish cells for use in cellular agriculture. A mackerel cell line was utilized, and metabolic assays and confocal imaging were utilized to track cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation on the different biomaterials. The mackerel cells adhered and grew on gelatin (positive control), zein, and soy proteins, as well as on alginate, chitosan, and cellulose polysaccharides. The highest adhesion and growth were on the zein and chitosan substrates, apart from the gelatin control. These findings provide a blueprint to enhance scaffold selection and design, contributing to the broader field of cellular agriculture through the development of scalable and eco-conscious solutions for meeting the growing global demand for seafood.

Biomedical Applications of Electro-Initiated Polymerisation on Ti6Al4†V Titanium Alloy using Silk Fibroin Coatings for Antibiotic Delivery and Improved Cell Metabolism.

Silk fibroin interactions with metallic surfaces can provide utility for medical materials and devices. Toward this goal, titanium alloy (Ti6Al4 V) was covalently grafted with polyacrylamide via electrochemically reducing 4-nitrobenzene diazonium salt in the presence of acrylamide. Analysis of the modified surfaces with FT-IR spectra, SEM and AFM were consistent with surface grafting. Functionalised titanium samples with a silk fibroin membrane, with and without impregnated therapeutics, were used to assess cytocompatibility and drug delivery. Initial cytocompatibility experiments using fibroblasts showed that the functionalised samples, both with and without silk fibroin coatings, supported significant increases between 72-136 % in cell metabolism, compared to the controls after 7 days. A 7-days release profiling showed consistent bacterial inhibition through gentamicin release with average inhibition zones of 239 mm2 . Over a 5-week period, silk fibroin coated samples, both with and without growth factors, supported better human mesenchymal stem cell metabolism with increases reaching 1031 % and 388 %, respectively, compared to samples without the silk fibroin coating with.

Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells.

Micro- and nano-plastics (MPs and NPs) released from plastics in the environment can enter the food chain and target the human intestine. However, knowledge about the effects of these particles on the human intestine is still limited due to the lack of relevant human intestinal models to validate data obtained from animal studies or tissue models employing cancer cells. In this study, human intestinal organoids were used to develop epithelia to mimic the cell complexity and functions of native tissue. Microfold cells (M cells) were induced to distinguish their role when exposure to MPs and NPs. During the exposure, the M cells acted as sensors, capturers and transporters of larger sized particles. The epithelial cells internalized the particles in a size-, concentration-, and time-dependent manner. Importantly, high concentrations of particles significantly triggered the secretion of a panel of inflammatory cytokines linked to human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).