Bioengineering / Biyomühendislik
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/4529
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Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 6Microbial Desalination Cell Treated Spent Geothermal Brine as a Nutrient Medium in Hydroponic Lettuce Cultivation: Health Risk Assessment(Elsevier, 2024) Goren, A. Y.; Eskisoy, D. N.; Genisoglu, S.; Okten, H. E.The scarcity and contamination of freshwater resources are extremely critical issues today, and the expansion of water reuse has been considered as an option to decrease its impact. Therefore, the reuse of microbial desalination (MDC)-treated spent geothermal brine for agricultural purposes arises as a good solution to prevent water contamination and provide sustainable water usage. In this study, the potential of treated spent geothermal water from MDC system as a nutrient solution for the hydroponic cultivation of lettuce was evaluated. The effects of different water samples (Hoagland solution (R1) as a control, MDC-treated water (R2), 1:1, v/v mixture of MDCtreated water and Hoagland solution (R3), 4:1, v/v mixture of MDC-treated water and Hoagland solution (R4), and tap water (R5)) on lettuce growth were considered. The application of R3 and R4 samples for hydroponic lettuce cultivation was promising since the lettuce plants uptake sufficient nutrients for their growth and productivity with low toxic metal concentrations. In addition, the chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, and carotene contents of lettuce were in the range of 1.045-2.391 mg/g, 0.761-1.986 mg/g, and 0.296-0.423 mg/g in different water samples, respectively. The content of chlorophyll-a was highest in R1 (2.391 mg/g), followed by R3 (2.371 mg/g). Furthermore, the health risk assessment of heavy metal accumulations in the lettuce plants cultivated in the various water samples was determined. Results showed that heavy metal exposure via lettuce consumption is unlikely to suffer noticeable adverse health problems with values below the permissible limit value.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 4Optimizing the Dispersion of Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles for Cellular Studies Using Statistical Design of Experiments(Elsevier, 2023) Önder, Anıl Can; Tomak, Aysel; Öksel Karakuş, CeydaThe in vitro experimentation of ceramic nanoparticles often requires their dispersion in liquid media without causing particle clumps or deteriorating sample integrity. However, the dispersion of nanoparticles using the available protocols rarely leads to stable and uniform dispersions which, in turn, raises concerns about the validity, repeatability and comparability of the findings observed in vitro. Moreover, the ability to control the final dispersion quality of ceramic nanoparticles is an essential step to obtaining optimized nanoceramic materials with desired functionality and to enhancing their performance in subsequent applications. While the need to have a comprehensive guideline for the dispersion of nanoparticles has led to several published documents and protocols, the dispersion methodology of ceramic nanoparticles and the relative contribution of the experimental parameters to the quality of resulting dispersion are still not clear. Here, we employed the statistical design of experiment (DoE) approach to systematically assess the magnitude and source of variation in dispersion quality of two different ceramic nanoparticles, hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate. Using the first-order Plackett-Burman Design (PBD), nanoparticle concentration, pH and the presence of an additive were identified as the most critical factors influencing the resulting hydrodynamic size and zeta potential of the ceramic nanoparticles. Optimization using a second-order Central Composite Design (CCD) yielded a set of quadratic regression equations that were used to predict the hydrodynamic size or zeta potential of ceramic nanoparticles with high accuracy (R2, 0.88–0.92). The results of PBD screening and CCD optimization experiments were employed to prepare nanoparticle dispersions of different quality, which were then used to compare the effect of aggregation on the viability of human osteosarcoma (SaOS-2) cells. Overall, the results of this study provided insight into the role that various experimental parameters play in the colloidal stability and dispersion of ceramic nanoparticles. © 2023Article Citation - WoS: 15Citation - Scopus: 16Electromechanical Rt-Lamp Device for Portable Sars-Cov Detection(Elsevier, 2023) Tarım, Ergün Alperay; Öksüz, Cemre; Karakuzu, Betül; Appak, Özgür; Sayıner, Ayça Arzu; Tekin, Hüseyin CumhurRapid point-of-care tests for infectious diseases are essential, especially in pandemic conditions. We have developed a point-of-care electromechanical device to detect SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA using the reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) principle. The developed device can detect SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA down to 103 copies/mL and from a low amount of sample volumes (2 μL) in less than an hour of standalone operation without the need for professional labor and equipment. Integrated Peltier elements in the device keep the sample at a constant temperature, and an integrated camera allows automated monitoring of LAMP reaction in a stirring sample by using colorimetric analysis of unfocused sample images in the hue/saturation/value color space. This palm-fitting, portable and low-cost device does not require a fully focused sample image for analysis, and the operation could be stopped automatically through image analysis when the positive test results are obtained. Hence, viral infections can be detected with the portable device produced without the need for long, expensive, and labor-intensive tests and equipment, which can make the viral tests disseminated at the point-of-care.Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 7Designing Robust Xylan/Chitosan Composite Shells Around Drug-Loaded Msns: Stability in Upper Git and Degradation in the Colon Microbiota(Elsevier, 2023) Zeybek, Nüket; Büyükkileci, Ali Oğuz; Güleç, Şükrü; Polat, Mehmet; Polat, Hürriyetong residence times, near-neutral pH values, and release triggered by the enzymatic action of the resident microbiota offer unique opportunities for improved drug delivery in the colon. The fact that a delivery agent must also pass through the complete GI tract without degradation presents a challenge due to widely changing pH conditions. In this study, a promising colon-targeted drug delivery system was composed of a xylan/chitosan composite shell formed on curcumin-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). A novel synthesis approach was employed to facilitate precipitation of negatively charged xylan on negatively charged MSNs by concurrent chitosan polymerization. Curcumin-loaded xylan/chitosan-coated MSNs (C-MSNs) were determined to contain nearly 42% xylan by the inclusion of chitosan in a one-to-one ratio with xylan. The xylan/chitosan composite shell demonstrated excellent stability in the acidic upper GI tract. The hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds by resident microbiota was the triggering mechanism for xylan degradation and curcumin release in the colon. The presence of xylan has the further benefit of increasing the number of beneficial bacteria and improving short-chain fatty acid production for improved colon health.Article Citation - WoS: 14Citation - Scopus: 16Synergistic Effect of Type and Concentration of Surfactant and Diluting Solvent on the Morphology of Emulsion Templated Matrices Developed as Tissue Engineering Scaffolds(Elsevier, 2022) Claeyssens, Frederik; Aldemir Dikici, Betül; Dikici, SerkanEmulsion templating is an advantageous route for the fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds. Emulsions are mostly stabilised using surfactants, and the performances of the surfactants depend on various parameters such as emulsification temperature and the presence of the electrolytes. In this study, we suggest that diluting solvent type also has a dramatic impact on the efficiency of the surfactant and morphology of the polymerised emulsions. For this, morphologies of polycaprolactone methacrylate-based polymerised emulsions, which are designed for tissue engineering applications and in vitro biocompatibilities, were shown by our group, prepared using four different surfactants, and three different solvents were investigated. Results showed that the diluting solvent used in the emulsion composition has a strong impact on the performance of the surfactant and consequently on the morphology of polymerised emulsions. Increasing surfactant concentration and diluting solvent volume have an opposite impact on the characteristics of emulsions. Scaffolds with average pore sizes changing from 10 to 78 μm could be fabricated. Establishing these relations enables us to have control over the overall morphology of polymerised emulsions and precisely engineer them for specific tissue engineering applications by tuning solvent and surfactant type and concentration.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 6Rational Design of Thermophilic Cyp119 for Progesterone Hydroxylation by in Silico Mutagenesis and Docking Screening(Elsevier, 2023) Kestevur Doğru, Ekin; Güralp, Gülce; Uyar, Arzu; Sürmeli, Nur BaşakSteroid-based chemicals can affect the metabolism, immune functions, and development of sexual characteristics. Because of these effects, steroid derivatives are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. Progesterone is a steroid-based hormone that mainly controls the ovulation period of women but is also a precursor molecule for the synthesis of important hormones like testosterone and cortisone. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are important for the production of hydroxyprogesterones in the industry since they can catalyze regio- and enantioselective hydroxylation reactions. Although human CYP enzymes can catalyze hydroxyprogesterone synthesis with high selectivity, these enzymes are membrane bound, which limits their application for industrial production. CYP119 is a soluble and thermophilic enzyme from the archaea Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Even though the native substrate of the enzyme is not known, CYP119 can catalyze styrene epoxidation, lauric acid hydroxylation, and Amplex®Red peroxidation. In this work, an in silico mutagenesis approach was used to design CYP119 mutants with high progesterone affinity. Energy scores of progesterone docking simulations were used for the design and elimination of single, double, and triple mutants of CYP119. Among designed 674 mutants, five of them match the criteria for progesterone hydroxylation. The most common mutation of these five mutants, L69G mutant was analyzed using independent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in comparison with the wild-type (WT) enzyme. L69G CYP119, was expressed and isolated from Escherichia coli; it showed 800-fold higher affinity for progesterone compared to WT CYP119. L69G CYP119 also catalyzed progesterone hydroxylation. The novel designed enzyme L69G CYP119 is a potential versatile biocatalyst for progesterone hydroxylation that is expected to be stable under industrial production conditions.Article Citation - WoS: 51Citation - Scopus: 583d Printed Gelatin/Decellularized Bone Composite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering: Fabrication, Characterization and Cytocompatibility Study(Elsevier, 2022) Kara, Aylin; Distler, Thomas; Polley, Christian; Schneidereit, Dominik; Seitz, Hermann; Friedrich, Oliver; Tıhmınlıoğlu, Funda; Boccaccini, Aldo RThree-dimensional (3D) printing technology enables the design of personalized scaffolds with tunable pore size and composition. Combining decellularization and 3D printing techniques provides the opportunity to fabricate scaffolds with high potential to mimic native tissue. The aim of this study is to produce novel decellularized bone extracellular matrix (dbECM)-reinforced composite-scaffold that can be used as a biomaterial for bone tissue engineering. Decellularized bone particles (dbPTs, ∼100 μm diameter) were obtained from rabbit femur and used as a reinforcement agent by mixing with gelatin (GEL) in different concentrations. 3D scaffolds were fabricated by using an extrusion-based bioprinter and crosslinking with microbial transglutaminase (mTG) enzyme, followed by freeze-drying to obtain porous structures. Fabricated 3D scaffolds were characterized morphologically, mechanically, and chemically. Furthermore, MC3T3-E1 mouse pre-osteoblast cells were seeded on the dbPTs reinforced GEL scaffolds (GEL/dbPTs) and cultured for 21 days to assess cytocompatibility and cell attachment. We demonstrate the 3D-printability of dbPTs-reinforced GEL hydrogels and the achievement of homogenous distribution of the dbPTs in the whole scaffold structure, as well as bioactivity and cytocompatibility of GEL/dbPTs scaffolds. It was shown that Young's modulus and degradation rate of scaffolds were enhanced with increasing dbPTs content. Multiphoton microscopy imaging displayed the interaction of cells with dbPTs, indicating attachment and proliferation of cells around the particles as well as into the GEL-particle hydrogels. Our results demonstrate that GEL/dbPTs hydrogel formulations have potential for bone tissue engineering.Article Citation - WoS: 13Citation - Scopus: 15The Role of Cycloastragenol at the Intersection of Nrf2/Are, Telomerase, and Proteasome Activity(Elsevier, 2022) Yılmaz, Sinem; Bedir, Erdal; Ballar Kırmızıbayrak, PetekAging is well-characterized by the gradual decline of cellular functionality. As redox balance, proteostasis, and telomerase systems have been found to be associated with aging and age-related diseases, targeting these systems with small compounds has been considered a promising therapeutic approach. Cycloastragenol (CA), a small molecule telomerase activator obtained from Astragalus species, has been reported to positively affect several age-related pathophysiologies, but the mechanisms underlying CA activity have yet to be reported. Here, we presented that CA increased NRF2 nuclear localization and activity leading to upregulation of cytoprotective enzymes and attenuation of oxidative stress-induced ROS levels. Furthermore, CA-mediated induction of telomerase activity was found to be regulated by NRF2. CA not only increased the expression of hTERT but also its nuclear localization via upregulating the Hsp90-chaperon complex. In addition to modulating nuclear hTERT levels at unstressed conditions, CA alleviated oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial hTERT levels while increasing nuclear hTERT levels. Concomitantly, H2O2-induced mitochondrial ROS level was found to be significantly decreased by CA administration. Our data also revealed that CA strongly enhanced proteasome activity and assembly. More importantly, the proteasome activator effect of CA is dependent on the induction of telomerase activity, which is mediated by NRF2 system. In conclusion, our results not only revealed the cross-talk among NRF2, telomerase, and proteasome systems but also that CA functions at the intersection of these three major aging-related cellular pathways.Article Citation - WoS: 43Citation - Scopus: 46Glucuronoxylan-Based Quince Seed Hydrogel: a Promising Scaffold for Tissue Engineering Applications(Elsevier, 2021) Güzelgülgen, Meltem; Özkendir İnanç, Dilce; Yıldız, Ümit Hakan; Arslan Yıldız, AhuNatural gums and mucilages from plant-derived polysaccharides are potential candidates for a tissue-engineering scaffold by their ability of gelation and biocompatibility. Herein, we utilized Glucuron-oxylanbased quince seed hydrogel (QSH) as a scaffold for tissue engineering applications. Optimization of QSH gelation was conducted by varying QSH and crosslinker glutaraldehyde (GTA) concentrations. Structural characterization of QSH was done by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (MR). Furthermore, morphological and mechanical investigation of QSH was performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The protein adsorption test revealed the suitability of QSH for cell attachment. Biocompatibility of QSH was confirmed by culturing NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblast cells on it. Cell viability and proliferation results revealed that optimum parameters for cell viability were 2 mg mi(-1)of QSH and 0.03 M GTA. SEM and DAPI staining results indicated the formation of spheroids with a diameter of approximately 300 pm. Furthermore, formation of extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment was confirmed with the Collagen Type-I staining. Here, it was demonstrated that the fabricated QSH is a promising scaffold for 3D cell culture and tissue engineering applications provided by its highly porous structure, remarkable swelling capacity and high biocompatibility. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.Article Citation - Scopus: 1A Diaminoethane Motif Bearing Low Molecular Weight Polymer as a New Nucleic Acid Delivery Agent(Elsevier, 2021) Zelcak, Aykut; Ünal, Yağmur Ceren; Meşe, Gülistan; Bulmuş, VolgaAmong polymer-based gene delivery systems, poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) stands out as an effective polycation. However, the toxic effects of PEI especially at higher molecular weights limit its usage. Although the effects of PEI's architecture and molecular weight on gene delivery is controversial in literature, low molecular weight PEI appears to be efficient at transfection while having lower toxicity. Herein, as an alternative to low molecular weight, linear PEI, a methacrylate polymer bearing diamimoethane motifs, poly(2-((2-aminoethyl)amino)ethyl methacrylate) (P(AEAEMA)), was evaluated in vitro as a new nucleic acid delivery agent. P(AEAEMA) (8 kDa) showed low toxicity on Skov-3-luc and NIH/3T3 cell lines at polymer concentrations where PEI (8 kDa) was highly toxic. P(AEAEMA) could efficiently form complexes with siRNA at an N/P ratio of 2 as shown by gel electrophoresis. The diameter of P(AEAEMA)-siRNA complexes was found to be significantly lower than PEIsiRNA complexes almost at all tested N/P ratios. P(AEAEMA) could improve the stability of siRNA in serum containing media by protecting the siRNA against serum nucleases. siRNA and pDNA transfection efficiency of P (AEAEMA) on luciferase expressing Skov-3-luc cell line and HEK 293T cell line, respectively was found to be comparable to well-known nucleic acid carrier, PEI. The transfection efficiency of both P(AEAEMA) and PEI was found to be cell-type-dependent. None of the polymers were able to transfect MDA-MB-231 cells with siRNA or pDNA.