@article{EckertRudolphGuoetal.2018, author = {Eckert, Alexander and Rudolph, Tobias and Guo, Jiaqi and Mang, Thomas and Walther, Andreas}, title = {Exceptionally Ductile and Tough Biomimetic Artificial Nacre with Gas Barrier Function}, series = {Advanced Materials}, volume = {30}, journal = {Advanced Materials}, number = {32}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, doi = {10.1002/adma.201802477}, pages = {Article number 1802477}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Synthetic mimics of natural high-performance structural materials have shown great and partly unforeseen opportunities for the design of multifunctional materials. For nacre-mimetic nanocomposites, it has remained extraordinarily challenging to make ductile materials with high stretchability at high fractions of reinforcements, which is however of crucial importance for flexible barrier materials. Here, highly ductile and tough nacre-mimetic nanocomposites are presented, by implementing weak, but many hydrogen bonds in a ternary nacre-mimetic system consisting of two polymers (poly(vinyl amine) and poly(vinyl alcohol)) and natural nanoclay (montmorillonite) to provide efficient energy dissipation and slippage at high nanoclay content (50 wt\%). Tailored interactions enable exceptional combinations of ductility (close to 50\% strain) and toughness (up to 27.5 MJ m⁻³). Extensive stress whitening, a clear sign of high internal dynamics at high internal cohesion, can be observed during mechanical deformation, and the materials can be folded like paper into origami planes without fracture. Overall, the new levels of ductility and toughness are unprecedented in highly reinforced bioinspired nanocomposites and are of critical importance to future applications, e.g., as barrier materials needed for encapsulation and as a printing substrate for flexible organic electronics.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerBeckersMussmannetal.2018, author = {M{\"u}ller, Janina and Beckers, Mario and Mußmann, Nina and Bongaerts, Johannes and B{\"u}chs, Jochen}, title = {Elucidation of auxotrophic deficiencies of Bacillus pumilus DSM 18097 to develop a defined minimal medium}, series = {Microbial Cell Factories}, volume = {17}, journal = {Microbial Cell Factories}, number = {1}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, issn = {1475-2859}, doi = {10.1186/s12934-018-0956-1}, pages = {Article No. 106}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Background Culture media containing complex compounds like yeast extract or peptone show numerous disadvantages. The chemical composition of the complex compounds is prone to significant variations from batch to batch and quality control is difficult. Therefore, the use of chemically defined media receives more and more attention in commercial fermentations. This concept results in better reproducibility, it simplifies downstream processing of secreted products and enable rapid scale-up. Culturing bacteria with unknown auxotrophies in chemically defined media is challenging and often not possible without an extensive trial-and-error approach. In this study, a respiration activity monitoring system for shake flasks and its recent version for microtiter plates were used to clarify unknown auxotrophic deficiencies in the model organism Bacillus pumilus DSM 18097. Results Bacillus pumilus DSM 18097 was unable to grow in a mineral medium without the addition of complex compounds. Therefore, a rich chemically defined minimal medium was tested containing basically all vitamins, amino acids and nucleobases, which are essential ingredients of complex components. The strain was successfully cultivated in this medium. By monitoring of the respiration activity, nutrients were supplemented to and omitted from the rich chemically defined medium in a rational way, thus enabling a systematic and fast determination of the auxotrophic deficiencies. Experiments have shown that the investigated strain requires amino acids, especially cysteine or histidine and the vitamin biotin for growth. Conclusions The introduced method allows an efficient and rapid identification of unknown auxotrophic deficiencies and can be used to develop a simple chemically defined tailor-made medium. B. pumilus DSM 18097 was chosen as a model organism to demonstrate the method. However, the method is generally suitable for a wide range of microorganisms. By combining a systematic combinatorial approach based on monitoring the respiration activity with cultivation in microtiter plates, high throughput experiments with high information content can be conducted. This approach facilitates media development, strain characterization and cultivation of fastidious microorganisms in chemically defined minimal media while simultaneously reducing the experimental effort.}, language = {en} } @article{RoehlenPilasDahmenetal.2018, author = {R{\"o}hlen, Desiree and Pilas, Johanna and Dahmen, Markus and Keusgen, Michael and Selmer, Thorsten and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Toward a Hybrid Biosensor System for Analysis of Organic and Volatile Fatty Acids in Fermentation Processes}, series = {Frontiers in Chemistry}, journal = {Frontiers in Chemistry}, number = {6}, publisher = {Frontiers}, address = {Lausanne}, doi = {10.3389/fchem.2018.00284}, pages = {Artikel 284}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Monitoring of organic acids (OA) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) is crucial for the control of anaerobic digestion. In case of unstable process conditions, an accumulation of these intermediates occurs. In the present work, two different enzyme-based biosensor arrays are combined and presented for facile electrochemical determination of several process-relevant analytes. Each biosensor utilizes a platinum sensor chip (14 × 14 mm²) with five individual working electrodes. The OA biosensor enables simultaneous measurement of ethanol, formate, d- and l-lactate, based on a bi-enzymatic detection principle. The second VFA biosensor provides an amperometric platform for quantification of acetate and propionate, mediated by oxidation of hydrogen peroxide. The cross-sensitivity of both biosensors toward potential interferents, typically present in fermentation samples, was investigated. The potential for practical application in complex media was successfully demonstrated in spiked sludge samples collected from three different biogas plants. Thereby, the results obtained by both of the biosensors were in good agreement to the applied reference measurements by photometry and gas chromatography, respectively. The proposed hybrid biosensor system was also used for long-term monitoring of a lab-scale biogas reactor (0.01 m³) for a period of 2 months. In combination with typically monitored parameters, such as gas quality, pH and FOS/TAC (volatile organic acids/total anorganic carbonate), the amperometric measurements of OA and VFA concentration could enhance the understanding of ongoing fermentation processes.}, language = {en} } @article{EngelHoltmannUlberetal.2018, author = {Engel, Mareike and Holtmann, Dirk and Ulber, Roland and Tippk{\"o}tter, Nils}, title = {Increased Biobutanol Production by Mediator-Less Electro-Fermentation}, series = {Biotechnology Journal}, journal = {Biotechnology Journal}, number = {Volume 14, Issue 4}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, issn = {1860-7314}, doi = {10.1002/biot.201800514}, pages = {Artikel 1800514}, year = {2018}, abstract = {A future bio-economy should not only be based on renewable raw materials but also in the raise of carbon yields of existing production routes. Microbial electrochemical technologies are gaining increased attention for this purpose. In this study, the electro-fermentative production of biobutanol with C. acetobutylicum without the use of exogenous mediators is investigated regarding the medium composition and the reactor design. It is shown that the use of an optimized synthetic culture medium allows higher product concentrations, increased biofilm formation, and higher conductivities compared to a synthetic medium supplemented with yeast extract. Moreover, the optimization of the reactor system results in a doubling of the maximum product concentrations for fermentation products. When a working electrode is polarized at -600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl, a shift from butyrate to acetone and butanol production is induced. This leads to an increased final solvent yield of Yᴀᴃᴇ = 0.202 gg⁻¹ (control 0.103 gg⁻¹), which is also reflected in a higher carbon efficiency of 37.6\% compared to 23.3\% (control) as well as a fourfold decrease in simplified E-factor to 0.43. The results are promising for further development of biobutanol production in bioelectrochemical systems in order to fulfil the principles of Green Chemistry.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KazukiKobayashiHirabayashietal.2019, author = {Kazuki, Yasuhiro and Kobayashi, Kaoru and Hirabayashi, Masumi and Abe, Satoshi and Kajitani, Naoyo and Kazuki, Kanoko and Takehara, Shoko and Takiguchi, Masato and Satoh, Daisuke and Kuze, Jiro and Sakuma, Tetsushi and Kaneko, Takehito and Mashimo, Tomoji and Osamura, Minori and Hashimoto, Mari and Wakatsuki, Riko and Hirashima, Rika and Fujiwara, Ryoichi and Deguchi, Tsuneo and Kurihara, Atsushi and Tsukazaki, Yasuko and Senda, Naoto and Yamamoto, Takashi and Scheer, Nico and Oshimura, Mitsuo}, title = {Humanized UGT2 and CYP3A transchromosomic rats for improved prediction of human drug metabolism}, series = {PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {116}, booktitle = {PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, number = {8}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1808255116}, pages = {3072 -- 3081}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @article{WilsonDickieSchreiteretal.2018, author = {Wilson, C. E. and Dickie, A. P. and Schreiter, K. and Wehr, R. and Wilson, E. M. and Bial, J. and Scheer, Nico and Wilson, I. D. and Riley, R. J.}, title = {The pharmacokinetics and metabolism of diclofenac in chimeric humanized and murinized FRG mice}, series = {Archives of Toxicology}, volume = {92}, journal = {Archives of Toxicology}, number = {6}, publisher = {Springer}, issn = {1432-0738}, doi = {10.1007/s00204-018-2212-1}, pages = {1953 -- 1967}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The pharmacokinetics of diclofenac were investigated following single oral doses of 10 mg/kg to chimeric liver humanized and murinized FRG and C57BL/6 mice. In addition, the metabolism and excretion were investigated in chimeric liver humanized and murinized FRG mice. Diclofenac reached maximum blood concentrations of 2.43 ± 0.9 µg/mL (n = 3) at 0.25 h post-dose with an AUCinf of 3.67 µg h/mL and an effective half-life of 0.86 h (n = 2). In the murinized animals, maximum blood concentrations were determined as 3.86 ± 2.31 µg/mL at 0.25 h post-dose with an AUCinf of 4.94 ± 2.93 µg h/mL and a half-life of 0.52 ± 0.03 h (n = 3). In C57BL/6J mice, mean peak blood concentrations of 2.31 ± 0.53 µg/mL were seen 0.25 h post-dose with a mean AUCinf of 2.10 ± 0.49 µg h/mL and a half-life of 0.51 ± 0.49 h (n = 3). Analysis of blood indicated only trace quantities of drug-related material in chimeric humanized and murinized FRG mice. Metabolic profiling of urine, bile and faecal extracts revealed a complex pattern of metabolites for both humanized and murinized animals with, in addition to unchanged parent drug, a variety of hydroxylated and conjugated metabolites detected. The profiles in humanized mice were different to those of both murinized and wild-type animals, e.g., a higher proportion of the dose was detected in the form of acyl glucuronide metabolites and much reduced amounts as taurine conjugates. Comparison of the metabolic profiles obtained from the present study with previously published data from C57BL/6J mice and humans revealed a greater, though not complete, match between chimeric humanized mice and humans, such that the liver humanized FRG model may represent a model for assessing the biotransformation of such compounds in humans.}, language = {en} } @article{WilsonWilsonScheeretal.2017, author = {Wilson, Ian D. and Wilson, Claire E. and Scheer, Nico and Dickie, A.P. and Schreiter, K. and Wilson, E. M. and Riley, R. J. and Wehr, R. and Bial, J.}, title = {The Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism of Lumiracoxib in Chimeric Humanized and Murinized FRG Mice}, series = {Biochemical pharmacology}, volume = {Volume 135}, journal = {Biochemical pharmacology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1873-2968}, doi = {10.1016/j.bcp.2017.03.015}, pages = {139 -- 150}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @article{ZhangHeimbachScheeretal.2016, author = {Zhang, Jin and Heimbach, Tycho and Scheer, Nico and Barve, Avantika and Li, Wenkui and Lin, Wen and He, Handan}, title = {Clinical Exposure Boost Predictions by Integrating Cytochrome P450 3A4-Humanized Mouse Studies With PBPK Modeling}, series = {Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences}, volume = {Volume 105}, journal = {Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences}, number = {Issue 4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0022-3549}, doi = {doi.org/10.1016/j.xphs.2016.01.021}, pages = {1398 -- 1404}, year = {2016}, abstract = {NVS123 is a poorly water-soluble protease 56 inhibitor in clinical development. Data from in vitro hepatocyte studies suggested that NVS123 is mainly metabolized by CYP3A4. As a consequence of limited solubility, NVS123 therapeutic plasma exposures could not be achieved even with high doses and optimized formulations. One approach to overcome NVS123 developability issues was to increase plasma exposure by coadministrating it with an inhibitor of CYP3A4 such as ritonavir. A clinical boost effect was predicted by using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. However, initial boost predictions lacked sufficient confidence because a key parameter, fraction of drug metabolized by CYP3A4 (ƒₘCYP3A4), could not be estimated with accuracy on account of disconnects between in vitro and in vivo preclinical data. To accurately estimate ƒₘCYP3A4 in human, an in vivo boost effect study was conducted using CYP3A4-humanized mouse model which showed a 33- to 56-fold exposure boost effect. Using a top-down approach, human ƒₘCYP3A4 for NVS123 was estimated to be very high and included in the human PBPK modeling to support subsequent clinical study design. The combined use of the in vivo boost study in CYP3A4-humanized mouse model mice along with PBPK modeling accurately predicted the clinical outcome and identified a significant NVS123 exposure boost (∼42-fold increase) with ritonavir.}, language = {en} } @article{DallasSalphatiGomezZepedaetal.2016, author = {Dallas, Shannon and Salphati, Laurent and Gomez-Zepeda, David and Wanek, Thomas and Chen, Liangfu and Chu, Xiaoyan and Kunta, Jeevan and Mezler, Mario and Menet, Marie-Claude and Chasseigneaux, Stephanie and Decl{\`e}ves, Xavier and Langer, Oliver and Pierre, Esaie and DiLoreto, Karen and Hoft, Carolin and Laplanche, Loic and Pang, Jodie and Pereira, Tony and Andonian, Clara and Simic, Damir and Rode, Anja and Yabut, Jocelyn and Zhang, Xiaolin and Scheer, Nico}, title = {Generation and Characterization of a Breast Cancer Resistance Protein Humanized Mouse Model}, series = {Molecular Pharmacology}, volume = {89}, journal = {Molecular Pharmacology}, number = {5}, publisher = {ASPET}, address = {Bethesda, Md.}, issn = {1521-0111}, doi = {10.1124/mol.115.102079}, pages = {492 -- 504}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) is expressed in various tissues, such as the gut, liver, kidney and blood brain barrier (BBB), where it mediates the unidirectional transport of substrates to the apical/luminal side of polarized cells. Thereby BCRP acts as an efflux pump, mediating the elimination or restricting the entry of endogenous compounds or xenobiotics into tissues and it plays important roles in drug disposition, efficacy and safety. Bcrp knockout mice (Bcrp-/-) have been used widely to study the role of this transporter in limiting intestinal absorption and brain penetration of substrate compounds. Here we describe the first generation and characterization of a mouse line humanized for BCRP (hBCRP), in which the mouse coding sequence from the start to stop codon was replaced with the corresponding human genomic region, such that the human transporter is expressed under control of the murine Bcrp promoter. We demonstrate robust human and loss of mouse BCRP/Bcrp mRNA and protein expression in the hBCRP mice and the absence of major compensatory changes in the expression of other genes involved in drug metabolism and disposition. Pharmacokinetic and brain distribution studies with several BCRP probe substrates confirmed the functional activity of the human transporter in these mice. Furthermore, we provide practical examples for the use of hBCRP mice to study drug-drug interactions (DDIs). The hBCRP mouse is a promising model to study the in vivo role of human BCRP in limiting absorption and BBB penetration of substrate compounds and to investigate clinically relevant DDIs involving BCRP.}, language = {en} } @article{ScheerKapelyukhRodeetal.2015, author = {Scheer, Nico and Kapelyukh, Yury and Rode, Anja and Oswald, Stefan and Busch, Diana and Mclaughlin, Lesley A. and Lin, De and Henderson, Colin J. and Wolf, C. Roland}, title = {Defining Human Pathways of Drug Metabolism In Vivo through the Development of a Multiple Humanized Mouse Model}, series = {Drug Metabolism and Disposition}, volume = {43}, journal = {Drug Metabolism and Disposition}, number = {11}, publisher = {ASPET}, address = {Bethesda}, issn = {1521-009x}, doi = {10.1124/dmd.115.065656}, pages = {1679 -- 1690}, year = {2015}, language = {en} }