Hydrophobin-Coated Solid Fluorinated Nanoparticles for 19F-MRI

Nazeeha Ayaz, Valentina Dichiarante, Claudia Pigliacelli, Cristina Chirizzi, Francesca Baldelli Bombelli, Pierangelo Metrangolo and others have recently published an article on Advanced Materials Interfaces about "Hydrophobin-Coated Solid Fluorinated Nanoparticles for ¹⁹F-MRI".
The full paper can be found at the following link: Hydrophobin-Coated Solid Fluorinated Nanoparticles for ¹⁹F-MRI.

Abstract. In recent years, fluorine-magnetic resonance imaging (19F-MRI) has emerged as a promising diagnostic technique, complementary to traditional proton magnetic resonance imaging (1H-MRI) and easily translatable for clinical use, providing in-depth in vivo quantification without the use of radioactive agents. This creates a need for the development of appropriate delivery systems for highly omniphobic fluorinated probes. The use of the film-forming protein hydrophobin (HFBII) represents a sustainable and simple method to invert the philicity of fluorinated surfaces. Here, the ability of HFBII to form a rigid protein monolayer on superfluorinated coatings rendering them hydrophilic is shown, a property that is also retained in biological environment. This approach is then translated to directly disperse a solid superfluorinated ¹⁹F-MRI probe, PERFECTA, in aqueous solution through the formation of core-shell hydrophobin stabilized PERFECTA nanoparticles (NPs). The obtained NPs are fully characterized in terms of morphology, magnetic properties, colloidal stability, protein corona formation, cellular viability, and imaging performance.

How to cite the article:
Nazeeha Ayaz, Valentina Dichiarante, Claudia Pigliacelli, Jacopo Repossi, Lara Gazzera, Marta Borreggio, Daniele Maiolo, Cristina Chirizzi, Greta Bergamaschi, Linda Chaabane, Elisa Fasoli, Pierangelo Metrangolo, Francesca Baldelli Bombelli, Hydrophobin-Coated Solid Fluorinated Nanoparticles for ¹⁹F-MRI, Adv. Mater. Interfaces. 2021, TBD
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202101677

A Bioorthogonal Probe for Multiscale Imaging by 19F-MRI and Raman Microscopy: From Whole Body to Single Cells

Cristina Chirizzi, Francesca Baldelli Bombelli and Pierangelo Metrangolo have recently published an article on JACS about "A Bioorthogonal Probe for Multiscale Imaging by ¹⁹F-MRI and Raman Microscopy: From Whole Body to Single Cells".
The full paper can be found at the following link: A Bioorthogonal Probe for Multiscale Imaging by 19F-MRI and Raman Microscopy: From Whole Body to Single Cells.

Abstract. Molecular imaging techniques are essential tools for better investigating biological processes and detecting disease biomarkers with improvement of both diagnosis and therapy monitoring. Often, a single imaging technique is not sufficient to obtain comprehensive information at different levels. Multimodal diagnostic probes are key tools to enable imaging across multiple scales. The direct registration of in vivo imaging markers with ex vivo imaging at the cellular level with a single probe is still challenging. Fluorinated (19F) probes have been increasingly showing promising potentialities for in vivo cell tracking by ¹⁹F-MRI. Here we present the unique features of a bioorthogonal 19F-probe that enables direct signal correlation of MRI with Raman imaging. In particular, we reveal the ability of PERFECTA, a superfluorinated molecule, to exhibit a remarkable intense Raman signal distinct from cell and tissue fingerprints. Therefore, PERFECTA combines in a single molecule excellent characteristics for both macroscopic in vivo19F-MRI, across the whole body, and microscopic imaging at tissue and cellular levels by Raman imaging.

How to cite the article:
Cristina Chirizzi, Carlo Morasso, Alessandro Aldo Caldarone, Matteo Tommasini, Fabio Corsi, Linda Chaabane, Renzo Vanna, Francesca Baldelli Bombelli, and Pierangelo Metrangolo, A Bioorthogonal Probe for Multiscale Imaging by ¹⁹F-MRI and Raman Microscopy: From Whole Body to Single Cells, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 31, 12253–12260
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c05250

Waterproof-breathable films from multi-branched fluorinated cellulose esters

Gabriella Cavallo, Valentina Dichiarante, Giancarlo Terraneo and Pierangelo Metrangolo have recently published an article on "Waterproof-breathable films from multi-branched fluorinated cellulose esters".
The full paper can be found at the following link: Waterproof-breathable films from multi-branched fluorinated cellulose esters.

Abstract. Cellulose ester films were prepared by esterification of cellulose with a multibranched fluorinated carboxylic acid, “BRFA” (BRanched Fluorinated Acid), at different anhydroglucose unit:BRFA molar ratios (i.e., 1:0, 10:1, 5:1, and 1:1). Morphological and optical analyses showed that cellulose-BRFA materials at molar ratios 10:1 and 5:1 formed flat and transparent films, while the one at 1:1 M ratio formed rough and translucent films. Degrees of substitution (DS) of 0.06, 0.09, and 0.23 were calculated by NMR for the samples at molar ratios 10:1, 5:1, and 1:1, respectively. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the esterification. DSC thermograms showed a single glass transition, typical of amorphous polymers, at −11 °C. The presence of BRFA groups shifted the mechanical behavior from rigid to ductile and soft with increasing DS. Wettability was similar to standard fluoropolymers such as PTFE and PVDF. Finally, breathability and water uptake were characterized and found comparable to materials typically used in textiles.

How to cite the article:
Giacomo Tedeschi, Susana Guzman-Puyol, Luca Ceseracciu, José J. Benitez, Luca Goldoni, Andreas Koschella, Thomas Heinze, Gabriella Cavallo, Valentina Dichiarante, Giancarlo Terraneo, Athanassia Athanassiou, Pierangelo Metrangolo, José A. Heredia-Guerrero, Waterproof-breathable films from multi-branched fluorinated cellulose esters, Carbohydrate Polymers, 271, 2021, 118031

Halogen Bonding in Crystal Engineering Editor’s collection

Pierangelo Metrangolo, Chair of the Editorial Board of CrystEngComm, has recently edited a collection of hot articles highlighting the contribution of the halogen bond to the field of crystal engineering.

Introduce yourself to this collection by reading its presentation:

"The halogen bond is the attractive interaction between an electrophilic region associated with a halogen atom in a molecular entity and a nucleophilic region in another, or the same, molecular entity. Since its rediscovery in the early 2000s, the field of halogen bonding has boomed, becoming one of the most used chemical interactions in crystal engineering. This Editor’s collection highlights recent contributions to CrystEngComm that are broadly focused on halogen bonding in crystal engineering. The selection of articles showcases how the field has developed from the design of crystal structures to the development of functional materials. The wide range of halogen bond applications covers phosphorescent materials, pharmaceutical co-crystals and peptides, organic electronics, coordination frameworks, where the halogen bonds either drive the formation of the network, or stabilize it as a secondary interaction, or is used to bind hosted guests. Halogen bonding has become a mature field of research but its rediscovery has sparked interest towards other lesser known interactions, which are anticipated to become more prominent in the future, such as chalcogen, pnictogen, and tetrel bonds. 

All of these articles are free to access until June 30th 2021 and we hope you enjoy reading them"

The collection can be found at the followink link: Halogen Bonding in Crystal Engineering