Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation are two key pathogeneses of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which leads to outer hair cell (OHC) damage and hearing loss. In this work, we successfully developed ROS-responsive nanoparticles as berberine (BBR) carriers (PL-PPS/BBR) for OHC-targeted therapy of NIHL: Prestin-targeting peptide 2 (PrTP2)-modified nanoparticles (PL-PPS/BBR), which effectively accumulated in OHC areas, and poly(propylene sulfide)120 (PPS120), which scavenged ROS and converted to poly(propylene sulfoxide)120 in a ROS environment to disintegrate and provoke the rapid release of BBR with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this study, satisfactory anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of PL-PPS/BBR were confirmed. Immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that PL-PPS/BBR effectively accumulated in OHCs and protected the morphological integrity of OHCs. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) results demonstrated that PL-PPS/BBR significantly improved hearing in NIHL guinea pigs after noise exposure. This work suggested that PL-PPS/BBR may be a new potential treatment for noise-associated injury with clinical application.
Tao Liu,Naisheng Guo,Xin Jin,Yiqiu Tan,Zhanping You,Shichao Cui,Zhaoyang Chu,Chenze Fang
Phase change materials (PCMs) can regulate asphalt temperature through thermal storage properties to prevent thermal damage in asphalt pavements. However, the effects of PCMs on the thermoregulation and rheological properties of asphalt require further study. In this study, polyurethane solid–solid phase change materials (PUSSPCMs) were prepared to impart thermoregulation properties to asphalt, and the effects of PUSSPCMs on the rheological properties and microscopic characterization of asphalt were investigated. The PUSSPCMs were produced by different soft segment mass fractions (70 %, 80 %, and 90 %), and they were used to prepare modified asphalt with varying contents (3 %, 5 %, and 7 %). Thermoregulation testing system, dynamic shear rheology (DSR), bending beam rheology (BBR) tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were conducted to determine the thermoregulation, rheological properties, and modification mechanism of PUSSPCM-modified asphalt, respectively. The results show that the thermoregulation property of PUSSPCM-modified asphalt improves with the increase of soft segment mass fraction and content, 7 % P90 asphalt exhibits the best thermoregulation property with the excellent delayed time (1105 s) and temperature difference (7.1 ℃). The high-temperature rutting resistance of the modified asphalt is enhanced by decreasing the soft segment mass fraction and increasing the content of PUSSPCMs, with the 7 % P70 being the best asphalt type. The 7 % P90 asphalt exhibits the optimum low-temperature creep performance due to a higher soft segment mass fraction. The modified asphalt may be a physical modification since no new characteristic peaks appear. With the increase of soft segment mass fraction, the PUSSPCMs in asphalt transform from elastomer to a ribbon-like structure. Furthermore, the microscopic roughness ( S q ) and Young's modulus of the modified asphalt decline with the increase in soft segment mass fraction and content of PUSSPCMs, implying an increase in microscopic crack resistance and a decrease in elasticity.