Bradford Scholars is the University of Bradford online research archive. Access is free to anyone interested in research being conducted at Bradford. In the repository you will find a range of materials from journal articles and conference papers to research reports and theses.

Contact the repository team via openaccess@bradford.ac.uk with any queries about Open Access or how to deposit your research papers.

 


 

Shown below is a list of communities and the collections and sub-communities within them. Click on a name to view that community or collection home page.

  • Know the score: Empowering sport choices with a straightforward solution

    Walker, Daniel; Jukes, J.L. (2025)
    Risk factors associated with depression in athletes include biological sex, physical pain, and history of sport-related concussion (SRC). However, although there are well-documented benefits of sport and physical activity on mental health, many sportspeople still take the risk of competing in contact sports. Therefore, this infographic, supported by scientific evidence, aims to provide sportspeople with an informed decision on their participation. This infographic can be used by sports clubs or governing bodies to illustrate the risk that SRC has on the mental health of sportspeople. Likewise, it highlights the elevated risk of being in physical pain and being a female sportsperson. Therefore, this infographic provides a simple message to enhance the decision-making process of sportspeople, ensuring they are making a better-informed choice of their sporting participation and making their own cost/reward judgment.
  • Light-Responsive and Antibacterial Graphenic Materials as a Holistic Approach to Tissue Engineering

    Ferreras, A.; Matesanz, A.; Mendizabal, J.; Artola, K.; Nishina, Y.; Acedo, P.; Jorcano, J.L.; Ruiz, Amalia; Reina, G.; Martin, C. (2024-08-21)
    While the continuous development of advanced bioprinting technologies is under fervent study, enhancing the regenerative potential of hydrogel-based constructs using external stimuli for wound dressing has yet to be tackled. Fibroblasts play a significant role in wound healing and tissue implants at different stages, including extracellular matrix production, collagen synthesis, and wound and tissue remodeling. This study explores the synergistic interplay between photothermal activity and nanomaterial-mediated cell proliferation. The use of different graphene-based materials (GBM) in the development of photoactive bioinks is investigated. In particular, we report the creation of a skin-inspired dressing for wound healing and regenerative medicine. Three distinct GBM, namely, graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and graphene platelets (GP), were rigorously characterized, and their photothermal capabilities were elucidated. Our investigations revealed that rGO exhibited the highest photothermal efficiency and antibacterial properties when irradiated, even at a concentration as low as 0.05 mg/mL, without compromising human fibroblast viability. Alginate-based bioinks alongside human fibroblasts were employed for the bioprinting with rGO. The scaffold did not affect the survival of fibroblasts for 3 days after bioprinting, as cell viability was not affected. Remarkably, the inclusion of rGO did not compromise the printability of the hydrogel, ensuring the successful fabrication of complex constructs. Furthermore, the presence of rGO in the final scaffold continued to provide the benefits of photothermal antimicrobial therapy without detrimentally affecting fibroblast growth. This outcome underscores the potential of rGO-enhanced hydrogels in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Our findings hold promise for developing game-changer strategies in 4D bioprinting to create smart and functional tissue constructs with high fibroblast proliferation and promising therapeutic capabilities in drug delivery and bactericidal skin-inspired dressings.
  • Encapsulation and delivery of mitoxantrone using zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and their cytotoxic potential in breast cancer cells

    Singhal, M.; Riches-Suman, Kirsten; Pors, Klaus; Addicoat, M.A.; Ruiz, Amalia; Nayak, Sanjit; Elies, Jacobo (2024-02)
    Mitoxantrone (MTX) is a drug employed in breast cancer treatment, but its application is largely limited due to side effects. A controlled delivery approach can potentially reduce the side effects. In this study, two zirconium (Zr)-based MOFs, UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH2, were studied for a more controlled delivery of MTX with a 40% and 21% loading capacity, respectively. Characterisation via powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering confirmed the integrity of structure post-MTX loading. UV–vis spectrophotometry revealed distinctive release profiles, with UiO-66-MTX exhibiting a 25% cumulative release after 96 h in water and 120 h in PBS +10% FBS. UiO-66-NH2-MTX displayed a more sustained release, reaching 62% in water and 47% in PBS +10% FBS after 168 h. The interaction between MTX and the MOFs was also proposed based on computational modelling, suggesting a stronger interaction of UiO-66NH2 and MTX, and an optimised interaction of MTX in the tetrahedral and octahedral pores of the MOFs. The study also reports the release profile of the drug and antiproliferative activity against a panel of breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and MCF7) and a normal breast epithelial cell line (MCF10A). MTX-encapsulated MOFs were thoroughly characterised, and their biological activity was assessed in vitro. MTT cell viability assay indicated a higher IC50 value for MTX-loaded MOFs compared to free MTX in physiological conditions, albeit with a slower release profile. These findings suggest the potential of these MTX-loaded MOFs as an alternative avenue for formulation to mitigate side effects.
  • Effectual Endeavors of Silk Protein Sericin against Isoproterenol Induced Cardiac Toxicity and Hypertrophy in Wistar Rats

    Ahsan, F.; Mahmood, T.; Wani, T.A.; Zargar, S.; Siddiqui, M.H.; Usmani, S.; Shamim, A.; Wahajuddin, Muhammad (2022-07-15)
    The silkworm cocoon has been used in the treatment of various ailments in different Asian countries. This research was designed to evaluate the effect of sericin on myocardial necrosis and hypertrophy in isoproterenol-challenged rats. The rats were administered with sericin (500 and 1000 mg/kg, p.o.) for 28 days, followed by administration of isoprenaline (85 mg/kg, s.c.) on the 29th and 30th days. The cardioprotective activity was assessed by various physical, enzymatic, and histopathological parameters along with apoptotic marker expression. The cardioprotective effect showed that pre-treatment of rats with sericin significantly increased the non-enzymatic antioxidants marker in serum and heart tissue (glutathione, vitamin E, and vitamin C). The results were the same in enzymatic antioxidant marker, mitochondrial enzymes, and protein. The grading of heart, heart/body weight ratio, gross morphology, cardiac markers, oxidative stress markers in serum and heart tissue, glucose, serum lipid profiling and Lysosomal hydrolases, heart apoptotic markers such as MHC expression by western blot, apoptosis by flow cytometry, total myocardial collagen content, fibrosis estimation, myocyte size were significantly decreased when compared with isoproterenol (ISG) group however histopathological studies showed normal architecture of heart in both control and treated rats. The pharmacological study reflects that sericin on both doses i.e., 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg have potent cardioprotective action against the experimental model which was confirmed by various physical, biochemical, and histopathological parameters evaluated further research is required to examine the molecular mechanism of cardioprotective effect of sericin.
  • Discovery of 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-one derivatives as possible antileishmanial agents

    Seth, A.; Ghoshal, A.; Dewaker, V.; Rani, A.; Singh, S.P.; Dutta, M.; Katiyar, S.; Singh, S.K.; Rashid, M.; Wahajuddin, Muhammad; et al. (2022-06)
    A series of uniquely functionalized 2,3,-dihydro-1H-pyyrolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-one derivatives were synthesized in one to two steps by utilizing a post-Ugi modification strategy and were evaluated for antileishmanial efficacy against visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Among the library compounds, compound 5m exhibited potential in vitro antileishmanial activity (CC50 = 65.11 μM, SI = 7.79, anti-amastigote IC50 = 8.36 μM). In vivo antileishmanial evaluation of 5m demonstrated 56.2% inhibition in liver and 61.1% inhibition in spleen parasite burden in infected Balb/c mice (12.5 mg kg-1, i.p.). In vitro pharmacokinetic study ascertained the stability of 5m in both simulated gastric fluid and simulated intestinal fluid. All the active compounds passed the PAINS filter and showed no toxicity in in silico predictions.

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