Effect of temperature and pH on the aggregation and the surface hydrophobicity of bovine κ-casein

κ-Casein (κ-CN) aggregation by heating has been studied at pH 7.2 and 5.2 using UV-visible spectrophotometry, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, spectrofluorometric study of the 1–8 aniline naphtalene sulfonate (ANS)–κ-CN binding and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The aggregation process to form aggregates like micelles or submicelles and the structural characteristics of these aggregates were pH dependent. Far-UV CD showed that the aggregates obtained by heating presented changes in the κ-CN secondary structure. Near-UV CD spectra showed a certain degree of tertiary organization in the Tyr environment for the protein heated or unheated, only at pH 5.2. ANS binding at both pH was quite different and depends on the self-association process. Heating produced exposition of hydrophobic binding sites only at pH 7.2, including those in the neighborhood of the κ-CN Trp residue.     

Kinetic studies on the aggregation behavior of phosphatidylcholines and their analogs

Phosphatidylcholines (Ln's) and their neutral analogs 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol-3-phospho-ric acid bromoethyl esters (Pn's) have been found to exhibit different aggregation behaviors brought about by hydrophobic-lipophilic interactions (HLI) by means of kinetic probe in MeOH-H2O binary aquiorganic systems. The effects of the structure and the environment on the interesting aggregation of the amphiphilic molecules are discussed.     

The A53T mutation is key in defining the differences in the aggregation kinetics of human and mouse α-synuclein

Despite a 95% sequence similarity, the aggregation of human and mouse α-synuclein is remarkably different, as the human form is slower than the mouse form in forming fibrils but is associated with Parkinson's disease in both humans and transgenic mice. Here, the amino acid code underlying these differences is investigated by comparing the lag times, growth rates, and secondary structure propensities of a systematic series of eight human-mouse chimeras. Fluorescence analysis of these variants shows that the A53T substitution dominates the growth kinetics, while the lag phase is affected by a combination of the A53T and S87N substitutions. The secondary structure propensities derived from an NMR chemical shift analysis of the monomeric forms of the human-mouse variants enable us to establish a link between the changes in the conformational properties in the region of position 53 upon mutation and the corresponding changes in growth rates. These results suggest that the presence of an alanine residue at position 53 may be an evolutionary adaptation to minimize Parkinson's disease in humans and indicates that effective drug development efforts may be directed to target this N-terminal region of the sequence.     

Interactions and influence of α-cyclodextrin on the aggregation and interfacial properties of mixtures of nonionic and zwitterionic surfactants

The interactions of α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) with the nonionic surfactant decanoyl-N-methyl-glucamide (Mega-10) and the zwitterionic surfactant dimethyldodecylammoniopropanesulfonate (DPS) in their mixed system have been studied using interfacial tension, fluorescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. From the plots of interfacial tension vs. log of total surfactant concentration, we have obtained values of the surface excess of surfactant, the critical micellar concentration (cmc), the standard free energy of micelle formation, and association constant of surfactant/α-CD inclusion complexes (assuming a 1:1 stoichiometry). A comparison of the K _a values obtained for the interaction between α-CD and DPS and Mega-10, respectively, shows that DPS interacts stronger with α-CD than Mega-10. The experimental mixed cmc was analyzed by the pseudophase separation model and regular solution theory for the evaluation of ideality or nonideality of the mixed micelle formation. The interaction parameters in the mixed micelle and the micelle composition at different mole fractions of DPS were also computed. The fluorescence anisotropy (r) values of rhodamine B decreases with the increase of α-CD concentrations.     

Temperature effect on the ease of aggregation

The effect of temperature on the critical aggregate concentration (CAgC) has been investigated for the first time, by measurement of the hydrolytic rate constants of p-nitrophenyl dodecanoate (C12) and hexadecanoate (C16) at different temperatures in the 30:70 V/V (Φ=0.30) and 40:60 V/V (Φ= 0.40) dioxane (DX)-H2O systems. The CAgC values of C12 and C16 increase with the increase of the temperature, i.e., high temperatures disfavor aggregation. Activation energies for the hydrolysis of C12 in the monomeric and aggregated concentration domains have also been discussed.     

Effects of heat treatment on the aggregation and charging of Stöber-type silica

Measuring and modeling the surface charge of clays, and more especially smectites, has become an important issue in the use of bentonites as a waste confinement material aimed at retarding migration of water and solutes. Therefore, many studies of the acid-base properties of montmorillonite have appeared recently in the literature, following older studies principally devoted to cation exchange. It is striking that beyond the consensus about the complex nature of the surface charge of clays, there are many discrepancies, especially concerning the dissociable charge, that prevents intercomparison among the published data. However, a general trend is observed regarding the absence of common intersection point on raw titration curves at different ionic strengths. Analysis of the literature shows that these discrepancies originate from the experimental procedures for the preparation of the clays and for the quantification of their surface charge. The present work is an attempt to understand how these procedures can impact the final results. Three critical operations can be identified as having significant effects on the surface properties of the studied clays. The first one is the preparation of purified clay from the raw material: the use of acid or chelation treatments, and the repeated washings in deionized water result in partial dissolution of the clays. Then storage of the purified clay in dry or wet conditions strongly influences the equilibria in the subsequent experiments respectively by precipitation or enhanced dissolution. The third critical operation is the quantification of the surface charge by potentiometric titration, which requires the use of strong acids and bases. As a consequence, besides dissociation of surface sites, many secondary titrant consuming reactions were described in the literature, such as cation exchange, dissolution, hydrolysis, or precipitation. The cumulated effects make it difficult to derive proper dissociation constants, and to build adequate models. The inadequation of the classical surface complexation models to describe the acid-base behavior of clays is illustrated by the electrokinetic behavior of smectites, which is independent from the pH and the ionic strength. Therefore, there is still a need on one hand for accurate data recorded in controlled conditions, and on the other hand for new models taking into account the complex nature of the charge of clays.     

Molecular organization and aggregation of mucin at air–water interface in the presence of chromium(III) complexes

The interfacial organization of mucin (glycoprotein) in the presence of chromium(III) complexes has been assessed from the surface pressure–molecular area (π–A) isotherms in Langmuir films at air–water interface and the surface energy of their LB films through contact angle measurements. At pH 7.0, the electrostatic interaction of [Cr(en)₃]Cl₃ with mucin was found to bring about changes in the average surface area from 3.26 to 1.47 nm²; suggesting the possible formation of large aggregates of mucin. Adsorption experiments using surface potential measurements reveal that [Cr(en)₃]Cl₃ binds at a much faster rate to the available binding sites in mucin when compared to [Cr(salen)(H₂O)₂](ClO₄) which binds coordinatively to mucin.     

Lattice interactions and aggregation in solution—can the two be related?

Comparison is made of the crystal structures of two different solvates of a molecule containing both H-bond donor and acceptor sites, which is found either as a monomer or a hexamer. The solid state features are analysed with respect to the behaviour seen in solutions in the same solvents as found in the crystal lattices. Dimethylsulfoxide appears to be particularly effective in preventing aggregation not only through H-bond acceptance but also through contacts at S which may block H-bond acceptor sites adjacent to donors.     

Identification of [PtCl2(phen)] binding modes in amyloid-β peptide and the mechanism of aggregation inhibition

Platinum phenanthroline complexes inhibit amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation and reduce Aβ-caused neurotoxicity [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 2008, 105, 6813-6818]. In this study, we investigated the interactions of Aβ(1-16) with [PtCl(2)(phen)] (phen=1,10-phenanthroline) using HPLC, ESI-MS, and NMR spectroscopy , and characterized the identity of products using tandem mass spectrometry. Results indicated that the phenanthroline ligand could induce noncovalent interactions between Aβ peptide and platinum complexes, leading to rapid Aβ platination. Multiple products were generated in the reaction, in which His6/His14 chelation was preferentially formed. Coordination of Asp7, His13, and Lys16 was also detected in other products. The majority of products were monoplatinated adducts with binding of the {Pt(phen)} scaffold, which impeded intermolecular interactions between Aβ peptides. Moreover, noncovalent interactions were confirmed by the interaction between Aβ peptide and [Pt(phen)(2)]Cl(2). The synergistic roles of the phen ligand and platinum(II) atom in the inhibition of Aβ aggregation are discussed.     

Modulation of the aggregation behaviour and physicochemical properties of 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide in aqueous solutions by β-CD

The modulation of aggregation behaviour of ionic liquids (ILs) in aqueous media is one of the important research topics. In the present work, aggregation behaviour of 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C₁₂mim]Br) modulated by beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) has been investigated by using conductivity, volume, fluorescence, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The results suggested that the addition of β-CD significantly affects the aggregation of [C₁₂mim]Br in aqueous solutions. For example, the apparent critical micelle concentration increases with the increase of β-CD concentration; the average micellar size reduced with the increasing concentration of β-CD, and the process for micelle formation of [C₁₂mim]Br in aqueous β-CD solution is driven by entropy at lower temperature, while driven by enthalpy at higher temperature. It is expected that findings in this study would shed light on the potential applications of IL in supramolecular chemistry.     

Remarkable difference of phospholipid molecular chirality in regulating PrP aggregation and cell responses

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases that can cause severe dementia.The misfolding and accumulation of the prion peptide (Pr P)_106–126is crucial,and this process is closely relevant to biological membranes.However,how Pr P_106–126aggregation is affected by the molecular chirality of phospholipid membrane is unknown.Thus,in this study,a pair of L-and D-aspartic acid (Asp)-modified 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn–glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE) were synthesized to const...     

Correlation Analysis of the Runoff of the Rivers and the Seisms in China

In recent hundred years the annual discharge variations of the Changjiang River (represented by the Yichang station) and the Huanghe River (represented by Shanxian and Tangnaihe, respectively) have closely related to the geographical distribution of the earthquakes coming about in China in the same year, Both the occurrence of the destructive seism or seismic swarm in the river basins and the disappearance of the shocks in the east and south of the basins are the conditions that the Changjiang and Huanghe Rivers are the high flow while that the strong earthquake of magnitude 7 or more occurred in North China is the condition for the Changjiang low flow year and that of 6 or more in the Qilian Mountains area is for the Huanghe River. In the latter part of this paper, a 2-year sample is given to explain that the conditions of the 2 rivers being high flow years are that the north-south seismic belt is active and in the meanwhile no seism occurred in South China, and those of the low flow year are that the     

AFM study on the adsorption and aggregation behavior of dissolved humic substances on mica

Humic substances (HS) are a category of naturally occurring, biogenic, heterogeneous organic materials found in or extracted from soils, sediments, and natu- ral waters that can generally be characterized as being yellow-to-black in color, of highly variable relative molecular masses, and refractory[1,2]. Derived from a variety of organic precursors (plant biopolymers such as lignin etc.), plant residues and animal debris via both transformation and synthesis processes[3] under the profound ge…     

Effects of additives on the aggregation of surfactants: binding domination

The effects of electrolytes, alcohols, and urea on the aggregation of SDS, CTAB, and TritonX-100 at 25℃ have been investigated by fluorescence probing of pyrene. Both electrolytes and alcoholsreduce the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the ionic surfactants, while the effect of the former ismore pronounced. It is shown that the effects of electrolytes mainly depend on the concentrationsand especially the valence of the opposite charge ions, and only slightly depend on the same charge ionsin respect of ion aggregate of micelle. The logarithm of CMC is not linearly correlated with theconcentrations of the counter ion or the electrolytes. The results are rationalized in terms of Hartley'smodel. Propanol increases the CMC of TX-100, while electrolytes and urea do not. In all the threekinds of surfactant micelles the excitation spectrum of pyrene slightly red-shifts (ca. 4 nm) from thatin water, but is not affected by the additives. The micropolarity of the environment in which pyrenemolecule resides in SDS micelle decreases with the increase of the concentrations of electrolytes. Thisis not the case when alcohols and urea were added to SDS or to TX-100. It is suggested that theaddition of electrolytes would result in more orderly orientation of SDS molecules. It is the bindingstrength of the counter ions that dominates the effects of additives on the aggregation of surfactants.     

Premicellar aggregation in water–salt solutions of sodium alkyl sulfonates and dodecyl sulfate

The features of premicellar aggregation in aqueous solutions of sodium n-octyl, n-nonyl, and n-decyl sulfonate, as well as sodium n-dodecyl sulfate, at a constant ionic strength maintained by adding NaCl are studied by potentiometry using modified ion-selective electrodes reversible with respect to the ions of these surfactants. For the studied surfactants, the critical micelle concentrations are refined, the compositions of the products of premicellar aggregation are determined, and the stability constants of aggregates are evaluated.     

Manifestation of the Even–Odd Effect in the Spectral Properties of Solvated Electron and in the Probability of Positronium Formation in Alcohols

A change in the energy E _max of the solvated electron, which corresponds to the maximum intensity of its optical absorption spectrum in the homologous series of alcohols seems to be alternating in character. The effect is retained upon elevation of pressure up to 2 kbar but disappears in alcohols frozen at 77 K. Probably, the effect also holds for amines. The alternating character of variation is also observed for the intensity Y ₁ of the narrow components of the angular spectrum of -photons generated upon positron annihilation in alcohols and normal alkanes. The nature of alternation of E _max is associated with the mutual elimination of electric fields induced by the dipole moments of two neighboring CH₂ groups in each solvent molecule, including also the molecules forming the solvation shell of an excess electron. That fact that the E _max value correlates to Y ₁ led to the conclusion that Y ₁, rather than the intensity I ₃ of the long-lived component of the annihilation time spectrum generally used for the purpose, more adequately characterizes the positronium formation probability.     

Investigation of aggregation in solvent extraction of lanthanides by acidic extractants (organo-phosphorus and naphthenic acid)

Three acidic extractants (Ⅰ) di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP),(Ⅱ) 2-ethylhexyl phos-phonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (KEHPEHE) and (Ⅲ) naphthenic acid were employed in preparing the samples for the characterization of the coordination structure of lanthanlde-extractant complexes and the physicochemical nature of aggregates formed in the organic diluent of the solvent extraction systems.Photo correlation spectroscopy (PCS) re-suits on the aggregates formed by the partially saponified HDEHP in n -heptane showed that the hydrodynamic radius of the aggregates was comparable to the molecular dimensions of HDEHP.The addition of 2-octanol into the diluent,by which the mixed solvent was formed,increased the dimensions of the corresponding aggregates.Aggregates formed from the ianthamde ions and HDEHP in the organic phase of the extraction systems were found very unstable.In the case of naphthenic acid,PCS data showed the formation of w/o microemulsion from the saponified naphthenic acid in the mix     

Inclusion Complexation of Carbaryl and β-Cyclodextrin in Solution and in the Solid State

This study was carried out with the aim ofinvestigating the interactions between-cyclodextrin and carbaryl, a carbamatepesticide, and their effect on some physico-chemicalproperties of carbaryl, such as aqueous solubility andlipophilicity. The interactions between carbaryl and-cyclodextrin were thoroughly investigated bothin solution and in the solid state. The effect of-cyclodextrin on the aqueous solubility ofcarbaryl was evaluated by the phase solubility method.The amount of carbaryl dissolved increased linearlywith the addition of -cyclodextrin according toan A_L type plot and without precipitation of thecomplex. The apparent stability constant of thecomplex was 289 ± 21 M^-1, assuming a 1 : 1stoichiometry; this value was confirmed by a methodbased on circular dichroism measurements.Equimolar carbaryl/-cyclodextrin solid systemswere prepared by physical-mixing and freeze-drying,and fully characterised by Differential ScanningCalorimetry, X-ray powder diffractometry and FourierTransform Infra-Red analysis. The results of the solidstate study demonstrated that the freeze-drying methodyields a system with a high degree of amorphisationand yields an inclusion complex.The dissolution profile of the pesticide was affectedby the physico-chemical properties of each solidsystem, the freeze-dried form dissolving more rapidly. However, the physical association of-cyclodextrin and carbaryl enhanced the aqueoussolubility of the insecticide as well.