Micelles with highly branched nanoporous interior: Solution properties and binding capabilities of amphiphilic copolymers with linear dendritic architecture

This article describes the solution behavior of model amphiphilic linear‐dendritic ABA block copolymers that self‐assemble in aqueous media and form micelles with highly branched nanoporous cores. The materials investigated are constructed of poly(ethylene glycol), PEG, with molecular weight 5,000 or 11,000 as the water‐soluble B block and poly(benzyl ether) monodendrons [G] of second and third generation as the hydrophobic A fragments. The process of self‐assembly in aqueous media and the character of the micellar core are investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy using pyrene as the molecular probe. The data obtained by different methods indicate that the critical micelle concentrations (cmc) for these systems are between 1.1 × 10⁻⁵ and 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L for [G‐2]‐PEG5000‐[G‐2] and between 7.08 × 10⁻⁶ and 7.94 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L for [G‐3]‐PEG11000‐[G‐3]. It is found that the ratio of the first and third vibronic bands (I₁/I₃ ) in the fluorescence spectrum of the encapsulated pyrene changes from 1.77 to 1.32 when the concentration of [G‐2]‐PEG5000‐[G‐2] increases from 1.1 × 10⁻⁶ mol/L to 1.1 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L. For [G‐3]‐PEG11000‐[G‐3] these changes are between 1.77 and 1.17 in the same concentration range. The hybrid copolymers form host‐guest complexes with several polyaromatic compounds (phenanthrene, pyrene, perylene and fullerene, C₆₀) that are stable over extended periods of time (more than 12 months). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2711–2727, 2000     

Preparation of Albumin Microspheres Grafted Galactose Residues Through Polyethylene-Glycol Spacers,Release Behavior of 5-Fluorouracil from Them,and Their Lectin-Mediated Aggregation

Small-sized albumin gel microspheres, MSs, containing 5-fluorouracil (5FU) with targeting moieties on their surfaces (average diameter: 1.5 μm) were prepared by the glutaraldehyde crosslinking method and suspension technique. Since galactose is known to interact specifically with the asialoglycoprotein receptor on hepato-cyte, the galactose residues were introduced on the surface of MSs as the targeting moieties for hepatoma through polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacers. PEG spacers were employed to depress the immu-nogenicity of albumin, to keep the mobility of the galactose residues, and to heighten the distributive stability of the MSs in aqueous solution. It was confirmed by ESC A analysis that the PEG chains were introduced onto the surfaces of MSs. The amount of galactose residues introduced to MS were estimated to be 0.013 wt%. The intra-MSs aggregation was observed by the addition of Ricinus Communis Agglutinin I (RCA120) into the MS suspension, and then the aggregation of MSs was dissociated by addition of free lactose. Moreover, by incubation of the MSs with human hepatoma HLE cells, the phenomena of MS's specific binding onto HLE cell surfaces and phagocytosis of MSs by HLE cells were observed. These results suggested that the galactose residues on the surface of MSs were recognized with the galactose receptors on hepatoma cell surfaces. The release rate of 5FU from MSs was investigated in vitro in physiological saline at 37OC. About 90% of encapsulated 5FU were found to be released from MSs through incubation for 8 h.     

Comparative study of paclitaxel physically encapsulated in and chemically conjugated with PEG‐PLA

Paclitaxel‐loaded poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(l ‐lactide (LA)) (PEG‐PLA) micelles were prepared by two methods. One is physical encapsulation of paclitaxel in micelles composed of a PEG‐PLA block copolymer and the other is based on a PEG‐PLA–paclitaxel conjugate, abbreviated as “conjugate micelles”. Their physicochemical characteristics, e.g. critical micelle concentration (CMC), morphology, and micelle size distribution were then evaluated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results show that the CMC of PEG‐PLA–paclitaxel and PEG‐PLA are 6.31 × 10^?4 and 1.78 × 10^?3 g L^?1, respectively. Both micelles assume a spherical shape with comparable diameters and have unimodal size distribution. Moreover, invitro drug delivery behavior was studied by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antitumor activity of the paclitaxel‐loaded micelles against human liver cancer H7402 cells was evaluated by 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. The conjugate micelles show a lower burst release during the initial stage and higher accumulative release amount of paclitaxel after a period of time while the encapsulated ones behave in the opposite way. Both the paclitaxel‐loaded micelles showed comparable anticancer efficacy with the free drug. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Lactulose Bienzyme Biosensor Based on Self‐Assembled Monolayer Modified Electrodes

A bienzyme biosensor in which the enzymes β‐galactosidase (β‐Gal), fructose dehydrogenase (FDH), and the mediator tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) were coimmobilized by cross‐linking with glutaraldehyde atop a 3‐mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) self‐assembled monolayer on a gold disk electrode, is reported. The working conditions selected were E_app=+0.10 V and (25±1) °C. The useful lifetime of one single TTF‐β‐Gal‐FDH‐MPA‐AuE was surprisingly long, 81 days. A linear calibration plot was obtained for lactulose over the 3.0×10^?5–1.0×10^?3 mol L^?1 concentration range, with a limit of detection of 9.6×10^?6 mol L^?1. The effect of potential interferents (lactose, glucose, galactose, sucrose, and ascorbic acid) on the biosensor response was evaluated. The behavior of the SAM‐based biosensor in flow‐injection systems in connection with amperometric detection was tested. The analytical usefulness of the biosensor was evaluated by determining lactulose in a pharmaceutical preparation containing a high lactulose concentration, and in different types of milk. Finally, the analytical characteristics of the TTF‐β‐Gal‐FDH‐MPA‐AuE are critically compared with those reported for other recent enzymatic determinations of lactulose.     

Peptide‐poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) conjugate into composite micelles in organic solvents versus peptide‐poly(methacrylic acid) conjugate into spherical and worm‐like micelles in water: Synthesis and self‐assembly

Peptide–polymer conjugates are versatile class of biomaterials composed of a peptide block covalently linked with a synthetic polymer block. This report demonstrates the synthesis of peptide‐poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) (Peptide‐P^tBMA) conjugates of varying molecular weights via a “grafting from” atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique using as‐synthesized peptide‐based initiator in toluene. Peptide‐P^tBMA conjugate is soluble in many organic solvents and undergoes self‐assembly into micro/nanospheres in DMF/THF as observed from both FESEM and DLS results. The conjugate micro/nanospheres are nothing but the composite micelles formed by the secondary aggregation of primary micelles generated initially in these organic solvents. The hydrolysis of tert‐butyl groups of Peptide‐P^tBMA conjugate leads to the formation of peptide‐poly(methacrylic acid) (Peptide‐PMA) conjugate. The circular dichroism (CD) analysis exhibits the presence of β‐sheet conformation of peptide moiety in synthesized conjugates. The formed Peptide‐PMA conjugate is soluble in water and owing to its amphiphilic character, the conjugate molecules self‐assemble into spherical micelles as well as worm‐like micelles upon increasing the concentration of conjugate in water. However, the sodium salt of Peptide‐PMA conjugates (Peptide‐PMAS) self‐assembles into only spherical swollen micelles in water at higher (pH ～10). The critical aggregation concentrations (CACs) of both Peptide‐PMA and Peptide‐PMAS micelles are measured by fluorescence spectroscopy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3019–3031     

Preparation of polymeric nanoparticles composed of cholic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) end‐capped with a sugar moiety

An amphiphilic polymeric conjugate was synthesized from cholic acid and a diamine‐terminated poly(ethylene glycol) containing a galactose moiety (abbreviated as LEC). The LEC conjugate was characterized by FT‐IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Investigations using fluorescent probes suggest that the LEC conjugate may associate in water to form core‐shell type nanoparticles. The critical association concentration (CAC) value of these conjugates was estimated to be 0.05 g/L. The LEC nanoparticles were spherical with diameters of around 10 to 30 nm.     

Cellular Evaluation of Synthesized Insulin/Transferrin Bioconjugates for Oral Insulin Delivery Using Intelligent Complexation Hydrogels

Insulin transport across the epithelial cell layer in the small intestine was studied using insulin/transferrin conjugates with and without the presence of P(MAA‐g‐EG) microparticles in contact with a co‐culture of Caco‐2/HT29‐MTX cells. The insulin/transferrin conjugate was shown to increase transport relative to pure insulin by a factor of 7, achieving an apparent permeability of 37 × 10⁹ cm · s^?1. The presence of P(MAA‐g‐EG) microparticles increased conjugate transport by a factor of 14 times relative to insulin, achieving an apparent permeability of 72.8 × 10⁹ cm · s^?1. The presence of the microparticles in solution was found to improve conjugate transport by nearly 100% with little to no change in cell monolayer integrity.

     

Simultaneous Determination of Dopamine and Ascorbic Acid Using the Nano‐Gold Self‐Assembled Glassy Carbon Electrode

Electrochemical behavior of dopamine (DA) was investigated at the gold nanoparticles self‐assembled glassy carbon electrode (GNP/LC/GCE), which was fabricated by self‐assembling gold nanoparticles on the surface of L ‐cysteine (LC) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via successive cyclic voltammetry (CV). A pair of well‐defined redox peaks of DA on the GNP/LC/GCE was obtained at E_pa=0.197 V and E_pc=0.146 V, respectively. And the peak separation between DA and AA is about 0.2 V, which is enough for simultaneous determination of DA and AA. The peak currents of DA and AA were proportional with their concentrations in the range of 6.0×10^?8–8.5×10^?5 mol L^?1 and 1.0×10^?6–2.5×10^?3 mol L^?1, with the detection limit of 2.0×10^?8 mol L^?1 and 3.0×10^?7 mol L^?1 (S/N=3), respectively. The modified electrode exhibits an excellent reproducibility, sensibility and stability for simultaneous determination of DA and AA in human serum with satisfactory result.     

Synthesis of High‐Molar Mass Arborescent‐Branched Polyglycidol via Sequential Grafting

A multiple grafting technique was used to synthesize arborescent‐branched high‐molecular mass poly(2,3‐epoxypropan‐1‐ol). In the first step, linear polyglycidol (M̄_n = 10 300) was obtained. Some of the hydroxyl groups were transformed into alcoholate anions in a reaction with potassium tert‐butoxide, and the obtained polyanion was used to initiate the polymerization of 1‐ethoxyethyl glycidyl ether, the glycidol having a protected hydroxyl group. Removing the protecting groups yielded polyglycidol‐graft‐polyglycidol. This procedure was repeated twice to give three generations of comb‐burst branched polyglycidol chains with M̄_n of 8.2×10⁴, 7.4×10⁵ and 1.8×10⁶.     

Simultaneous Determination of Dopamine and Ascorbic Acid at an In‐Site Functionalized Self‐Assembled Monolayer on Gold Electrode

The in‐site functionalization of 4‐aminothiophenol (4‐ATP) self‐assembled monolayer on gold electrode at physiological pH yields a redox active monolayer of 4′‐mercapto‐N‐phenylquinone diimine (MNPD). The functionalized electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic responses towards dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA), reducing the overpotentials by about 0.22 V and 0.34 V, respectively, with greatly enhanced current responses. Due to its different catalytic activities toward DA and AA, the modified electrode resolves the overlapping voltammetric responses of DA and AA into two well‐defined voltammetric peaks by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), which can be used for the simultaneous determination of these species in a mixture. The catalytic peak current obtained from DPV was linearly related to DA and AA concentration in the ranges of 5.0×10^?6?1.25×10^?4 M and 8.0×10^?6?1.3×10^?4 M with correlation coefficient of 0.999 and 0.998, respectively. The detective limits (3σ) for DA and AA were found to be 1.2×10^?6 M and 2.4×10^?6 M, respectively. The modified electrode shows good sensitivity, selectivity and stability, and has been applied to the determination of DA and AA simultaneously in samples with satisfactory results.     

Synthesis and Structural Analysis of Aspergillus fumigatus Galactosaminogalactans Featuring α‐Galactose, α‐Galactosamine and α‐N‐Acetyl Galactosamine Linkages

Galactosaminogalactan (GAG) is a prominent cell wall component of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. GAG is a heteropolysaccharide composed of α‐1,4‐linked galactose, galactosamine and N‐acetylgalactosamine residues. To enable biochemical studies, a library of GAG‐fragments was constructed featuring specimens containing α‐galactose‐, α‐galactosamine and α‐N‐acetyl galactosamine linkages. Key features of the synthetic strategy include the use of di‐tert‐butylsilylidene directed α‐galactosylation methodology and regioselective benzoylation reactions using benzoyl‐hydroxybenzotriazole (Bz‐OBt). Structural analysis of the Gal, GalN and GalNAc oligomers by a combination of NMR and MD approaches revealed that the oligomers adopt an elongated, almost straight, structure, stabilized by inter‐residue H‐bonds, one of which is a non‐conventional C?H???O hydrogen bond between H5 of the residue (i+1) and O3 of the residue (i). The structures position the C‐2 substituents almost perpendicular to the oligosaccharide main chain axis, pointing to the bulk solvent and available for interactions with antibodies or other binding partners.     

Structural Elucidation and Antitumor Activity of Polysaccharide AMP-1 from Atractyloids macrocephalae K.

A polysaccharide named as AMP‐1 was isolated from the root of Atractylodis macrocephalae Koidz, and purified by ethanol fractionation and gel filtration. The homogeneity of AMP‐1 was determined by HPLC and capillary electrophoresis that gave a single peak. AMP‐1 is composed of galactose and mannose in a molar ratio of 1.0:1.9. Its molecular weight is 3.8 × 10³. The structure of ghycan was elucidated by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and methylation analysis, and on the basis of the results was suggested that AMP‐1 contain a backbone of β. (1–2)‐D‐galactose residues with branches of single β‐D‐mannose residue being substituted at the O‐6. Bioactivity assay of AMP‐1 showed that it could inhibit growth of Sarcoma 180 and Lewis pulmonary carcinoma implanted in mice.     

Unexpected Formation of A 4,6-O-Propylidene Derivative from Galactose and Allyl Alcohol in the Presence of AmberlystR15

Abstract

Allyl ethers are convenient and widely used protecting groups in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry.² One of the attractive reactions of the allyl ether group is its ready isomerization into a prop-1-enyl ether function under basic or metal-mediated conditions.^2-4 In our research projects to extend galactosyltransferase reactions to the enzymic syntheses of βGal 1,1-linked sugars,⁵ 1-O-allyl galactopyranoside was needed as a key synthetic intermediate. Anhydrous cation exchange resin (Amberlyst^R15:Rohm & Haas Co.) was chosen as the acidic catalyst owing to its ease of handling and removal. In this paper we report an unexpected result of this reaction which gave allyl 4,6-O-propylidene galactopyranoside from galactose and Amberlyst in refluxing allyl alcohol.

On treatment of galactose (200 mg) and Amberlyst (100 mg) in allyl alcohol (5 mL) at 100–110 °C, TLC analysis (silica gel, acetonitrile:water, 10:1) indicated that the allyl glycosylation was completed within 15 min, affording allyl D-galactopyranoside.     

Electrochemical Preparation and Characterization of Neodymium Hexacyanoferrate and Its Application

A novel route for the fabrication of neodymium hexacyanoferrate (NdHCF) modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) was proposed. The morphological characterization of NdHCF was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR). The performances of the NdHCF/GCE were characterized with cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammograms (DPV). The modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic effect and high stability toward the electrochemical oxidation of dopamine (DA) in phosphate buffer solution (pH 5.5) with a diminution of the anodic overpotential of 155 mV. The anodic peak currents increased linearly with the concentration of DA from 5.0×10^?7 to 6.0×10^?4 M with a detection limit of 1.0×10^?8 M (S/N=3). The most important is that the modified electrode could be used for the determination of DA in the presence of an ascorbic acid concentration as large as 100‐fold that of DA. The proposed method was used to determine DA in DA‐hydrochloride injection and showed excellent sensitivity and recovery. The ease of fabrication, high stability, and low cost of the modified electrode are the promising features of the proposed sensor.     

Rapid separation of polysaccharides using a novel spiral coil column by high‐speed countercurrent chromatography

The separation of polysaccharides is time consuming. We developed and optimized a type‐J counter‐current chromatography system with a novel tri‐rotor spiral coil column for the rapid separation of polysaccharides. The optimal composition of an aqueous PEG1000/K₂HPO₄/KH₂PO₄ system was found to be 14:16:14 w/w/w where the lower phase was the mobile phase. Optimal performance was achieved at a column rotational speed, temperature, and flow rate of 1200 rpm, 45°C, and 3.0 mL/min, respectively. The mobile phase was pumped from the inner terminal in a ‘‘head‐to‐tail’’ elution mode. Polysaccharide LCP‐1 (10.7 mg) was successfully obtained in high purity in one step from 50.0 mg of a crude polysaccharide extracted from the lychee fruit (Litchi chinensis) within 100 min. LCP‐1 possess a number‐average molecular weight and weight‐average molecular weight of 1.05 × 10⁵ and 1.59 × 10⁵ kDa, respectively. The monosaccharide composition consists of the molar ratio of glucose, galactose, and arabinose of 1.3:3.5:1.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel biodegradable unsaturated poly(ester amide)/poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate hydrogels

A series of novel biodegradable hydrogels were designed and synthesized from four types of unsaturated poly(ester amide) (UPEA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG‐DA) precursors by UV photocrosslinking. These newly synthesized biodegradable UPEA/PEG‐DA hydrogels were characterized by their gel fraction (G_f), equilibrium swelling ratio (Q_eq), compressive modulus, and interior morphology. The effect of the precursor feed ratio (UPEAs to PEG‐DA) on the properties of the hydrogels was also studied. The incorporation of UPEA polymers into the PEG‐DA hydrogels increased their hydrophobicity, crosslinking density (denser network), and mechanical strength (higher compressive modulus) but reduced Q_eq. When different types of UPEA precursors were coupled with PEG‐DA at the same feed ratio (20 wt %), the resulting hydrogels had similar Q_eq values and porous three‐dimensional interior morphologies but different G_f and compressive modulus values. These differences in the hydrogel properties were correlated to the chemical structures of the UPEA precursors; that is, the different locations of the >C?C< double bonds in individual UPEA segments resulted in their different reactivities toward PEG‐DA to form hydrogels. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3932–3944, 2005     

Electrochemical Characterization of Gold 6‐Amino‐2‐mercaptobenzothiazole Self‐Assembled Monolayer for Dopamine Detection in Pharmaceutical Samples

A new sensor, gold‐6‐amino‐2‐mercaptobenzothiazole (6A2MBT), was fabricated via a self‐assembly procedure. Electrochemical properties of the monolayer were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The modified electrode showed excellent antifouling property against the oxidation products of DA, allowed us to construct a dynamic calibration curve with two linear parts, 1.00×10^?6 to 3.72×10^?4 and 3.72×10^?4 to 6.42×10^?4 M DA, with correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.992 and a detection limit of 1.57×10^?7 M DA by using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), respectively. Finally, the performance of the Au‐6A2MBT modified electrode was successfully tested for electrochemical detection of DA in a pharmaceutical sample.     

Polysaccharides of Fabaceae. VI. Galactomannans from seeds of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Astragalus alpinus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">A. tibetanus</Emphasis>

Galactomannans with galactose:mannose ratios 1:1.48 and 1:1.33, [α]_D +67.9 and +76.4°, [η] 870.3 and 1337.1 mL/g, and molecular weights 999 and 1549 kDa, respectively, were isolated in 0.59 and 4.65% yields (of seed mass) from seeds of Astragalus alpinus and A. tibetanus (Fabaceae). Physicochemical methods (CrO₃ oxidation; methylation–GC/MS; IR, NMR, and ¹³C spectroscopy) found that the main polysaccharide chain consisted of 1,4-β-D-mannopyranose units substituted 67.5% (A. alpinus) and 75.2% (A. tibetanus) at the C-6 position by single α -D-galactopyranose units. The contents of mannobiose blocks Man–Man, (Gal)Man–Man/Man–Man(Gal), and (Gal)Man–Man(Gal) variously substituted with galactose were according to ¹³C NMR spectroscopy 15.9, 55.5, and 28.6% in A. alpinus galactomannan and 9.9, 42.3, and 47.8% in A. tibetanus galactomannan.     

Synthesis and characterization of a series of biodegradable and biocompatible PEG‐supported poly(lactic‐ran‐glycolic acid) amphiphilic barbell‐like copolymers

A series of multihydroxyl (2, 4, and 8) terminated poly(ethylene glycol)s and their biodegradable, biocompatible, and branched barbell‐like (PLGA)_n‐b‐PEG‐b‐(PLGA)_n (n = 1, 2, 4) copolymers have been synthesized. The lengths of the PLGA arms were varied by controlling the molar ratio of monomers to hydroxyl groups of PEG ([LA+GA]₀/[? OH]₀ = 23, 45, 90). Chemical structures of synthesized barbell‐like copolymers were confirmed by both ¹H and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopies. Molecular weights were determined by ¹H‐NMR end‐group analysis and gel permeation chromatography. The result of hydrolytic degradation indicated that the rate of degradation increased with the increase of arm numbers or with the decrease of arm lengths. The thermal properties were evaluated by using differential scanning calorimetry and a thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicated that the thermal properties of barbell‐like copolymers depended on the structural variations. The morphology of (PLGA)_n‐PEG‐(PLGA)_n copolymers self‐assembly films were investigated by atomic force microscope, the results indicated that the microphase separation existed in (PLGA)_n‐PEG‐(PLGA)_n copolymers. Because of the favorable biodegradability and biocompatibility of the PLGA and PEG, these results may therefore create new possibilities for these novel structural amphiphilic barbell‐like copolymers as potential biomaterials. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3802–3812, 2008     

Electrocatalysis and Voltammetric Determination of Dopamine at a Calix[4]arene Crown‐4 Ether Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

A sensitive and selective electrochemical method for the determination of dopamine (DA) was developed using a calix[4]arene crown‐4 ether (CACE) film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE).The modified electrode exhibited good electrocatalytic activity for electrochemical oxidation of DA in the pH 6.00 Britton–Robinson buffer solution, and ascorbic acid (AA) did not interfere with it. The diffusion coefficient (D=2.7×10^?5 cm² s^?1), and the kinetic parameter such as the electron transfer coefficient (α=0.54) of DA at the surface of CACE were determined using electrochemical approaches. The catalytic oxidation peak currents showed a linear dependence on the DA concentration and a linear analytical curve was obtained in the range of 2.0×10^?5–1.0×10^?3 M of DA with a correlation coefficient of 0.9990. The detection limit (S/N=3) was estimated to be 3.4×10^?6 M. This method was also examined for the determination of DA in an injection sample. In addition, effects of possible interferences were investigated. The present work shows the potential of the proposed method for the fabrication of a modified electrode, as it can be effectively used for voltammetric detection of DA.