Interactions of beta-lactoglobulin with sodium decylsulfonate, decyltriethylammonium bromide, and their mixtures

The interactions of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) with anionic surfactant sodium decylsulfonate (C10SO3), cationic surfactant decyltriethylammonium bromide (C10NE), and the mixtures of cationic-anionic surfactants (C10NE-C10SO3) were investigated by circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence methods. At pH 7.0, C10NE and the C10NE-rich surfactant mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 could form precipitates with BLG, while C10SO3, equimolar mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3, or C10SO3-rich mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 form homogeneous solutions with BLG. CD observed that both C10NE and C10SO3 could change the BLG structure. The effects of the mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 on BLG structure depended on the ratio of C10NE to C10SO3. The C10NE-rich or the C10SO3-rich mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 could significantly affect BLG structure, while the equimolar mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 exhibited weaker interaction with BLG. Fluorescence measurements showed that both C10NE and C10SO3 could induce the enhancement of fluorescence of BLG, and C10NE enhanced the BLG fluorescence more than C10SO3 did. The effect of the mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 on the fluorescence of BLG became stronger with the increase of the molar fraction of C10NE in C10NE-C10SO3 mixtures.     

Interaction between bovine serum albumin and equimolarly mixed cationic-anionic surfactants decyltriethylammonium bromide-sodium decyl sulfonate

The interactions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with the anionic surfactant sodium decylsulfonate (C10SO3), the cationic surfactant decyltriethylammonium bromide (C10NE) and equimolarly mixed cationic-anionic surfactants C10NE-C10SO3 were investigated by surface tension, viscosity, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and circular dichroism (CD). It was shown that the single ionic surfactant C10SO3 or C10NE has obvious interaction with BSA. The presence of C10SO3 or C10NE modified BSA structure. However, the equimolarly mixed cationic-anionic surfactants C10NE-C10SO3 showed very weak interactions with BSA. The surface tension-log concentration (gamma-logC) plot for the aqueous solutions of C10NE-C10SO3/BSA mixtures coincided with that of C10NE-C10SO3 solutions. Viscometry showed that there is no significant change in the rheological properties for the C10NE-C10SO3/BSA mixed solutions. DLS showed that BSA monomers and mixed aggregates of C10NE-C10SO3 existed in the C10NE-C10SO3/BSA mixed solutions. From CD spectra no obvious modification of BSA structure in the presence of C10NE-C10SO3 mixtures was observed. The weak interactions between BSA and C10NE-C10SO3 might be explained in terms of the very low critical micelle concentration (cmc) of C10NE-C10SO3 mixtures that made the concentration of ionic surfactant monomers much lower than that needed for inducing the modification of BSA structure. In other words, the very strong synergism between oppositely charged cationic and anionic surfactants makes the formation of cationic-anionic surfactant mixed aggregates in the bulk solution a more favorable process than binding to proteins.     

全氟丁基磺酸钠与辛基三乙基溴化铵的相互作用

通过测定辛基三乙基溴化铵(C8H17N(CH2CH3)3Br,C8NE)与全氟丁基磺酸钠(C4F9SO3Na,C4F)组成的不同混合比的碳氢-碳氟正负离子表面活性剂混合体系的表面张力,得到不同摩尔比时C8NEC4F体系的临界胶束浓度(cmc)、cmc处的表面张力(γcmc)、总饱和吸附量、不同表面张力时表面吸附层的组成,利用Gibbs-Duhem方程求得cmc处的胶团组成。 采用规则溶液理论计算了胶团中分子间相互作用参数(βm),并求得cmc以上的胶团组成。 实验表明,C8NEC4F复配体系的cmc远远小于单体系的cmc,这也体现在该体系的βm负值很大,胶团内分子相互作用很强。 但是C4F与C8NE复配后γcmc较C4F单体系的变化幅度不是特别大(γcmc降低2~4 mN/m),这是由于C8NEC4F碳链的不对称性导致部分C8NE的碳链在溶液表面弯曲而覆盖了C4F端基CF3基团。 表面吸附层中氟表面活性剂相对于本体溶液是富集的,即使对于C8NE大大过量的体系,表面吸附层组成也在等摩尔附近;对于C4F过量的体系,C4F在表面吸附层中的比例比溶液中的略高。 随着表面张力的降低,表面吸附层的组成相对更偏向于氟表面活性剂。 cmc处的胶团组成随着体系中C4F含量的增大偏向于形成显著富含C4F的胶团,对于C8NE大大过量的体系,胶团组成接近等摩尔。 cmc之后的胶团组成接近等摩尔,主要归因于此时静电相互作用占主导,这和溶液配制过程中发现复配体系超过cmc一定浓度后就易生成沉淀的现象是相符的。     

Complex coacervate core micelles with a lysozyme-modified corona

This paper describes the preparation, characterization, and enzymatic activity of complex coacervate core micelles (C3Ms) composed of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(N-methyl-2-vinyl pyridinium iodide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PQ2VP-PEO) to which the antibacterial enzyme lysozyme is end-attached. C3Ms were prepared by polyelectrolyte complex formation between PAA and mixtures containing different ratios of aldehyde and hydroxyl end-functionalized PQ2VP-PEO. This resulted in the formation of C3Ms containing 0-40% (w/w) of the aldehyde end-functionalized PQ2VP-PEO block copolymer (PQ2VP-PEO-CHO). Chemical conjugation of lysozyme was achieved via reductive amination of the aldehyde groups, which are exposed at the surface of the C3M, with the amine groups present in the side chains of the lysine residues of the protein. Dynamic and static light scattering indicated that the conjugation of lysozyme to C3Ms prepared using 10 and 20% (w/w) PQ2VP-PEO-CHO resulted in the formation of unimicellar particles. Multimicellar aggregates, in contrast, were obtained when lysozyme was conjugated to C3Ms prepared using 30 or 40% (w/w) PQ2VP-PEO-CHO. The enzymatic activity of the unimicellar lysozyme-C3M conjugates toward the hydrolysis of the bacterial substrate Micrococcus lysodeikticus was comparable to that of free lysozyme. For the multimicellar particles, in contrast, significantly reduced enzymatic rates of hydrolysis, altered circular dichroism, and red-shifted tryptophan fluorescence spectra were measured. These results are attributed to the occlusion of lysozyme in the interior of the multimicellar conjugates.     

Structure and function of proteins in hydrated choline dihydrogen phosphate ionic liquid

Ionic liquids are being intensely studied as promising media for the stabilization of proteins and other biomolecules. Choline dihydrogen phosphate (CDHP) has been identified as one of the most promising candidates for this application. In this work we have probed in more detail the effects that CDHP may have on the thermodynamics, structure, and stability of proteins, including one of therapeutic interest. Microcalorimetry and circular dichroism spectropolarimetry (CD) were used to assess the thermal stability of protein solutions in CDHP/water mixtures at various concentrations. Increasing thermal stability of lysozyme and interleukin-2 in proportion to CDHP concentration was observed. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to quantify binding interactions, and indicate that the mechanism for stability does not appear to be dependent upon CDHP binding to protein. CD and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses were used to probe for structural changes due to the presence of CDHP. SAXS indicates charge effects on the surface of the protein play a role in protein stability in ionic liquids, and no significant alteration of the overall tertiary conformation of lysozyme was observed at 25 °C. However, after incubation at 37 °C or at higher concentrations of CDHP, small changes in protein structure were seen. Effects on protein activity were monitored using turbidity assays, and CDHP decreases protein activity but does not eliminate it. Protein solubility was also monitored using a turbidity assay and was found to be inversely proportional to the concentration of CDHP in solution.     

聚氧乙烯与非等摩尔正负离子表面活性剂混合体系的相互作用

通过黏度、动态光散射和透射电镜方法研究了聚氧乙烯(PEO)对正负离子混合表面活性剂癸基磺酸钠(C₁₀SO₃)-癸基三乙基溴化铵(C₁₀NE)聚集体的影响. 实验结果表明, 加入PEO后, 非等摩尔C₁₀SO₃-C₁₀NE混合物的聚集体大小没有明显改变, 只有等摩尔混合物的聚集体发生了明显的长大, 且仍为囊泡, 说明PEO只对囊泡体系有显著的影响, 对胶团体系则没有明显的影响. 在接近等摩尔混合时, 混合体系中C₁₀SO₃与C₁₀NE过量程度相同的情况下, PEO对C₁₀NE过量的体系影响更大. PEO对囊泡体系的影响主要表现为PEO通过对囊泡的“空缺絮凝”作用(Depletion interaction)使囊泡长大, 而对于非等摩尔混合的胶团溶液, 由于胶团之间存在较强的静电排斥作用而无法发生聚集. PEO对C₁₀NE过量的体系影响更大, 主要是由于C10NE过量体系中的聚集体比C10SO3过量体系中的更接近于等摩尔组成.     

Surfactant diffusion through bicontinuous micellar networks: a case study of the C9G1/C10G1/H2O mixed surfactant system

Self-diffusion coefficients were obtained by means of NMR diffusometry for differing ratios of n-decyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C10G1) and n-nonyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C9G1) surfactant mixtures, along dilution lines through the micellar region of the ternary C9G1/C10G1/H2O phase diagram. Networks of bicontinuous micelles have been suggested to exist throughout the micellar regions of the phase diagram. A phase separation into two coexisting liquid solutions is observed in the dilute, C10G1-rich regions of the phase diagram. The fact that the dilution curves follow scaling relations pertaining to surfactant diffusion in a network for mixtures rich in C10G1 indicates that the phase separation is due to differences in the networks in different micellar regions of the phase diagram; networks remain largely intact despite dilution down to the phase separation in the C10G1-rich region, whereas networks with scissions are predicted to exist in the C9G1-rich regions of the micellar phase.     

Biomacromolecular affinity: Interactions between lysozyme and regioselectively sulfated chitosan

It is well known that the sulfate groups on different positions in polysaccharides play important roles in protein adsorption. However, the interactions between sulfated chitosans and lysozyme have not been clearly elucidated. In this study, the regioselectively sulfated chitosans, 6-O-sulfated chitosan (C6S), 2-N-6-O-sulfated chitosan (C26S) and 3,6-O-sulfated chitosan (C36S), were chosen to investigate the possible mechanisms determining the interaction between lysozyme and the sulfated chitosans. It has been found that the selectively sulfated products of chitosan (CS), C6S, C26S and C36S all exhibit lysozyme binding activity. However, the maximum binding ratios of lysozyme/polysaccharide are significantly different for C6S, C26S and C36S. In addition, though C6S possesses the lowest sulfur content among the three sulfated chitosans, it exhibits the highest binding activity with lysozyme. Furthermore, in the protein mixtures, C6S shows the highest selective binding activity with lysozyme among the three sulfated chitosans in the presence of γ-globulin and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results indicate that 6-O-sulfate groups may be responsible for the high affinity and specific interaction of sulfated chitosan with lysozyme, while 2-O-sulfate and 3-O-sulfate groups are unfavorable to this interaction.     

Photoreactions of 1,4-naphthoquinone with lysozyme studied by laser flash photolysis and steady-state analysis

Photoprocesses of 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) and its photoreactions with lysozyme in acetonitrile/water (3:1, v/v) solution were studied using 355nm laser flash photolysis technique combined with electrophoresis and turbidimetric assay. The transient spectra of NQ were observed and the transient species were assigned. The electron transfer process from N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) to NQ triplet state ((3)NQ( *)) was investigated and the rate constant was determined to be k(t1)=2.0x10(10)M(-1)s(-1). It has been found that (3)NQ( *) can abstract hydrogen atom from lysozyme with a rate constant of k(t2)=2.4x10(10)M(-1)s(-1). Furthermore, the results of steady-state analysis suggested that lysozyme can be damaged by NQ irradiated with UVA light influenced by the concentration of NQ and the gas saturated in the solution. The mechanisms of photosensitized damage of lysozyme were discussed.     

全氟壬烯氧基苯磺酸钠与烷基季铵盐的相互作用

通过六氟丙烯三聚体(全氟壬烯)氧基苯磺酸钠(C₉F₁₇OC₆H₄SO₃Na, OBS)与阳离子碳氢表面活性剂C_nNR[C_nH_2n+1N(CH₃)₃Br, C_nNM, n=8, 10和C_nH_2n+1N(CH₂CH₃)₃Br, C_nNE, n=8, 10, 12]复配, 研究了OBS与C_nNR的摩尔比、 C_nNR疏水链长及C_nNR亲水基团大小对此类阴、 阳离子碳氟-碳氢表面活性剂混合体系的临界胶束浓度(cmc)、 最低表面张力(γ_cmc)、 总饱和吸附量(Γ_tm)及极限分子面积(A_min)的影响. 结果表明, 通过与C_nNR复配, OBS的cmc和γ_cmc均大幅下降, 达到了全面增效的结果. 不同摩尔比的OBS-C₈NE混合体系中, 摩尔比为1:1时表面活性最好, cmc和γ_cmc均最小; 偏离等摩尔比时, OBS过量时混合体系的cmc小于C₈NE过量时混合体系的cmc, 但γ_cmc相差不大. 与单体系相比, OBS-C₈NE混合体系的Γ_tm明显增大、 A_min明显变小. OBS与不同疏水链长的C_nNE复配时, cmc的变化规律为C₈NE>C₁₀NE>C₁₂NE, 表明C_nNE疏水链长的增加能降低混合体系的cmc. 通过比较C_nNM和C_nNE(n=8, 10)的表面活性发现, 改变混合体系中C_nNR的亲水基团大小对混合体系的表面活性无明显影响.     

NMR studies on selectivity of beta-cyclodextrin to fluorinated/hydrogenated surfactant mixtures

The interactions between beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and the equimolar/nonequimolar mixtures of sodium perfluorooctanoate (C(7)F(15)COONa, SPFO) and sodium alkyl sulfate (C(n)H(2n+1)SO(4)Na, C(n)SO(4), n = 8, 10, 12) were investigated by 1H and 19F NMR. It showed that beta-CD preferentially included the fluorinated surfactant when exposed to mixtures of hydrogenated (C(n)SO(4)) and fluorinated (SPFO) surfactants, notwithstanding whether the hydrogenated surfactant C(n)SO(4) was more or less hydrophobic than the SPFO. Such preferential inclusion of the fluorinated surfactant continued to a certain concentration of beta-CD at which time the C(n)SO(4) was then observed to be included. The longer the hydrocarbon chain of C(n)SO(4) the lower the concentration of beta-CD at which the hydrogenated surfactants began to show inclusion. The inclusion process can be qualitatively divided into three stages: first, formation of 1:1 beta-CD/SPFO complexes; second, formation of 1:1 beta-CD/C(n)SO(4) complexes; and finally, formation of 2:1 beta-CD/SPFO complexes upon further increase of beta-CD concentration. In the concentration range studied, during the last stage of inclusion both 2:1 beta-CD/C(12)SO(4) and 2:1 beta-CD/SPFO complexes appear to be simultaneously formed in the system of beta-CD/SPFO/C(12)SO(4) but not in either the systems of beta-CD/SPFO/C(8)SO(4) or beta-CD/SPFO/C(10)SO(4). The selective inclusion of the shorter fluorocarbon chain surfactant might be attributed to the greater rigidity and size of the fluorocarbon chains, compared to those of the hydrocarbon chains, which provide for a tighter fit and better interaction between the host and guest. This latter effect appears to dominate the increase in hydrophobic character as the carbon chain length increases in the hydrogenated series.     

Syntheses of the first N-mono- and N,N'-dipolyfluoroalkyl-4,4'-bipyridinium compounds

Reactions of 4,4'-bipyridine (1) with excess of polyfluoroalkyl iodides (2a-d) at 100-110 degrees C, under neat conditions, led to the formation of monoquaternary salts (3a-d) in > 90% yields. Salts 3a-d were metathesized with LiN(SO2CF3)2 either in water or water/acetone mixtures to form ionic liquids (4a-d), respectively, in > 88% yields. When 1 was reacted with 2.5 equivalent of 2a-c in DMF at 110 degrees C, the diquaternary salts 5a-c were formed in > 85% yields. Alternatively, 5a-c were also synthesized by heating a mixture of 3a-c and 2a-c (1.25 equivalent) in DMF. The metathesis reaction of 5a-c with LiN(SO2CF3)2 produced dicationic ionic liquids (6a-c) in > 86% yield.     

Relative volatilities of ionic liquids by vacuum distillation of mixtures

The relative volatilities of a variety of common ionic liquids have been determined for the first time. Equimolar mixtures of ionic liquids were vacuum-distilled in a glass sublimation apparatus at approximately 473 K. The composition of the initial distillate, determined by NMR spectroscopy, was used to establish the relative volatility of each ionic liquid in the mixture. The effect of alkyl chain length was studied by distilling mixtures of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquids, or mixtures of N-alkyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquids, with different alkyl chain lengths. For both classes of salts, the volatility is highest when the alkyl side chain is a butyl group. The effect of cation structure on volatility has been determined by distilling mixtures containing different types of cations. Generally speaking, ionic liquids based on imidazolium and pyridinium cations are more volatile than ionic liquids based on ammonium and pyrrolidinium cations, regardless of the types of counterions present. Similarly, ionic liquids based on the anions [(C2F5SO2)2N](-), [(C4F9SO2)(CF3SO2)N](-) , and [(CF3SO2)2N](-) are more volatile than ionic liquids based on [(CF3SO2)3C](-) and [CF3SO3](-), and are much more volatile than ionic liquids based on [PF6](-).     

氧杂氟表面活性剂及其与同电性碳氢表面活性剂混合溶液的表面吸附和胶团形成

研究了四种氧杂氟表面活性及其与同电性直链碳氢表面活性剂混合体系的表面活性;考察了混合体系中的表面吸附和胶团形成现象.在吸附层中分子间有明显的互疏作用,在溶液中倾向于各自形成胶团.还讨论了反离子结合度不同对理想混合胶团的组成CMC的计算的影响,提出了一般的计算式,实验测得这些氧杂氟表面活性剂有较低的胶团反离子结合度.     

Covalently Bound Antibody on Polystyrene Latex Beads: Formation, Stability, and Use in Analyses of White Blood Cell Populations

CD4 or CD8 antibodies were covalently bound to latex beads by reaction of activated CD4 or CD8 monoclonal antibodies with 2-μm-diameter, 1,3-diaminopropane (DAP) coupled, polystyrene aldehyde/sulfate latex beads. Spectrophotometric analyses of the filtrates of the antibody-bead conjugation mixtures for unreacted antibody allowed construction of binding curves of antibody for the polystyrene bead surface and evaluation of binding constants for association of antibody with bead, ranging from 1.5x10(7) to 1.6x10(7) M(-1) for CD4 and CD8 antibodies. The reaction of the antibody thiol group with the activated maleimide group on the bead at pH 7.2-7.3 was complete within 10-15 min. The kinetics of CD4 or CD8 monoclonal antibody displacement from the surface of covalently conjugated antibody-polystyrene latex beads was followed as a function of temperature (5, 22, and 37 degrees C) and the nature of the final diluent for the antibody-coated beads by measuring the concentration of antibody in the filtrates of conjugated beads by an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The displacement reaction showed a pseudo-zero-order dependence of the rate, with constants, k(1), ranging from 0.65x10(-17) to 270x10(-17) M s(-1). The functionality of antibody-coated beads suspended in various media was also monitored in a biological cell assay with whole blood. The cell assay depends on forming a layer of beads around targeted lymphocytes to distinguish them from nontargeted lymphocytes by differences in dc or rf conductivity or median angle light scatter. Covalently bound CD4 and CD8 antibody beads stored in one set of media at 5, 22, and 37 degrees C over a period of 16 weeks showed excellent results in the STKS assay with various blood donors, which correlated well (correlation coefficients of 0.99 for CD4 data and 0.93 for CD8 data) with reference results obtained with fluorescent markers by flow cytometry. Covalently bound CD4/CD8 beads stored for 2 weeks in BSA buffer at 5-37 degrees C performed equally well in providing accurate values of the percentage of CD4- or CD8-positive cells in the total white blood cell population, whereas the same beads stored in the 47-50 degrees C range showed some failures in performance. Comparison with antibody concentrations in filtrates of adsorbed antibody-bead suspensions showed 2- to 10-fold greater amounts of free antibody at comparable elapsed time, media, and temperature conditions. A threshold of 1-2 μg/mL of free antibody was necessary before adverse effects on the biological cell assay were noticeable. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Conformational and phase transitions in lysozyme-thermosensitive polyelectrolyte complexes

The interaction of a small globular protein, lysozyme, with a thermosensitive N-isopropylacrylamide-sodium styrene sulfonate copolymer at pH 4.6 was studied by high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry. It was shown that, under these conditions, the copolymer and the protein are involved in formation of polyelectrolyte complexes. It was demonstrated that complexation affects the conformational state of lysozyme. One heat capacity peak attributed to protein denaturation or two well-resolved peaks related to denaturation of free and bound proteins were observed in the DSC curves depending on the mixture composition. For both forms of lysozyme, denaturation parameters (temperature and enthalpy) were determined as a function of mixture composition. For mixtures with low lysozyme contents, the above parameters of bound protein denaturation were independent of the mixture composition. At higher protein contents, these parameters increased with a rise in the protein content. The binding isotherm for the protein with the copolymer was obtained from calorimetric data at 64 ± 1°C. An analysis of the isotherm suggests that the native protein is bound to 24 equivalent binding sites of the polymer matrix. It was established that there are nearly 10 charged units of the copolymer per protein molecule in the native conformation. Lysozyme in the unfolded conformation additionally interacts with hydrophobic groups of the copolymer.     

Interaction of Al2O3 and CeO2 surfaces with SO2 and SO2 + O2 studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The interaction of Al2O3 and CeO2 thin films with sulfur dioxide (2.5 mbar) or with mixtures of SO2 with O2 (5 mbar) at various temperatures (30-400 degrees C) was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis of temperature-induced transformations of S2p spectra allowed us to identify sulfite and sulfate species and determine the conditions of their formation on the oxide surfaces. Sulfite ions, SO3(2-), which are characterized by the S2p(3/2) binding energy (BE) of approximately 167.5 eV, were shown to be formed during the interaction of the oxide films with pure SO2 at temperatures < or =200 degrees C, whereas sulfate ions, SO4(2-), with BE (S2p(3/2)) approximately 169 eV were produced at temperatures > or =300 degrees C. The formation of both the sulfite and sulfate species proceeds more efficiently in the case of CeO2. The addition of oxygen to SO2 suppresses the formation of the sulfite species on both oxides and facilitates the formation of the sulfate species. Again, this enhancement is more significant for the CeO2 film than for the Al2O3 one. The sulfation of the CeO2 film is accompanied by a reduction of Ce(IV) ions to Ce(III) ones, both in the absence and in the presence of oxygen. It has been concluded that the amount of the sulfates on the CeO2 surface treated with the SO2 + O2 mixture at > or =300 degrees C corresponds to the formation of a 3D phase of the Ce(III) sulfate. The sulfation of Al2O3 is limited by the surface of the oxide film.     

Complexation of ebastine with β-cyclodextrin derivatives

Complexation of ebastine (EB) with hydroxypropyl and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD and Me-β-CD) was studied in aqueous solutions and in the solid state. The formation of inclusion complexes in aqueous solutions was analysed by the solubility method. The assays were designed using low CD concentrations compared with the solubility of these derivatives in order to avoid non-inclusion phenomena and to obtain a linear increase in EB solubility as a function of CD concentration. The values of complexation efficiency for HP-β-CD and Me-β-CD were 1.9 × 10^?2 and 2.1 × 10^?2, respectively. It seems that the non polar character of the methyl moiety slightly favoured complexation. In relation to solid state complexation, 1:1 EB:CD systems were prepared by kneading, and by heating a drug-CD mixture at 90 ºC. They were analysed using X ray diffraction analysis by comparison with their respective physical mixtures. A complex with a characteristic diffraction pattern similar to that of the channel structure of β-CD was formed with Me-β-CD in 1:1 melted and 1:2 EB:CD kneaded systems. Complexation with HP-β-CD was not clearly evidenced because only a slight reduction of drug crystallinity was detected. Finally, the loading of EB in two β-CD polymers cross-linked with epichlorohydrin yielded 7.3 and 7.7 mg of EB/g polymer respectively.     

Inhibition of Human Immunodeficiency Type 1 Virus (HIV-1) Life Cycle by Different Egg White Lysozymes

Lysozyme is a relatively small enzyme with different biological activities, which is found in tears, saliva, egg white, and human milk. In the study, the anti-HIV-1 activity of lysozymes purified from quail, Meleagris, and hen egg white has been determined. For this end, a time-of-drug-addition assay was performed to identify the target of anti-HIV-1 agents and for determination of probable anti HIV-1 mechanism of the studied lysozyme, the binding affinity of the lysozymes to the human CD4 receptor was studied by molecular docking method. To define structural differences between studied lysozymes, structural motifs of them were predicted by MEME tool. Quail, hen, and Meleagris lysozymes showed potent anti-HIV-1 activity with EC₅₀ of 7.5, 10, and 55 nM, respectively. The time-of-drug-addition study demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of all purified lysozymes is before HIV-1 infection. The frequency and intensity of CD4 expression in PBMCs decreased in the presence of all mentioned lysozymes. Also, the expression level of C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) and chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) on CD4+ T cells was not changed in cells treated with these lysozymes. The results of in silico study confirmed that the binding energy of quail lysozyme with CD4 was more than that of other studied lysozymes. The results revealed that these lysozymes restrict HIV-1 attachment to host cell CD4.     

Dynamic capillary coatings with zwitterionic surfactants for capillary isoelectric focusing

The use of surfactants as additives was demonstrated for the first time in capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) to dynamically modify the surfaces of bare fused silica capillaries. These surfactants were zwitterionic sulfobetaines: dodecyldimethyl (3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide (C12N3SO3), hexadecyldimethyl (3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide (C16N3SO3) and coco (amidopropyl)hydroxyldimethylsulfobetaine (Rewoteric AM CAS U). They were added directly to the protein-ampholyte mixture, and remained in the capillary during isoelectric focusing and mobilization. The C16N3SO3 and CAS U coatings were shown effective in CEF. Separation of seven IEF protein standards was obtained, with significantly improved resolution compared to that from an uncoated silica capillary. The effect of these surfactants on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) in CIEF was determined. CAS U was effective in suppressing the EOF at neutral and alkaline pH conditions, C16N3SO3 was effective in suppressing EOF at acidic and neutral pH conditions. C12N3SO3 however had little effect on the EOF. The pH gradients formed inside these surfactant coated capillaries were recta-linear at pH 6 to 9 (R2 approximately equal to 0.99). Reproducibility of migration time and peak area was determined. For all three coatings, the migration time standard deviations were less than 1.6 min, and the relative standard deviations of area were below 10%. The protein recovery in the CAS U-modified capillary was quantitative or near-quantitative for five of the seven proteins studied.