Poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-cyclodextrin)-mediated polylactide-cholesterol stereocomplex micelles for controlled drug delivery

A series of host-guest interaction-adjusted polylactide stereocomplex micelles was prepared via the self-assembly of 4-armed poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(L-lactide/D-lactide)-cholesterol (4-armed PEG-b-PLLA/PDLA-CHOL) and poly(β-cyclodextrin) (PCD) with the molar ratios of CHOL/β-CD at 1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:2 in an aqueous environment. The hydrodynamic diameters of the micelles ranged from 84.1 nm to 107 nm depending on the molar ratio of CHOL/β-CD. It was shown that the micelle with the largest proportion of PCD possessed excellent abilities in drug release, cell internalization as well as proliferation inhibitory effect toward human A549 lung cancer cells. The results demonstrated that the stereocomplex and host-guest interactions-mediated PLA micelles exhibited great potential in sustained drug delivery.     

RAFT polymerization of linear ABC triblock copolymer P<Emphasis Type="Italic">t</Emphasis>BA-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-PS-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-P2VP and regulation of its hierarchical self-assembly structure in solution

Linear ABC triblock copolymer PtBA₁₅₄-b-PS₃₀₀-b-P2VP₂₄₀ was successfully synthesized by RAFT polymerization. Block copolymer micelles were prepared by the two-step hierarchical self-assembly process. Size exclusion chromatography and ¹H NMR were used to characterize the structure of samples. Morphologies and size of micelles were determined by transmission electron microscope. The results showed that the densely dispersed spherical micelles of PtBA₁₅₄-b-PS₃₀₀-b-P2VP₂₄₀ were obtained in the first step of the hierarchical self-assembly process. In the second step, core-compartmentalized micelle strings with different lengths and distribution densities were obtained when the primary self-assembled solution was dialyzed in distilled water with pH ≈ 3. When distilled water with pH ≈ 3 was added drop-wise to this solution, uniformly dispersed spherical core-compartmentalized micelles of PtBA₁₅₄-b-PS₃₀₀-b-P2VP₂₄₀ were prepared. Thus, hierarchical self-assembly structure of linear ABC triblock copolymer was obtained successfully and the preparation of uniformly dispersed spherical micelles of triblock copolymers was realized simply by changing the secondary self-assembly methods.     

Secondary self-assembly behaviors of PEO-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-P<Emphasis Type="Italic">t</Emphasis>BA-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-PS triblock terpolymers in solution

A series of PEO₄₅-b-PtBA₅₃-b-PS _x (x = 42, 84, 165) triblock terpolymers were synthesized by the atom transfer radical polymerization and characterized by size exclusion chromatography and ¹H NMR. Their self-assemblies were conducted by a two-step hierarchical self-assembly method and a one-step dialysis method and the self-assembly behaviors were investigated. The morphologies, sizes, and size distributions of micelles produced by the self-assembly were determined by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The secondary self-assembled structure of PEO₄₅-b-PtBA₅₃-b-PS _x obtained by the two-step hierarchical self-assembly could be controlled by tuning the length of PS block, the core forming block. The micelles were uniform with diameters of 20–25 nm and their size distributions, except for that of PEO₄₅-b-PtBA₅₃-b-PS₁₆₅, were narrow with particle size distribution indexes ranging from 0.014 to 0.246. The one-step dialysis of the triblock terpolymers produced vesicular micelles with distinct vesicle walls that exhibited similar thicknesses. The vesicles did not show significant aggregation. The size distribution of PEO₄₅-b-PtBA₅₃-b-PS₄₂ vesicle was the narrowest with a particle size distribution index value of 0.135. The PEO₄₅-b-PtBA₅₃-b-PS₁₆₅ vesicles tended to overlap with each other.     

pH-responsive Micelles from a Blend of PEG-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-PLA and PLA-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-PDPA Block Copolymers: Core Protection Against Enzymatic Degradation

pH-responsive micelles with a biodegradable PLA core and a mixed PEG/PDPA shell were prepared by self-assembly of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-b-PLA) and poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(lactic acid) (PDPA-b-PLA). The micellization status with different pH and the enzyme degradation behavior were characterized by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering measurement and zeta potential test. The pH turning point of PDPA block was determined to be in the range of 5.5?7.0. While the pH was above 7.0, the PDPA block collapsed onto the PLA core and could protect the PLA core from invasion of enzyme, as a result, the micelle exhibited a resistance to the enzymatic degradation.     

Correlation of Morphology Evolution with Superior Mechanical Properties in PA6/PS/PP/SEBS Blends Compatibilized by Multi-phase Compatibilizers

In this study,the maleic anhydride(MAH)and styrene(St)dual monomers grafted polypropylene(PP)and poly[styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene](SEBS),i.e.PP-g-(MAH-co-St)and SEBS-g-(MAH-co-St)are prepared as multi-phase compatibilizers and used to compatibilize the PA6/PS/PP/SEBS(70/10/10/10)model quaternary blends.Both PS and SEBS are encapsulated by the hard shell of PP-g-(MAH-co-St)in the dispersed domains(about 2μm)of the PA6/PS/PP-g-(MAH-co-St)/SEBS(70/10/10/10)quaternary blend.In contrast,inside the dispersed domains(about 1μm)of the PA6/PS/PP/SEBS-g-(MAH-co-St)(70/10/10/10)quaternary blend,the soft SEBS-g-(MAH-co-St)encapsulates both the hard PS and PP phases and separates them.With increasing the content of the compatibilizers equally,the morphology of the PA6/PS/(PP+PP-g-(MAH-co-St))/(SEBS+SEBS-g-(MAH-co-St))(70/10/10/10)quaternary blends evolves from the soft(SEBS+SEBS-g-(MAH-co-St))encapsulating PS and partially encapsulating PP(about 1μm),then to PS exclusively encapsulated by the soft SEBS-g-(MAH-co-St)and then separated by PP-g-(MAH-co-St)inside the smaller domains(about 0.6μm).This morphology evolution has been well predicted by spreading coefficients and explained by the reaction between the matrix PA6 and the compatibilizers.The quaternary blends compatibilized by more compatibilizers exhibit stronger hierarchical interfacial adhesions and smaller dispersed domain,which results in the further improved mechanical properties.Compared to the uncompatibilized blend,the blend with both 10 wt%PP-g-(MAH-co-St)and 10 wt%SEBS-g-(MAH-co-St)has the best mechanical properties with the stress at break,strain at break and impact failure energy improved significantly by 97%,71%and 261%,respectively.There is a strong correlation between the structure and property in the blends.     

RBaCuCoO<Subscript>5 + δ</Subscript> (R = Nd,Sm, Gd) layered cuprocobaltites: Synthesis,structure, and properties

Cuprocobaltites RBaCuCoO_{5 + gd}(R = Nd, Sm, Gd) were prepared. Their unit cell parameters were determined, and thermal expansion, electrical conductivity (σ), and Seebeck coefficient (S) were studied in air in the range 300–1100 K. The compounds have tetragonal structures (space group P4/mmm, Z = 1). Their unit cell parameters are a = 0.3906(2) nm, c= 0.7648(7) nm for NdBaCuCoO_5.21; a = 0.3904(2) nm, c = 0.7609(6) nm for SmBaCuCoO_5.06; and a = 0.3891(2), c = 0.7592(6) nm for GdBaCuCoO_5.02. The RBaCuCoO_{5 + δ} cuprocobaltites at room temperature are p-type semiconductors, whose electrical conductivity and linear thermal expansion coefficient (LTEC) increase with increasing R³⁺ ionic radius, whereas the Seebeck coefficient decreases. The LTECs of RBaCuCoO_{5 + δ} phases in the range 500–575 K increase by a factor of 1.2–1.5 because of the elimination of weakly bound oxygen. S = f(T) curves for RBaCuCoO_{5 + δ} (R = Nd, Sm, Gd) feature maxima at 510 K for R = Sm and 365 K for R = Gd, probably, due to the change in the spin state of cobalt cations in these phases.     

Fabrication of macroporous protein-containing films through the reverse emulsions approach featuring <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-cyclodextrin-conjugated PEG-PLGA copolymers

A series of β-cyclodextrin-conjugated 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (4-arm PEG-PLGA) copolymers were synthesized by a ring-opening polymerization of D,L-lactide and glycolide using 4-arm PEG as initiator, and then conjugated with mono(6-ethylenediamine-6-deoxy)-β-cyclodextrin (CDen) or ethylenediamino-bridged bis-β-CD (BCDen). The chemical structures of copolymers were confirmed by ¹H-NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The β-CD-conjugated PEG-PLGA formed stable reverse micelles due to the formation of β-CD and bovine serum albumin (BSA) inclusion complexation, which could accommodate BSA in the organic solvent with improved encapsulation efficiency. Moreover, we demonstrated a one-step approach to construct macroporous protein-containing films using these reverse micelles. The films with ordered pore arrays were directly prepared from reverse micelles. Interestingly, the protein was totally located in the whole matrix except for the pores.     

Micellization and gelation of the double thermoresponsive ABC-type triblock copolymer synthesized by RAFT

A double thermoresponsive ABC-type triblock copolymer(poly(ethyleneglycol)-block-poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(2-(2-methoxy ethoxy) ethyl methacrylate-co-oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, PEG-b-PMEO_2MA-b-P(MEO_2MA-co-OEGMA)) was designed and synthesized by reversible additionfragmentation chain transfer polymerization(RAFT). The ABC-type triblock copolymer endowed a thermal-induced twostep phase transition at 29 and 39 °C, corresponding to the thermosensitive properties of PMEO_2 MA and P(MEO_2MA-coOEGMA) segments, respectively. The two-step self-assembly of copolymer solutions was studied by UV transmittance measurement, dynamic light scattering(DLS), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and so on. The triblock copolymers showed the distinct thermosensitive behavior with respect to transition temperatures, aggregate type and size, which was correlated to the degree of polymerization of thermosensitive blocks and the molar fraction of OEGMA in the P(MEO_2MAco-OEGMA) segments. In addition, micelles could further aggregate to form the hydrogel by the self-associate of PEG chains under the abduction of the concentration and temperature. The transition from sol to gel was investigated by a test tube inverting method and dynamic rheological measurement.     

Temperature and pH dually-responsive poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-amino ester) nanoparticles for drug delivery

Stimuli-responsive polymers have undoubtedly been of great interest in the past decades due to a variety of their potential applications in biomedical territory. However, their non-degradability limits their in vivo applications. Herein, we report a novel pH and temperature dual-stimuli responsive-poly(β-amino ester). The pH/temperature sensitivities are interrelated and can be easily tuned by changing PEG-diacrylate chain length and the percentage of biamines in the feed ratio. These dual-responsive polymers are very useful in drug delivery. Reaction of methyl ether poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) and poly(β-amino ester) resulted in an amphiphilic MPEG-PBAE block copolymer which could form nanoparticles by self-assembly. A hydrophobic drug (DOX) was loaded in the self-assembled nanoparticles at low temperature without using organic solvents. The loaded drug was released very slowly and steadily at 37 °C under physiological conditions (pH 7.4), but rapidly released from the micelles in weakly acidic environments (pH 6.4 and 5.0) for intracellular drug release. Thus, these poly(β-amino ester) polymers constitute ideal drug carriers since their thermal sensitivity allows the drug loadings without using organic solvent and their pH sensitivity permits fast intracellular drug release.     

Small-angle X-ray scattering in sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions and micelle clustering

The small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in micellar sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions has been studied in the range of overall concentrations c from 8 mM (CMC₁) to 300 mM and the absolute values of scattering vector q from 0.07 to 3.0 nm^–1. The total intensity of isotropic scattering has been revealed to increase with solution concentration. At c > 27 mM, the SAXS spectra have been found to exhibit an interference peak, which testifies a correlation in the arrangement of micelles in the bulk solution. This peak corresponds to the magnitude of q close to 1.55 nm^–1. Using the position of this maximum, average distance r₀ between the centers of micelles has been determined, which is equal to 4.1 nm and remains almost unchanged upon an increase in the overall concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The observed regularities have been explained in terms of the DLVO theory taking into account the electrostatic and molecular intermicellar interaction.     

FT-IR study of the properties of water in Triton N-42 inverse micelles

The distribution of free (bulk) and bound (hydration) water in Triton N-42 inverse micelles has been studied. The percent of bulk water changes from 12% to 27% when solubilization capacity* (V _s /V _o ) increases from 0.5 vol.% to 3.5 vol.%. Triton N-42 inverse micelles contain hydration water of two types: 1) water bound with hydroxyl groups and secondary-bound with ethoxy groups and 2) water primary-bound with ethoxy groups. The quantity of water of each type is calculated as a function of solubilization capacity. The polar group of the surfactant molecule is hydrated by approximately six H₂O molecules when V _s /V _o = 3.5 vol.%.     

Substrate specificity and function of acetylpolyamine amidohydrolases from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis>

Background

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative, aerobic coccobacillus bacterium is an opportunistic human pathogen and worldwide the fourth most common cause of hospital-acquired infections which are often high mortality such as ventilator-associated pneumoniae. The polyamine metabolism of P. aeruginosa and particularly the deacetylation of acetylpolyamines has been little studied up to now. Results with other bacterial pathogens e.g., Y. pestis suggest that polyamines may be involved in the formation of biofilms or confer resistance against certain antibiotics.

Results

To elucidate the role of acetylpolyamines and their enzymatic deacetylation in more detail, all three putative acetylpolyamine amidohydrolases (APAHs) from P. aeruginosa have been expressed in enzymatic active form. The APAHs PA0321 and PA1409 are shown to be true polyamine deacetylases, whereas PA3774 is not able to deacetylate acetylated polyamines. Every APAH can hydrolyze trifluoroacetylated lysine-derivatives, but only PA1409 and much more efficiently PA3774 can also process the plain acetylated lysine substrate. P. aeruginosa is able to utilize acetylcadaverine and acetylputrescine as a carbon source under glucose starvation. If either the PA0321 or the PA1409 but not the PA3774 gene is disrupted, the growth of P. aeruginosa is reduced and delayed. In addition, we were able to show that the APAH inhibitors SAHA and SATFMK induce biofilm formation in both PA14 and PAO1 wildtype strains.

Conclusions

P. aeruginosa has two functional APAHs, PA0321 and PA1409 which enable the utilization of acetylpolyamines for the metabolism of P. aeruginosa. In contrast, the physiological role of the predicted APAH, PA3774, remains to be elucidated. Its ability to deacetylate synthetic acetylated lysine substrates points to a protein deacetylation functionality with yet unknown substrates.

     

New complex of Zn(II) with 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate and 2-methylimidazolyl: Synthesis,structure, and luminescence properties

A new zinc(II) complex Zn(TMB)₂(2-MIM)(H₂O)₂ (I), where HTMB is 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid, 2-MIM is 2-methylimidazole, was synthesized and characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and photoluminescence spectrum. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group C2/c) with the unit cell parameters: a = 18.104(9), b = 8.509(4), c = 17.688(9) Å, β = 103.185(9)°, Z = 4, R ₁ = 0.0740 and wR ₂ = 0.1790. At room temperature the photoluminescence spectrum of complex I in the solid state exhibits maximum excitation at 314 nm and maximum emission at 337 nm.     

Layer-by-layer assembly of ordinary and composite coordination multilayers

Coordination self-assembly of bishydroxamate-based metal-organic multilayers on gold employing a layer-by-layer (LbL) approach was investigated. It is shown that the solution chemistry of the participating metal ion has a marked influence on the composition and properties of the multilayers. Use of Ce4+ and particularly zirconium(IV) acetylacetonate (Zr(acac)4) solutions in the ion-binding step of multilayer construction leads to multilayers with a near-stoichiometric metal ion-to-ligand ratio, suggesting a structure close to that predicted by a simple coordination self-assembly scheme. On the other hand use of a ZrCl4 solution as the source of metal ions in the multilayer construction leads to a multilayer with greater thickness and a large excess of Zr(IV), evenly distributed between the organic layers. In the latter case, a ratio of ca. 1:2 between the excess Zr and oxygen, as well as long-term Zr4+ binding experiments showing deposition of ZrO2, suggest the formation of a zirconia-type nanophase between the bishydroxamate organic repeat units during multilayer self-assembly. Hence, while the multilayer prepared using Zr(acac)4 solution appears to represent a "true" coordination-based structure, the one prepared using ZrCl4 is best described as a composite organic-ceramic multilayer. Composite multilayers prepared in this way display different properties from those of the stoichiometric ones, such as improved dielectric behavior and higher stiffness. Even greater mechanical stability is obtained with multilayers constructed using alternate binding of ZrCl4 and Ce4+. The concept of LbL formation of coordination-based composite organic-ceramic structures may be useful in obtaining nanometer-scale structures with tunable properties.     

Determination of the Water/AOT/Isooctane Reverse Micelles Size Parameters from Their Refractive Index Data

The present paper aims to study the proprieties of water confined in water/AOT/isooctane reverse micelles from their refractive indices at 298.5 K. The refractive indices of the microemulsions were investigated at increasing water concentration and at different micellar volume fractions, Φ _d. The refractive index of micellar water was deduced for a large water to AOT molar ratio, W ₀. The refractive index of interfacial water was also calculated. Then, the molar faction of interfacial water, α, was deduced for different W ₀ values and compared with those measured by NMR as reported in the literature. The results show qualitative agreement. Finally, the average aggregation number, n _agg, the area per surfactant headgroup, σ, as well as the interfacial thickness, d _i, of the reverse micelles were determined for the W ₀ values studied. The values of these structural parameters also show good qualitative agreement with NMR and small angle X-ray scattering data reported in the literature. Thus, the refractive index method can be a cheap and fast alternative for these two methods.     

Synthesis and structures of polyiodide acetamide complexes of transition metals

Polyiodides of acetamide complexes of transition elements have been synthesized and studied by X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds [M(AA)₆][I₁₀] (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn) are isostructural with the earlier studied cadmium compound. The crystals of [Co(AA)₄(H₂O)₂][I₁₂] are monoclinic: a = 17.486(6) Å, b = 15.015(4) Å, c = 7.8309(15) Å, β = 99.87(2)°, V = 2025.6(10) ų, space group C2/m, Z = 4. The crystals of [Ni(AA)₆][I₃]₂ are monoclinic: a = 23.032(9) Å, b = 12.176(4) Å, c = 18.274(5) Å, β = 139.22(3)°, V = 3347.0(19) ų, space group Cc, Z = 4.     

Molecular-dynamics simulation of the surface layer of a nonionic micelle

A spherical micelle structure has been studied for cationic (n-dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride) and nonionic (hexaethylene glycol mono-n-hexyl ether) surfactants in pure water and a sodium chloride solution. The molecular-dynamics has been used to simulate the self-assembly of aggregates from an initially homogeneous mixture of water and surfactant molecules and to gain insight into the structure of micelles and their surface layers. The radial distribution functions obtained for charged components have been employed to calculate the local electric potentials of the micelles and the contributions from the charges of water atoms, ions, and a surfactant to it. It has been shown that, similarly to previously studied ionic micelles, in nonionic surfactant micelles, the contributions from water molecules and polar groups (and ions in the case of the salt solution) to the electric potential are mutually compensated in the region of the electrical double layer. Therefore, the resultant electric potential of the surface layer rapidly tends to zero.     

The acid properties of benzodiamyloxyl and thiadiazole porphyrazine derivatives in the H<Subscript>2</Subscript>L-(K[2.2.2])OH-DMSO system

Step acid dissociation reactions of benzodiamyloxyl (X) and thiadiazole (Y) porphyrazine (H₂PA) derivatives H₂PA(X)₄, H₂PA(X)₃(Y), H₂PA(X)₂(Y)₂, H₂PA(X)(Y)₃, and H₂PA(Y)₄ were studied theoretically (MP3) and experimentally (spectropotentiometrically) in the H₂L-(K[2.2.2])OH-DMSO system for the series H₂P (porphin), H₂P(μs-Pr)₄, H₂P(μs-Ph)₄, H(N-Me)P(μs-Ph)₄, H₂TBP (tetrabenzoporphin), H₂TBP(μs-Ph)₄, H₂PA (porphyrazine), H₂PA(β-Ph)₄, H₂PC (phthalocyanine), and H₂PC(t-Bt)₄. The linear correlation pK _a1 ²⁹⁸ = 0.32622ΔH°_a1(g) ? 94.62 (R = 0.998) was observed for H₂PA and its symmetrical derivatives H₂PA(β-Ph)₄, H₂PC, H₂PC(t-Bt)₄, H₂PC(X)₄, and H₂PC(Y)₄. Deviations of the proportionality factors in the pK _a1 ²⁹⁸ = bH°_a1(g) + A dependences from the theoretical value (2.303RT)^?1 were explained by medium effects. Substituent effects on pK _a1 ²⁹⁸ were divided into internal δ(R _i)_int and external δ(R _i)_ext (solvation) contributions. The compensation dependences δ(R _i)_ext = ?0.10911δ(R _i)_int + 0.13 and δ(R _i)_ext = ?0.52969δ(R _i)_int (correlation coefficients 0.998) were observed for simple (H₂PA, H₂TBP, H₂P(μs-Ph)₄, and H₂P(μs-Pr)₄) and complex (H(N-Me)P(Ph)₄, H₂TBP(μs-Ph)₄, H₂PA(β-Ph)₄,H₂PA(Y)₄, H₂PC, H₂PC(t-Bt)₄, and H₂PC(X)₄) porphin derivatives, respectively.     

Structural analysis of modulated crystals. A new structure of Ce<Subscript>4</Subscript>Pd<Subscript>13.6</Subscript>Sn<Subscript>5.9</Subscript>

Incommensurate modulated structure of Ce₄Pd_13,6Sn_5,9 intermetallic is studied by (3+1)D analysis in a rhombic basic cell a = 2.08458(4) nm, b = 0.47129(1) nm, and c = 0.92874(1) nm; q = 0,2407(1)b*. Xmmm(0β0)000 group determines the symmetry of the crystal. The superspace analysis is compared to the analysis of the superstructure with a, 4b, and c periods in three dimensions.