Biodegradable Microspheres with Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Enriched Surface: Thermo-responsibility,Biodegradation and Drug Release

Microspheres with thermo-responsible surface were fabricated by PCL-b-PEO-b-PNIPAM triblock copolymers. Thermo-responsible morphological changes of PCL-b-PEO-b-PNIPAM microspheres immersed in aqueous solution at temperatures above the LCST(e.g. 37 ?C) were observed from porous surface structure to compact surface layer. Enzymatic degradation and in vitro drug release results showed that the thermo-responsible surface layer greatly influenced the degradation of microspheres as well as the drug release behavior from microspheres. With the copolymerization of PNIPAM block into PCL-b-PEO copolymers, the drug release could be well regulated by changing temperatures and microspheres composition, which revealed the great potentials of microspheres with thermo-responsible surface for controlled drug release.     

Biodegradable amphiphilic block copolymers containing functionalized PEO blocks: Controlled synthesis and biomedical potentials

A series of controllable amphiphilic block copolymers composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as the hydrophilic block and poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) as the hydrophobic block with the amino terminal group at the end of the PEO chain (PCL-b-PEO-NH₂) were synthesized. Based on the further reaction of reactive amino groups, diblock copolymers with functional carboxyl groups (PCL-b-PEO-COOH) and functional compounds RGD (PCL-b-PEO-RGD) as well as the triblock copolymers with thermosensitive PNIPAAm blocks (PCL-b-PEO-b-PNIPAAM) were synthesized. The well-controlled structures of these copolymers with functional groups and blocks were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. These copolymers with functionalized hydrophilic blocks were fabricated into microspheres for the examination of biofunctions via cell culture experiments and in vitro drug release. The results indicated the significance of introducing functional groups (e.g., NH₂, COOH and RGD) into the end of the hydrophilic block of amphiphilic block copolymers for biomedical potentials in tissue engineering and controlled drug release.     

Effect of Halogen Chain End Fidelity on the Synthesis of Poly(methyl methacrylate-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-styrene) by ATRP

Poly(methyl methacrylate-b-styrene) (PMMA-b-PS) block copolymers are synthesized by two consecutive ATRPs and fractionated into four fractions. The halogen chain end fidelity (CEF) in PMMA-b-PS is quantified based on the analysis of each fraction. Compared to ethyl 2-phenyl-2-bromoacetate/CuBr/2,2′-bipyridine (EPBA/CuBr/bpy) and CuBr/N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (CuBr/PMDETA) catalysts, PMMA-b-PS synthesized using p-toluenesulfonyl chloride/CuCl/bpy (TsCl/CuCl/bpy) and CuCl/PMDETA catalysts has a higher halogen CEF and a better control on molecular weight.     

Chitosan-Based Surface Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Microspheres for Sustained Release of Sinomenine Hydrochloride in Aqueous Media

The surface molecular imprinting technique has been proposed as a prospective strategy for template molecule recognition and separation by devising the recognition sites on the surface of imprinted materials. The purpose of this study was to establish a novel drug delivery system which was developed by surface molecular imprinting method using β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-grafted chitosan (CS) (CS-g-β-CD) microspheres as matrix and sinomenine hydrochloride (SM) as the template molecule. By adjusting the amount of functional monomer and cross-linking agent, we got the more excellent adsorption of CS-g-β-CD molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs-CS-g-β-CD). When the amount of functional monomer was 6 mmol and cross-linking agent was 20 mmol, the maximum binding capacity of MIPs and non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) was 55.9 mg/g and 37.2 mg/g, respectively. The results indicated that the recognition of SM with MIPs was superior to NIPs. The adsorption isotherms of MIPs-CS-g-β-CD indicated that the adsorption behavior fitted better to the Langmuir model, which showed that the adsorption process of polymer was monomolecular layer. In in vitro drug release studies, the accumulative release amount of MIPs-CS-g-β-CD was up to 78% within 24 h. MIPs exhibited an excellent controlled SM release profile without burst release and the mechanism of SM release was shown to conform to non-Fick diffusion. Therefore, MIPs-CS-g-β-CD were successfully applied to extraction of SM and used as the materials for drug delivery system.     

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.     

The Influence of Pendant Hydroxyl Groups on Enzymatic Degradation and Drug Delivery of Amphiphilic Poly[glycidol‐block‐(ε‐caprolactone)] Copolymers

An amphiphilic diblock copolymer PG‐b‐PCL with well‐controlled structure and pendant hydroxyl groups along hydrophilic block was synthesized by sequential anionic ring‐opening polymerization. The micellization and drug release of PG‐b‐PCL copolymers using pyrene as a fluorescence probe were investigated for determining the influences of copolymer composition and lipase concentration on drug loading capacity and controlled release behavior. The biodegradation of PG‐b‐PCL copolymers was studied with microspheres as research samples. It has been concluded that the polar hydroxyl groups along each repeat unit of hydrophilic PG block in PG‐b‐PCL copolymer have great influences on drug encapsulation, drug release, and enzymatic degradation of micelles and microspheres.

     

Reactions of 1,3-Dialkyl-5-amino-1,3-dihydro-2<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-imidazo-[4,5-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]pyridin-2-ones with acetylacetone and ethyl acetoacetate

1,3-Dialkyl-5-amino-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones reacted with acetylacetone to give the corresponding 4-(1,3-dialkyl-2-oxo-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-5-ylamino)pent-3-en-2-ones which underwent intramolecular cyclization to 1,3-dialkyl-5,7-dimethyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]-[1,8]naphthyridin-2-ones on heating in polyphosphoric acid or diphenyl ether. Analogous reaction of 1,3-dialkyl-5-amino-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones with ethyl acetoacetate led to the formation of ethyl 3-(1,3-dialkyl-2-oxo-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-5-ylamino)but-2-enoates whose cyclization afforded 1,3-dialkyl-8-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[5,4-b][1,8]naphthyridin-2-ones.     

Synthesis of 1-(1,3-dialkyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-imidazo-[4,5-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]pyridin-5-yl)-5-oxopyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids

Nitration of 2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-one gave its 5-nitro derivative which was subjected to alkylation with dimethyl sulfate, diethyl sulfate, and benzyl(dimethyl)phenylammonium chloride. The resulting 1,3-dimethyl-, 1,3-diethyl-, and 1,3-dibenzyl-5-nitro-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones were reduced to the corresponding 1,3-dialkyl-5-amino-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones, and the latter reacted with itaconic acid to produce 1-(1,3-dialkyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-5-yl)-5-oxopyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids. 1-(2-Oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-5-yl)-5-oxopyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid was obtained by analogous reaction with 5-amino-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]-pyridin-2-one.     

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.     

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.     

Nitration of 1,3-dihydro-2<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-imidazo[4,5-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]pyridin-2-one derivatives

Nitration of 1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-one and its N-methyl derivatives at 0–5°C and 60°C gives 5-nitro-and 5,6-dinitro-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones, respectively. The latter can also be obtained by nitration of 5-mononitro derivatives under similar conditions. The nitration of 6-chloro-and 6-bromo-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones and their N-methyl-substituted analogs leads to the formation of the corresponding 6-chloro(bromo)-5-nitro compounds. The same products are formed in the nitration of 5,6-dichloro-and 5,6-dibromo-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones. In this case, the process involves replacement of the halogen atom in position 5 of the pyridine fragment by nitro group. The nitration of 6-bromo-5-methyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-one is accompanied by oxidation of the 5-methyl group to carboxy.     

Density of N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O Solutions in Perfluorodecalin As a Function of Concentration

The dependence of density ρ of nitrogen oxide N₂O solutions in perfluorodecalin on the N₂O concentration is measured. At a constant temperature, this dependence has a linear character: ρ = аx + b. Coefficients a and b are tabulated for five temperatures: 293, 298, 303, 313, and 328 K. These data allow us to control the N₂O concentration in perfluorodecalin.     

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.     

Synthesis of water soluble metalloporphyrin-cored amphiphilic star block copolymer photocatalysts for an environmental application

Two series of water-soluble metalloporphyrin-cored amphiphilic star block copolymers were synthesized by controlled radical polymerizations such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT), which gave eight amphiphilic block copolymer arm chains consisting of poly(n-butyl acrylate-b-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacylate) (PnBA-b-PEGMEMA, M_n,GPC = 78,000, M_w/M_n = 1.2, 70 wt% of PPEGMEMA) and poly(styrene-b-2-dimethylamino ethyl acrylate) (PS-b-PDMAEA, M_n,GPC = 83,000, M_w/M_n = 1.2, 67 wt% of PDMAEA), yielding porphyrin(Pd)-(PnBA-b-PPEGMEMA)₈ and porphyrin(Pd)-(PS-b-PDMAEA)₈, respectively. Obtained metalloporphyrin polymer photocatalysts were homogeneously solubilized in water to apply to the removal of chlorophenols in water, and was distinguished from conventional water-insoluble small molecular metalloporphyrin photocatalysts. Notably, we found that the water-soluble star block copolymers with hydrophobic–hydrophilic core–shell structures more effectively decomposed the chlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), in water under visible light irradiation (k = 1.39 h^?1, t_1/2 = 0.5 h) in comparison to the corresponding water-soluble star homopolymer, because the hydrophobic core near the metalloporphyrin effectively captured and decomposed the hydrophobic chlorophenols in water.     

Synthesis of oxo derivatives of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-(<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-tolysulfonyl)hexahydrocycloalka[<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]indoles

Hydroxymercuration-demercuration of N-p-tolysulfonyl-4,4a,9,9a-tetrahydro-3H-carbazoles and N-p-tolyl(or methyl)sulfonyl-1,3a,4,8b-tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]indoles leads to the formation of the corresponding N-p-tolylsulfonyl-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-carbazol-2-ols and N-p-tolyl(or methyl)sulfonyl-1,2,3,3a,4,8b-hexahydrocyclopenta[b]indol-2-ols. The latter are oxidized to 2-oxo derivatives with potassium dichromate. The oxidation of 2-methoxy-8-methyl-N-p-tolylsulfonyl-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-carbazol-1-ol under analogous conditions gives 2-methoxy-8-methyl-N-p-tolysulfonyl-2,3,4,4a,9,9a-hexahydro-1H-carbazol-1-one.     

Synthesis of New Cyclopenta[<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]quinoline Derivatives

A series of new 11-(R-phenyl)-8,9-dihydro-7H-benzo[f]cyclopenta[b]quinolin-10(11H)-ones and 7,14-bis(R-phenyl)-2,3,9,10,11,14-hexahydrocyclopenta[2,3]quinolino[8,7-h]cyclopenta[b]quinoline-1,8(4H,7H)-diones were synthesized by three-component condensation of naphthalen-2-amine or naphthalene- 1,5-diamine with substituted benzaldehydes and cyclopentane-1,3-dione in one step through intermediate formation of unstable arylaminoketoenol.     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Biofixation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Actinobacillus succinogenes</Emphasis> Through Novel Amine-Functionalized Polystyrene Microsphere Materials

CO₂-derived succinate production was enhanced by Actinobacillus succinogenes through polystyrene (PSt) microsphere materials for CO₂ adsorption in bioreactor, and the adhesion forces between A. succinogenes bacteria and PSt materials were characterized. Synthesized uniformly sized and highly cross-linked PSt microspheres had high specific surface areas. After modification with amine functional groups, the novel amine-functionalized PSt microspheres exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 25.3 mg CO₂/g materials. After addition with the functionalized microspheres into the culture broth, CO₂ supply to the cells increased. Succinate production by A. succinogenes can be enhanced from 29.6 to 48.1 g L^?1. Moreover, the characterization of interaction forces between A. succinogenes cells and the microspheres indicated that the maximal adhesive force was about 250 pN. The amine-functionalized PSt microspheres can adsorb a large amount of CO₂ and be employed for A. succinogenes anaerobic cultivation in bioreactor for high-efficiency production of CO₂-derived succinate.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of novel fused [1,2,4]triazino[5,6-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]indole derivatives

Synthesis of new fused systems of triazino[5,6-b]indole starting with preparation of 3-amino[1,2,4]-triazino[5,6-b]indole 1 by reaction of isatin with 2-aminoguanidinium carbonate in boiling acetic acid is presented [1]. Intermediate compound 1 reacted with aldehyde, ethyl chloroformate, triethyl orthoformate, and ninhydrine and gave new heterotetracyclic nitrogen systems, such as 3-(N ²-guanidinylimino)indole-2(1H)-one 2, 3-(N-ethoxycarbonylamino)-4H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indole 3, 3-(N-ethoxymethyleneamino)-4H-[1,2,4]-triazino[5,6-b]indole 4, 3-(hydrazinothiocarbonylamino)-4H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indole 5, respectively. N-(1,3-dioxoindene-2-ylidene)-4H-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3-amine 6 was synthesized by reaction of compound 1 with aldehyde, ethyl chloroformate, triethyl orthoformate, and ninhydrine. New fused indole systems, pyrimido[2′,1′:3,4][1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indol-3(4H)-one 8, 9, 11, 12 and 1H-imidazo[2′,1′:3,4][1,2,4]triazino-[5,6-b]indol-2(3H)-one 10, were synthesized in the reaction of the intermediate 1 with bifunctional compounds. Structures of the products were elucidated from their elemental analysis and spectral data (IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR and mass spectra). Antimicrobial activity of some synthesized compounds was tested.     

Neutron diffraction study of dehydrogenation of titanium carbohydrides TiC<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>H<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript>

The possibility of the synthesis of hydrogen-nonstoichiometric cubic titanium carbide ТiС _х of high purity from powdery nonstoichiometric cubic titanium carbohydride ТiС _х H _y or nonstoichiometric titanium carbide with admixture hydrogen by annealing in a continuously maintained vacuum of no worse than 1.33 × 10^–3 Pa at temperatures of 600–750°C for several hours has been shown. Similar annealing at higher temperatures (T ≥ 800°C) does not lead to the complete removal of hydrogen from a sample due to intensive sintering. In this case, it seems that pores between sintered particles are hydrogen traps, and the release of hydrogen through the surface of sintered particles is hindered.     

Recyclization of 1,3-dialkyl-6-nitro-1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-imidazo[4,5-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]pyridine-2,5(3<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>,4<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-diones into imidazole derivatives

Treatment of 5-amino-1,3-dialkyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones with sodium nitrite in aqueous HCl gave 1,3-dialkyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine-2,5(3H,4H)-diones which were nitrated with potassium nitrate in sulfuric acid to 6-nitro derivatives, and the latter underwent recyclization into 4-amino-1,3-dialkyl-5-(1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-ones by the action of hydrazine hydrate.