Exogenous donors of nitric oxide (a chemical aspect)

The review considers problems related to the formation, in the living organism, of nitric oxide, a versatile and vitally important regulator of cell metabolism. The pathways of formation of endogenous nitric oxide from L-arginine are discussed and the main approaches to increasing the NO concentration by introducing various types of exogenous nitric oxide donors into the organism and chemical and biological characteristics of these donors are considered. Primary attention is devoted to the known drugs that were shown to release NO under hydrolytic, oxidative, or reductive conditions. The solution of problems related to the elucidation of the mechanisms of drug action requires that the formation of nitric oxide be taken into account.     

Preparation and characterization of self-assembled nanoparticles based on glycol chitosan bearing adriamycin

An anthracycline drug, adriamycin, was chemically conjugated onto the backbone of glycol chitosan via an acid-labile cis-aconityl linkage. The physicochemical characteristics of the glycol chitosan–adriamycin (GC–ADR) conjugates were investigated by dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The GC–ADR conjugates were capable of forming nano-sized self-aggregates in an aqueous medium, when the adriamycin content in the conjugate was in the range of 2.0–5.0 wt.%. The self-aggregates were spherical in shape, and had mean diameters of 238–304 nm, depending on the adriamycin content. The critical aggregation concentrations of the conjugates, estimated by the fluorescence quenching method, were as low as 1.0–2.5×10⁻² mg/ml. The size of self-aggregates was not affected by the polymer concentration in the range from 50 to 2,000 μg/ml, and was maintained up to 8 days in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4), indicating high colloidal stability. The release of adriamycin from self-aggregates was significantly dependent on the pH of the medium due to the cis-aconityl linkage; e.g., the amount of adriamycin released for 4 days was 7.3±0.3% at pH 7, whereas it was 29.3±1.9% at pH 4. The cell viability results demonstrated that free adriamycin shows more potent cytotoxicity than the conjugates, primarily attributed to the sustained release of adriamycin from self-aggregates. In conclusion, the self-aggregates, formed by GC–ADR conjugates, might be useful for the site-specific delivery of adriamycin in a sustained manner.     

Assessing the biocompatibility of NiTi shape memory alloys used for medical applications

The present paper reviews aspects related to the biocompatibility of NiTi shape memory alloys used for medical applications. These smart metallic materials, which are characterised by outstanding mechanical properties, have been gaining increasing importance over the last two decades in many minimal invasive surgery and diagnostic applications, as well as for other uses, such as in orthodontic appliances. Due to the presence of high amounts of Ni, the cytotoxicity of such alloys is under scrutiny. In this review paper we analyse work published on the biocompatibility of NiTi alloys, considering aspects related to: (1) corrosion properties and the different methods used to test them, as well as specimen surface states; (2) biocompatibility tests in vitro and in vivo; (3) the release of Ni ions. It is shown that NiTi shape memory alloys are generally characterised by good corrosion properties, in most cases superior to those of conventional stainless steel or Co–Cr–Mo-based biomedical materials. The majority of biocompatibility studies suggest that these alloys have low cytotoxicity (both in vitro and in vivo) as well as low genotoxicity. The release of Ni ions depends on the surface state and the surface chemistry. Smooth surfaces with well-controlled structures and chemistries of the outermost protective TiO₂ layer lead to negligible release of Ni ions, with concentrations below the normal human daily intake.     

Effect of the medium pH on the release of secondary metabolites from roots ofDatura stramonium,Catharanthus roseus,andTagetes patula cultured in vitro

The release of alkaloids from root culturesDatura stramonium andCatharanthus roseus and thiophenes from root cultures ofTagetes patula was found to increase when the pH of the culture media (ranging from 4.8 to 7.0) was reduced to 3.5. The extent of the effect was different in each type of culture. Increases ranged from 4- to 20-fold, which in some cases accounted for 75% of the total secondary metabolite pool produced per flask. When the release of individual metabolites was measured, even larger increases, were observed (nearly 400-fold for ajmalicine). Increased release of alkaloids fromC. roseus roots were also observed in cultures growing in a 14-L fermentor, when the medium pH was reduced. Reduction of the pH of the media did not affect growth of the root cultures in subsequent subcultures. The importance of this treatment as a stategy to improve the recovery of secondary metabolites from producing cultures is discussed.     

Kinetic parameters of unsaturated polyester resin modified with poly(ε -caprolactone)

The mineral sabugalite (HAl)_0.5[(UO₂)₂(PO₄)]₂⋅8H₂O, has been studied using a combination of energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, dynamic and controlled rate thermal analysis techniques. X-ray diffraction shows that the starting material in the thermal decomposition is sabugalite and the product of the thermal treatment is a mixture of aluminium and uranyl phosphates. Four mass loss steps are observed for the dehydration of sabugalite at 48°C (temperature range 39 to 59°C), 84°C (temperature range 59 to 109°C), 127°C (temperature range 109 to 165°C) and around 270°C (temperature range 175 to 525°C) with mass losses of 2.8, 6.5, 2.3 and 4.4%, respectively, making a total mass loss of water of 16.0%. In the CRTA experiment mass loss stages were found at 60, 97, 140 and 270°C which correspond to four dehydration steps involving the loss of 2, 6, 6 and 2 moles of water. These mass losses result in the formation of four phases namely meta(I)sabugalite, meta(II)sabugalite, meta(III)sabugalite and finally uranyl phosphate and alumina phosphates. The use of a combination of dynamic and controlled rate thermal analysis techniques enabled a definitive study of the thermal decomposition of sabugalite. While the temperature ranges and the mass losses vary due to the different experimental conditions, the results of the CRTA analysis should be considered as standard data due to the quasi-equilibrium nature of the thermal decomposition process. The online version of the original article can be found at     

Swelling kinetics and release characteristic of crosslinked chitosan: Polyether polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels

The aqueous swelling kinetics of a series of crosslinked chitosan (cr-CS) with glutaraldehyde (GA) interpenetrating polyether hydrogels have been studied as functions of pH, the N-deacetylation degree of chitosan, the amount of crosslinking agent, the electrolyte composition in solution, temperature, and gel composition. Based on these results, the swelling mechanism of the hydrogels was discussed. The release profiles of chlorhexidini acetas from the semi-IPN were also investigated. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

聚己内酯聚醚嵌段共聚物和共混物的表面性质对其药物释放行为的影响

聚己内酯聚醚嵌段共聚物和共混物的表面性质对其药物释放行为的影响王卫华，贝建中，王智峰，王身国（中国科学院化学研究所北京１０００８０）关键词聚己内酯聚醚嵌段共聚物，共混物，电子能谱，表面性质，药物释放行为聚己内醋（ＰＣＬ）具有优良的药物通透性和生物相容...     

分子印迹智能水凝胶的研究进展

智能水凝胶可以响应外界环境(如温度、pH、溶剂、离子强度、电场、磁场、光、压力和特异分子等)的变化,发生可逆体积相变,从而具有控制释放的能力.将分子印迹技术引入智能水凝胶,制备分子印迹智能水凝胶,不仅可以保持其环境响应性,更赋予其对特异分子的识别性能,从而可以根据外界环境的变化控制其对特定分子记忆功能的开关,实现自动识别并结合或释放特定分子.它有望应用于药物控释、生物传感和免疫分析等领域.本文综述了分子印迹智能水凝胶的研究现状,讨论了其目前所面临的挑战,并展望了其发展前景.     

新型仿生聚合物胶束用于纳米药物载体的研究

对两亲性聚合物进行设计和优化, 从细胞膜仿生的设计出发, 利用原子转移自由基聚合, 制备了一种以胆固醇为疏水段、以仿细胞膜磷酸胆碱基聚合物为亲水段的两亲性分子CMPC. 在对其溶液胶束自组装行为进行探索的基础上, 以水包油(O/W)溶剂挥发法制备了包含抗癌药物阿霉素(ADR)的纳米抗癌药物载体, 通过体外细胞培养, 研究了仿细胞膜两亲分子的细胞相容性, 并对抗癌纳米药物载体抗肿瘤细胞的药效进行了初步研究.     

前驱体水解对纳米铂形状控制合成的影响

以聚丙烯酸钠(NaPA: M_w ≈ 2100)为保护剂，对比研究了H_2还原K_2PtCl_4 和K_2PtCl_6水溶液制备纳米铂晶粒的形状选择性，揭示了前驱体的水解对纳米铂 晶粒的形状控制合成具有显著影响。文献中通常采用的合成立方形状纳米铂的 K_2PtCl_4前驱体在水溶液中不稳定，避光静置一周会析出黑色沉淀。这种不稳定 性导致了以K_2PtCl_4为Pt前驱体的合成结果难以重复。相比而言，避光静墨的 K_2PtCl_6水溶液很稳定，以它为前驱体合成的纳米铂通常为削角八面体。 K_2PtCl_6水溶液暴露于室内光线中会出现[PtCl_6]~(-2)的光致水解。当[PtCl_6] ~(2-)的紫外特征吸收峰(260nm)由于光致水解完全消失后，以聚丙烯酸钠为保护剂 ，通过H_2还原可以有选择性地(约80%)合成由{100}晶面包裹的立方体形状的纳米 铂。