Papain Loaded Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Nanoparticles<Emphasis Type="Italic">: In-silico and</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">In-Vitro</Emphasis> Studies

Papain is a protease enzyme with therapeutic properties that are very valuable for medical applications. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is an ideal polymeric carrier for controlled drug delivery systems due to its low biodegradability and its high biocompatibility. In this study, the three-dimensional structure and action mechanism of papain were investigated by in vitro and in silico experiments using molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular docking methods to elucidate biological functions. The results showed that the size of papain-loaded PCL nanoparticles (NPs) and the polydispersity index (PDI) of the NPs were 242.9 nm and 0.074, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency were 80.4 and 27.2%, respectively. Human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293) were used for determining the cytotoxicity of papain-loaded PCL and PCL nanoparticles. The in vitro cell culture showed that nanoparticles are not toxic at low concentrations, while toxicity slightly increases at high concentrations. In silico studies, which were carried out with MD simulations and ADME analysis showed that the strong hydrogen bonds between the ligand and the papain provide stability and indicate the regions in which the interactions occur.     

Dose response of hydrazine – Deproteinated tooth enamel under blue light stimulation

The beta dose response and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) signal stability characteristics of human tooth enamel deproteinated by hydrazine reagent under blue photon stimulation are reported. Removal of the protein organic component of tooth enamel resulted in a higher OSL sensitivity and slower fading of OSL signals. The effect of chemical sample preparation on the enamel sample sensitivity is discussed and further steps to make this deproteinization treatment suitable for in vitro dose reconstruction studies are suggested.     

Determination of Lambda-Cyhalothrin and Malathion Residues in Locust by Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detection

Journal of Analytical Chemistry - A reliable, easy, and reproducible method was developed for the quantification of λ-cyhalothrin and malathion residues in desert locust. For the extraction, a...     

Preparation and dispersion stability of aqueous metal oxide nanofluids for potential heat transfer applications: a review of experimental studies

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Nanofluids have recently attracted attention of many researchers due to their growing potential applications in heat transfer devices. They possess...     

Small amplitude dust-acoustic soliton energy in dusty plasmas with suprathermal polarization force

The effect of suprathermal polarization force on both linear and weakly nonlinear dust-acoustic solitary structures in a three-component dusty plasma is investigated. For this purpose, a new expression of the polarization force acting on dust particles that include the electronic suprathermal effect is derived. The results are applied to two different experimental dusty plasmas. We have found that the polarization force acting on the dust grains decreases as the electron suprathermality becomes more significant. In addition, we have shown that, for a given value of the spectral index κ , the polarization force magnitude fluctuates from one plasma to another. The changes arising in the propagation of small-amplitude dust-acoustic (DA) solitons due to the presence of this suprathermal polarization force are also analysed. Interestingly, an increase in the magnitude of the polarization force leads to an increase in the amplitude and width of DA soliton and provides more energy to the motion of this soliton.     

Oblique interaction of electrostatic nonlinear structures in relativistically degenerate dense magnetoplasmas

We have investigated the interaction of obliquely propagating ion acoustic solitary waves in a magnetoplasma with relativistically degenerate electrons. Using the quantum hydrodynamics model and by employing the extended Poincaré–Lighthill–Kuo technique, we have derived a set of Korteweg de Vries equations for two solitons. We have observed that the system under consideration allows the formation of only compressive solitons and their velocities remain in the sub-acoustic limit. Furthermore, phase shifts of solitons as a result of their interaction have been calculated. The phase shifts have been observed to be dependent on the obliqueness and the physical parameters of plasma. It has also been noticed that phase shifts remain negative for the whole range of parameters generally found in white dwarf stars. We have observed that the phase shifts enhance with the enhancement in number density, however, the converse happens when the magnetic field is enhanced. It has also been observed that the phase shift is slightly greater for the solitons that are less oblique as compared to their more oblique counterparts. Furthermore, we have estimated the spatial scales of interaction of solitons using the parameters found in white dwarf stars.     

Oxidation of propane over ammonium-transition metal mixed keggin phosphomolybdate salts

Mixed ammonium-transition metal salts with formula of (NH4)xMyHzPMo12O40 (M = Ni2+, Co2+ or Fe 3+) denoted as MPMo12 have been investigated for the oxidation of propane, with molecular oxygen, at temperature range between 380℃ and 420℃ after in-situ pre-treatment performed at two heating rate of 5 or 9℃/min. They were characterized by BET method, XRD, UV-Vis and IR techniques. The catalysts were found to be active in the propane oxidation and selective to propene or acrolein, in particular for samples pre-t...     

Preparation and characterization of standard reference material 1849 infant/adult nutritional formula

Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1849 Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula has been issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a replacement for SRM 1846 Infant Formula, issued in 1996. Extraction characteristics of SRM 1846 have changed over time, as have NIST's analytical capabilities. While certified mass fraction values were provided for five constituents in SRM 1846 (four vitamins plus iodine), certified mass fraction values for 43 constituents are provided in SRM 1849 (fatty acids, elements, and vitamins) and reference mass fraction values are provided for an additional 43 constituents including amino acids and nucleotides, making it the most extensively characterized food-matrix SRM available from NIST.     

Analysis of interfacial and micellar behavior of sodium dioctyl sulphosuccinate salt (AOT) with zwitterionic surfactants in aqueous media

The interfacial and bulk properties of mixtures of the anionic surfactant (dioctyl sulphosuccinate sodium salt, AOT) with zwitterionic surfactants 3-(N,N-dimethyldodecylammonio) propane sulfonate (DPS), 3-(N,N-dimethyltetradecylammonio) propane sulfonate (TPS), 3-(N,N-dimethylhexadecylammonio) propane sulfonate (HPS) have been studied employing surface tension, fluorescence, and viscometric techniques in aqueous media at 25 °C. It is observed that these mixtures exhibit synergism and these synergistic interactions increase with the enhancement of the hydrocarbon chain of the zwitterionic surfactant. The various physicochemical properties such as critical micelle concentration (cmc), surface excess concentration (Г(max)), minimum area per molecule (A(min)), aggregation number (N(agg)), interaction parameters (β(σ), β(m)), and thermodynamic parameters such as standard Gibbs free energy of adsorption (ΔG(ads)(o)), excess free energy of micellization (ΔG(ex)), and standard Gibbs free energy of micellization (ΔG(m)(o)) have been evaluated. The negative values of ΔG(m)(o) and ΔG(ads)(o) show that the micelle formation and adsorption of surfactant at the air/solution interface is energetically favorable, while a negative value of ΔG(ex) ensures stability of the mixed micelles formed. The Regular Solution Approximation, Motomura and Rosen's approaches have been used to explain and compare the results. The packing parameter (p) ensures the formation of vesicles or bilayers for AOT+DPS/TPS mixtures, which can potentially be used as delivery agents for industrial applications.