Fluorescence and ESR studies on membrane oxidative damage by gamma radiation

Oxidative damage to cellular membranes critically controls the manifestation of cellular response to ionizing radiation. To gain further insight into the damaging mechanisms, we have investigated the effects of γ-radiation-generated free-radical-mediated peroxidative damage in egg yolk lecithin unilamellar liposomal membranes by employing 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH). Alterations in lipid bilayer fluidity and malondialdehyde (MDA) formation were measured in irradiated liposomal membranes as a function of radiation dose (0.1-1 kGy). A relationship seems to exist between the degree of radiation-induced peroxidative damage and the magnitude of DPH fluorescence decay in irradiated membranes. Radiation-induced membrane rigidization and MDA formation were significantly reduced when α-tocopherol, a natural membrane antioxidant, was present in the liposomes suggesting an involvement of lipid free radicals in the mechanism of the damage process. The results of the present study have been compared with those obtained by the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique on human erythrocyte ghost membranes with spin-labeled phospholipids having the unique capability to sensitively report on the dynamic state of the lipid environment inside the bilayer membrane. Iodoacetamide and N-ethylmaleimide spin labels were used to investigate alterations in membrane proteins. These results have contributed to our understanding of mechanisms involved in radiation membrane oxidative damage in terms of lipid peroxidation, fluidity changes and involvement of -SH groups of membrane proteins. Combined use of fluorescence and ESR spin-label techniques is of potential interest in probing the deeper molecular mechanisms of radiation injury in cellular membranes for developing strategies to modify the radiation damage to cells.     

Polarized Fluorescence of Diphenylhexatriene-Incorporated Poly(Styrene) Film at Room Temperature

Poly(styrene) is a highly viscous, and cross-linked polymer at room temperature. This makes it ideal to use as a molecular fixer. The polarized fluorescence of a diphenylhexatriene (DPH)-incorporated poly(styrene) film has been studied. The excitation and emission wavelength dependence of the anisotropy of fluorescence of a luminophore-incorporated poly(styrene) film reveals that with decreasing excitation wavelength the anisotropy changes remarkably but is independent of emission wavelength. The investigation estimates an angle of no more than 7.4° between the absorption and the emission transition dipole moment for DPH, suggesting poly(styrene) as a suitable medium to evaluate the mutual orientation of absorption and the emission transition dipole moments at room temperature.     

Specific molecular properties of organic solvents determine the fluorescence depolarization of DPH and TMA-DPH in membranes

In pig liver microsomes and protein-free egg PC liposomes the effects of organic solvent molecules on the fluorescence depolarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and 1-[4-(trimethylamino)phenyl]-6-phenyl-hexa-3,5-triene (TMA-DPH) were investigated. Aromaticity, alkyl chain length, and stereometry of the solvent molecules are shown to determine the changes of fluorescence depolarization. A concentration-dependent decrease in the fluorescence anisotropy is obtained with aromatic molecules but not with aliphatic molecules. The decrease correlates with the increasing side chain length of alkylbenzenes for both fluorophors and both membrane systems. Benzene in microsomes deviates characteristically from this trend. Measurements of TMA-DPH reveal smaller changes of anisotropy but yield the same qualitative results. Moreover, it is possible to distinguish the effects of the different stereometric properties of the three xylene isomers on the fluorescence anisotropy of DPH. According to their alkyl chain length and their specific stereometry, they exert the strongest fluidizing effect of all solvents investigated.     

Three-photon-induced fluorescence of diphenylhexatriene in solvents and lipid bilayers

We observed the emission of l,6-diphenyl-l,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) when excited with the fundamental output of a fs Ti:sapphire laser at 860 nm. The emission spectra of DPH were identical to that observed for one-photon excitation at 287 nm. The dependence of the DPH emission intensity on laser power was cubic, indicating three-photon excitation of DPH at 860 nm. At a shorter wavelength of 810 nm, the dependence on laser power was quadratic, indicating a two-photon process. At an intermediate wavelength of 830 nm the mode of excitation was a mixture of two- and three-photon excitation. At 830 nm the anisotropy is no longer a molecular parameter, and the mode of excitation and anisotropy of DPH depends on laser power. Frequency-domain anisotropy decays of DPH in triacetin revealed the same rotational correlation times for two- and three-photon excitation. However, the time 0 anisotropy of DPH was larger for three-photon excitation than for two-photon excitation. Steady-state anisotropy data for DPH-labeled membranes revealed the same transition temperature for one- and three-photon excitation. These anisotropy data indicate that membrane heating was not significant with three-photon excitation and that three-photon excitation may thus be of practical usefulness in fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy of membranes.     

Pseudo Real-Time Method for Monitoring of the Limiting Anisotropy in Membranes

Data acquisition and analysis of the time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy is typically a time consuming process preventing usage of this experimental method for monitoring of time-dependent phenomena. We describe a method for pseudo real-time monitoring of the limiting fluorescence anisotropy r(infinity) allowing to track changes of the membrane order occurring on the time scale of minutes. Principle and performance of the method is demonstrated in the time domain with the time-correlated single photon counting detection. DMPC liposomes stained with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) have been used to test influence of the diffusion membrane potential on the membrane order during the temperature-induced phase transition in DMPC membranes. It has been found that the transmembrane field of the order of -70 mV increases the phase transition temperature by about 1.5 degrees C-2 degrees C. It is proposed that the full advantage of the method can be utilized with a gated detection, which besides a faster data acquisition brings additional advantage of excitation light suppression. The method can be also used for imaging.     

pH-sensitive paramagnetic liposomes for MRI: assessment of stability in blood

The pH-dependent stability of dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine/palmitic acid (DPPE/PA) liposomal GdDTPA-BMA was investigated in human blood and after exposure to selected blood components. Relaxometry, visual observations and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) were employed for the assessment of stability. The liposomes were stable in buffer at physiological pH and the T(1)-relaxivity (r(1)) of the system was significantly lowered compared to that of non-liposomal GdDTPA-BMA, which could be explained by an exchange limited relaxation process. Lowering the pH, however, gave a marked increase in r(1), due to liposome aggregation and subsequent leakage of GdDTPA-BMA. After a few minutes incubation in human blood the liposomes were destabilised and leaky at both high and low pH, and blood components likely to cause the instability were studied. Physiological level of Na(+) (150 mM) did not affect the relaxometric behavior of the liposomes at pH 7.4, but shifted the pH-r(1) profile laterally to higher pH-values compared to a level of 50 mM Na(+). Increased screening of the surface charges and, concomitantly, a lowering of the energy-barrier against aggregation is a plausible explanation for this phenomenon. In contrast, both Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) (physiological level, both 2 mM) caused massive aggregation of the liposomes and leakage of contents, and were therefore much more detrimental to the stability of the liposomes than a physiological level of Na(+). This could be due to the higher screening ability of divalent cations, but aggregation could also be induced through an inter-liposomal "bridging" effect. Physiological level of both Na(+) and Ca(2+) caused less leakage than for lower Na(+) concentration (50 mM Na(+) and 2 mM Ca(2+)), probably due to competition for the negative surface charges. Albumin also destabilised the liposomes, and it was shown to be due to an interaction between albumin and PA in the liposomal membrane.     

Two photon-induced fluorescence intensity and anisotropy decays of diphenylhexatriene in solvents and lipid bilayers

We measured the fluorescence intensity and anisotropy decays of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH)-labeled membranes resulting from simultaneous two-photon excitation of fluorescence. Comparison of these two-photon data with the more usual one-photon measurements revealed that DPH displayed identical intensity decays, anisotropy decays, and order parameters for one- and two-photon excitation. While the anisotropy data are numerically distinct, they can be compared by use of the factor 10/7, which accounts for the two-photon versus one-photon photoselection. The increased time 0 anisotropy of DPH can result in increased resolution of complex anisotropy decays. Global analysis of the one- and two-photon data reveals consistency with a single apparent angle between the absorption and the emission oscillators. The global anisotropy analysis also suggests that, except for the photoselection factor, the anisotropy decays are the same for one-and two-photon excitation. This ideal behavior of DPH as a two-photon absorber, and its high two-photon cross section, makes DPH a potential probe for confocal two-photon microscopy and other systems where it is advantageous to use long-wavelength (680- to 760-nm) excitation.     

组氨酸、谷胱甘肽混合修饰金纳米团簇的光稳定性研究

金纳米团簇(简称金簇)由几到几百个金原子及修饰试剂组成,由于其尺寸接近于电子费米波长,表现出良好的发光特性及生物相容性,是一类新型纳米标记探针。目前,金纳米团簇在生物检测、细胞成像、癌症诊断及治疗等领域受到研究者的广泛关注。然而,对于光照条件下金簇的稳定性还不清楚。在合成组氨酸、谷胱甘肽混合修饰金簇的基础上,系统研究了光照条件下金簇在不同pH(5.0,7.4和9.0)的荧光变化规律,结果表明,在氙灯强光照射下,金纳米团簇的荧光会随着照射时间的增加逐渐降低,在pH 9.0条件下比pH 5.0及7.4时降低更快,说明金簇在pH 5.0及7.4时光稳定性更好。在此基础上,采用紫外-可见吸收光谱、红外光谱等手段研究了光照前后金簇表面基团的变化规律,发现光照后金簇的紫外可见吸收光谱及红外光谱均发生了明显的变化,说明光照导致金簇表面修饰基团发生了变化。当向体系中通入氮气后,金簇最大发射波长处荧光强度随照射时间的变化明显变慢,说明金簇表面基团与溶液中溶解氧发生了反应,导致金簇表面电荷及修饰试剂状态发生变化,从而导致金簇荧光产生猝灭。相关研究结果对于金纳米团簇在生命科学及分析化学等领域的进一步应用具有一定的参考价值。     

Study on the toxic interactions of Ni with DNA using neutral red dye as a fluorescence probe

The interaction between Ni²⁺ and calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) was investigated in simulated physiological buffer (pH 7.4) using the Neutral Red (NR) dye as a spectral probe by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, as well as CD spectra. The experimental results showed that the conformational changes in DNA helix induced by Ni²⁺ are the reason for the fluorescence quenching of the DNA-NR system. From the experimental results, conclusion can be drawn that Ni²⁺ can cause structural changes of ctDNA and bind with DNA by electrostatic interaction. At the same time, the paper proved that conformation changes of DNA can also lead to the fluorescence decrease of DNA-probe systems.     

Fluorescent Temporin B Derivative and its Binding to Liposomes

Temporins are short (10–13 amino acids) and linear antimicrobial peptides first isolated from the skin of the European red frog, Rana temporaria, and are effective against Gram-positive bacteria and Candida albicans. Similarly to other antimicrobial peptides, the association of temporins to lipid membranes has been concluded to underlie their antimicrobial effects. Accordingly, a detailed understanding of their interactions with phospholipids is needed. We conjugated a fluorophore (Texas Red) to a Cys containing derivative of temporin B (temB) and investigated its binding to liposomes by fluorescence spectroscopy. Circular dichroic spectra for the Cys-mutant recorded in the absence and in the presence of phospholipids were essentially similar to those for temB. A blue shift in the emission spectra and diminished quenching by ferrocyanide (FCN) of Texas Red labeled temporin B (TRC-temB) were seen in the presence of liposomes. Both of these changes can be attributed to the insertion of the Texas Red into the hydrophobic region of the bilayer. Resonance energy transfer, steady state anisotropy, and fluorescence lifetimes further demonstrate the interaction of TRC-temB with liposomes to be enhanced by negatively charged phospholipids. Instead, cholesterol attenuates the association of TRC-temB with membranes. The interactions between TRC-temB and liposomes of varying negative surface charge are driven by electrostatics as well as hydrophobicity. Similarly to native temporin B also TRC-temB forms amyloid type fibers in the presence of negatively charged liposomes. This property is likely to relate to the cytotoxic activity of this peptide.     

A study of the adsorption of the amphiphilic penicillins cloxacillin and dicloxacillin onto human serum albumin using surface tension isotherms

The interaction of human serum albumin (HSA) with two structurally similar anionic amphiphilic penicillins, cloxacillin and dicloxacillin, at 25 °C has been examined by surface tension measurements under conditions at which the HSA molecule was positively (pH 4.5) or negatively charged (pH 7.4). Measurements were at fixed HSA concentrations (0.0125 and 0.125% w/v) and at drug concentrations over a range including, where possible, the critical micelle concentration (cmc). Interaction between anionic drugs and positively charged HSA at pH 7.4 resulted in an increase of the cmc of each drug as a consequence of its removal from solution by adsorption. Limited data for cloxacillin at pH 4.5 indicated an apparent decrease of the cmc in the presence of HSA suggesting a facilitation of the aggregation by association with the protein. Changes in the surface tension-log (drug concentration) plots in the presence of HSA have been discussed in terms of the adsorption of drug at the air-solution and protein-solution interfaces. Standard free energy changes associated with the micellization of both drugs and their adsorption at the air-solution interface have been calculated and compared.     

Phase transfer of agglomerated nanoparticles: deagglomeration by adsorbing grafted molecules and colloidal stability in polymer solutions

We aimed to develop liposomes for loading both cisplatin and quantum dots (QDs) for both drug delivery and bioimaging. The resultant quantum-dot-liposomes (QDLs) with cisplatin were characterized using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), encapsulation efficiencies, and fluorescence intensity. QDLs composed of CdSe or CdSe/ZnS QDs represented a size of about 100?nm. The QDLs were prepared at a high QD loading efficiency of nearly 100?%. Most QDs were located within the liposomal bilayers as evidenced by TEM. Slow and sustained cisplatin release from QDLs was achieved. The cellular uptake of QDLs demonstrated effective internalization and significant fluorescence in melanoma cells. The signal derived from QDLs could be observed by different wavelength settings. The cisplatin-containing QDLs revealed higher cytotoxic activity compared to an equal dose of free cisplatin. CdSe/ZnS QDLs were intravenously administered to mice, and the biodistribution was observed with an in vivo imaging system. Significant fluorescence signal and cisplatin accumulation were detected in the brain and skin, as verified by ex vivo imaging and drug distribution. Liposomal inclusion could reduce the reticuloendothelial system uptake of QDs and cisplatin. QDLs evaluated in this study represent a new potential method for theranostic purposes.     

Self-quenching of uranin: Instrument response function for color sensitive photo-detectors

Concentration is a key determining factor in the fluorescence properties of organic fluorophores. We studied self-quenching of disodium fluorescein (uranin) fluorescence in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) thin films. The concentration dependent changes in brightness and anisotropy were followed by a lifetime decrease. We found that at a concentration of 0.54 M, the lifetime decreases to 7 ps. At a concentration of 0.18 M the lifetime was 10 ps with the relatively high quantum yield of 0.002. In these conditions the fluorescence intensity decay was homogeneous (well approximated by a single lifetime). We realized that such a sample was an ideal fluorescence lifetime standard for spectroscopy and microscopy, and therefore characterized instrument response functions for a time-domain technique. We show that self-quenched uranin enables measurements free of the color effect, making it a superior choice for a lifetime reference over scattered light.     

Spectral changes of light produced by scattering from disordered anisotropic media

We investigate theoretically changes in the spectrum of polychromatic light scattered by a disordered, birefringent medium. We derive an expression for the spectrum of scattered light for ordinary and extraordinary incident waves within the accuracy of the first Born approximation. Using this result, we analyze the changes in the spectrum of light due to the combined action of disorder and anisotropy in the scattering process.     

Interaction of a phosphatidylcholine derivative of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) with intact living cells: Steady-state fluorescence polarization and phase fluorometry studies

The potential interest of DPH-PC was checked with a macrophagic cell line (P388D1). The uptake of DPH-PC was associated with a rapid increase in both fluorescence intensity and a slow decrease in anisotropy values. A flow cytometry comparative study with DPH revealed in both cases the existence of two cell subpopulations with different labeling levels. The analysis of fluorescence decay of DPH-PC showed two components. The fractional intensity of the main component (9.7 ns) is higher than 92%. The Lorentzian distribution of the main lifetime presents an important homogeneity. The observation that an increase in temperature induced a decrease in steady state anisotropy values but did not affect the lifetime suggests that the anisotropy variations effectively reflect modifications in the cohesion of probe micro-surroundings. A transmembrane diffusional phenomenon of a fraction of fluorescent phospholipids (205) was suggested by a study with a nonpermeant membrane quencher. The transmembrane diffusion was confirmed by extraction of the phospholipid analog with fatty acid free BSA. The use of inhibitors of endogenous phospholipase A2 showed a progressive hydrolysis of the fluorescent phospholipid. Nevertheless, the hydrolysis can be neglected in the case of short term interactions with cells (<30 min). Therefore, it can be assumed that DPH-PC can be used as a membrane probe.     

溴化乙锭探针研究劳氏青莲与脱氧核糖核酸的相互作用

用光谱探针溴化乙锭对劳氏青莲与脱氧核糖核酸的作用机制进行了研究。通过对体系的荧光光谱、吸收光谱及共振光散射光谱等方面的研究,结果表明,在pH为7.4的Tris-HCl缓冲溶液中,劳氏青莲与脱氧核糖核酸之间存在着嵌插作用,其结合常数为1.0×105 L·mol-1。     

尼古丁与BSA相互作用的光谱研究

用紫外-可见光谱和荧光光谱研究了尼古丁与牛血清白蛋白(bovine serum albumin, BSA)的相互作用。荧光研究表明,尼古丁浓度的增加引起BSA 345 nm处荧光有规律地猝灭。Stern-Volmer 方程分析pH 5.0,pH 7.4和pH 11.0体系的荧光猝灭机理发现,pH 5.0体系属动态猝灭,而pH 7.4和pH 11.0体系为静态猝灭。Lineweaver-Burk双倒数方程计算pH 7.4和pH 11.0体系在温度为20和37 ℃条件下尼古丁和BSA的结合常数k分别为：k_{20 ℃}=140.15 L·mol-1 ,k_{37 ℃}=131.83 L·mol-1 (pH 7.4)和k_{20 ℃}=141.76 L·mol-1,k_{37 ℃}=27.79 L·mol-1(pH 11.0),表明结合常数在pH 7.4条件下受温度的影响要比pH 11.0条件下小,推测是由于不同pH下尼古丁存在的不同形态所致。紫外-可见光谱研究表明,pH 7.4条件下尼古丁浓度的增加引BSA在210 nm处吸收峰吸收强度减小且红移,说明BSA二级结构发生变化,即螺旋结构变松散;紫外二阶导数光谱和同步荧光光谱(Δλ=λ_em-λ_ex=15 nm和Δλ=λ_<i>em-λ_ex=60 nm)分析尼古丁对BSA芳香性氨基酸(Trp, Tyr和Phe)残基微环境的变化,结果表明高浓度的尼古丁使所有这些芳香性氨基酸残基微环境由疏水环境转变为亲水环境。     

Investigation of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by fluorescence

Photophysical techniques have potential for the development of optical sensors in monitoring and controlling fermentors. In the particular case of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation, carried out by bacteria of the speciesClostridium acetobutylicum, we have developed two studies based on fluorescence spectroscopy. First, we measured the intrinsic fluorescence of NADH related to bacteria metabolism, leading to a linear relationship between the NADH specific fluorescence and the specific rate of butyric acid production. At the same time, we have correlated enzymatic activities (acetate kinase, butyrate kinase, acetoacetate decarboxylase) with NADH specific fluorescence. Second, we studied the fluorescence polarization of extrinsic DPH (1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene) related to membrane fluidity. A simultaneous increase in both DPH anisotropy (order parameter increase) and butanol production is observed. Even though these results seem contradictory, because of the well-known fluidizing effect of butanol on lipids, they can be explained by a homeoviscous response ofC. acetobutylicum to the presence of butanol during fermentation. Thus the apparent changes in fluidity could be the result of the adaptative membrane alteration.     

Translational and Rotational Motions of Albumin Sensed by a Non-Covalent Associated Porphyrin Under Physiological and Acidic Conditions: A Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy and Time Resolved Anisotropy Study

The interaction between a free-base, anionic water-soluble porphyrin, TSPP, and the drug carrier protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been studied by time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy (TRFA) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) at two different pH-values. Both rotational correlation times and translational diffusion times of the fluorescent species indicate that TSPP binding to albumin induces very little conformational changes in the protein under physiological conditions. By contrast, at low pH, a bi-exponential decay is obtained where a short rotational correlation time (phi (int) = 1.2 ns) is obtained, which is likely associated to wobbling movement of the porphyrin in the protein binding site. These physical changes are corroborated by circular dichroism (CD) data which show a 37% loss in the protein helicity upon acidification of the medium. In the presence of excess porphyrin formation of porphyrin J-aggregates is induced, which can be detected by time-resolved fluorescence with short characteristic times. This is also reflected in FCS data by an increase in molecular brightness together with a decrease in the number of fluorescent molecules passing through the detection volume of the sample.     

Effects of cholesterol and azelaic acid in lecithin liposomes exposed to ELF fields: A thermodynamic and structural study

Summary In the present work some thermodynamic and structural aspects of electric-, magnetic- and electromagnetic-field interaction at 50 Hz with lecithin liposomes mixed with azelaic acid or cholesterol have been investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Calorimetric scans and X-ray diffraction patterns show that no significant modifications of the two mixtures occur, except a little increase of the freezing temperature of the free water after exposure to electromagnetic field.