Disintegration-controllable stimuli-responsive polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules via covalent layer-by-layer assembly

The disintegration-controllable stimuli-responsive polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules have been fabricated via the covalent layer-by-layer assembly between the amino groups of chitosan (CS) and the aldehyde groups of the oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) onto the sacrificial templates (polystyrene sulfonate, PSS) which was removed by dialysis subsequently. The covalent crosslinking bonds of the multilayer microcapsules were confirmed by FTIR analysis. The TEM analysis showed that the diameter of the multilayer microcapsules was <200nm. The diameter of the multilayer microcapsules decreased with the increasing of the pH values or the ionic strength. The pH and ionic strength dual-responsive multilayer microcapsules were stable in acidic and neutral media while they could disintegrate only at strong basic media.     

Ultrasensitive fluorescence detection of glutaraldehyde in water samples with bovine serum albumin-Au nanoclusters

Based on the cross-linking nature of BSA in the presence of glutaraldehyde (GA), the fluorescence of BSA-stabilized Au nanoclusters was effectively quenched by GA. A new method for ultrasensitive GA detection in water samples was thus developed with fluorescent BSA-stabilized Au nanoclusters. The fluorescence quenching of BSA-stabilized Au nanoclusters in the presence of GA fitted to Stern-Volmer equation. In the GA concentration range of 0.8–6 μM, a linear relationship of F₀/F versus GA concentration was obtained with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.2 μM. The relative standard deviation of 5 replicate measurements of 4 μM GA is 1.3%. This method shows good selectivity over other organics in water samples. The feasibility of the new sensor for GA in different water samples was demonstrated.     

Fabrication of chitosan microcapsules via layer-by-layer assembly for loading and in vitro release of heparin

The heparin-loaded microcapsules were successfully prepared by layer-by-layer deposition of chitosan (CHI) and heparin (Hep). Film growth was confirmed by the reversal of ζ-potentials during polysaccharide deposition. Both scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscope evidenced the integrity of (CHI/Hep)₅ capsules after the removal of cores. By assembling the carriers with chitosan that are inherently degradable, the capsules were engineered to degrade specifically in the presence of lysozyme. It was demonstrated that the loaded heparin was released from the capsules over a long period of time when being incubated in lysozyme solution. With these results, such CHI/Hep capsules may have a great potential as controlled release carrier for heparin.     

A sol-gel derived pH-responsive bovine serum albumin molecularly imprinted poly(ionic liquids) on the surface of multiwall carbon nanotubes

A pH-responsive surface molecularly imprinted poly(ionic liquids) (MIPILs) was prepared on the surface of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by a sol-gel technique. The material was synthesized using a 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane modified multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT-APTES) as the substrate, bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the template molecule, an alkoxy-functionalized IL 1-(3-trimethoxysilyl propyl)-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ([TMSPMIM]Cl) as both the functional monomer and the sol-gel catalyst, and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the crosslinking agent. The molecular interaction between BSA and [TMSPMIM]Cl was quantitatively evaluated by UV–vis spectroscopy prior to polymerization so as to identify an optimal template/monomer ratio and the most suitable pH value for the preparation of the MWCNTs@BSA-MIPILs. This strategy was found to be effective to overcome the problems of trial-and-error protocol in molecular imprinting. The optimum synthesis conditions were as follows: template/monomer ratio 7:20, crosslinking agent content 2.0–2.5 mL, temperature 4 °C and pH 8.9 Tris–HCl buffer. The influence of incubation pH on adsorption was also studied. The result showed that the imprinting effect and selectivity improved significantly with increasing incubation pH from 7.7 to 9.9. This is mainly because the non-specific binding from electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions decreased greatly with the increase of pH value, which made the specific binding affinity from shape selectivity strengthened instead. The polymers synthesized under the optimal conditions were then characterized by BET surface area measurement, FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The adsorption capacity, imprinting effect, selective recognition and reusability were also evaluated. The as-prepared MWCNTs@BSA-MIPILs were also found to have a number of advantages including high surface area (134.2 m² g⁻¹), high adsorption capacity (55.52 mg g⁻¹), excellent imprinting effect (imprinting factor of up to 5.84), strong selectivity (selectivity factor of 2.61 and 5.63 for human serum albumin and bovine hemoglobin, respectively), and good reusability.     

Bovine serum albumin surface imprinted polymer fabricated by surface grafting copolymerization on zinc oxide rods and its application for protein recognition

A novel bovine serum albumin (BSA) surface imprinted polymer based on ZnO rods was synthesized by surface grafting copolymerization. It exhibited an excellent recognition performance to bovine serum albumin. The adsorption capacity and imprinting factor of bovine serum albumin could reach 89.27 mg/g and 2.35, respectively. Furthermore, the fluorescence property of ZnO was used for tracing the process of protein imprinting and it implied the excellent optical sensing property of this material. More importantly, the hypothesis that the surface charge of carrier could affect the imprinting process was confirmed. That is, ZnO with positive surface charge could not only improve the recognition specificity of binding sites to template proteins (pI < 7), but also deteriorate the bindings between sites and non‐template proteins (pI > 7). It was also important that the reusability of ZnO@BSA molecularly imprinted polymers was satisfactory. This implied that the poor mechanical/chemical stability of traditional zinc oxide sensors could be solved by the introduction of surface grafting copolymerization. These results revealed that the ZnO@BSA molecularly imprinted polymers are a promising optical/electrochemical sensor element.     

Modeling a protein foam fractionation process

A simple staged model for the protein foam fractionation process is proposed in this article. This simplified model does not detail the complex foam structure and gas-liquid hydrodynamics in the foam phase but, rather, is built on the conventional theoretical stage concept considering upward bubbles with entrained liquid and downward liquid (drainage) as counter-current flows. To simulate the protein concentration distribution in the liquid along the column by the model, the bubble size and liquid hold-up with respect to the position must be known, as well as the adsorption isotherm of the protein being considered. The model is evaluated for one stage by data from the semibatch foam fractionation of egg albumin and data from the continuous foam fractionation of bovine serum albumin. The effect of two significant variables (superficial gas velocity and feed protein concentration) on enrichment is well predicted by the model, especially for continuous operation and semibatch operation when initial concentration is high.     

BSA mediated Ag@Bi2S3 composites: synthesis,characterization, photodegradation of mixed dyes via metal-semiconductor interface,antimicrobial and antioxidant activities

Nowadays, the development of metal-metal sulfide interface semiconductors using green approach is best material for the photocatalytic and biological applications. Here, we provided for the first time, an environmentally friendly route to fabricate bovine serum albumin (BSA) assisted Ag@Bi₂S₃ composites through a metal-metal sulphide interface via a simple hydrothermal method for the evaluation of photochemical and biological applications. The synthesized composites were characterized by UV–vis DRS, PL, XRD, TEM, and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms. The UV–vis DRS and PL spectra show that the obtained nano-sized Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite displays enhanced visible-light absorption and a decreased fluorescence emission compared to that of Bi₂S₃ nanorods (NRs). The photocatalytic performances of the synthesized composites were evaluated by the degradation of the single (RhB and MB) and mixed dye (RhB+MB) under sunlight irradiation. The results indicated that the Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite exhibits superior photocatalytic activity (98.38%) than that of individual Ag NPs and Bi₂S₃ NRs due to the synergistic effect of Ag and Bi₂S₃ nanophases in the Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite, which results in an effective charge separation, fast electron transfer from Ag to Bi₂S₃, and a low recombination of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. The Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite also has good recycling stability up to 5 cycles and its mechanism also investigated. The evaluation of reactive species during the photocatalytic reaction was also carried out. Further, the effects of Bi₂S₃ and Ag NPs on the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the resultant Ag@Bi₂S₃ composite were also systematically investigated.     

Molecular imprinting of protein by coordinate interaction

In this article,a novel strong interaction by forming complex between bovine serum albumin(BSA) and copper ion was utilized for the preparation of molecular imprinted hydrogel in aqueous solution.Results show that the inclusion of copper ion in preparation can bridge the template BSA and functional monomers together and improve the imprinting effect compared to the polymer made without copper ion added.High selectivity factor and large adsorption capacity are also observed for the obtained BSA-imprinted ...     

Linear sweep voltammetric determination of protein based on its interaction with Alizarin Red S

In this paper, the electrochemical behavior of the interaction of Alizarin Red S (ARS) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated on the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). In the acidic solution (pH 4.2), ARS can be easily reduced on the HMDE and it has a well-defined polarographic wave at −0.29 V (SCE). On addition of BSA or human serum albumin (HAS) into the ARS solution, the reduction peak current of ARS decreases without the movement of the peak potential and the appearance of new peaks. The study shows that a new electrochemically non-active complex is formed via intercalation of ARS with BSA or HSA, which can not be reduced on the Hg electrode. The decrease of reductive peak current of ARS is proportional to BSA and HSA concentration in the range of 2.0–60 and 2.0–40 mg l⁻¹, respectively. The detection limit of BSA and HSA is 1.0-mg l⁻¹. The analytical results of human serum and urine samples by this method were in good agreement with the Coomassie brilliant blue G-250 assay. The binding number and the binding interaction mechanism are also discussed.     

Switchable peptide-equipped protein/cucurbit[7]uril supramolecular assembly for targeted drug delivery

ABSTRACT

Herein, we develop a switchable peptide-equipped protein/cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) supramolecular assembly as novel targeted drug vector. Specifically, bovine serum albumin (BSA) is used to interact with CB[7], serving as the core of drug vector. Then, a peptide shield layer is formed on the surface of BSA/CB[7], yielding peptide-equipped supramolecular assembly (Pep@BSA@CB[7]). The equipped peptide shield layer is composed of switchable peptide probes consisting of a polycationic cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) motif, a polyanionic motif and a linking motif, and therefore provides a variety of desirable properties. First, the CPP motif displays excellent cell penetration ability and can facilitate internalisation of the drug vector. Secondly, the polyanionic motif performs intramolecular electrostatic interaction with CPP motif and thereby can reduce non-targeted delivery towards normal cells. Thirdly, the linking motif can be specifically cleaved by matrix metalloproteinases 2 that is up-regulated in tumour microenvironment, thus enabling precise cancer-targeting. As a consequent, Pep@BSA@CB[7] can serve as a promising drug vector that exhibits superior targeting ability and high uptake efficiency towards cancer cells, which may be of great potential in cancer-targeted treatment.     

3-Diethylaminopropyl-bearing glycol chitosan as a protein drug carrier

Polysaccharidic nanogels were fabricated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and a glycol chitosan (GCS) grafted with functional 3-diethylaminopropyl (DEAP) groups. These nanogels were investigated to evaluate their cellular uptake in HeLa cells and in vivo fate in nude mice tumor model. Unlike free BSA, GCS-g-DEAP/BSA nanogels improved cellular uptake of BSA. Furthermore, this system led to an enhanced blood circulation and a high accumulation of BSA in the tumor site. Our collective results strongly support that GCS-g-DEAP/BSA nanogel is a potential carrier system for high molecular weight proteins.     

Bovine serum albumin-imprinted polyacrylamide gel beads prepared via inverse-phase seed suspension polymerization

Synthetic materials capable of specifically recognition proteins are important in bioseparation and biosensors. In this study, bovine serum albumin-imprinted polyacrylamide gel beads were synthesized via inverse-phase seed suspension polymerization, using high-density crosslinked gel beads as core, low-density crosslinked polyacrylamide gel as imprinting shell. The surface of gel bead had a large quantity of well-distributed macropores, which were suited to let the proteins pass in and out. The selectivity test showed that imprinting gel beads exhibited good recognition for template proteins, as compared to the control protein. We consider the formation of multiple hydrogen bonds and complementary shape between the imprinting cavities and the template proteins are the two factors that lead to the imprinting effect. The imprinting beads had quick adsorption rate and possessed improved regeneration property in comparison with those prepared directly via inverse-phase suspension polymerization.     

蛋白质与聚乙二醇之间相互作用的光谱法研究

通过共振散射光谱(RLS)、二维共振散射光谱(2D-RLS)及荧光光谱研究了牛血清白蛋白(BSA)与聚乙二醇(PEG)在溶液中的相互作用。PEG和BSA之间存在着氢键作用及疏水作用,其中氢键作用是主要的。在相同条件下,基于RLS方法测得的PEG与BSA之间的结合常数为9.56×103L/mol,而基于荧光光谱方法测得的PEG与BSA之间的结合常数为6.21×103L/mol。两种方法此外所测得的实验数据比较接近,表明RLS方法可普遍用来分析蛋白质与水溶性聚合物之间相互作用。     

A fluorescence method for quantitative measurements of specific protein at powder surfaces

A new method using fluorescence labelled proteins was developed to determine the quantitative amount of specific protein at the powder surface. The method is based on steady-state fluorescence measurements of pyrene labelled proteins with oxygen gas phase quenching at the powder surface. The surface load of protein was measured for spray-dried dextran powders containing bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results show a patchwise surface load of about 1.3 mg m⁻² at a concentration of 0.33% (dry weight) BSA in the powder. The patchwise surface load stays constant with increased BSA concentration in the powder.     

Surface plasmon resonance sensor chips for the recognition of bovine serum albumin via electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymers

In this paper,a surface plasmon resonance(SPR)sensor chip for detection of bovine serum album(BSA)was prepared by electropolymerization of 3-aminophenylboronic acid(3-APBA)based on molecularly imprinted polymer(MIP)technique.The surface morphology of MIP and non-imprinted(NIP)flms were characterized by scanning electroscopy(SEM).SEM images exhibited nanoscale cavities formed on the MIP films surface homogeneously due to the removal of BSA templates.The effects of pH,ion strength of rebinding BSA,the specific binding and selective recognition were studied for MIP films.Results indicated that the BSA-imprinted films exhibited a good adsorption of template protein(0.02–0.8 mg/mL)in0.05 mol/L sodium phosphate buffer at pH 5.0 with the limit of detection(LOD)of 0.02 mg/mL.     

Investigation on the interaction of tetrachloride fluorescein-bovine serum albumin-beta-cyclodextrin and the determination of protein by flow injection analysis

In this paper, a simple and sensitive flow injection analysis (FIA) for the determination of protein with spectroscopic probe was developed. This method was based on the investigation of the interaction of tetrachloride fluorescein (2,4,5,7-tetrachloro-3,6-fluorandiol)-bovine serum albumin (BSA), the coupling reaction of protein with tetrachloride fluorescein (TCFS) which was used as a spectroscopic probe in the presence of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The interaction mechanism and the main factors affecting the determination were investigated in details. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range and detection limit were 0.0-28.0 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.76 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method has been used to determine albumin in serum albumin with satisfactory results.     

The preparation of bovine serum albumin surface-imprinted superparamagnetic polymer with the assistance of basic functional monomer and its application for protein separation

Currently, small proteins imprinting are more reported since large proteins molecular imprinting faces challenge due to their bulk size and complex structure. In this work, bovine serum albumin (BSA) surface-imprinted magnetic polymer was successfully synthesized based on atomic transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method in the presence of common monomer (N-isopropylacrylamide) with the assistant of basic functional monomer (N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-methacrylamide), which provides a achievable attempt for imprinting larger target proteins based on the ATPR with the mild reaction conditions. The BSA-imprinted polymer exhibited higher adsorption capacity and selectivity to BSA over the non-imprinted polymer. Competitive adsorption tests indicated the BSA-imprinted polymer had better selective adsorption and recognition properties to BSA in the mixture. The obtained BSA-imprinted polymer was applied to bovine serum, which also showed selectivity to BSA. In addition, a conventional aqueous two-phase solution of PEG/sulphate was used as elution for adsorbed BSA, which was compared with common NaCl elution.     

Temperature-programmed desorption as a tool for quantification of protein adsorption capacity in micro- and nanoporous materials

The protein adsorption capacity of porous sorbents is generally obtained by measuring the concentration of proteins desorbed from the materials after treatment by a detergent, or by measuring the decrease of protein concentration in the solution. These methods have some drawbacks and often lead to a low precision in the determination of the adsorption capacities. We describe in this paper a new method that allows to directly quantify the amount of proteins adsorbed on porous materials. This method is based on the quantitative analysis by mass spectrometry of some low mass gaseous species which evolve from the biomolecules during the heat treatment of a temperature-programmed desorption analysis (TPD-MS). The method has been applied to bovine serum albumin and cytochrome C adsorbed on an activated carbon. The adsorption uptake of the proteins on the carbon material could be measured by this direct analysis. A comparison with the depletion method was done, it shows that the two methods are complementary. The depletion method allows a determination of the total adsorption capacity, while the TPD-MS method focus on irreversible capacity.     

Bovine serum albumin recognition via thermosensitive molecular imprinted macroporous hydrogels prepared at two different temperatures

A novel temperature-sensitive molecular imprinted hydrogel composed of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanosulfonic acid (AMPS), N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and acrylamide (AAm) has been prepared by free-radical cross-linking copolymerization in aqueous solution under two different temperatures (25 °C and −20 °C). Bovine serum albumin (BSA, pI 4.9, MW 66.0 kDa) is used as the template protein. The influence of the external temperature stimuli on the affinity of the hydrogels was investigated, and the optimal binding conditions were tested. The adsorption capacity (Q_max) and association constant (K) for the specific interaction between the hydrogel and the template protein were determined by Langmuir isotherm plots. Several types of reference protein, which are different in molecular weights and isoelectric points were chosen to investigate the selectivity of the hydrogels. It was shown that the shape memory and the charge effect were the major factors for the recognition. This imprinted hydrogel was used to specifically adsorb the BSA from the protein mixture and real sample, which demonstrated its potential selectivity.     

Determination of Protein via Resonance Light Scattering Technique with （NH4）2SO4

Be able to form large particles with protein via electrostatic force to enhance the intensity of resonance light scattering(RLS),(NH4)2SO4 was used as a RLS probe to determine bovine serum albumin(BSA),human serum albumin(HSA) and ovum albumin(OVA).The experimental conditions were investigated,including the acidity and saturation degree of (NH4)2SO4.Under the optimum conditions,the enhanced RLS intensity is proportional to the concentration of BSA,HSA and OVA in the ranges of 5×10-8―1×10-6,2.5×10-8―8×10-7 and 5×10-8―1.5×10-6 mol/L,respectively.The detection limits for BSA,HAS and OVA are 6.6×10-9,3.8×10-9 and 7.4×10-9 mol/L,respectively.The effects of foreign substances were also examined.The practical and synthetic samples were analyzed with satisfactory results.