Coordination bonding based pH-responsive albumin nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery

Zn-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (Zn-BSA nanoparticles) were prepared and used as carriers for pH-responsive anticancer drug delivery. Zinc was introduced into this system to increase the stability of the BSA nanoparticles and to load the anticancer drug based on the coordination bonding formation of Zn-BSA and Zn-drug molecules, respectively. The cleavage of either the "Zn-BSA" or the "Zn-drug" coordination bonding, in response to pH, would result in the release of the drug under designated pH conditions. The nanoparticles were spherical with diameters of 50-60 nm and narrow size distribution. Mitoxantrone (MX) was chosen as the model drug to study the release behavior and the inhibitory efficacy against tumor cells. In vitro release behavior of MX loaded Zn-BSA nanoparticles (MX-Zn-BSA nanoparticles) showed a fine pH-responsiveness. The release amount at pH 5.0 was close to 80%, while the cumulative release amount at pH 7.4 was less than 6% within 24 h. The blank Zn-BSA nanoparticles were of low cytotoxicity, while a high cytotoxic activity of MX-Zn-BSA nanoparticles against MCF-7 cells was demonstrated by in vitro cell assays.     

Formulation of Quaternized Aminated Chitosan Nanoparticles for Efficient Encapsulation and Slow Release of Curcumin

An effective drug nanocarrier was developed on the basis of a quaternized aminated chitosan (Q-AmCs) derivative for the efficient encapsulation and slow release of the curcumin (Cur)-drug. A simple ionic gelation method was conducted to formulate Q-AmCs nanoparticles (NPs), using different ratios of sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as an ionic crosslinker. Various characterization tools were employed to investigate the structure, surface morphology, and thermal properties of the formulated nanoparticles. The formulated Q-AmCs NPs displayed a smaller particle size of 162 ± 9.10 nm, and higher surface positive charges, with a maximum potential of +48.3 mV, compared to native aminated chitosan (AmCs) NPs (231 ± 7.14 nm, +32.8 mV). The Cur-drug encapsulation efficiency was greatly improved and reached a maximum value of 94.4 ± 0.91%, compared to 75.0 ± 1.13% for AmCs NPs. Moreover, the in vitro Cur-release profile was investigated under the conditions of simulated gastric fluid [SGF; pH 1.2] and simulated colon fluid [SCF; pH 7.4]. For Q-AmCs NPs, the Cur-release rate was meaningfully decreased, and recorded a cumulative release value of 54.0% at pH 7.4, compared to 73.0% for AmCs NPs. The formulated nanoparticles exhibited acceptable biocompatibility and biodegradability. These findings emphasize that Q-AmCs NPs have an outstanding potential for the delivery and slow release of anticancer drugs.     

Determination of phthalate esters from food-contacted materials by on-line microdialysis and liquid chromatography

Phthalates (endocrine disrupters) released from food-contacted plastics into aqueous solution during microwave conditioning were measured with microdialysis enrichment on-lined high-performance liquid chromatography. The released phthalates in aqueous solution were diffused through a cellular dialysis membrane into the perfusion stream and thus enriched prior to HPLC analysis. Conditions for obtaining optimum enrichment such as the hollow dialysis fiber, flow-rate and polarity modifier in perfusion stream, pH, added-salt and stirring rate in sample solution, as well as chromatographic conditions were investigated. Experimental results indicated that microdialysis enrichment with a 20-cm polysulfone hollow dialysis fiber and heptane as the perfusate at 0.10-microL/min flow-rate to collect phthalates from aqueous sample in 0.5M KCl matrix (optional pH) at 250 rpm stirring offered the optimum enriched efficiency. The dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were well separated within 16 min by a C-18 column and eluted gradient from 40 to 90% aqueous acetonitrile (at pH 6.0) and 1.0 to 1.5 mL/min flow-rate. Detection was carried out with an UV detector at 225 nm. The enrichment factors were 14, 140 and 201 (at 0.10-microL/min perfusate flow-rate) for DMP, DEP and DBP, respectively, with less than 4% RSD. The proposed method provided a very simple, fast and eco-friendly enriched procedure to determine the extent of phthalates migration from disposable plastic materials into drinking soup.     

Multilayers and poly(allylamine hydrochloride)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) modified bovine serum albumin nanoparticles: Improved stability and pH-responsive drug delivery

To improve the colloidal stability of bovine serum albumin(BSA) nanoparticles(NPs) in diverse mediums, poly(allylamine hydrochloride)(PAH)/sodium poly(4-styrene sulfonate)(PSS) multilayers and poly(allylamine hydrochloride)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)(PAH-g-PEG) coating were coated on the surface of BSA NPs.Stabilities of the BSA NPs in diverse mediums with different surfaces were detected by dynamic light scattering(DLS).Multilayers and PAH-g-PEG coated BSA NPs can be well dispersed in various mediums with a narrow polydispersity index(PDI).The BSA NPs with the highest surface density of PEG show the best stability.The multilayers and PAH-g-PEG coating do not deter the pH-dependent loading and release property of BSA NPs.At pH 9,the encapsulation efficiency of doxorubicin reaches almost 99%,and the release rate at pH 5.5 is significantly higher than that at pH 7.4.     

水溶性CdSe/CdS量子点的合成及其与牛血清蛋白的共轭作用

用巯基乙酸(TGA)作为稳定剂，合成了水溶性的CdSe和核壳结构的CdSe/CdS半导体量子点。吸收光谱和荧光光谱研究表明，核壳结构的CdSe/CdS半导体量子点比单一的CdSe量子点具有更优异的发光特性。用TEM、电子衍射(ED)和XPS分别表征了CdSe和CdSe/CdS纳米微粒的结构、形貌及分散性。红外光谱和核磁共振谱证实了巯基乙酸分子中的硫原子和氧原子与纳米微粒表面的金属离子发生了配位作用。在pH值为7.4的条件下，将合成的CdSe和CdSe/CdS量子点直接与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)相互作用。实验发现，两种量子点均对BSA的荧光产生较强的静态猝灭作用；而BSA对两种量子点的荧光则具有显著的荧光增敏作用，存在BSA时CdSe/CdS量子点的荧光增强是不存在BSA时体系荧光强度的3倍。     

卡尔曼滤波紫外光度法同时测定邻、间、对苯二酚

研究了苯二酚三种同分异构体水溶液的紫外吸收光谱，在ｐＨ３．６的缓冲溶液中，邻、间、对苯二酚的紫外吸收峰分别为２７５ｎｍ、２７３ｎｍ和２８８ｎｍ，三者重叠严重。选取在２４０ｕｍ～２９０ｎｍ范围内，每隔１ｎｍ测量一次吸光值共５１个点，采用卡尔曼滤波进行处理。可以获得较满意的结果。对１０个不同比例组成的标准混合液进行测定，邻、间、对苯二酚三者的平均回收率分别为９７．４％，１０１．７％和９８．０％，标准偏差分别为１．７２％，３．８６％和２．０４％。对模拟试样中加入标准的回收率均在９６．０％～１０３．０％之间。     

卡尔曼滤波紫外光度法同时测定邻、间、对苯二酚

研究了苯二酚三种分异构体水溶液的紫外吸收光谱，在ＰＨ３．６的缓冲溶液中，邻、间、对苯二酚的紫我吸收峰分别为２７５ｎｍ，２７３ｎｍ和２８８ｎｍ三者重叠严重。选取在２４０ｎｍ－２９０ｎｍ范围内，每隔１ｎｍ测量一次吸光值截５１个点，采用卡尔曼滤波进行处理，可以获得较满意的结果，对１０个不同比例组成 标准混合液进行测定，邻、间、对苯二酚三者的平均回收率分别为９７．４％，１０１、７％和９８．０％，标准偏差分     

Synthesis,characterization, and evaluation of enzymatically degradable poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) hydrogels for colon‐specific drug delivery

The enzymatically degradable poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) hydrogels were prepared using 4,4^′‐bis(methacryloylamino)azobenzene (BMAAB) as the crosslinker. It was found that the incorporated N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) monomer did not change the enzymatic degradation of hydrogel, but remarkably enhanced the loading of protein drug. The hydrogels exhibited a phase transition temperature between 4°C (refrigerator temperature) and 37°C (human body temperature). Bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model drug was loaded into the hydrogels by soaking the gels in a pH 7.4 buffer solution at 4°C, where the hydrogel was in a swollen status. The high swelling of hydrogels at 4°C enhanced the loading of BSA (loading capability, ca. 144.5 mg BSA/g gel). The drug was released gradually in the pH 7.4 buffer solution at 37°C, where the hydrogel was in a shrunken state. In contrast, the enzymatic degradation of hydrogels resulted in complete release of BSA in pH 7.4 buffer solution containing the cecal suspension at 37°C (cumulative release: ca. 100 mg BSA/g gel after 4 days). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chitosan‐Based Thermo/pH Double Sensitive Hydrogel for Controlled Drug Delivery

A series of thermo/pH sensitive N‐succinyl hydroxybutyl chitosan (NSHBC) hydrogels with different substitution degrees of succinyl are prepared for drug delivery. Rheology analysis shows that the gelation temperature of NSHBC hydrogels is 3.8 °C higher than that of hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) hydrogels. A model drug bovine serum albumin (BSA) is successfully loaded and released. NSHBC hydrogels show excellent pH sensitivity drug release behaviors. After incubation for 24 h, 93.7% of BSA is released from NSHBC hydrogels in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (pH 7.4), which is significantly greater than that of 24.6% at pH 3.0. In contrast, the release rate of BSA from HBC is about 70.0% at pH 3.0 and 7.4. Thus, these novel hydrogels have the prominent merits of high adaptability to soluble drugs and pH sensitivity triggered release, indicating that NSHBC hydrogels have promising applications in oral drug delivery.     

荧光光谱法研究除草醚与牛血清白蛋白的相互作用

运用荧光光谱和紫外吸收光谱研究水溶液中除草醚(NP)与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的相互作用.结果表明,NP与BSA形成基态复合物导致BSA内源荧光猝灭,猝灭机理主要为静态猝灭和非辐射能量转移.运用位点模型计算298 K、308 K、318 K时结合常数K_A分别为6.97×10~4、5.25×10~4 、4.96×10~4 L·mol~(-1),结合位点数n分别为0.98、0.92、0.96.根据热力学参数确定其作用力以疏水作用和静电作用为主;运用F(o)rster偶极-偶极非辐射能量转移原理,测定了NP与BSA的结合距离r为2.19 nm;用同步荧光技术初步考察了NP对BSA构象的影响.     

Performance of biodegradable microcapsules of poly(butylene succinate), poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) and poly(butylene terephthalate-co-adipate) as drug encapsulation systems

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu), poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) and poly(butylene terephthalate-co-adipate) (PBTA) microcapsules were prepared by the double emulsion/solvent evaporation method. The effect of polymer and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) concentration on the microcapsule morphologies, drug encapsulation efficiency (EE) and drug loading (DL) of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) were all investigated. As a result, the sizes of PBSu, PBSA and PBTA microcapsules were increased significantly by varying polymer concentrations from 6 to 9%. atRA was encapsulated into the microcapsules with an high level of approximately 95% EE. The highest EE and DL of BSA were observed at 1% polymer concentration in values of 60 and 37%, respectively. 4% PVA was found as the optimum concentration and resulted in 75% EE and 14% DL of BSA. The BSA release from the capsules of PBSA was the longest, with 10% release in the first day and a steady release of 17% until the end of day 28. The release of atRA from PBSu microcapsules showed a zero-order profile for 2 weeks, keeping a steady release rate during 4 weeks with a 9% cumulative release. Similarly, the PBSA microcapsules showed a prolonged and a steady release of atRA during 6 weeks with 12% release. In the case of PBTA microcapsules, after a burst release of 10% in the first day, showed a parabolic release profile of atRA during 42 days, releasing 36% of atRA.     

Synthesis and properties of biodegradable thermo- and pH-sensitive poly[(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-(methacrylic acid)] hydrogels

Thermo- and pH-sensitive hydrogels were synthesized via the copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and methacrylic acid (MAA) crosslinked with a biodegradable PEG-co-PCL macromolecular crosslinker under UV irradiation. Swelling measurements showed that temperature and pH sensitivity of the resultant hydrogels were highly dependent on the composition of the hydrogels as well as temperature and pH of the local medium. The pH and temperature dependence of the hydrogels displayed good reversibility. The hydrolytic degradation studies showed that the degradation rate of the hydrogels increased with the increasing content of MAA introduced in the hydrogels in pH 7.4 PBS solutions at 37 °C. The study on the release of BSA indicated that the release rate of BSA was higher at pH 7.4 than at pH 2.0, and increased with the increase of the MAA content in the hydrogels in pH 7.4 PBS solutions at 37 °C. These hydrogel materials are desirable for potential applications as smart drug delivery systems.     

Self-aggregated nanoparticles of cholesterol-modified glycol chitosan conjugate: Preparation, characterization, and preliminary assessment as a new drug delivery carrier

Cholesterol-modified glycol chitosan (CHGC) conjugate was synthesized and characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR. The degree of substitution (DS) was 6.7 cholesterol groups per 100 sugar residues of glycol chitosan. CHGC formed self-aggregated nanoparticles with a roughly spherical shape and a mean diameter of 228 nm by probe sonication in aqueous medium. The physicochemical properties of the self-aggregated nanoparticles were studied using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of self-aggregated nanoparticles in aqueous solution was 0.1223 mg/mL. Indomethacin (IND), as a model drug, was physically entrapped into the CHGC nanoparticles by dialysis method. The characteristics of IND-loaded CHGC (IND-CHGC) nanoparticles was analyzed using DLS, TEM and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The IND-CHGC nanoparticles were almost spherical in shape and their size increased from 275 to 384 nm with the IND-loading content increasing from 7.14% to 16.2%. The in vitro release behavior of IND from CHGC nanoparticles was studied by a dialysis method in phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4). IND was released in a biphasic way. The initial rapid release in 2 h and slower release for up to 12 h were observed. The results indicated that CHGC nanoparticles had a potential as a drug delivery carrier.     

Reaction Species in the Aqueous Solution and Interfacial Synthesis of Zirconium Polyethers

The following tentative identifications are made from the study of variations in pH and substituted hydroquinones in the synthesis of zirconium polyethers: active species for aqueous solution systems, CP₂Zr²⁺ and RO η active species for interfacial systems, Cp₂ ZrCl₂ and R-OH with reaction occurring near the interface or in the organic phase. Yield increases as stirring rate increases throughout the stirring range of 13,000 to 24,500 rpm. Decent yields can also be obtained utilizing “inverse interfacial” systems where the Cp₂ ZrCl₂ is originally contained in water and the diol and added base in the organic layer. No product is found utilizing organic solution systems.     

Polysaccharide-modified iron oxide nanoparticles as an effective magnetic affinity adsorbent for bovine serum albumin

The magnetic separation technique based on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) has potential applications in protein adsorption and purification, enzyme immobilization, cell sorting, nucleic acid detachment, and drug release. However, the naked MNPs are often insufficient for their hydrophilicity, colloidal stability, and further functionalization. To overcome these limitations, chitosan was firstly carboxymethylated and then covalently conjugated on the surface of the MNPs ranging in size from about 5 to 15 nm, which were prepared by co-precipitating iron (II) and iron (III) in alkaline solution and then treating under hydrothermal conditions. It was found that such modification did not result in the phase change of the MNPs, and the resultant modified nanoparticles were still superparamagnetic. In particular, the colloidal stability of MNPs in aqueous suspension was improved after the surface modification. By investigating the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the modified MNPs, it was observed that the adsorption capacity of the BSA on the modified MNPs increased rapidly within several minutes and then reached the maximum value at about 10 min. The adsorption equilibrium isotherm could be fitted well by the Langmuir model. The medium pH affected greatly the adsorption of the BSA. The maximum adsorption of the BSA occurred at the pH value close to the isoelectric point of the BSA, with a saturation adsorption amount of 94.45 mg/g (25 °C). For the BSA feed concentration of 1.017 mg/ml, a high desorption percentage of 91.5% could be achieved under an alkaline condition (pH 9.4).     

Synthesis and application of silica and calcium carbonate nanoparticles in the reduction of organics from refinery wastewater

Oil refinery is one of the fast growing industries across the globe and it is expected to progress in the near future. The worldwide increase in the generation of refinery wastewater along with strict environmental regulations in the discharge of industrial effluent, persistent efforts have been devoted to recycle and reuse the treated water. The wastewater from the refining operation leads to serious environmental threat to the ecosystem. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize silica (SiO₂) and calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCO₃) in the reduction of organics from refinery wastewater. The synthesized nanoparticles were employed in the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from refinery wastewater by studying the influence of solution pH, contact time, dosage of nanoparticles and stirring speed on adsorption performance. From the batch experimental studies, the optimized processing conditions for the reduction of COD using SiO₂ nanoparticles are pH 4.0, dosage 0.5 g, stirring speed 125 rpm and 90 min stirring time, and the corresponding values for CaCO₃ nanoparticles are pH 8.0, dosage 0.4 g, stirring speed 100 rpm and 90 min stirring time. The study demonstrates that SiO₂ and CaCO₃ nanoparticles have a promising future in the reduction organics from refinery wastewater in different pH regimes.     

Extraction and preconcentration of salbutamol and terbutaline from aqueous samples using hollow fiber supported liquid membrane containing anionic carrier

This paper presents a new three-phase liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) strategy for extraction and preconcentration of salbutamol (SB) and terbutaline (TB) from aqueous samples, including urine. The drugs were extracted from 11 ml of aqueous sample (source phase; SP) into an organic phase with microliter volume located inside the pores of a polypropylene hollow fiber, and then back-extracted into 24 microl of a second aqueous solution as the receiving phase (RP), located in the lumen of the hollow fiber. In preliminary experiments, we tried to transport the drugs using a pH gradient between the two sides of the hollow fiber. Due to the existence of both amine and phenolic groups on the drugs, very little transport occurred and enrichment factors (EF) less than one were obtained. Further experiments were done in the presence of bis(2-ethylhexyl) monohydrogenphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) or methyltrioctylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) in the organic phase, to extract drugs from acidic and basic matrices, respectively. Results showed that transport of drugs from alkaline solution into 1M of sodium bromide occurred when the membrane was impregnated with dihexyl ether containing 20% Aliquat 336. To optimize the EF, the effects of different parameters such as the nature of organic solvent used to impregnate the membrane, compositions and volumes of SP and RP, type and concentration of carrier, extraction time and stirring rate were investigated. Optimal results were obtained in the presence of 0.005 M of NaOH (pH 11.70) in the SP, 1M of NaBr in the RP, 20% of Aliquat 336 in dihexyl ether as membrane impregnation solvent, stirring rate of 500 rpm and extraction time of 60 min. Under these conditions, enrichment factors of 52.9 and 213.1, dynamic linear ranges of 20-5000 and 10-5000, and limits of detection of 2.5 and 0.5 ng/ml were obtained for salbutamol and terbutaline, respectively. Also determination of drugs in environmental water and urine samples in the range of nanograms per millilitre with RSDs<10% was possible using HPLC-photodiode array detection or HPLC-MS.     

Effects of stirring prior to starting emulsion polymerization of styrene with nonionic emulsifier on particle formation and its incorporation

Emulsion polymerization of styrene with a nonionic emulsifier (polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether, E911) and potassium persulfate as initiator was carried out at different stirring rates (240–500 rpm) at 70 °C, which was started by the addition of initiator after stirring for 100 min at 70 °C. Resulting polystyrene (PS) particles at 240 rpm were 70-nm-sized, spherical particles and incorporated only 5 wt.% of total E911. On the other hand, particles at 500 rpm were 1-μm-sized, nonspherical particles, which were formed by coagulation of small particles, and incorporated above 70 wt.% of E911 in the inside. Before starting emulsion polymerization, E911 and styrene, respectively, transferred from an aqueous phase to a styrene phase and from the styrene phase to the aqueous phase (water and micelles) faster at 500 rpm than 240 rpm. At 240 rpm, there were a lot of almost empty micelles (ca. 5 nm) in the aqueous phase, on the other hand at 500 rpm, 70 wt.% of total E911 transferred to the styrene phase and the micelles were swollen with much monomer (ca. 40 nm) even if the number was smaller. Stirring prior to starting the emulsion polymerization greatly affected partitionings of monomer to the aqueous phase and the nonionic emulsifier to the styrene phase, resulting in the differences in the particle formation and the incorporation of the nonionic emulsifier inside PS particles.     

金纳米粒子修饰的手性毛细管电色谱固定相的制备及性能表征

制备了粒径为15 nm的金纳米粒子(GNPs)并将其修饰到氨基衍生化的硅胶整体柱内,通过化学键合法将牛血清白蛋白(BSA)固载到GNPs的表面作为手性固定相。通过透射电子显微镜、扫描电子显微镜等方法进行表征,结果表明,GNPs分散性良好,并被成功地修饰到毛细管柱内,含量高达17.18%。优化了BSA手性柱的制备条件,最终确定了体积分数为10%的3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(APTES)和15 g/L BSA为最佳反应条件。在毛细管电色谱分离模式下,对缓冲液pH值、电压等分离条件进行了考察,最终选择了10 mmol/L pH 7.4的磷酸缓冲液和15 kV运行电压作为最佳分离条件。手性柱对3种手性化合物(色氨酸、阿替洛尔和麻黄碱)有拆分效果,对色氨酸能实现基线分离。与物理吸附法相比,化学键合法制备的手性柱拆分效果好,分析物无需柱前衍生化,且色谱柱稳定性良好。该文的制备方法也为其他类型手性选择剂的引入提供了良好的思路。     

Self-aggregated nanoparticles of cholesterol-modified chitosan conjugate as a novel carrier of epirubicin

Cholesterol-modified chitosan conjugate with succinyl linkages (CHCS) was synthesized and characterized by fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR). The degree of substitution (DS) of cholesterol moiety determined by elemental analysis was 7.3%. The self-aggregation behavior of CHCS was evaluated by the fluorescence probe technique and the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) was 1.16 × 10⁻² mg mL⁻¹ in 0.1 M acetic acid solution. CHCS formed monodisperse self-aggregated nanoparticles with a roughly spherical shape and a mean diameter of 417.2 nm by probe sonication in aqueous media. Epirubicin (EPB), as a model anticancer drug, was physically entrapped inside CHCS self-aggregated nanoparticles by the remote loading method and the characteristics of EPB-loaded CHCS self-aggregated nanoparticles were analyzed using dynamic laser light scattering (DLLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fluorescence spectroscopy. EPB-loaded CHCS self-aggregated nanoparticles were almost spherical in shape and their size increased from 338.2 to 472.9 nm with the EPB-loading content increasing from 7.97% to 14.0%. The release behavior of EPB from CHCS self-aggregated nanoparticles was studied in vitro by dialysis method. The results showed that EPB release rate decreased with the pH increase of the release media. In phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4), the EPB release was very slow and the total release amount was about 24.9% in 48 h.