Entrapment Efficiency of All-trans Retinoic Acid in Surfactant Vesicles

Spontaneous vesicles of dicetyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DCDAC) and its mixture with sodium bis-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) are observed respectively in ethanol-water mixed solvents, which have been demonstrated by negative-staining transmission electric microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Ethanol can promote the vesicle formation, especially to pure DCDAC surfactant system. The entrapment efficiency of the vesicles to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) was measured by the first order derivative spectrophotometry method. The entrapment efficiency of ATRA reaches 22% in 0.5 ethanol volume ratio solution when the concentration of DCDAC is 2.5 × 10^?3 mol/L. In the same solvents, the entrapment efficiency could be as high as 62% in 1:9 (molar ratio) DCDAC/AOT mixtures when the total concentration of surfactants is 3.0 × 10^?3 mol/L.     

Antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles prepared in bipolymers at moderate temperature

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles in chitosan–poly(ethylene glycol) suspension. The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by use of an environmentally benign method from chitosan (Cts) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) at moderate temperature and with stirring for different times. Silver nitrate (AgNO₃) was used as the metal precursor and Cts and PEG were used as solid support and polymeric stabilizer, respectively. The antibacterial activity of silver–chitosan–poly(ethylene glycol) nanocomposites (Ag–Cts–PEG NCs) against Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli was tested by use of the Mueller–Hinton agar disk-diffusion method. Formation of AgNPs was determined by UV–visible spectroscopy; surface plasmon absorption maxima were observed at 415–430 nm in the UV–visible spectrum. The peaks in the XRD pattern confirmed that the AgNPs had a face-centered cubic structure; peaks of contaminated crystalline phases were not observed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the AgNPs synthesized were spherical. The optimum stirring time for synthesis of the smallest particle size (mean diameter 5.50 nm) was 12 h. The AgNPs in Cts–PEG were effective against all the bacteria tested. Higher antibacterial activity was observed for AgNPs with smaller size. These results suggest that AgNPs can be used as an effective inhibitor of bacteria and can be used in medical applications. These results also suggest that AgNPs were successfully synthesized in Cts–PEG suspension at moderate temperature with different stirring times.     

可聚合囊泡体系(烯丙基-二甲基-十二烷基溴化胺和十二烷基硫酸钠)在溶液中的盐效应

高稳定的囊泡广泛用于制作生物模型、药物输送以及合成纳米材料的模板。获得高稳定囊泡结构的重要方法之一是用聚合反应固定囊泡结构。作为可聚合囊泡制备的前期基础工作,研究了一种可聚合的囊泡体系：1-丙烯基－2,2,二甲基－十二烷基溴化胺（ADDB）和ADDB与十二烷基磺酸钠（SDS）的等摩尔比混合体系。该囊泡体系即使在高浓度盐水中也能够自发地形成均相的囊泡溶液。在聚合之前,采用动态激光光散射（DLS）、冷冻蚀刻透射电镜（FF-TEM）技术研究了可聚合囊泡的盐效应。DLS测试发现没有盐存在时,囊泡大小为83 nm,盐的浓度增加到250 mmol/L时,囊泡尺寸增大到250 nm。然而继续增大盐浓度到1000 mmol/L, 囊泡尺寸减小到180nm. FF-TEM结果发现盐浓度小于150 mM时, 单个囊泡为70 nm左右,然而明显存在囊泡的絮凝与融合;当盐浓度增加到400 mM时,单个囊泡尺寸减小到20 nm. 因此DLS 观测到囊泡尺寸增大的原因是由于囊泡的絮凝与融合;而尺寸减小的原因是由于在高盐浓度下,盐屏蔽了带电颗粒之间的静电相互作用,在熵增的驱使下,大囊泡变成小囊泡。     

Surface activity and self-aggregation ability of three cationic quaternized aminocalix[4]arenes

The self-aggregation ability of three amphiphilic cationic calix[4]arenes possessing four quaternary amino groups (aminoCAs) was investigated using a variety of methods. All of the studied compounds possess high aggregation ability. Their critical aggregation concentration (CAC) values in water are in the 0.0009–0.04 % (w/v) concentration range. Several size populations of aggregates were detected by DLS for all three CAs, and restructuring of aggregates was observed to be dependent on concentration. Particles formed above CAC were attributed to formation of vesicular structures (vesicles). The coexistence of other type of aggregates (presumably micelles) with vesicles was observed in the aqueous solution of CAs 2 and 3 from concentrations of 0.5 and 0.8 % (w/v), respectively. The filtration procedure was found to be a significant factor since the obtained data from filtered and unfiltered samples was different. The particle sizes obtained by TEM measurements were somewhat correlated with the DLS data for unfiltered CAs solutions. An analysis of the aggregate composition was undertaken by a size-exclusion method using semi-permeable cellophane membranes with different MWCO. A negative deviation from linearity of permeability flux profile starting from 0.8 % (w/v) concentration of donor phase indicated that the fraction of large aggregates at this point is significant enough that the molecules could not easily permeate through the membranes.     

Preparation of Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregates of Trehalose Synthase via Co-aggregation with Polyethyleneimine

Trehalose synthase (TreS) from Meiothermus ruber was co-aggregated with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and precipitated with polyethylene glycol (PEG), followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde to obtain TreS-polyethyleneimine cross-linked enzyme aggregates (termed as CLEAs-PEI-PEG). The TreS solution at 0.5 mg mL^?1 protein concentration, with PEI at a mass ratio of 1:0.8 (enzyme/PEI, w/w) and 25 % (w/v) PEG concentration were found to be most adequate for the co-aggregation of TreS. CLEAs-PEI-PEG was most active with glutaraldehyde at a mass ratio of 1:0.5 (enzyme/glutaraldehyde, w/w) to cross-link the co-aggregates. The CLEAs-PEI-PEG prepared in this work had an optimum pH of 6.5 and optimum temperature of 60 °C. For lower concentrations of enzyme, using PEI could enhance the cross-linking efficiency of TreS. The thermal stability and pH tolerance of CLEAs-PEI-PEG were significantly improved. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the main structure of CLEAs-PEI-PEG showed scaffolding morphology which was constituted by structured ball-like particles with a size of 1–2.5 μm in diameter.     

Inactivation of Recombinant Human Brain-Type Creatine Kinase During Denaturation by Guanidine Hydrochloride in a Macromolecular Crowding System

In this study, we quantitatively examined the effects of the macromolecular crowding agents, polyethylene glycol 2000 (PEG 2000) and dextran 70, on guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl)-induced denaturation of recombinant human brain-type creatine kinase (rHBCK). Our results showed that both PEG 2000 and dextran 70 had a protective effect on the inactivation of rHBCK induced by 0.5 M GdnHCl at 25 °C. The presence of 200 g/L PEG 2000 resulted in the retention of 35.33 % of rHBCK activity after 4 h of inactivation, while no rHBCK activity was observed after denaturation in the absence of macromolecular crowding agents. The presence of PEG 2000 and dextran 70 at a concentration of 100 g/L could decelerate the k ₂ value of the slow track to 21 and 33 %, respectively, in comparison to values obtained in the absence of crowding agents. Interestingly, inactivation of rHBCK in the presence of 200 g/L PEG 2000 followed first-order monophasic kinetics, with an apparent rate constant of 8?×?10^?5?s^?1. The intrinsic fluorescence results showed that PEG 2000 was better than dextran 70 at stabilizing rHBCK conformation. In addition, the results of the phase diagram indicate that more intermediates may be captured when rHBCK is denatured in a macromolecular crowding system. Mixed crowding agents did not produce better results than single crowding agents, but the protective effects of PEG 2000 on the inactivation and unfolding of rHBCK tended to increase as the ratio of PEG 2000 increased in the mixed crowding agent solution. Though it is not clear which crowding agents more accurately simulated the intracellular environment, this study could lead to a better understanding of protein unfolding in the intracellular environment.     

Solution thermodynamics of nimodipine in some PEG 400 + ethanol mixtures

The solubility of nimodipine (NMD) in several PEG 400 + ethanol mixtures was determined at five temperatures from 293.15 to 313.15 K. The thermodynamic functions of Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy of solution and of mixing were obtained by using the van't Hoff and Gibbs equations from these solubility data and drug properties of fusion. The highest solubility value was obtained in PEG 400 and the lowest in ethanol at all temperatures. A non-linear enthalpy–entropy relationship was observed from a plotof enthalpy vs. Gibbs energy of solution. Accordingly, the driving mechanism for NMD solubility in ethanol-rich mixtures is the enthalpy, whereas in PEG 400-rich mixtures thedriving mechanism is the entropy, although the molecular events involved are unclear.     

Synthesis of silver nanoplates by two-dimensional oriented attachment

Synthesis of silver nanoplates was studied in the modified polyol method, where the nucleation and seed stage occurred in a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-water mixture solution, and the growth stage happened in the PEG environment. The morphological evolution of nanoplates was characterized using UV, SEM, and TEM. Interestingly, plane nanostructures with unusual jagged edges were finally formed in our modified polyol method. Using TEM, we observed the medium state of fusion between two nanoplates, resulting in generating unusual jagged edges. Therefore, a novel two-dimensional oriented attachment occurred in our modified polyol method, which involves smaller nanoplates as the building blocks. Further control experiments showed that the presence of water could break this kinetic preferred reactivity, leading to the formation of nanoparticles.     

Facile Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Descurainia sophia</Emphasis> and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties

The objective of the present study was to evaluate efficiency of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) biosynthesis using Descurainia sophia as a novel biological resource. The resulting synthesized Ag-NPs were characterized using UV visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The UV–Vis spectra gave surface plasmon resonance at ~420 nm. TEM images revealed formation spherical shaped Ag-NPs with size ranged from to 1–35 nm. DLS confirmed uniformity of the synthesized Ag-NPs with an average size of ~30 nm. Following, the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the synthesized Ag-NPs were investigated. The concentration 25 µg/ml of the Ag-NPs showed maximum inhibitory effect on mycelium growth of Rhizoctonia solani (More than 86 % inhibition), followed by 15 µg/ml (55 % inhibition) and 10 µg/ml (63 % inhibition). The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of Ag-NPs against Agrobacterium tumefaciens (strain GV3850) and A, rhizogenes (strain 15843) were 4 and 8 µg/ml, respectively. The Ag-NPs were stable in vitro for 3 months without any precipitation or decrease of antifungal effects. Finally, it could be concluded that D. sophia can be used as an effective method for biosynthesis of nanoparticles, especially Ag-NPs.     

Size-Selective Harvesting of Extracellular Vesicles for Strategic Analyses Towards Tumor Diagnoses

Extracellular vesicles (EV), typified by exosomes or microvesicles, are expected to be effective diagnostic markers for cancers. The sizes of the vesicles range from 20 to 1000 nm, but the size-dependent variations of the contents of EVs are still poorly understood. We succeeded in the size-selective harvesting of the vesicles by utilizing the molecular weight-dependent characteristics of a variety of polyethylene glycols (PEG) as precipitating reagents and analyzed the antigens displayed on the surfaces of the vesicles and the miRNAs included in the vesicles from each size group. As a result, the relatively larger (<100 nm) particles precipitated by PEG5k clearly exhibited the greatest amount of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), from both breast cancer (MCF-7) and colon cancer (HCT116) cells, and a larger quantity of microRNA (miRNA) specific to breast cancer cells (miRNA155 for MCF-7) seemed to be contained in the PEG-precipitated particles. The results demonstrated that the quantities of both the tumor-specific miRNA and protein were similarly distributed among the several classes of the size-sorted EVs and that the size-selective harvesting of EVs may be informative for strategic analyses towards the diagnoses of cancers.     

Electrochemical Behavior of Cationic‐Anionic Surfactant Solutions by Cyclic Voltammetry

The electrochemical behavior of cationic tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTABr), anionic sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), cationic‐anionic (catanionic) mixed surfactant and self‐assembled solutions at Pt wire electrode has been studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). On the basis of the cyclic voltammograms and determining the self‐assembled structures by using freeze‐fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF‐TEM), the mechanisms of the electrochemical reactions near the electrode for the two surfactant self‐assembled solutions, i.e., micelles and vesicles, are presented. When mixing TTABr and SDS, at the right mixing ratio of TTABr:SDS, vesicles are established spontaneously. The redox behavior of two vesicle‐phase solutions at a constant total concentration of 25 mmol·L^?1 with the ratios of TTABr:SDS 9.35:0.65 of positive charges of bilayer membranes and 1.25:8.75 of negative charges of bilayer membranes are investigated by cyclic voltammetry. These cyclic voltammograms of vesicles with different charges are compared with those of 100 mmol · L^?1 TTABr and 100 mmol · L^?1 SDS micelle solutions. This CV study on surfactant self‐assembled solutions should open up a new method of study in surfactant science.     

分散共聚法制备特殊形态高分子微球的研究

以聚乙二醇 (PEG)大分子单体为反应性稳定剂 ,在丙烯腈的分散共聚反应中添加少量苯乙烯以形成疏水性核 ,制备得到了亚微米级高分子微球 .透射电子显微镜研究表明 ,该高分子微球具有特异的形态结构 .同时研究了分散共聚体系中各种反应因素对微球形态和直径的影响 ,结果表明 ,苯乙烯单体的添加量、PEG大分子单体的浓度及分子量、混合溶剂的组成对微球直径和形态均有明显的影响 .X 射线光电子能谱 (XPS)研究结果表明 ,微球表面聚集有亲水性PEG链 ,核为疏水的聚 (丙烯腈 苯乙烯 ) ,即形成的特异形态的PEG接枝高分子微球亦为复合型结构     

pH-Responsive Self-assembled Nanoparticles of Simulated P(AA-co-SA)-g-PEG for Drug Release

Simulated graft copolymer of poly(acrylic acid-co-stearyl acylate) [P(AA-co-SA)] and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was synthesized, where acrylic acid, stearyl acylate and PEG was employed as the pH-sensitive, hydrophobic and hydrophilic segment, respectively. Polymeric nanoparticles prepared by the dialysis of simulated graft copolymer solution in dimethylformamide against citrate buffer solution with different pH values were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fluorescence technique and laser light scattering (LLS). TEM image revealed the spherical shape of the self-aggregates, which was further confirmed by LLS measurements. The critical aggregation concentration increased markedly (10 to 150 mg/L) with increasing pH (4.6 to 7.0), consistent with the de-protonation of carboxylic groups at higher pH. The hydrodynamic radius of polymeric nanoparticles decreased from 118 nm at pH 3.4 to 90 nm at pH 7.0. The controlled release of indomethacin from those nanoparticles was investigated, and the self-assembled nanoparticles exhibited improved performance in controlled drug release.     

Synthesis and characterisation of sterically stabilised polypyrrole particles using a chemically reactive poly(vinyl amine)-based stabiliser

Poly(vinyl amine) (PVAm) was derivatised using 2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde via Michael addition to prepare a statistical copolymer stabiliser for the synthesis of primary amine-functionalised polypyrrole (PPy) particles. A minimum stabiliser concentration of around 20 % (w/v) relative to pyrrole was required for well-defined PPy particles of approximately 100–200 nm, as judged by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). FTIR spectroscopy confirmed that stabiliser grafting had occurred, while x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies indicated a stabiliser surface coverage on the PPy particles of around 53 %. PPy particles prepared at stabiliser concentrations below 20 % (w/v) were not colloidally stable above pH 6. However, higher stabiliser concentrations (e.g., 50 % (w/v) based on pyrrole) led to a significant improvement, with colloidal stability being retained above pH 7. Long-term colloidal stability studies of PPy particles stored at pH 7.5 confirmed that the amine-based stabiliser produced more stable aqueous dispersions than the imine-based stabiliser, since the latter bond is hydrolytically unstable.     

Effect of a PEG lipid (DSPE-PEG2000) and freeze-thawing process on phospholipid vesicle size and lamellarity

Liposomes containing distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine with covalently linked polyethylene glycol of molecular weight 2,000 (DSPE-PEG2000) covering a range of 0–30 mol% were prepared by a mechanical dispersion or detergent-removal method. The effects of DSPE-PEG2000 on particle sizes and lamellarity of liposomes were investigated. The average diameters of vesicles prepared from both methods decreased when the concentration of DSPE-PEG2000 was increased. The decrease in vesicle size with increase in DSPE-PEG2000 was ascribed to the steric hindrance of strongly hydrated PEG. The significant decrease in the sizes of DSPE-PEG2000-containing EggPC vesicles prepared by the detergent-removal method could be explained by the postvesiculation size growth in the process of micelle–vesicle transition. For DMPC vesicles prepared by the detergent-removal method, electron micrographs showed that inclusion of DSPE-PEG2000 promoted vesicle formation. Based on the results of investigation of calcein entrapment efficiency, we concluded that the lamellarity of liposomes is reduced as PEG lipid concentration is increased. Fragmentation of multilamellar vesicles into smaller unilamellar vesicles occurred more readily when the liposome suspension was subjected to repetitive freeze-thawing. After five cycles of freezing and thawing, vesicles containing more than 0.5 mol% DSPE-PEG2000 were fragmented into unilamellar vesicles with diameters smaller than 300 nm.     

大分子拥挤环境中脂肪酸影响磷脂囊泡相变的差示扫描量热研究

脂肪酸诱导的磷脂膜的热力学行为对于认识细胞内复杂的机制有着重要意义,而前人在研究脂肪酸与磷脂膜相互作用时大都在稀溶液中进行;拥挤环境下脂肪酸诱导磷脂膜的相变行为还未见报道。本文以二肉豆蔻酰磷脂酰胆碱(DMPC)构建囊泡模型,采用差示扫描量热法系统地研究了在不同浓度、不同分子量的聚乙二醇(PEG)拥挤环境中不同结构的脂肪酸对DMPC磷脂囊泡相变的影响。研究结果表明,在拥挤环境中,PEG对纯的磷脂囊泡相变的影响与大分子的分子量和浓度相关。对于脂肪酸/磷脂囊泡(FA/DMPC),PEG的存在对囊泡相变产生显著影响。在所考察的分子量和浓度范围内,PEG使FA/DMPC囊泡相变增加。短链饱和脂肪酸、不饱和脂肪酸原本使DPMC囊泡相变降低,但PEG缩小了降低幅度,甚至导致相变增加。进一步的研究表明,在大多数情况下,PEG对FA/DMPC的相变具有协作增强效应,且其影响均与大分子的分子量和浓度相关。另外,随着PEG浓度的升高,磷脂囊泡的协同单位数逐渐降低,表明拥挤环境会影响磷脂双分子层的均一性,使协同发生相变的分子数降低。本文的研究表明,大分子拥挤环境能够对扰动的磷脂双分子层起到一定的修复作用,这一现象在生物膜相关领域不可忽视。     

Fusion and Growth Behavior of Gold Nanoparticles Stabilized by Allylmercaptane

Fusion and growth behavior of gold nanoparticles in a relatively low temperature range were studied using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Using allylmercaptane (AM: 2-propene-1-thiol, HS CH₂ CHCH₂) as a particle stabilizer, a colloidal suspension of AM-terminated gold nanoparticles was prepared with a two-phase system. TEM observation revealed that the adjacent nanoparticles formed a particulate neck to give fused nanoproducts even at lower than 65 °C. Such fusion behavior allowed a non-spherical growth of the adjacent nanoparticles. Interestingly, the nanoparticle fused to form a nanowire-type structure when the thermal radical reaction occurred between the terminal double carbon bond of the stabilizer and the hydrogen terminated surface of silicon wafer.     

Green chromatography separation of analytes of greatly differing properties using a polyethylene glycol stationary phase and a low-toxic water-based mobile phase

A simple, rapid, and environmentally friendly HPLC method was developed and validated for the separation of four compounds (4-aminophenol, caffeine, paracetamol, and propyphenazone) with different chemical properties. A “green” mobile phase, employing water as the major eluent, was proposed and applied to the separation of analytes with different polarity on polyethylene glycol (PEG) stationary phase. The chromatography separation of all compounds and internal standard benzoic acid was performed using isocratic elution with a low-toxicity mobile phase consisting of 0.04 % (v/v) triethylamine and water. HPLC separation was carried out using a PEG reversed-phase stationary phase Supelco Discovery HS PEG column (15?×?4 mm; particle size 3 μm) at a temperature of 30 °C and flow rate at 1.0 mL min^?1. The UV detector was set at 210 nm. In this study, a PEG stationary phase was shown to be suitable for the efficient isocratic separation of compounds that differ widely in hydrophobicity and acid–base properties, particularly 4-aminophenol (log P, 0.30), caffeine (log P, ?0.25), and propyphenazone (log P, 2.27). A polar PEG stationary phase provided specific selectivity which allowed traditional chromatographic problems related to the separation of analytes with different polarities to be solved. The retention properties of the group of structurally similar substances (aromatic amines, phenolic compounds, and xanthine derivatives) were tested with different mobile phases. The proposed green chromatography method was successfully applied to the analysis of active substances and one degradation impurity (4-aminophenol) in commercial preparation. Under the optimum chromatographic conditions, standard calibration was carried out with good linearity correlation coefficients for all compounds in the range (0.99914–0.99997, n?=?6) between the peak areas and concentration of compounds. Recovery of the sample preparation was in the range 100?±?5 % for all compounds. The intraday method precision was determined as RSD, and the values were lower than 1.00 %.

A photocatalytic green system for chemoselective reduction of nitroarenes

A highly efficient photocatalytic reduction of nitroarenes using TiO₂/polyethylene glycol 400-water (TiO₂/PEG–H₂O) is reported. This system at deoxygenated and illuminated (sunlight or violet LED) conditions efficiently reduced nitroarenes using oxalic acid or ammonium formate as a sacrificial electron donor. Reducible functional groups such as chloro, hydroxy, flouro, bromo and carbonyl were intact under the optimized reaction conditions. The 0.1 and 0.5–1 mmol amount of nitroarenes was used under sunlight and violet LED (400 nm) irradiation, respectively. Reusability of the nanotitania was successfully carried out four times. The analyses of the recovered catalyst after five runs including TEM, XRD, TGA and CHN were done and results showed that PEG is located on TiO₂; no change in morphology, crystallinity and particle sizes was observed.     

Silver Metallic Nanoparticles with Surface Plasmon Resonance: Synthesis and Characterizations

Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by the reduction of the silver nitrate (AgNO₃) using the latex copolymer in ethanol solution under microwave (MW) heating. The reaction parameters such as silver precursor concentration (from 0.005 to 0.1 g/l) and MW power (200–800 W) significantly affect the formation rate, shape, size and distribution of the silver nanoparticles. A significant reduction of irradiation time was observed when the MW energy is compared to conventional thermal reduction processes. The prepared silver nanoparticles show uniform and stable sizes from 5 to 11 nm, which can be stored at room temperature for approximately 12 months without any visible change. These peculiarities indicate that the latex copolymer is a good stabilizer for the silver nanoparticles. The optical properties, morphology, and crystalline structure of the silver-latex copolymer nanocomposites were characterized by the Ultraviolet–Visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study of the TEM images at high magnifications identified the silver nanoparticles as face-centered cubic (fcc) structure with spherical and hexagonal shapes.