DNA liquid-crystalline gel as adsorbent of carcinogenic agent

DNA liquid crystalline gel (LCG) has been newly prepared by a dialysis of concentrated DNA solutions into concentrated metal cation solutions. The condition for forming DNA LCG is examined by means of the insolubilization reaction. The shrinking ratio and the ratio of the thickness of LCG layer, delta, and the diameter of the dialysis tube, d0, do not depend on d0. The adsorption of one of carcinogenic agents, acridine orange is demonstrated. From the experimental results, the mechanism for forming DNALCG is discussed.     

Dynamics in dialysis process for liquid crystalline gel formation

The processes of gelation and liquid crystalline formation in the dialysis of Curdlan solution have been observed under crossed nicols, and the calcium concentration and pH of the inner solution were traced. The results showed that the gelation and the liquid crystalline formation occurred simultaneously to form liquid crystalline gel (LCG), but the birefringence of the LCG increased even after the gelation, suggesting further ordering of the Curdlan molecules. On the basis of the calcium ion diffusion, a simple theory for the time development of the thickness of the LCG layer was developed. The experimental and theoretical results agree very well until an amorphous gel (AG) ring appears. The whole process was expressed by a master curve by reducing time and distance data for different radius dialysis tubes by those at the final state; a scaling behavior with respect to the dialysis tube radius was found. The experimental analysis for the calcium concentrations and the pH indicates that forming Curdlan LCG with high ordering of Curdlan molecules consists of two steps: the diffusion of calcium ions inducing the ordering of Curdlan molecules and yielding cross-links simultaneously, and the local relaxation of the Curdlan molecules increasing the ordering degree further.     

Adsorption kinetics of carcinogens to DNA liquid crystalline gel beads

Adsorption behaviors of acridine orange (AO) and biphenyl (BP) to DNA liquid crystalline gel (LCG) beads in aqueous dispersing solution have been studied theoretically and experimentally. A theoretical consideration based on nonequilibrium thermodynamics predicted that the time course of the adsorption process is expressed with a scaled equation, and a scaled number of adsorbed carcinogen molecules ? is expressed with the square root of a scaled immersion time t, ? proportional, variant square root t at early stage, whereas it is expressed with a power law function 1 - ? proportional, variant (te - t)3/2 for ?0 > 1 and an exponential equation ?0 - ? proportional, variant e-t/alpha tau0 for ?0 > 1 at later stages of adsorption. Here, ?0 is the ratio of the initial number of carcinogen molecules in the dispersing solution to the number of the sites of adsorption of carcinogen molecules in the beads, te is the scaled equilibrium time of adsorption, tau0 is a time constant for adsorption, and alpha is a constant. Observed adsorption processes for AO were well expressed by the predicted ones, and the fitting parameters ?0 and tau0 increased with increasing cobalt chloride concentration CCo used for preparation of the beads, and both saturated above CCo > or = 400 mM for the adsorption of AO, whereas the adsorption processes for BP were expressed with the square root function. These results indicate that (1) the adsorption process at early stage is explained by diffusion-limited binding of the carcinogen molecules to DNA beads, and the time range of the early stage depends on the solubility (the solubility of AO in water is high whereas that of BP is low); and (2) the process at later stages depends on the balance of the numbers of adsorption sites and carcinogen molecules.     

Liquid crystalline gel beads of curdlan

Curdlan beads consisting of liquid crystalline gel (LCG) and amorphous gel (AG) in alternating layers in a wide range of diameters were newly prepared by interfacial insolubilization reactions using calcium chloride as the setting reagent. The thickness of the liquid crystalline layer was proportional to the diameter of the gel bead, and the proportional constant agreed with that determined for the cylindrical gel prepared by a dialysis method. The proportional constant initially increased with increasing calcium concentration of the dispersing medium and saturated at a high concentration limit. These results suggest that the mechanisms for forming the alternating LCG/AG structures prepared with different boundary conditions are the same. The LCG/AG structure could be controlled by calcium concentration.     

A theoretical study of an empirical function for the mobility of DNA fragments in sieving matrices

The separation of DNA fragments by gel electrophoresis has been studied extensively over the last two decades. More recently, similar studies have been carried out to characterize the separation achieved by the current capillary array electrophoresis systems and their sieving polymer solutions. In all cases, at least three different mobility regimes have been shown to exist: the Ogston regime when the radius of gyration of the DNA fragment is smaller than the pore size, the reptation regime when the DNA is larger than the pore size but remains in a random coil conformation, and finally the reptation-with-orientation regime where the DNA orients in the field direction and essentially all resolution is lost. Unfortunately, although theory helps us understand the different regimes and how to properly exploit them, we still have no theory-based general equations that would apply to all regimes. Such equations would be especially useful to analyze data, optimize separation systems and interpolate mobilities to estimate unknown molecular sizes. Recently, van Winkle, Beheshti and Rill (Electrophoresis 2002, 23, 15-19) proposed an intriguing empirical formula that seems to adequately fit the mobility of dsDNA fragments across all three regimes. In this paper, I investigate the relation between this empirical formula and the known theories of gel electrophoresis, and I study the dependence of its fitting parameters upon the experimental conditions. Finally, I examine how this equation may need to be modified to capture the more subtle details predicted by fundamental theories of DNA gel electrophoresis.     

Effects of UV-irradiation on the formation of oxide thin films from chemically modified metal-alkoxides

The effects of UV-irradiation on the properties of ZrO₂ and TiO₂ gel films prepared from corresponding metal-butoxides modified with acetylacetone (AcAc) or benzoylacetone (BzAc) have been studied. It was found that the chelate bonds of -diketones remaining in the gel films were dissociated by the UV-irradiation. The UV-irradiation also changed the properties of the gel films such as solubility; the solubility in acidic solutions was decreased for ZrO₂ gel films modified with AcAc and TiO₂ gel films modified with BzAc became insoluble in alcohol. Based on these findings, a new fine-patterning process has been established, which enables us to make fine-patterns of ZrO₂ and TiO₂ films on a variety of substrates.     

Evaluation of a glassy carbon electrode modified by a bilayer lipid membrane with incorporated DNA

The objective of the present work was the evaluation and characterization of a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified by a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) with incorporated single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid fss DNA). Various procedures were developed and tested for the incorporation of ss DNA at the electrode modified by the lipidic membrane: Differential pulse voltammetry (i.e. oxidation of guanine and adenine residues) was used to monitor the incorporation of ss DNA at the GC electrode modified by the BLM. The results have shown that the lipid membrane enhances the stability of ss DNA during a "medium-exchange" of the electrode and prohibits its diffusion from the electrode surface. The third scheme was proven to be the most appropriate as both electrode modification by the BLM and DNA adsorption occur in one stage and much faster (as no BLM thinning process is required) as compared to the former two techniques; furthermore, maximized loading of DNA in BLMs is achieved which reduces by ca. 10-fold the DNA amounts that can be detected electrochemically. Conventional planar "free-suspended" and self-assembled metal supported BLMs were used to monitor in situ the incorporation of ss DNA in these membranes. The results have shown that the adsorption of ss DNA at lipid membranes (as a medium for DNA incorporation on an electrode surface) can occur much faster, using milder conditions and smaller amounts of DNA than by previously described techniques.     

DNA molecule manipulation by motor proteins for analysis at the single-molecule level

Massively parallel and individual DNA manipulation for analysis has been demonstrated by designing a fully self-assembled molecular system using motor proteins. DNA molecules were immobilized by trapping in a polyacrylamide gel replica, and were digested by a restriction enzyme, XhoI, for DNA analysis. One end of the λDNA was modified with biotin and the other end was modified with digoxin molecules by fragment labeling and ligation methods. The digoxin-functionalized end was immobilized on a glass surface coated with anti-digoxigenin antibody. The biotinylated end was freely suspended and experienced Brownian motion in a buffer solution. The free end was attached to a biotinylated microtubule via avidin–biotin biding and the DNA was stretched by a kinesin-based gliding assay. A stretched DNA molecule was fixed between the gel and coverslip to observe the cleavage of the DNA by the enzyme, which was supplied through the gel network structure. This simple process flow from DNA manipulation to analysis offers a new method of performing molecular surgery at the single-molecule scale. Figure DNA molecule manipulation by motor proteins for analysis at the single-molecule level     

三齿多吡啶钴(Ⅱ)配合物的合成、表征及其与DNA的相互作用研究

合成了两种三齿多吡啶钴(Ⅱ)配合物[Co(DMPhTPY)2]2+(ClO-4)2(A)和[Co(H2Bzimpy)2]Cl2(B),用元素分析、IR对配合物的组成和结构进行了表征,测定了配合物A的晶体结构.用电子吸收光谱、荧光光谱、循环伏安法及凝胶电泳实验等方法研究了配合物与DNA的相互作用.结果表明配合物A和B与小牛胸腺(CTDNA)的作用属部分插入和静电结合,凝胶电泳实验表明配合物A在310nm光辐射15min,可使超螺旋pBR322DNA断裂为开环缺口型和线型DNA.     

Preparation of a cobalt hexacyanoferrate film-modified aluminum electrode by chemical and electrochemical methods: enhanced stability of the electrode in the presence of phosphate and ruthenium(III)

Modification of an aluminum electrode by means of a thin film of cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCF) using electroless and electrochemical procedures is described. The modification conditions of the aluminum surface, including the electroless deposition of metallic cobalt on the electrode surface from CoCl₂+NaF solution and the chemical derivatization of the deposited cobalt to give a CoHCF film in 0.25 M KCl+0.25 M K₃[Fe(CN)₆] solution, have been determined. The modified Al electrodes prepared under optimum conditions show one or two well-defined redox couples in phosphate buffer solutions of pH 7.2, depending on the preparation procedure, due to the [Co^IIFe^III/II(CN)₆]^–/2– system. The effect of pH, alkali metal cations, and anions of the supporting electrolyte on the electrochemical characteristics of the modified electrode were studied. Diffusion coefficients of hydrated Na⁺ in the film, the transfer coefficient, and the transfer rate constant for electrons were determined. The stability of the modified electrodes under various experimental conditions was studied and their high stability in the sodium phosphate buffer solutions was confirmed. Enhanced stability was observed when the modified electrode was scanned in fresh solutions of RuCl₃ between 0 and 1 V for at least 20 cycles, due to the formation of mixed hexacyanoferrates of cobalt and ruthenium. Electronic Publication     

H-Point Standard Addition Method for Simultaneous Determination of Palladium and Cobalt

The H-point standard addition method (HPSAM) has been applied to simultaneous determination of palladium and cobalt at trace levels, using 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) as a chromogenic reagent. Palladium and cobalt at neutral pH levels form green colored neutral complexes with PAN which are soluble in aqueous sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) micellar media and can be monitored spectrophotometrically. Simultaneous determination of cobalt and palladium by HPSAM were performed spectrophotometrically and under optimum conditions. Absorbances at the two pairs of wavelengths, 597 and 650 nm or 566 and 612nm, were monitored while adding standard solutions of cobalt or palladium, respectively. The method is able to accurately determine a cobalt/palladium ratio of between 5:1 and 1:30 (wt/wt). The accuracy and reproducibility of the determination method for various known amounts of cobalt and palladium in their binary mixtures were evaluated. The effects of diverse ions on the determination of cobalt and palladium to investigate the selectivity of the method were also studied. The recommended procedure was applied to real water samples and synthetic sample solutions.     

Quality of random number generators significantly affects results of Monte Carlo simulations for organic and biological systems

We have simulated pure liquid butane, methanol, and hydrated alanine polypeptide with the Monte Carlo technique using three kinds of random number generators (RNG's)—the standard Linear Congruential Generator (LCG), a modification of the LCG with additional randomization used in the BOSS software, and the “Mersenne Twister” generator by Matsumoto and Nishimura. While using the latter two RNG's leads to reasonably similar physical features, the LCG produces significant different results. For the pure fluids, a noticeable expansion occurs. Using the original LCG on butane yields, a molecular volume of 171.4 ų per molecule compared to about 163.6–163.9 ų for the other two generators, a deviation of about 5%. For methanol, the LCG produces an average volume of 86.3 ų per molecule, which is about 24% higher than the 68.8–70.2 ų obtained with the RNG's in BOSS and the generator by Matsumoto and Nishimura. In case of the hydrated tridecaalanine peptide, the volume and energy tend to be noticeably greater with the LCG than with the BOSS (modified LCG) RNG's. For the simulated hydrated extended conformation of tridecaalanine, the difference in volume reached about 87%. The uniformity and periodicity of the generators do not seem to play the crucial role in these phenomena. We conclude that, it is important to test a RNG's by modeling a system such as the pure liquid methanol with a well‐established force field before routinely employing it in Monte Carlo simulations. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

Silica-based xerogels modified with cobalt(III): Determination of naphthols in solutions by solid-phase spectrophotometry

Silica-based xerogels modified with various concentrations of cobalt ions were prepared. The redox and complexing properties of immobilized cobalt ions were studied. Modified xerogels were used for determining naphthols in solutions by solid-phase spectrophotometry after their nitrosation. The effects of various factors on the absorbance of xerogels were studied. These factors are the average pore diameter in powdered xerogels, the concentration of cobalt(III), the pH of the test solution, and the concentration of CH₃COOH and NaNO₂ at the stage of nitrosation. The best conditions for determining naphthols were found. The developed procedure was used in the analysis of various samples.     

Modified screen-printed electrodes for the investigation of the interaction of non-electroactive quinazoline derivatives with DNA

Five morpholino-quinazoline derivatives have been investigated voltammetrically using a competition with the tris(o-phenanthroline) cobalt(III) redox marker for the accumulation at dsDNA modified screen-printed electrodes. An association of quinazolines with DNA was observed at the modified electrodes polarized by the negative potential of -0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl. This was confirmed by a potentiometric stripping analysis based on the DNA guanine signal. Calibration curves for quinazolines within a concentration range of micromol/L were obtained with DP voltammetry using 5 x 10(-7) mol/L Co(phen)3(3+) marker. The quinazolines exhibit no effect on the DNA complex with the fluorescent thiazole orange derivative TO-PRO-3. The role of the accumulation potential in the association interaction with DNA is discussed.     

Sorption of Cobalt on Modified Silica Gel Materials

Various silica gel materials were chemically modified with imidazole, diaza-18-crown-6 (DA18C6) and dibenzod-18-crown-6 (DB18C6). The degree of functionalization of the covalently attached molecule was calculated from C, H, N analysis and ranged between 0.270 and 0.552 mmol/g (for sorbents with imidazole) and between 0.043 and 0.062 mmol/g (for sorbents with DA18C6 and DB18C6). The degree of functionalization depends on the reflux time and silica gel matrix used. Experimental sorption capacity ranged between 0.038 and 0.228 mmol/g (for sorbents with imidazole) and between 0.019 and 0.050 mmol/g (for sorbents with DA18C6 and DB18C6). Synthesized hexagonal mesoporous silica matrix MCM-41 with uniform pore diameter <40 Å was used too. Change of pore diameters of silica gel support to larger pores should have a positive influence on access of cobalt ion to sorption centers to increase of sorption capacity of sorbents. The sorption kinetics of cobalt and the influence of cobalt concentration, pH of various kinds of silica gel matrix with immobilized imidazole group in static conditions on sorption were measured. The sorption of cobalt in various conditions (pH, contact time of phases) with constant liquid-solid ratio (V/m = 50 ml/g) was studied. The distribution coefficients ranged between 200 and 50 000 ml/g (for imidazole), 85 and 120 ml/g (for DB18C6) and between 230 and 500 ml/g (for DA18C6) according to silica gel matrix used and according to the method of sorbent preparation. pH plays important role in the sorption of cobalt on prepared sorbents with immobilized crown ethers due to protonization of crown ethers. Protons significantly competes to sorption of cobalt in acidic solutions. The influence of presence of other heavy or toxic metals (Hg(II), Cd(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Fe(III), Cr(III), Al(III) and the influence of sodium and potassium on sorption Co(II) from aqueous solutions was investigated. Sorption of cobalt decreases in order Hg > Cu > Cd > Zn, Fe > Mn > Al, Cr. The presence of sodium and potassium ions at concentration 0.05 mol/l significantly influences on the sorption of cobalt with sorbent with immobilized DB18C6 functional group.     

高机械性能的聚(丙烯酸-co-甲基丙烯酸十八酯)疏水缔合凝胶的溶胀行为研究

以丙烯酸(AA)、甲基丙烯酸十八酯(OMA)、十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)为原料,采用胶束共聚的方法合成了疏水缔合(HA)凝胶.在HA凝胶内部,表面活性剂SDS与疏水单体OMA组成的增溶胶束起到物理交联作用,将亲水的聚合物链交联起来.通过单向拉伸试验证实了该凝胶具有较高的机械性能.此外,也测试了HA凝胶在不同pH值溶液中的溶胀行为.结果显示,HA凝胶具有特殊的溶胀行为,其溶胀过程可以分为凝胶溶蚀、溶胀平衡和凝胶瓦解3个阶段.在强酸性条件下,凝胶的溶胀被抑制,没有出现凝胶瓦解阶段.在强碱性条件下,凝胶的溶胀被促进,溶胀平衡阶段被越过.盐的存在也会抑制HA凝胶的溶胀,但在SDS溶液中,溶液中的SDS会促使凝胶中的疏水改性聚合物溶解到溶液中去,组成新的缔合结构,而使溶液增稠。     

Determination of the Distribution of Cobalt-Chloro Complexes in Hydrochloric Acid Solutions at 298 K

Knowledge of the distribution of metal-chloro complexes in hydrochloric acid solutions is fundamental for understanding the anion-exchange reaction. Anion-exchange separation allows ultrahigh purification during hydrometallurgical processes. However, at present the exchange reactions are not understood in detail. A more sophisticated purification needs improvement of the anion-exchange separation process. The process is based upon anion-exchange reactions and the distribution of metal-chloro complexes. The present work deals with cobalt-chloro complexes which exhibit a beautiful deep blue color in a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution. The intensity of the absorption attributed to the deep blue color is so strong that it is hard to obtain meaningful results by factor analysis. Another absorption band was chosen to be used in factor analysis and the attempt was successful. The number of cobalt-chloro complexes in hydrochloric acid solutions was determined to be three, and the cumulative formation constants were fitted to absorption spectra decomposed by factor analysis. During the optimization of the cumulative formation constants, a modified Debye–Hückel model for estimation of the activity coefficients of \(\hbox {Cl}^{-}\) was used. It was found that there are three cobalt complexes \([\hbox {Co}^{\mathrm{II}}(\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O})_{6}]^{2+}\), \([\hbox {Co}^{\mathrm{II}}\hbox {Cl}(\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O})_{5}]^{+}\), and \([\hbox {Co}^{\mathrm{II}}\hbox {Cl}_{4}]^{2-}\), and the two cumulative formation constants were optimized such that \(\log _{10}\beta _{1} = -\,0.861\) and \(\log _{10}\beta _{4} = -\,7.40\). The geometries of the complexes are proposed by assignment of absorption bands using ligand field theory. A qualitative assessment of the relationship between the acquired distribution of cobalt-chloro complexes and the adsorption function of cobalt species from hydrochloric acid solutions to anion-exchange resin was made.     

Studies with inorganic precipitative membranes: XI. Membrane potential response,characterization and evaluation of effective fixed charge density

Membrane potentials arising across parchment supported nickel and cobalt phosphate membranes when they separete 1:1 electrolyte solutions of concentration c₁ and c₂ such that c₁=10 c₂, have been measured. The membranes in contactwith dilute solutions have been found to carry a negative charge whereas the charge reversal was observed when the membrane was separating concentrated solutions. The membrane potential data have been used according to the procedure prescribed by Teorell-Meyer-Sievers theory (the TMS theory) to derive the value of effective fixed charge density of membranes. The electrical double layer at the membrane-solution interface has been suggested to control the over all rate of diffusion.     

Kinetics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-propylmercaptan oxidation by cobalt(III) octahydroxyphthalocyanine in an alkali medium

The specific features of the association of cobalt octahydroxyphthalocyanine in aqueous alkaline solutions have been investigated by electron spectroscopy. The kinetic parameters of the oxidation of n-propylmercaptan by the phthalocyanine complex of cobalt in the absence of oxygen have been determined. The association leads to a decrease in the activity of the complex and to changes in activation parameters.     

Modified screen-printed electrodes for the investigation of the interaction of non-electroactive quinazoline derivatives with DNA

Five morpholino-quinazoline derivatives have been investigated voltammetrically using a competition with the tris(o-phenanthroline) cobalt(III) redox marker for the accumulation at dsDNA modified screen-printed electrodes. An association of quinazolines with DNA was observed at the modified electrodes polarized by the negative potential of –0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl. This was confirmed by a potentiometric stripping analysis based on the DNA guanine signal. Calibration curves for quinazolines within a concentration range of μmol/L were obtained with DP voltammetry using 5 × 10^–7 mol/L Co(phen)₃ ³⁺ marker. The quinazolines exhibit no effect on the DNA complex with the fluorescent thiazole orange derivative TO-PRO-3. The role of the accumulation potential in the association interaction with DNA is discussed.