Isothermal titration calorimetry: A thermodynamic interpretation of measurements

Isothermal titration calorimeters have been developed and in use since the 1960s and the number of applications based on empirical rules to use them steadily increases. In this paper a rigorous study of the physical interpretation of the titration heat and the thermodynamic framework underlying isothermal titration calorimetry are proposed. For infinitesimal titrations, the titration heat is independent of the cell type employed, and the interpretation of the titration heat depends on the titrant composition and on the experiment type. Moreover, for the study of the interaction between two solutes in solution, only a combination of two experiments is necessary, and the result is interpreted as the partial enthalpy of interaction at infinite dilution of the solute contained in the titrant solution.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry: application to structure-based drug design

The road to market for drug compounds is a treacherous one, generally involving a huge temporal and financial investment. The role of structure-based drug design or lead optimisation ranges wildly in importance in different pharmaceutical companies. The adoption of these aids to provide routes to high affinity ligands has not received widespread acceptance. This is based on a number of factors, from the perceived failings of such methods, to the belief that rapid screening of compound libraries alone is the most effective way to discover drugs.

The panacea of being able to take a computer generated representation of the structure of a target site of a given biomolecule and rationally design an high affinity inhibiting compound has proved seemingly unreachable for three major reasons: (1) current capabilities in computing; (2) the requirement for atomic resolution structural detail; and (3) determination of how structural features can be related to the thermodynamics of interactions. It is the last of these points that this review seeks to address. In particular the use of isothermal titration calorimetry is discussed in the light of the accumulation of accurate thermodynamic data and examples are given where this has been applied to understand the structural aspects of formation of drug–biomolecular complexes.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry vs. high performance liquid chromatography fingerprint

Chinese Medicine Injections (CMIs) are powerful preparations, but adverse drug reactions can hardly be avoided. Incorrect drug combination is a major cause. Recently, insoluble particulate matter test, pH measurement, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint have been recommended as potential strategies for prediction of drug-incompatible reactions. However, these methods were complex to manipulate, subjective to judge, or were of poor relevance and low sensitivity. In this study, a novel application for the detection of compatibility of combination of CMIs based on isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has been proposed. Qingkailing Injection (QKL) was selected as a representative drug to blend with Potassium Chloride Injection (KCl) and Calcium Chloride Injection (CaCl₂). The type of reactions between them was intuitively manifested by the thermodynamic parameters including Gibbs free energy change (ΔG), enthalpy change (ΔH), and entropy change (ΔS). The results indicated that when QKL mixed with CaCl₂, ΔG < 0, and |ΔH| > T|ΔS|, which meant chemical changes happened between them and ADRs might happen in clinic. On the contrary, the reactions between QKL and KCl existed solely as physical processes, indicating that it was relatively safe. Meanwhile, HPLC fingerprint was also applied, but no significant difference was found. It is hard to distinguish whether incompatible reactions have happened during HPLC. The study suggested that with the advantages of convenience, sensitivity, and reliability, ITC could serve as an essential tool in the detection of incompatible reactions of drug combination. The described method could be used for early prediction of adverse drug reactions, which would be helpful to ensure the rationality of drug combination.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) study of natural cyclodextrins inclusion complexes with drugs

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to characterize inclusion complex formation of natural cyclodextrins (α- and β-cyclodextrin) with three drugs ((+)brompheniramine, (±)brompheniramine, cyclopentolate) in aqueous solutions. ITC measurements were carried out at 298.15 K on a Microcal OMEGA ultrasensitive titration calorimeter (MicroCal Inc.). The experimental data were analyzed on the basis of the model of a single set of identical sites (ITC tutorial guide). β-CD forms inclusion complexes of stoichiometry 1:1 with the all investigated drugs. In turn, smaller molecule of α-CD forms inclusion complexes of two different stoichiometry: with bigger molecules ((+)brompheniramine and (±)brompheniramine) of a stoichiometry 2:1 and with smaller molecules (cyclopentolate) of a stoichiometry 1:2. Based on the experimental values of equilibrium constant (K) and enthalpy of complex formation (ΔH), the Gibbs energy of complex formation (ΔG), and the entropy of complex formation (ΔS), have been calculated, for all the investigated systems. Obtained results showed that complex formation of β-CD (bigger molecule with wider cavity compared to β-CD) with both (+)brompheniramine, (±)brompheniramine, and cyclopentolate is enthalpy driven while complexes of α-CD with the all investigated drugs are enthalpy-entropy stabilized. This indicated that the difference in the cavity dimensions is reflecting in different driving forces of complex formation and binding modes what resulted in different stoichiometry of the obtained inclusion complexes.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry as a new tool to investigate chiral interactions at crystal surfaces

In this communication we describe for the first time the use of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to measure the energetics of adsorption of enantiomers from aqueous onto chiral crystal surfaces. Our results demonstrate that ITC can be used to measure chiral interactions at crystal surfaces.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) method to study drug/ion exchanger interaction

An isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) method to measure the heat effects evolving from the binding between cation exchanger Amberlite ® IRP 69 and the cationic drug substances propranolol hydrochloride (PROP), metoprolol tartarate (METO), acebutolol hydrochloride (ACEB) and chlorpheniramine maleate (CPR) has been developed. The method gives repeatable results with an error about 5% for the beta-blockers PROP, METO and ACEB, and about 10% for the antihistamine CPR. The calculation of the thermodynamic parameters enthalpy change (ΔH _bind) and Gibbs free energy change (ΔG _bind) show significant differences between the different drug substances.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry of Ni(II) binding to histidine and to N-2-aminoethylglycine

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is used to study the complexation thermodynamics of Ni(II) with histidine (His) and with N-2-aminoethylglycine (EDMA). The titrations were performed in HEPES and Tris buffers at various ionic strengths and pH values around 8. The results show the influence of the experimental conditions on the shape and fitting parameters of the calorimetric curves. For the studied systems, the main reaction is concomitant with a number of side reactions which contribute to the global energy measured. From the calorimetric data measured, the formation constants for the species NiHEPES⁺, Tris⁺His⁻, TrisNiHis⁺ and [Ni(EDMA)₂OH]⁻ have been evaluated for the first time and the values obtained properly validated.     

Recent progress in titration calorimetry

Research developments in titration calorimetry over the past ten years by personnel at the Thermochemical Institute have resulted in new techniques and instrumentation that have greatly increased the usefulness of calorimetry in the study of chemical problems. During this time, problems associated with the components of the calorimeter (i.e., constant temperature bath, constant rate buret, reaction vessel, temperature sensing circuit, and data analysis procedure) have been solved so that the continuous titration method now gives results comparable in accuracy to those obtained with conventional solution calorimeters. These developments have opened new avenues of research in the fields of biochemistry, microbiology, and environmental analysis.

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Zusammenfassung Die Fortschritte der Forschung auf dem Gebiete der Titrationskalorimetrie, welche in den vergangenen Jahren von Mitarbeitern des Thermochemischen Instituts erreicht worden sind, führten zu neuen Techniken und neuer Instrumentation, die die Einsatzfähigkeit der Kalorimetrie zur Untersuchung chemischer Probleme wesentlich erhöhten. Während dieser Zeit wurden Probleme in Zusammenhang mit den Bestandteilen des Kalorimeters (d.h. Konstanttemperaturbad, Burette mit konstanter Geschwindigkeit, Reaktionsbehälter, Temperatur, Wärmefühler-Stromkreis und Datenverarbeitungsvorgang) gelöst, so daß die kontinuierliche Titrationsmethode jetzt Ergebnisse von einer Genauigkeit liefert, welche mit der in herkömmlichen Lösungskalorimetern erhaltenen vergleichbar ist. Diese Entwicklungsarbeit eröffnet neue Wege der Forschung auf den Gebieten der Biochemie, Mikrobiologie und Umweltschutzanalyse

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Résumé Les recherches effectuées durant les dix dernières années par le personnel de l'Institut de Thermochimie ont eu pour résultat la mise au point d'appareils nouveaux qui augmentent, considérablement l'applicabilité de la calorimétrie à l'étude des problèmes chimiques. Ainsi les problèmes associés aux composants d'un calorimètre (c'est-à-dire bain à température constante, burette à vitesse constante, récipient réactionnel, circuit détecteur de température et procédés d'analyse des données) ont été résolus. C'est pourquoi la technique du titrage en continu donne maintenant des résultats d'une exactitude comparable à celle obtenue avec les calorimètres en solutions conventionnels. Ces développements ont ouvert de nouvelles perspectives de recherche dans les domaines de la biochimie, de la microbiologie et des analyses liées à la protection de l'environnement.

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Isothermal titration calorimetry studies on the binding of DNA bases and PNA base monomers to gold nanoparticles

An isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) investigation of the interaction of DNA bases and PNA base monomers with gold nanoparticles is described revealing a binding sequence in the order C > G > A > T. Direct measurement of the strength of interaction of ligands with nanogold by ITC has important implications in surface modification strategies for biomedical, catalysis, and nanoarchitecture applications.     

Towards supramolecular polymers

The natural phenomenon of self-assembly has been used to make complex unnatural products. These new compounds have taken the form of catenanes and rotaxanes. We have identified several polymeric architectures containing the catenane and rotaxane motifs, and then described how the model structures, which we have identified and actually realized as chemical compounds, can be employed to assess the feasibility of introducing mechanical linkages into novel polymers by means of self-assembly processes.     

New developments and applications in titration calorimetry and reaction calorimetry

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and reaction calorimetry (RC) have been used to construct the solid-liquid equilibrium line in ternary systems containing the solute to precipitate and an aqueous mixed solvent, and to study polymerization reactions under real process conditions, respectively. Phase diagrams have been established over the whole concentration range for some benzene substituted derivatives, including o-anisaldehyde, 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene and vanillin, in {water + alcohol}mixtures at different temperatures. Acrylamide polymerization in aqueous solution using potassium permanganate/acid oxalic redox system as initiator was investigated on a homemade calorimeter, which works according to the isoperibolic mode. A Calvet type differential RC was used to illustrate the applicability of temperature oscillation calorimetry (TOC) for the evaluation of the heat transfer coefficient during the course of reaction.     

Characterization of supramolecular polymers

Supramolecular polymers are made of monomers that are held together by noncovalent interactions. This is the reason for the wide range of novel properties, such as reversibility and responses to stimuli, exhibited by supramolecular polymers. A range of supramolecular polymerization methods have been developed leading to a number of novel supramolecular materials. However, standard techniques for the characterization of supramolecular polymers have yet to be established. The dynamic nature of supramolecular polymers makes them difficult to be fully characterized using conventional polymer techniques. This tutorial review summarizes various methods for characterizing supramolecular polymers, including theoretical estimation, size exclusion chromatography, viscometry, light scattering, vapor pressure osmometry, mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy, electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy-based single molecule force spectroscopy. Each of these methods has its own particular advantages and disadvantages. Most of the methods are used to characterize the supramolecular polymer chain itself. However, some of the methods can be used to study the self-assembled state formed by supramolecular polymers. The characterization of a supramolecular polymer cannot be realized with a single method; a convincing conclusion relies on the combination of several different techniques.     

Reevaluation of donor number using titration calorimetry

Many empirical parameters have been suggested to measure solvent effects in chemical reactions. Gutmann's donor number has been a successful parameter to quantify the electron-donating property of the solvent molecule; it is defined as the enthalpy change of the addition reaction of solvent molecule to SbCl(5) in 1,2-dichloroethane. Calorimetric measurements can be applied to determine the quantity. Because the existence of water is critical for reactions in organic solvents, we have analyzed the enthalpy change using the titration calorimetry while considering the complexation with water. The determined donor numbers of formamide, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea (TMU) are 22.4, 26.5, 30.0, and 40.4, respectively. The values of DMF and DMSO are in perfect agreement with those of Gutmann. A reliable value for TMU is obtained for the first time on the basis of the enthalpy change for the addition reaction.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular dynamics study of ion-selectivity in mixtures of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes with sodium halides in water

Aliphatic x,y-ionenes are polyelectrolytes in which x and y denote the numbers of methylene groups separating quaternary ammonium ions. They represent useful model substances for studying hydrophobic and charge effects in aqueous solutions. We used isothermal titration calorimetry to measure the enthalpies of mixing, ΔH(mix), of 3,3- and 6,6-ionene fluorides and bromides with low molecular weight salts (NaF, NaCl, NaBr, and NaI) at 298 K in water. The signs and magnitudes of the measured enthalpies depend on the hydrophobicity of the ionene and on the nature of the added salt. For example, addition of sodium fluoride to solutions of 3,3- and 6,6-ionene fluorides produced endothermic effects, while addition of sodium bromide to 3,3-ionene bromide resulted in a strong exothermic effect. Interestingly, mixing of 6,6-ionene bromide and NaBr solutions in water gave a small exothermic heat effect. Polyelectrolyte theories, based on continuum-solvent models, predict enthalpies of mixing to be positive (endothermic) for all the solutions examined in this work. The ion-specific effect is more strongly expressed in ionene solutions with higher charge density (3,3-ionene). The most important result of this work is the finding that the enthalpy of mixing of 3,3- (and of 6,6-ionene) fluorides with sodium halides can be expressed as a linear function of the enthalpy of hydration of the halide counterions. The experimental results were complemented with an explicit water molecular dynamics simulation of solutions of oligoions modelling 3,3- and 6,6-ionenes. The computer simulation results for various nitrogen-counterion pair distribution functions were in most cases consistent with the enthalpy measurements.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry and dynamic light scattering studies of interactions between gemini surfactants of different structure and Pluronic block copolymers

The interactions between triblock copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide), P103 and F108, EO(n)PO(m)EO(n), m=56 and n=17 and 132, respectively, and m-s-m type gemini surfactants, m=8, 10, 12, and 18, and s = 3, 6, 12, and 16, have been studied in aqueous solution using isothermal titration calorimetry and dynamic light scattering techniques. The enthalpograms of F108 as a function of surfactant concentration show one broad peak at polymer concentrations C(p) < or = 0.50 wt%, below the cmc of the copolymer at 25 degrees C. It is attributed to interactions between the surfactant and the triblock copolymer monomer. DLS results show hydrodynamic radii (R(h)) initially consistent with copolymer monomers that change to values consistent with gemini surfactant micelles as the surfactant concentration is increased. In P103 solutions at C(p) > or = 0.05 wt%, two peaks appear in the enthalpograms, and they are attributed to the interactions between the gemini surfactant and the micelle or monomer forms of the copolymer. An origin-based nonlinear fitting program was employed to deconvolute the two peaks and to obtain estimates of peak properties. An estimate of the fraction of copolymer in aggregated form was also obtained. The enthalpy change due to interactions between the surfactants and P103 aggregates is very large compared to values obtained for traditional surfactants. This suggests that extensive reorganization of copolymer aggregates and surrounding solvent occurs during the interaction. DLS results for the P103 systems containing C(p) > or = 0.05% show evidence of very large aggregates in solution, likely P103 micelle clusters. The transitions observed in the hydrodynamic radii are consistent with a breakdown of micelle clusters with addition of gemini surfactant, followed by mixed micelle formation and/or deaggregation into monomer P103. This is followed by interactions similar to those typically observed in surfactant-nonionic polymer systems. Mechanisms for the interaction and the observed structural changes are discussed.     

Binding isotherm determination by isothermal titration calorimetry

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A simple method for determination of binding isotherm in the protein-ligand interaction was introduced using isothermal titration calorimetric data....     

Isothermal kinase-triggered supramolecular assemblies as drug sensitizers

Protein kinases, the main regulators of a vast map of cellular processes, are the most attractive targets in drug discovery. Despite a few successful examples of protein kinase inhibitors, the drug discovery strategy of downregulating protein kinase activity has been quite limited and often fails even in animal models. Here, we utilize protein kinase A (PKA) activity to design PKA-triggered supramolecular assemblies with anticancer activities. Grafting a suitable peptide to PNIPAM raises the critical temperature of the LCST polymer above body temperature. Interestingly, the corresponding phosphorylated polymer has a critical temperature below body temperature, making this peptide-appended PNIPAM a suitable polymer for the PKA-triggered supramolecular assembly process. PKA-triggered assembly occurs selectively in PKA-upregulated MCF-7 cells, which disturbs the cytoskeleton and sensitizes cancer cells against doxorubicin. The chemosensitization is also observed in vivo to identify effective tumor inhibitors with satisfactory biocompatibility. Overall, this phosphorylation-induced (in principle, PKA-catalyzed) supramolecular assembly opens up a promising chemotherapy strategy for combating kinase-upregulated cancer.

A nonapeptide grafted LCST polymer undergoes enzymatic phosphorylation to assemble, which selectively disrupts PKA overexpressing cancer cells via kinetics targeting.     

Differential scanning calorimetry of irradiated polymers

DSC was used to study the influence of fast electron irradiation on the molecular mobility and melting of semicrystalline polymers and copolymers of ethylene and of fluorocopolymer. The heat capacity-temperature dependences obtained in the range from 100 K to 500 K revealed the specific features of the irradiation effect on four relaxational transitions associated with the appearance of segmental motion in different molecular elements of the disordered regions in the polymer. The pronounced dependence of the radiation stability of crystallites on the thermal prehistory of the object under study was found. The results were interpreted on the basis of the decisive role of the molecular mobility and free volume for the predominance of the radiation cross-linking of the molecules. Correlations were established between the characteristics of the thermal transitions and the mechanical properties of the irradiated polymers.