Study on surfactant coating of polymeric nanoparticles for controlled delivery of anticancer drug

Biodegradable nanoparticles loaded with anticancer drug paclitaxel and appropriately coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG) as well as d--tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) were produced and characterised by various analysis techniques such as laser light scattering (LLS) for particle size and size distribution, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for particle morphology, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier Transform Infrared-Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) for surface chemistry, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for drug encapsulation efficiency (EE) and in vitro release kinetics. The emphasis was given to the possible effects of surface coating on the physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties of paclitaxel loaded nanoparticles. It was found that the type and amount of the surfactant could significantly affect the drug EE in the nanoparticles, the particles characteristics and their in vitro release behaviour. The surfactants dominated on the nanoparticles surface and the coated nanoparticles displayed in spherical shape with relative smooth surface within the resolution scope of the equipment. The particle size and size distribution showed close relation to the surface coating, which may also be responsible for the drug encapsulation efficiency and the in vitro release kinetics. A favourable formulation of drug loaded nanoparticles of desired properties could be obtained by optimising the fabrication parameters.     

Lead tetraacetate-iodine oxidation of 23-spirostanols

Reactions of 23R- and 23S-23-spirostanols in the 25R and 25S series with lead tetraacetate-iodine were studied. The reactions carried out at low temperature afforded d-seco-iododialdehydes and C₂₂ lactones, while similar reactions performed in refluxing tetrachloromethane yielded 20-chlorolactones and their 21-acetoxy derivatives irrespective of the hydroxyl group configuration at C-23. The reaction mechanisms are discussed.     

Middle-phase microemulsions of green surfactant alkyl polyglucosides

Microemulsions are important organized molecular assembles in surfactant solutions and are used in various fields such as tertiary oil recovery, pharmaceutics, cosmetics, nanoparticle synthe-sis and chemical engineering. The more commonly used nonionic surfactants to produce micro- emulsions are the ethylene oxide-based compounds (CiEj). In recent years alkyl polyglucosides have been received considerable attention in producing microemulsions[17]. Alkyl polyglucosides (APG), which are widely…     

Two new standard reference materials for the determination of drugs of abuse in human hair

Two new standard reference materials (SRM) for drugs of abuse in human hair have been developed. SRM 2379 consists of hair spiked with cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, phencyclidine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine. SRM 2380 consists of hair spiked with codeine, morphine, monoacetylmorphine, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The SRMs were prepared by soaking the hair in a solution of the target analytes in water-dimethylsulfoxide. The concentration of each analyte was determined using two methods, one based upon gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and one based upon liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Both methods used 0.1 M HCl for extraction of all the analytes from the hair, except for THC, which was extracted with 1 M NaOH. For isolation of the analytes from the extracts, the GC/MS-based methods used different clean-up procedures from those used for the LC/MS-based methods. The results from the two methods were in good agreement with mean differences for the analytes ranging from 4% to 16%. These materials will enable laboratories performing analyses of hair for drugs of abuse to test the accuracy of their methods.     

Evaluation of the redox properties and anti/pro-oxidant effects of selected flavonoids by means of a DNA-based electrochemical biosensor

Quercetin and rutin as well as catechin and epigallocatechin gallate were investigated, as widely distributed representatives of flavonols and flavanols, respectively, regarding their anti/pro-oxidant properties. The flavonoids are irreversibly oxidized at a dsDNA-modified screen-printed electrode within 0.368 to 0.449 V vs. SHE without binding to DNA. Using the DNA biosensor the detection scheme of a DNA prevention/degradation exploits the [Co(phen)(3)](3+) complex as an electrochemical DNA marker. Antioxidant activity of flavonoids was tested in a model cleavage mixture composed of 5 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) [Cu(phen)(2)](2+) as the catalyst, 1 x 10(-3) mol L(-1) ascorbic acid as the chemical reductant and atmospheric oxygen as the natural oxidant where reactive oxygen radicals are generated. The antioxidant activity increases with the concentration of flavonoids reaching a maximum where pro-oxidative behaviour becomes of importance. The pro-oxidant potency of flavonoids depends on the presence of atmospheric oxygen and follows the order quercetin>rutin>epigallocatechin gallate>catechin.     

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-isopropylacrylamide) semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels with rapid response to temperature changes

A series of thermosensitive and fast-response poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogels were prepared by incorporating PVA into cross-linked PNIPA to form a semi-interpenetrating polymeric network (semi-IPN). Compared to the conventional PNIPA hydrogel, the semi-IPN hydrogels thus prepared exhibit significantly faster response rates and undergo full deswelling in 1 min (lose about 95% water within 1 min) when the temperature is raised above their lower critical solution temperature, and have larger equilibrium swelling ratios at room temperature. These improved properties are attributed to the incorporation of PVA, which forms water-releasing channels and results in increased hydrophilicity, into the PNIPA hydrogel networks.     

On the Importance of H-Bonding Interactions in Organic Ammonium Tetrathiotungstates

Four new organic ammonium tetrathiotungstates (N–Me–enH₂)[WS₄] (1), (N,N′-dm-1,3-pnH₂)[WS₄] (2), (1,4-bnH₂)[WS₄] (3), and (mipaH)₂[WS₄] (4), (N–Me–enH₂ = N-methylethylenediammonium, N,N′-dm-1,3-pnH₂ = N,N′-dimethyl-1,3-propanediammonium, 1,4-bnH₂ = 1,4-butanediammonium, and mipaH = monoisopropylammonium) were synthesized by the base promoted cation exchange reaction and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, Raman, UV-Vis and ¹H NMR spectroscopy as well as single crystal X-ray crystallography. The structures of 1–4 consist of [WS₄]²⁻ tetrahedra which are linked to the organic ammonium cations via N–H⋯S hydrogen bonding. The strength and number of the S⋯H interactions affect the W–S bond lengths as evidenced by distinct short and long W–S bonds. The IR spectra exhibit splitting of the W–S vibrations, which can be attributed to the distortion of the [WS₄]²⁻ tetrahedron. From a comparative study of several known tetrathiotungstates it is observed that a difference of more than 0.033 ? between the longest and shortest W–S bonds in a tetrathiotungstate will result in the splitting of the asymmetric stretching vibration of the W–S bond.     

Determination of methylmercury fluxes across the air–water and air–soil interfaces by gas chromatography with electron capture detection

A method for the determination of methylmercury (MeHg) fluxes across the air–water and air–soil interfaces was developed using an in situ chamber. The MeHg in the air coming out of the chamber was captured by a column containing sulfhydryl cotton fiber adsorbent. MeHg was then desorbed from the column by using 2 mol L^–1 HCl. The MeHg in the effluent was extracted with benzene, and determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Finally, the MeHg flux was calculated using the chamber. The method was applied to simulated experiments, and the results showed that the MeHg fluxes in the air–water system were higher than those in the air–soil–water system. The method was also successfully applied to the field measurements of an environment polluted by a chemical factory, and the results showed that the MeHg fluxes across the air–soil and air–water interfaces were 0.21–3.09 and 0.14–0.79 ng m^–2 h^–1, respectively. The method will be a useful tool in the environmental study of MeHg.     

LC-mass spectrometry analysis of N- and C-terminal boundary sequences of polypeptide fragments by limited proteolysis

Limited proteolysis is an important and widely used method for analyzing the tertiary structure and determining the domain boundaries of proteins. Here we describe a novel method for determining the N- and C-terminal boundary amino acid sequences of products derived from limited proteolysis using semi-specific and/or non-specific enzymes, with mass spectrometry as the only analytical tool. The core of this method is founded on the recognition that cleavage of proteins with non-specific proteases is not random, but patterned. Based on this recognition, we have the ability to determine the sequence of each proteolytic fragment by extracting a common association between data sets containing multiple potential sequences derived from two or more different mass spectral molecular weight measurements. Proteolytic product sequences derived from specific and non-specific enzymes can be accurately determined without resorting to the conventional time-consuming and laborious methods of SDS-PAGE and N-terminal sequencing analysis. Because of the sensitivity of mass spectrometry, multiple transient proteolysis intermediates can also be identified and analyzed by this method, which allows the ability to monitor the progression of proteolysis and thereby gain insight into protein structures.