Cell patterning using a template of microstructured organosilane layer fabricated by vacuum ultraviolet light lithography

Micropatterning techniques have become increasingly important in cellular biology. Cell patterning is achieved by various methods. Photolithography is one of the most popular methods, and several light sources (e.g., excimer lasers and mercury lamps) are used for that purpose. Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light that can be produced by an excimer lamp is advantageous for fabricating material patterns, since it can decompose organic materials directly and efficiently without photoresist or photosensitive materials. Despite the advantages, applications of VUV light to pattern biological materials are few. We have investigated cell patterning by using a template of a microstructured organosilane layer fabricated by VUV lithography. We first made a template of a microstructured organosilane layer by VUV lithography. Cell adhesive materials (poly(d-lysine) and polyethyleneimine) were chemically immobilized on the organosilane template, producing a cell adhesive material pattern. Primary rat cardiac and neuronal cells were successfully patterned by culturing them on the pattern substrate. Long-term culturing was attained for up to two weeks for cardiac cells and two months for cortex cells. We have discussed the reproducibility of cell patterning and made suggestions to improve it.     

Self-assembling imidazolium-based ionic liquid in rigid nanopores induces anomalous CO2 adsorption at low pressure

An alkylimidazolium-based long-chain ionic liquid (LCIL) was immobilized in silica nanopores via a supramolecular assembly approach. To discuss the characteristic features of LCIL in a confined nanospace, except for the characteristics of the host materials, we have prepared the silica host with monodisperse morphology and a nanostructured system to immobilize LCIL. The nanostructure is composed of three distinct regions: the silica framework, the hydrophobic interior of the alkyl chains, and the organic-inorganic ionic interface. Anomalous CO(2) adsorption sites were found to be well-ordered locations on the ionic interface fabricated by the π-π-stacked imidazolium heads containing inorganic anions and polar silica surfaces.     

Photochemical control of molecular assembly formation in a catanionic surfactant system

Photochemical control of vesicle disintegration and reformation in aqueous solution was examined using a mixture of 4-butylazobenzene-4'-(oxyethyl)trimethylammonium bromide (AZTMA) as the photoresponsive cationic surfactant and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) as the anionic surfactant. Spontaneous vesicle formation was found in a wide-ranging composition of the trans-AZTMA/SDBS system. AZTMA molecules constituting vesicles underwent reversible trans-cis photoisomerization when irradiated with ultraviolet and visible light. Transmission electron microscopy observations using the freeze-fracture technique (FF-TEM) showed that UV light irradiation caused the vesicles to disintegrate into coarse aggregates and visible light irradiation stimulated the reformation of vesicles (normal control). A detailed investigation of the phase state and the effects of UV and visible light irradiation on the AZTMA/SDBS system with the use of electroconductivity, dynamic/static light scattering, and surface tension measurements and FF-TEM observations revealed that in the AZTMA-rich composition (AZTMA/SDBS 9:1) a micellar solution before light irradiation became a vesicular solution after UV light irradiation and visible light irradiation allowed the return to a micellar solution (reverse control). Thus, we could photochemically control the disintegration (normal control) and reformation (reverse control) of vesicles in the same system.     

Giant vesicles with membranous microcompartments

Incubation of a cell-sized lipid membrane vesicle (giant vesicle, GV) in a diluted aqueous solution of neutral phosphate buffer salts or glucose transformed the GV to an oligovesicular vesicle (OVV) that encapsulates one or more smaller GVs. During the incubation, the membrane of flaccid vesicle invaginated and closed to form the inner vesicle of an OVV engulfing a part of the bulk aqueous phase. Using the GV-to-OVV transformation, an OVV that has different aqueous contents in each membranous microcompartment was constructed.     

Two types of two-component gels formed from pseudoenantiomeric ethynylhelicene oligomers

Two-component gels formed from pseudoenantiomeric ethynylhelicene oligomers in toluene exhibited two different properties depending on difference in numbers of helicenes in the two components. The combinations (M)-5/(P)-4, (M)-6/(P)-4, and (M)-7/(P)-4, which contained oligomers with comparable numbers of helicenes, formed transparent gels (Type I gels). The combinations (M)-6/(P)-3, (M)-7/(P)-3, and (M)-8/(P)-3, which contained oligomers with considerably different numbers of helicenes, formed turbid gels (Type II gels). Negative Cotton effects were observed for the Type I gels in the region between 350 and 450 nm, and were positive for the Type II gels, despite the use of (M)-oligomers for the longer components. UV/vis exhibited absorption maxima at 350 nm for the Type I gels and at 338 nm for the Type II gels. Different behaviors in gel formation processes were observed by fluorescence studies. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed fiber structures of 25-50 nm diameter for Type I gels and bundles of 100-150 nm diameter for Type II gels. The stoichiometry in gel formation also differed: The Type I gels showed 1:1 stoichiometry of the two components; the Type II gels showed no 1:1 stoichiometry, likely 1:2 stoichiometry. Using the Type I and II gels, two-layer gel systems were constructed.     

Novel sample preparation technique with needle-type micro-extraction device for volatile organic compounds in indoor air samples

A novel needle-type sample preparation device was developed for the effective preconcentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air before gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. To develop a device for extracting a wide range of VOCs typically found in indoor air, several types of particulate sorbents were tested as the extraction medium in the needle-type extraction device. To determine the content of these VOCs, air samples were collected for 30 min with the packed sorbent(s) in the extraction needle, and the extracted VOCs were thermally desorbed in a GC injection port by the direct insertion of the needle. A double-bed sorbent consisting of a needle packed with divinylbenzene and activated carbon particles exhibited excellent extraction and desorption performance and adequate extraction capacity for all the investigated VOCs. The results also clearly demonstrated that the proposed sample preparation method is a more rapid, simpler extraction/desorption technique than traditional sample preparation methods.     

Zwitterionic heterogemini surfactants containing ammonium and carboxylate headgroups 2: aggregation behavior studied by SANS, DLS, and cryo-TEM

Metallo-meso-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrins (metallo-TPPSs), such as ZnTPPS, have been widely used as photosensitizers. However, their vulnerability to photodegradation significantly limits their applications. In this contribution, we demonstrate a method to enhance the photostability of metallo-TPPSs while retaining photoactivity via encapsulation inside cores of complex micelles. Poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PEG-b-P4VP) and metallo-TPPSs can form complex micelles in acidic solution through electrostatic interactions and then undergo axial coordination with the pyridine moieties of PEG-b-P4VP when the pH is adjusted to 7.4. In this way, metallo-TPPSs are entrapped in the hydrophobic, compact micellar cores, which effectively prevents photodegradation of the metallo-TPPSs that would otherwise occur in aqueous solution. In addition, the photodebromination of 2,3-dibromo-3-phenylpropionic acid (DPP) sensitized with ZnTPPS has been used as a model reaction to study the photosensitive activity of ZnTPPS entrapped in complex micelles. The entrapped ZnTPPSs exhibit pronounced activity and have much higher efficiency and faster photosensitive reaction rates than free ZnTPPS.