Highly sensitive spectrofluorimetric determination of trace amounts of lecithin

A new spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of lecithin using the ciprofloxacin (CIP)–terbium (Tb³⁺) ion complex as a fluorescent probe. In a buffer solution at pH=5.60, lecithin can remarkably reduce the fluorescence intensity of the CIP–Tb³⁺ complex at λ=545 nm. The reduced fluorescence intensity of the Tb³⁺ ion is proportional to the concentration of lecithin. Optimum conditions for the determination of lecithin were also investigated. The linear range and detection limit for the determination of lecithin were 1.0×10⁻⁶–3.0×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ and 3.44×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹, respectively. This method is simple, practical, and relatively free of interference from coexisting substances. Furthermore, it has been successfully applied to assess lecithin in serum samples.      

Spontaneous Assembly of Miktoarm Stars into Vesicular Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes

Mixing a bis‐hydrophilic, cationic miktoarm star polymer with a linear polyanion leads to the formation of unilamellar polymersomes, which consist of an interpolyelectrolyte complex (IPEC) wall sandwiched between poly(ethylene oxide) brushes. The experimental finding of this rare IPEC morphology is rationalized theoretically: the star architecture forces the assembly into a vesicular shape due to the high entropic penalty for stretching of the insoluble arms in non‐planar morphologies. The transmission electron microscopy of vitrified samples (cryogenic TEM) is compared with the samples at ambient conditions (in situ TEM), giving one of the first TEM reports on soft matter in its pristine environment.

     

Photo‐controlled Hierarchical Assembly and Fusion of Coumarin‐containing Polydiacetylene Vesicles

Herein, we synthesize a coumarin‐substituted diacetylene monomer (CODA) and report the novel photo‐controlled reversible assembly and disassembly behavior of the polymerized CODA (PCODA) vesicles. The photo‐triggered dimerization and cleavage reactions of the coumarin groups within the surface of the adjacent PCODA vesicles can be utilized as the driving force to induce assembly and disassembly of PCODA vesicles. Moreover, the boundary of PCODA vesicles in the aggregates becomes more obscure when the irradiation time exceeds 30 min. Fusion occurs upon close docking of target membranes, driven by sufficient dimerization of the coumarin groups within the surface of PCODA vesicles.     

Binary-component micelle and vesicle:Free energy and asymmetric distributions of amphiphiles between vesicle monolayers

The real-space two-dimensional self-consistent field theory(SCFT) is employed to study the free energies of micelles and vesicles constituted by binary amphiphilic diblock copolymer AB in homopolymer A.With an increasing volume fraction of copolymer AB,there are morphological transitions from circle micelles to oblate circle-like micelles,to a compound structure with inverted micelles in the inner center and micelles outer layer,and to vesicles.Special attention is paid to the role of the copolymer AB in controlling the free energies of the micelles and vesicles by examining the effect of the length ratio of A/B with the fixed whole chain length of the AB copolymer,the length effect of A or B block with the corresponding fixed length of B or A block,for one component of copolymer,and the effect of different amphiphile compositions for a binary-component copolymer system.The quantity η is provided to describe the asymmetric density distribution of amphiphiles between the inner and outer monolayers of vesicles,and to quantify the relative asymmetric extent of the density distribution between two species of copolymers in binary component vesicles.     

Altered Lipid Composition of Secretory Cells Following Exposure to Zinc Can Be Correlated to Changes in Exocytosis

A micromolar concentration of zinc has been shown to significantly change the dynamics of exocytosis as well as the vesicle contents in a model cell line, providing direct evidence that zinc regulates neurotransmitter release. To provide insight into how zinc modulates these exocytotic processes, neurotransmitter release and vesicle content were compared with single cell amperometry and intracellular impact vesicle cytometry with a range of zinc concentrations. Additionally, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) images of lipid distributions in the cell membrane after zinc treatment correlate to changes in exocytosis. By combining electrochemical techniques and mass spectrometry imaging, we proposed a mechanism by which zinc changes the fusion pore and the rate of neurotransmitter release by changing lipid distributions and results in the modulation of synaptic strength and plasticity.     

The pH induced vesicle to micelle morphology transition of a THP‐protected polymer

A diblock copolymer consisting of tetrahydropyranyl acrylate (THPA) as a pH‐deprotectable block, and a permanently hydrophobic block, methyl acrylate, was synthesized by RAFT polymerization using a quaternary amine functionalized, hydrophilic, RAFT chain transfer agent. The polymer self‐assembled in water to form vesicles with D_h = 130 nm, as determined by DLS and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Acid catalyzed deprotection of the THPA units to yield acrylic acid resulted in a vesicle to micelle morphology transition, as evidenced by the decrease in hydrodynamic diameter to D_h = 19 nm and the observation of micelles by dry state transmission electron microscopy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3026–3031     

Effect of temperature on the organized self-assembly of SDS/β-Cyclodextrin aqueous solution by dielectric relaxation behavior

The temperature dependence of microstructures of SDS/β-cyclodextrin aqueous solution was investigated by impedance analyzer at the temperature range of 15°C to 55°C. The dielectric relaxation behaviors were observed from 15°C to 35°C, which was attributed to the Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization. The microstructure transition of the SDS/β-cyclodextrin aqueous solution from micro-tube to vesicle and then to monomer with increasing temperature was confirmed by conjointly analyzing dielectric parameters, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and infrared spectra. Furthermore, the dielectric analysis was proved to be useful to study surfactant-based organized self-assembly.     

阴离子Gemini表面活性剂和阳离子传统表面活性剂混合体系双水相中囊泡形貌的转变

通过电子显微镜观察了阴离子gemini表面活性剂C₁₁- p-PhCNa和阳离子传统表面活性剂DTAB混合体系双水相中囊泡形貌随体系组成和浓度的转变。结果表明,双水相较浓的一相中形成了多层囊泡,囊泡的大小和壁厚随相的组成和浓度而改变,两组分等电荷混合有利于形成较大且壁较厚的囊泡。分析表明, gemini表面活性剂在聚集体中采取的反式构象可能是其容易形成厚壁多层囊泡的重要原因,C₁₁- p-PhCNa联接链上的苯氧基与DTA⁺之间的p-阳离子相互作用以及两组分相反电性头基之间的静电吸引使囊泡壁的多层结构更加稳定。     

Single‐Molecule Fluorescence Detection of a Synthetic Heparan Sulfate Disaccharide

The first single‐molecule fluorescence detection of a structurally‐defined synthetic carbohydrate is reported: a heparan sulfate (HS) disaccharide fragment labeled with Alexa488. Single molecules have been measured whilst freely diffusing in solution and controlled encapsulation in surface‐tethered lipid vesicles has allowed extended observations of carbohydrate molecules down to the single‐molecule level. The diverse and dynamic nature of HS–protein interactions means that new tools to investigate pure HS fragments at the molecular level would significantly enhance our understanding of HS. This work is a proof‐of‐principle demonstration of the feasibility of single‐molecule studies of synthetic carbohydrates which offers a new approach to the study of pure glycosaminoglycan (GAG) fragments.     

利用烷基糖苷迁移和扩张共轭亚油酸囊泡pH窗口

脂肪酸囊泡(FAV)具有与脂质体类似的中空核壳结构, 且原料来源广泛, 绿色安全, 在包埋/缓释方面有重要意义. 但FAV对pH值依赖性强, pH窗口很窄并偏离生命体系适应pH范围, 限制了其作为包埋/缓释体在日用化学品及外用药等中的应用. 本文用绿色安全非离子表面活性剂烷基糖苷(APG)使共轭亚油酸(CLA)形成FAV的pH窗口从原先的8.0-9.0 迁移并扩张至6.0-8.0, 从而与生命体系适应pH值范围相匹配, 并探讨了改善FAV的pH值依赖性和敏感性的原理.