Preparation of Epoxy-Functionalized Magnetic Polymer Nanospheres for Magnetically Targeted Radiotherapy

Magnetic poly(styrene?methyl methacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate)/Fe₃O₄ nanospheres with epoxy groups were prepared by modified one-step mini-emulsion polymerization in the presence of Fe₃O₄ ferrofluids. The products were characterized by fourier-transform infrared spectrum, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and vibrating sample magnetometer. After surface modification with diaminopropane, histidine was covalently linked to the amine group of magentic nanospheres using glutaraldehyde as crosslinker. Finally, the preliminary labeling study based on non-radioactive rhenium was carried out and the labeling efficiency reached 80.4%. Such magnetic nanospheres had promising potential in magnetically targeted radiotherapy of cancer.     

The preparation of a novel polydopamine-graft-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) protein-resistant coating and its applications in protein separation

A novel polydopamine-graft-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)(PDA-g-PMOXA) coating was prepared by immobilizing poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)(PMOXA) onto material surfaces through polydopamine (PDA) anchored coating for the first time.And then,the chemical composition,hydrophilicity,and protein-resistant properties of the PDA-g-PMOXA coating were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),contact angel(CA) test,surface plasmon resonance(SPR),and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation(QCM-D) measurement.Finally,the coating was applied to the capillary inner surface for protein separation by capillary electrophoresis(CE).     

Comparison of various silica‐based monoliths for the analysis of large biomolecules†

In the present study, three types of silica‐based monoliths, i.e. the first and second generations of commercial silica monolithic columns and a wide‐pore prototype monolith were compared for the analysis of large biomolecules. These molecules possess molecular weights between 1 and 66 kDa. The gradient kinetic performance of the first‐generation monolith was lower than that of the second generation, for large biomolecules (>14 kDa) but very close with smaller ones (1.3–5.8 kDa). In contrast, the wide‐pore prototype column was particularly attractive with proteins larger than 19 kDa (higher peak capacity). Among these three columns, the selectivity and retention remained quite similar but a possible larger number of accessible and charged residual silanols was noticed on the wide‐pore prototype material, which led to unpredicted small changes in selectivity and slightly broader peaks than expected. The peak shapes attained with the addition of 0.1% formic acid in the mobile phase remained acceptable for MS coupling, particularly for biomolecules of less than 6 kDa. It was found that one of the major issues with all of these silica‐based monoliths is the possible poor recovery of large biomolecules (principally with monoclonal antibody fragments of more than 25 kDa).     

Biochemical study for the effect of henna (Lawsonia inermis) on Escherichia coli

Leaf samples of Lawsonia inermis (Li) were examined for their antimicrobial potential. Broth extracts in different concentrations were prepared and bioassayed in vitro for the growth of Escherichia coli. The growth of E. coli pathogen was inhibited to various degrees by increasing the concentration of the herbal powder. In addition to the observed alterations which were detected electrophoretically in the protein pattern, were activities of the amylase enzyme and glycoprotein fractions. The protein pattern has one common band of Rf 0.47 and two characteristic bands of Rf 0.36 and Rf 0.42 for E. coli sample. The quantitative mutation was observed in the bacteria with different concentrations of L. inermis compared with the control. Some types of proteins in E. coli completely disappeared upon being S.I affected. The amylase pattern showed one common band with Rf 0.037 and two characteristic bands with Rf 0.18 and Rf 0.37 for E. coli sample. The obvious quantitative mutation observed in bacteria with different concentrations of L. inermis compared with E. coli. The glycoprotein pattern recorded one common band at R₁ with Rf 0.94 for E. coli sample and bacteria inoculated with different concentrations of L. inermis. These results confirmed the antibacterial activity of henna leaves and supported the traditional use of the plant in therapy of bacterial infections and disturbances that occurred at the biochemical level. The broth extract of the L. inermis leaves showed obvious antibacterial activity against E. coli.     

Automation of dimethylation after guanidination labeling chemistry and its compatibility with common buffers and surfactants for mass spectrometry-based shotgun quantitative proteome analysis

Isotope labeling liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) is a major analytical platform for quantitative proteome analysis. Incorporation of isotopes used to distinguish samples plays a critical role in the success of this strategy. In this work, we optimized and automated a chemical derivatization protocol (dimethylation after guanidination, 2MEGA) to increase the labeling reproducibility and reduce human intervention. We also evaluated the reagent compatibility of this protocol to handle biological samples in different types of buffers and surfactants. A commercially available liquid handler was used for reagent dispensation to minimize analyst intervention and at least twenty protein digest samples could be prepared in a single run. Different front-end sample preparation methods for protein solubilization (SDS, urea, Rapigest™, and ProteaseMAX™) and two commercially available cell lysis buffers were evaluated for compatibility with the automated protocol. It was found that better than 94% desired labeling could be obtained in all conditions studied except urea, where the rate was reduced to about 92% due to carbamylation on the peptide amines. This work illustrates the automated 2MEGA labeling process can be used to handle a wide range of protein samples containing various reagents that are often encountered in protein sample preparation for quantitative proteome analysis.     

Silica nanoparticle supported molecularly imprinted polymer layers with varied degrees of crosslinking for lysozyme recognition

Surface imprinting over nanosized support materials is particularly suitable for protein templates, considering the problems with mass transfer limitation and low binding capacity. Previously we have demonstrated a strategy for surface protein imprinting over vinyl-modified silica nanopartiles with lysozyme as a model template by polymerization in high-dilution monomer solution to prevent macrogelation. Herein, the synthesis process was further studied toward enhancement of the imprinting performance by examining the effect of several synthesis conditions. Interestingly, the feed crosslinking degree was found to have a great impact on the thickness of the formed imprinting polymer layers and the recognition properties of the resulting imprinted materials. The imprinted particles with a crosslinking degree up to 50% showed the best imprinting effect. The imprinting factor achieved 2.89 and the specific binding reached 23.3 mg g⁻¹, which are greatly increased compared to those of the lowly crosslinked imprinted materials reported previously. Moreover, the relatively high crosslinking degree led to no significant retarding of the binding kinetics to the imprinted particles, and the saturated adsorption was reached within 10 min. Therefore, this may be a promising method for protein imprinting.     

Thickness and morphology of polyelectrolyte coatings on silica surfaces before and after protein exposure studied by atomic force microscopy

Analyte–wall interaction is a significant problem in capillary electrophoresis (CE) as it may compromise separation efficiencies and migration time repeatability. In CE, self-assembled polyelectrolyte multilayer films of Polybrene (PB) and dextran sulfate (DS) or poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVS) have been used to coat the capillary inner wall and thereby prevent analyte adsorption. In this study, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to investigate the layer thickness and surface morphology of monolayer (PB), bilayer, (PB-DS and PB-PVS), and trilayer (PB-DS-PB and PB-PVS-PB) coatings on glass surfaces. AFM nanoshaving experiments providing height distributions demonstrated that the coating procedures led to average layer thicknesses between 1 nm (PB) and 5 nm (PB-DS-PB), suggesting the individual polyelectrolytes adhere flat on the silica surface. Investigation of the surface morphology of the different coatings by AFM revealed that the PB coating does not completely cover the silica surface, whereas full coverage was observed for the trilayer coatings. The DS-containing coatings appeared on average 1 nm thicker than the corresponding PVS-containing coatings, which could be attributed to the molecular structure of the anionic polymers applied. Upon exposure to the basic protein cytochrome c, AFM measurements showed an increase of the layer thickness for bare (3.1 nm) and PB-DS-coated (4.6 nm) silica, indicating substantial protein adsorption. In contrast, a very small or no increase of the layer thickness was observed for the PB and PB-DS-PB coatings, demonstrating their effectiveness against protein adsorption. The AFM results are consistent with earlier obtained CE data obtained for proteins using the same polyelectrolyte coatings.     

Efficient Microscale Preparation of Isotopically Enriched 1‐[79Br]Bromo‐2‐Fluoroethylene, [79Br]BrHC˭CHF

Abstract

An efficient preparation of 1‐[⁷⁹Br]bromo‐2‐fluoroethylene, [⁷⁹Br]BrHC?CHF, was carried out by a three‐step procedure: (a) natural 1‐bromo‐2‐fluoroethylene, BrHC?CHF, was iodinated to 1‐fluoro‐2‐iodoethylene, FHC?CHI; (b) 1‐fluoro‐2‐iodoethylene was ⁷⁹Br₂‐brominated to 1,2‐di[⁷⁹Br]bromo‐1‐fluoro‐2‐iodoethane, [⁷⁹Br]BrFCHCH[⁷⁹Br]BrI; and (c) 1,2‐di[⁷⁹Br]bromo‐1‐fluoro‐2‐iodoethane was dehalogenated to 1‐[⁷⁹Br]bromo‐2‐fluoroethylene, [⁷⁹Br]BrHC?CHF. The yield of isolated product, on a 2‐mmol scale, was 62% with respect to ⁷⁹Br₂.