Optical and Bioelectrochemical Characterization of Water‐Miscible Ionic Liquids Based Composites of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Acidic treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (AMWNTs) were ground with water‐miscible room temperature ionic liquids, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim]BF₄), and resulted in AMWNTs‐[bmim]BF₄ composite. Its electrical‐ionic conductivity and optical properties were compared with the other two types of carbon materials‐[bmim]BF₄ composites: pyrolytic graphite powder (PGP), pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PMWNTs), through the ac impedance technology and Raman spectroscopy. The impedance data show that AMWNTs‐[bmim]BF₄ composite exhibits the highest conductivity. Raman spectra study exhibits that the [bmim]BF₄ can form gel with PMWNTs and AMWNTs but only form a viscous liquid with PGP. AMWNTs‐[bmim]BF₄ gel modified GC electrode was applied in direct electrochemistry of heme proteins (Hb and HRP) and it catalysis to the reduction of H₂O₂ was investigated.     

Novel Water Soluble Fluorescent Trimethine Indocyanines Containing N-ρ-Carboxybenzyl Group

Indocyanine dyes as fluorescent labeling reagents have been used in bioanalysis1,2. Arylsulfonate indocyanine dyes 1d and 1e developed by Waggoner A. S. et al.3,4 have excellent fluorescent properties combined with good aqueous solubility, are a new generation of fluorescent label compounds for proteins, oligonucleotides and other compounds containing hydroxyl, mercaptol or primary amine groups5. However, photostability of these dyes has been a problem. Z. G. YAO et al.6 reported that p…     

Application of dodecyldimethyl (2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl) ammonium in wall modification for capillary electrophoresis separation of proteins

A zwitterionic surfactant, dodecyldimethyl (2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl) ammonium (C12H25N+(CH3)2CH2CHOHCH2SO3-), named dodecyl sulfobetaine (DSB), was used as a novel modifier to coat dynamically capillary walls for capillary electrophoresis separation of basic proteins. The DSB coating suppressed the electroosmotic flow (EOF) in the pH range of 3-12. At high DSB concentration, the EOF was suppressed by more than 8.8 times. The DSB coating also prevented successfully the adsorption of cationic proteins on the capillary wall. Anions, such as Cl-, Br-, I-, SO4(2-), CO3(2-), and ClO4-, could be used as running buffer modifiers to adjust the EOF for better separation of analytes. Using this dynamically coated capillary, a mixture of eight inorganic anions achieved complete separation within 4.2 min with the efficiencies from 24,000 to 1,310,000 plates/m. In the presence of ClO4- as EOF adjustor, the separation of a mixture containing four basic proteins (lysozyme, cytochrome c, alpha-chymotrypsinogen A, and myoglobin) yielded efficiencies of 204,000-896,000 plates/m and recoveries of 88%-98%. Migration time reproducibility of these proteins was less than 0.5% relative standard deviation (RSD) from run to run and less than 3.1% RSD from day to day, showing promising application of this novel modifier in protein separation.     

Noniterative biexponential fluorescence lifetime imaging in the investigation of cellular metabolism by means of NAD(P)H autofluorescence.

The cofactors NADH and NADPH, hereafter NAD(P)H [NAD(P)= nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate)], belong to the principal endogenous indicators of energetic cellular metabolism. Since the metabolic activity of cells is given by the ratio between the concentrations of free and protein-bound NAD(P)H, the development of autofluorescence techniques which accurately measure the modifications to this ratio is particularly significant. Hitherto the methods applied in the monitoring of cellular metabolism have provided either imprecise results, due to interference of the NAD(P)H signal by perturbing factors, or they have required a complicated internal calibration. We employ biexponential fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) in order to discriminate between the free and protein-bound NAD(P)H without any previous calibration. Thus, we have obtained directly, and for the first time, a high-resolution map of cellular metabolism, that is, an image of the contribution of the protein-bound NAD(P)H to the cumulative NAD(P)H fluorescence signal. Moreover, we demonstrate that protein-NAD(P)H complexes characterised by different fluorescence lifetimes are not uniformly distributed all over the cell, as assumed until now, but are concentrated in certain cellular regions. The different fluorescence lifetimes indicate either different protein-NAD(P)H complexes or different bond strengths between NAD(P)H and the protein in these complexes. Since an important aspect in biological applications is to monitor the dynamics of the relevant processes (such as cellular metabolism), rapid dynamical techniques, for example, rapid biexponential fluorescence lifetime imaging, are needed. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce the evaluation effort as much as possible. Most of the evaluation techniques in multiexponential FLIM are time-expensive iterative methods. The few exceptions are connected with a loss of information, for example, global analysis; or a loss in accuracy, for example, the rapid evaluation technique (RLD). We implement for the first time in FLIM a noniterative, nonrestrictive method originally developed by Prony for approximations of multiexponential decays. The accuracy of this method is verified in biexponential FLIM experiments in time-domain on mixtures of two chromophores both in homogenous and in heterogeneous media. The resulting fluorescence lifetimes agree (within error margins) with the lifetimes of the pure substances determined in monoexponential FLIM experiments. The rapidity of our evaluation method as compared to iterative pixel-by-pixel methods is evidenced by a reduction of the evaluation time by more than one order of magnitude. Furthermore, the applicability of this method for the biosciences is demonstrated in the investigation of cellular metabolism by means of NAD(P)H endogenous fluorescence.     

Monitoring of Spirulina Flakes and Powders from Italian Companies

Microalgae and microalgae-derived compounds have great potential as supplements in the human diet and as a source of bioactive products with health benefits. Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis (Nordstedt) Gomont, or Spirulina platensis) belongs to the class of cyanobacteria and has been studied for its numerous health benefits, which include anti-inflammatory properties, among others. This work was aimed at comparing some spirulina products available on the Italian market. The commercial products here analyzed consisted of spirulina cultivated and processed with different approaches. Single-component spirulina products in powder and flake form, free of any type of excipient produced from four different companies operating in the sector, have been analyzed. The macro- and micromorphological examination, and the content of pigments, phycobiliproteins, phenols, and proteins have shown differences regarding the morphology and chemical composition, especially for those classes of particularly unstable compounds such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, suggesting a great influence of both culture conditions and processing methods.     

Screening an In-House Isoquinoline Alkaloids Library for New Blockers of Voltage-Gated Na+ Channels Using Voltage Sensor Fluorescent Probes: Hits and Biases

Voltage-gated Na⁺ (Na_V) channels are significant therapeutic targets for the treatment of cardiac and neurological disorders, thus promoting the search for novel Na_V channel ligands. With the objective of discovering new blockers of Na_V channel ligands, we screened an In-House vegetal alkaloid library using fluorescence cell-based assays. We screened 62 isoquinoline alkaloids (IA) for their ability to decrease the FRET signal of voltage sensor probes (VSP), which were induced by the activation of Na_V channels with batrachotoxin (BTX) in GH3b6 cells. This led to the selection of five IA: liriodenine, oxostephanine, thalmiculine, protopine, and bebeerine, inhibiting the BTX-induced VSP signal with micromolar IC₅₀. These five alkaloids were then assayed using the Na⁺ fluorescent probe ANG-2 and the patch-clamp technique. Only oxostephanine and liriodenine were able to inhibit the BTX-induced ANG-2 signal in HEK293-hNa_V1.3 cells. Indeed, liriodenine and oxostephanine decreased the effects of BTX on Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNa_V1.3 channel, suggesting that conformation change induced by BTX binding could induce a bias in fluorescent assays. However, among the five IA selected in the VSP assay, only bebeerine exhibited strong inhibitory effects against Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNav1.2 and hNav1.6 channels, with IC₅₀ values below 10 µM. So far, bebeerine is the first BBIQ to have been reported to block Na_V channels, with promising therapeutical applications.     

反应型次氯酸荧光探针

生物体内的次氯酸是氯离子和过氧化氢(H2O2)由髓过氧化物酶(MPO)催化生成的,是生物体内最重要的活性氧(ROS)之一,在生理过程中发挥了至关重要的作用.但是,过量的次氯酸会导致一系列生理疾病,因此有效的识别和检测次氯酸备受研究者们的青睐.与传统检测方法相比,荧光探针具有选择性好、灵敏度高、可实时监测等诸多优势,因此...     

SiO2包覆铕(Ⅲ)配合物的荧光纳米粒子合成与性质

以前驱物pAB-DTPAA-APTEOS、正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)和三氯化铕(EuCl3)等为原料,采用油包水(W/O)的反相微乳液法,在正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)和3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(APTEOS)的共同水解下,制备出新型的SiO2包覆铕配合物荧光纳米粒子Eu-pAB-DTPAA-AP-SiO2。运用TEM、IR、UV-Vis、荧光光谱等技术对荧光纳米粒子进行了表征。TEM结果表明:包覆体呈球形,分散均匀,平均粒径为40nm。纳米粒子与配体、前驱物的紫外吸收谱相比较,峰位发生了一定的红移,表明通过反相微乳液法得到的固体粉末与EuCl3反应后,已经生成配合物Eu-pAB-DTPAA-AP-SiO2。红外光谱研究表明,在801cm-1出现νSi—C的伸缩振动峰,471cm-1处出现νEu—O的伸缩振动峰。由此证实Eu-pAB-DTPAA-AP-SiO2配合物的存在。荧光光谱分析表明,纳米粒子Eu-pAB-DTPAA-AP-SiO2表现出较好的荧光性能,位于592,615,689nm的发射峰分别归属于Eu3 离子的5D0→7F1、5D0→7F2和5D0→7F4跃迁,其中最强峰615nm属于Eu3 的特征跃迁发射。作为一种新型的荧光试剂,该纳米粒子具有粒径小,亲水性强,荧光强度大,且表面的氨基能方便地与生物分子偶联,故可作为优良的时间分辨荧光标记物用于各种高灵敏生物检测技术中。     

双波长荧光法同时测定水溶解态的茚、萘和菲

建立了一种同时测定水体中多组分溶解态多环芳烃的新方法。为消除共存组分干扰,利用三维荧光谱确定茚、萘和菲的最佳测量点为A(λex250.0nm,λem308.0nm)、B(λex225.0nm,λem335.0nm)、C(λex250.0nm,λem364.0nm);萘和菲相应的最佳参比波长分别为292.5nm和286.7nm,所建方法用于水体中茚、萘和菲的同时测定。其线性范围分别为:2.00×10-7～2.00×10-5mol/L、5.00×10-8～3.50×10-6mol/L和1.00×10-8～1.00×10-6mol/L;检出限分别为:8.63×10-9、1.01×10-8和5.29×10-10mol/L;相对标准偏差分别为:1.1%、1.0%和0.7%(n=7)。方法用于自来水样和海水样的测定,结果满意。