Different acute effects of oral and intratracheal administration of disodium arsenate and gallium arsenide on heme synthesis in rats

The acute influences of arsenic compounds on the metabolism of porphyrins and heme in various organs of rats after oral or intratracheal administration of disodium arsenate (Na₂HAsO₄) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) were examined and compared. For the oral administration experiments, 21 or 84 mg of Na₂HAsO₄, or 2 or 4 g of GaAs, per cm³ saline per kg body weight of each animal was administered to Jcl: Wistar male rats and the organs were removed after exsanguination from the vein of the right axilla under anesthesia with ether, 16 h after administration. In the case of intratracheal administration, rats given 8.2 or 16.4 mg of Na₂HAsO₄, or 0.2 or 0.4 g GaAs per cm³ saline per kg body weight were examined under the same experimental conditions as for the administration route. Increase in the body weight of rats was suppressed after intratracheal administration of the two arsenic compounds. In these rats the hematocrit value increased significantly. These changes were not shown by the orally administered rats. Elevation in δ-aminolevulinate synthase (ALA-S, EC 2.3.1.37) activity in erythroblasts by Na₂HAsO₄ was much higher after intratracheal administration than after oral administration. Suppression in the activities of δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALA-D, EC 4.2.1.24) and porphobilinogen deaminase (PBG-D, EC 4.3.1.8) in peripheral erythrocytes by Na₂HAsO₄ and GaAs were stronger by intratracheal administration than by the oral route. Influences of GaAs on the activity of PBG-D in rat liver were shown to be more effective by oral administration than by the intratracheal route. Oral administration of Na₂HAsO₄ and GaAs had a stronger suppression effect on the activities of ALA-D and PBG-D in rat kidney. It seems from these results that the different extents of the influence of arsenic compounds might depend on the routes of intake.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel thermoresponsive‐co‐biodegradable hydrogels composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide,poly(L‐lactic acid), and dextran

A series of novel multifunctional hydrogels that combined the merits of both thermoresponsive and biodegradable polymeric materials were designed, synthesized, and characterized. The hydrogels were copolymeric networks composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) as a thermoresponsive component, poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) as a hydrolytically degradable and hydrophobic component, and dextran as an enzymatically degradable and hydrophilic component. The chemical structures of the hydrogels were characterized by an attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR) technique. The hydrogels were thermoresponsive, showing a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at approximately 32 °C, and their swelling properties strongly depended on temperature changes, the balance of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic components, and the degradation of the PLLA component. The degradation of the hydrogels caused by hydrolytic cleavage of ester bonds in the PLLA component was faster at 25 °C below the LCST than at 37 °C above the LCST, determined by the ATR–FTIR technique. Due to their multifunctional properties, the designed hydrogels show great potential for biomedical applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5054–5066, 2004     

Rheological and diffusion properties of a dextran-con A polymer in the presence of Insulin and Magnesium

Previous work carried out in our laboratories has focused on the formation and investigation of a dextran and concanavalin A (con A) based gel, which has the ability to alter its conformational structure in the presence and absence of free and terminal glucoses such that a gel–sol phase transition occurs. Here we report the diffusion and rheological investigations in to the effects of the addition of insulin and varyingconcentrations of magnesium chloride hexahydrate (Mg₂Cl₂6H₂O) at 20 and 37 °C. Rheological examination of glucose-sensitive (dextran-con A) gels were conducted using a cone and plate viscometer used in continual rotation and oscillatory modes. The results are interpreted in terms of the structure of the gel network and suggest rheological assessment provides an effective method of assessing the properties of gel systems. The subsequent testing of such formulations in in-vitro diffusion experiments revealed a reduction in the rate of diffusivity in the insulin marker, poly R-478 dye. The performance of this self-regulating drug delivery system has been examined and the addition of insulin and magnesium chloride may alter the way in which the gel operates as a drug delivery device and in the delivery of insulin. This may have implications for other ligands.     

Matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation processing of triacetate-pullulan polysaccharide thin films for drug delivery systems

We report the first successful deposition of triacetate-pullulan polysaccharide thin films by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation. We used a KrF* excimer laser source (λ = 248 nm, τ ≈ 20 ns) operated at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. We demonstrated by FTIR that our thin films are composed of triacetate-pullulan maintaining its chemical structure and functionality. The dependence on incident laser fluence of the induced surface morphology is analysed.     

Allyl protecting group mediated intramolecular aglycon delivery (IAD): synthesis of α-glucofuranosides and β-rhamnopyranosides

The use of allyl protecting group mediated intramolecular aglycon delivery (IAD) as a strategy for intramolecular glycosylation has been extended to allow the stereoselective synthesis of α-glucofuranosides and β-rhamnopyranosides, in a totally stereoselective fashion. The efficiency of intramolecular glycosylation is dependent on the protecting group pattern of the glycosyl donor, and on the steric bulk of the glycosyl acceptor.     

Human insulin and desamido human insulin isotherms in ethanol-water reversed phase systems

The multi-component isotherms for human insulin (HI) and desamido human insulin (dHI) over reversed phase packing (C18) and with 29.8% (w/w) ethanol-water as mobile phase have been determined experimentally. The isotherms of HI in ethanol-water differ from those obtained with the more commonly applied methanol-water and acetonitrile-water mobile phase, as described in this paper. The isotherm exhibits anti Langmuirian behavior and can be very well modeled by an anti Langmuir isotherm presented in this paper. The HI and dHI anti Langmuir isotherm are determined as: qHI = (8.4C(HI) + 3C(HI)CdHI)/(1 - 0.05C(HI) - 0.14CdHI + 0.04C(HI)CdHI) and qdHI = (11.4CdHI + 2C(HI)CdHI)/ (1 - 0.05C(HI) - 0.14CdHI + 0.04C(HI)CdHI)     

温度及pH敏感的树枝状高分子衍生物合成及药物控制释放研究

对合成的系列聚酰胺-胺型(PAMAM)树枝状高分子进行端基的羟基化和氯乙酰化两步修饰,使PAMAM最外层接上烷基氯.以修饰产物为引发剂,通过原子转移自由基引发甲基丙烯酸N,N-二甲氨基乙酯(DMAEMA)聚合得到树枝状PAMAM高分子衍生物,并对其结构用FTIR、1H-NMR和粒径分析进行了表征.紫外可见分光光度仪测定证实此高分子具有温度及pH敏感性.通过对小分子药物控制释放研究表明,此树枝状高分子衍生物通过环境pH值可有效地控制小分子药物的释放.     

无机层状复合氢氧化物中顺铂-DNA模型分子的选择性插入

药物分子的选择性包裹和控制释放是药物研究领域中具有挑战性的研究方向。本文研究表明:顺铂-DNA模型分子cis-[Pt(NH₃)₂(5′-GMP)₂](5′-GMP 5′-单磷酸鸟苷)可插入无机层状复合氢氧化物[Zn_0.68Al_0.32(OH)₂](NO₃)_0.32·mH₂O。但另一种层状复合氢氧化物[LiAl₂(OH)₆]Cl·H₂O由于其阳离子层中正电荷密度较高、阳离子层与层间阴离子之间静电作用较强,因而顺铂-DNA模型分子不能通过离子交换方式插入其层间。光谱数据证实插入层间的顺铂-DNA模型分子结构不变。这可能为铂-DNA分子的传递提供新的方法。     

赖氨酸修饰壳聚糖磁性超微载体的制备和表征

本文设计并合成了良好水溶性的赖氨酸修饰壳聚糖,并对制备工艺进行了优化.产物通过红外(FTIR)和核磁(1H-NMR)进行了表征,并将其作为壳层材料制备了赖氨酸修饰壳聚糖磁性超微载体.通过光电能谱(XPS)、透射(TEM)、激光粒度仪、X射线衍射(XRD)、磁性能测试(VSM)对载体进行了表征.结果表明,制备的赖氨酸修饰壳聚糖磁性超微载体表面带有大量的氨基(-NH2),粒径分布较为均一(100nm左右),形貌较为规则,并具有良好的超顺磁性,因而该载体具有更加良好的性能.     

Pectin in controlled drug delivery – a review

Controlled drug delivery remains a research focus for public health to enhance patient compliance, drug efficiency and reduce the side effects of drugs. Pectin, an edible plant polysaccharide, has been shown to be useful for the construction of drug delivery systems for specific drug delivery. Several pectin derived formulations have been developed in our laboratory and tested in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo for the ability to deliver bioactive substances for therapeutic purposes in the context of interactions with living tissues. Pectin derivatives carrying primary amine groups were more mucoadhesive and have shown potential in nasal drug delivery and other mucosal drug delivery. Pectin derivatives with highly esterified galacturonic acid residues are more hydrophobic and able to sustain the release of incorporated fragrances for a prolonged duration. Less esterified pectin derivatives are able to penetrate deeper into the skin and may be useful in aromatherapy formulations. Pectin, in combination with zein, a corn protein, forms hydrogel beads. The bound zein restricts bead swelling and retains the porosity of the beads; the pectin networks shield the zein from protease attack. The complex beads are ideal vehicles for colon-specific drug delivery. Studies presented in this paper indicate the flexibility and possibility to tailor pectin macromolecules into a variety of drug delivery systems to meet different clinical requirements. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture.