Exploring Charged Polymeric Cyclodextrins for Biomedical Applications

Over the years, cyclodextrin uses have been widely reviewed and their proprieties provide a very attractive approach in different biomedical applications. Cyclodextrins, due to their characteristics, are used to transport drugs and have also been studied as molecular chaperones with potential application in protein misfolding diseases. In this study, we designed cyclodextrin polymers containing different contents of β- or γ-cyclodextrin, and a different number of guanidinium positive charges. This allowed exploration of the influence of the charge in delivering a drug and the effect in the protein anti-aggregant ability. The polymers inhibit Amiloid β peptide aggregation; such an ability is modulated by both the type of CyD cavity and the number of charges. We also explored the effect of the new polymers as drug carriers. We tested the Doxorubicin toxicity in different cell lines, A2780, A549, MDA-MB-231 in the presence of the polymers. Data show that the polymers based on γ-cyclodextrin modified the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin in the A2780 cell line.     

Poly(Pyridinium Salt)s Containing 2,7-Diamino-9,9′-Dioctylfluorene Moieties with Various Organic Counterions Exhibiting Both Lyotropic Liquid-Crystalline and Light-Emitting Properties

A series of poly(pyridinium salt)s-fluorene main-chain ionic polymers with various organic counterions were synthesized by using ring-transmutation polymerization and metathesis reactions. Their chemical structures were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), proton (¹H), and fluorine 19 (¹⁹F) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers. These polymers showed a number-average molecular weight (M_ns) between 96.5 and 107.8 kg/mol and polydispersity index (PDI) in the range of 1.12–1.88. They exhibited fully-grown lyotropic phases in polar protic and aprotic solvents at different critical concentrations. Small-angle X-ray scattering for one polymer example indicates lyotropic structure formation for 60–80% solvent fraction. A lyotropic smectic phase contains 10 nm polymer platelets connected by tie molecules. The structure also incorporates a square packing motif within platelets. Thermal properties of polymers were affected by the size of counterions as determined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis measurements. Their ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectra in different organic solvents were essentially identical, indicating that the closely spaced π-π* transitions occurred in their conjugated polymer structures. In contrast, the emission spectra of polymers exhibited a positive solvatochromism on changing the polarity of solvents. They emitted green lights in both polar and nonpolar organic solvents and showed blue light in the film-states, but their λ_em peaks were dependent on the size of the counterions. They formed aggregates in polar aprotic and protic solvents with the addition of water (v/v, 0–90%), and their λ_em peaks were blue shifted.     

In Vitro and In Silico Screening and Characterization of Antimicrobial Napin Bioactive Protein in Brassica juncea and Moringa oleifera

The study aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of Mustard (Brassica juncea) and Moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf extracts and coagulant protein for their potential application in water treatment. Bacterial cell aggregation and growth kinetics studies were employed for thirteen bacterial strains with different concentrations of leaf extracts and coagulant protein. Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOS) and coagulant protein showed cell aggregation against ten bacterial strains, whereas leaf extract alone showed growth inhibition of five bacterial strains for up to 6 h and five bacterial strains for up to 3 h. Brassica juncea leaf extract (BJS) showed growth inhibition for up to 6 h, and three bacterial strains showed inhibition for up to 3 h. The highest inhibition concentration with 2.5 mg/mL was 19 mm, and furthermore, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (0.5 mg/mL) and MBC (1.5 mg/mL) were determined to have a higher antibacterial effect for <3 KDa peptides. Based on LCMS analysis, napin was identified in both MOS and BJS; furthermore, the mode of action of napin peptide was determined on lipoprotein X complex (LpxC) and four-chained structured binding protein of bacterial type II topoisomerase (4PLB). The docking analysis has exhibited moderate to potent inhibition with a range of dock score −912.9 Kcal/mol. Thus, it possesses antibacterial-coagulant potential bioactive peptides present in the Moringa oleifera purified protein (MOP) and Brassica juncea purified protein (BJP) that could act as an effective antimicrobial agent to replace currently available antibiotics. The result implies that MOP and Brassica juncea purified coagulant (BJP) proteins may perform a wide degree of antibacterial functions against different pathogens.     

Valorization of Apple Peels through the Study of the Effects on the Amyloid Aggregation Process of κ-Casein

Waste valorization represents one of the main social challenges when promoting a circular economy and environmental sustainability. Here, we evaluated the effect of the polyphenols extracted from apple peels, normally disposed of as waste, on the amyloid aggregation process of κ-casein from bovine milk, a well-used amyloidogenic model system. The effect of the apple peel extract on protein aggregation was examined using a thioflavin T fluorescence assay, Congo red binding assay, circular dichroism, light scattering, and atomic force microscopy. We found that the phenolic extract from the peel of apples of the cultivar “Fuji”, cultivated in Sicily (Caltavuturo, Italy), inhibited κ-casein fibril formation in a dose-dependent way. In particular, we found that the extract significantly reduced the protein aggregation rate and inhibited the secondary structure reorganization that accompanies κ-casein amyloid formation. Protein-aggregated species resulting from the incubation of κ-casein in the presence of polyphenols under amyloid aggregation conditions were reduced in number and different in morphology.     

Fabrication and characteristics of self‐aggregation nanoparticles used for conformance control treatment

In order to alleviate the contradiction between injectability of the profile control agent and its profile control performance, a novel core‐shell heterogeneous structure colloidal particles (CSA) were synthesized, and the mechanism of self‐aggregation plugging was proposed. Cross‐linking inside the nanoparticles and chain‐growth polymerization via capturing acrylamide in the aqueous phase result in the formation of core‐shell heterogeneous structures as proved by TEM observation and XPS analysis. Moreover, CSA nanoparticles exhibit good hydrophilic properties, outstanding thermal stability and limited expansion capacity. Effects of different metal cations and surface group on the self‐aggregation time of CSA nanoparticles were systematically studied. Results showed that divalent cations contributed to more significant aggregation of CSA nanoparticles in comparison to monovalent cations. The increasing cations concentration and valency decreased the thickness of electric double layer, which lead to a decrease in the zeta potential. Core flooding test shows that the injection of nanoparticles which diameter is much smaller that of pore‐throats into the target reservoir can not only successfully enter the depth of porous media, but also effectively block the high permeability areas by the formation of self‐aggregation particle clusters. This study provides a new method for the equilibrium between nanoparticles injectivity and in‐depth profile control of nanoparticles.     

Built-in piezoelectric field improved photocatalytic performance of nanoflower-like Bi2WO6 using low-power white LEDs

Photocatalysis technology has been proved to be a potential strategy for removal of organic dyes, however high-power light sources are generally necessary to initiate photocatalytic reaction. In this work, we employed an excellent photocatalyst of Bi₂WO₆ with visible light harvest and meanwhile an intrinsic ferroelectricity, which realized the efficient degradation of organic dye via the synergetic photopiezocatalysis. Through coupling the illumination by a low-power (9 W) LED and the ultrasonic vibration (120 W) by an ultrasonic cleaner, the nanoflower-like Bi₂WO₆ composed of ultrathin nanosheets showed a much more enhanced photopiezocatalysis performance for purification of organic dye than the individual photocatalysis and piezocatalysis. Furthermore, the high mineralization efficiency and the good durability of the Bi₂WO₆ catalyst were demonstrated. The possible mechanism of photopiezocatalysis was finally proposed, where the ultrasound-induced piezoelectric field in Bi₂WO₆ drove photo-generated electrons and holes to diffuse along opposite directions, consequently promoting the separation efficiency of charge carriers. This work indicates that the synergetic photopiezocatalysis by coupling irradiation and ultrasonic vibration is a promising strategy to purify organic pollutants in wastewater.     

Study by XPS of the chlorination of proteins aggregated onto tin dioxide during electrochemical production of hypochlorous acid

In solution, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) reacts with organic matter and notably with protein side-chains. In this study, HOCl was produced by an electrochemical way, by oxidation of chloride ions at a transparent tin dioxide electrode in the presence of a protein, the bovine serum albumin (BSA). A thick irregular layer is formed at the electrode when HOCl is produced at the SnO₂ surface. Indeed, SEM analyses show that an important deposit is formed during the anodic polarization of SnO₂ in the presence of chloride ions and proteins. Actually, two phenomena take place on the one hand the chlorination of the proteins due to the reaction of HOCl with some protein side-chains and on the other hand the aggregation of proteins onto the SnO₂ surface. The present X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study points out the cross-linking of BSA molecules via formation of inter molecular sulfonamide groups. It also shows that the BSA chlorination is due on the one hand to the formation of sulfonyl chloride groups (-SO₂Cl) and on the other hand to formation of chloramine groups (N-Cl). The Cl2p and S2p photo-peak intensities allowed us to quantify the chloramines. It is found that, one BSA entity immobilized onto the SnO₂ surface contains about 50 chloramine groups.     

非平衡溶剂化新理论在有机染料电子光谱中的应用

总结了非平衡溶剂化新理论和在量子化学软件Q-Chem中基于含时密度泛函理论(TD-DFT)实现溶剂效应下计算电子吸收和发射光谱的数值解方法.采用该方法计算了染料敏化太阳能电池(DSSCs)中三苯胺型有机染料■在真空和乙腈溶剂中的电子结构与光谱性质,研究发现,π共轭桥上碳碳双键的个数和溶剂效应会促进光电转换.     

酰胺连接的共价有机骨架的制备及其在水中高效光催化性能

光催化是将太阳能转换为化学能的绿色可持续发展途径,有望解决日益严重的能源危机和环境污染问题.在光催化过程中,半导体材料作为光催化剂,负责可见光的捕获、光生载流子的生成和传输以及氧化还原反应,在整个光催化系统中起着决定性的作用.共价有机骨架材料(COFs)是一类新兴的半导体光催化剂,已被证明在可见光诱导的水分解、二氧化碳还原、有机转化反应和水中污染物降解方面具有应用前景.然而,大部分COFs是通过可逆反应构筑的,在水中及苛刻条件下的稳定性差.因此,提升基于COFs的光催化剂在水相中的光催化活性和循环稳定性仍然面临巨大挑战.本文提出了一种新策略,即通过实现多重协同效应,设计和开发2D-COFs作为在水中的高效非均相光催化剂.通过后合成策略将亚胺键连接的2D-COFs氧化,制备了两种具有丰富三嗪结构单元的以酰胺键连接的2D-COFs(命名为COF-JLU18和COF-JLU19).结果表明,COF-JLU18和COF-JLU19具有高比表面积和孔体积,其比表面积分别为1156和541 m2/g;COF-JLU19具有比相似拓扑结构的亚胺COF-JLU17更好的水蒸气吸附性能.此外,COF-JLU19表现出了极高的化学稳定性,在水中、盐酸和氢氧化钠溶液中浸泡两天,其结构和结晶性均没有发生明显变化.由此可见,酰胺键不仅可以增加材料骨架的亲水性,还能够提高COFs对水的稳定性.本文制备的酰胺键连接的COF-JLU19材料,在光降解罗丹明B水溶液(RhB)反应中可以获得高达0.69 min?1的光降解速率常数,活性明显优于其他光催化剂,如C3N4等.COF-JLU19具有较好的催化活性主要归因于以下两方面:一方面,良好的亲水性和固有孔隙率之间的协同效应可以增强COFs在水中对染料的吸附能力,使其光催化活性得到有效提升;另一方面,高的结晶度和优秀的稳定性使酰胺键连接的COFs在多相光催化中实现稳定循环利用.为了扩展COFs的应用前景,本文还制备了一种基于酰胺键连接COFs的静电纺丝膜,在以太阳光为光源的光降解罗丹明B水溶液实验中表现出较高的光催化活性和重复使用性.综上,本文提出的多重协同效应为基于COFs的高效光催化剂的设计提供了一种有效策略.