Self‐Assembled PAA‐Based Nanoparticles as Potential Gene and Protein Delivery Systems

A series of nanoparticles is prepared via layer‐by‐layer assembly of oppositely charged, synthetic biocompatible polyamidoamine polymers as potential carriers. Particle size, surface charge and internal chain mobility are quantified as a function of the polymer type and number of layers. The effect of addition of surfactant is examined to simulate the effects of nanoparticle dissolution. The cyctotoxicity of these particles (in epithelia and murine cell lines) are orders of magnitude lower than polyethyleneimine controls. Stable nanoparticles may be prepared from mixtures of strongly, oppositely charged polymers, but less successfully from weakly charged polymers, and, given their acceptable toxicity characteristics, such modularly designed constructs show promise for drug and gene delivery.

     

Hollow Multilayer Microcapsules for pH‐/Thermally Responsive Drug Delivery using Aliphatic Poly(urethane‐amine) as Smart Component

Hollow multilayer microcapsules made of aliphatic poly(urethane‐amine) (PUA) and sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS), templated on PSS‐doped CaCO₃ particles, are prepared for pH‐/thermally responsive drug delivery. The electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding under weak‐acid conditions between aliphatic PUA and PSS contribute to the formation of multilayer microcapsules. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results demonstrate an obvious variation of the hollow multilayer microcapsules in response to changes in temperature and pH value. Drug‐release behaviors using DOX as a model drug demonstrate that the drug release increases on decreasing the pH value because of the interaction weakness between aliphatic PUA and PSS in acidic conditions. Moreover, the drug release is higher at 55 °C than that at 37 °C for the sake of the shrinkage of aliphatic PUA above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST).

     

Dephosphorylation of intact glycoprotein to greatly improve digestion efficiency coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometric analysis

Sialylation is essential for a variety of cellular functions. Herein, we used bovine fetuin with three potential N-linked glycosylation sites containing complex-type glycan structures, four potential O-linked glycosylation sites and six potential phosphorylation sites as a model compound to develop a highly-efficient digestion strategy for sialylated glycoproteins and efficient enrichment strategy for sialylated glycopeptides using titanium dioxide. The former according to the process of alkaline phosphatase digestion followed by tryptic digestion and then proteinase K digestion could greatly improve the enzymatic efficiency on fetuin, and the latter could obviously enhance the enrichment efficiency for multisialylated glycopeptides using phosphoric acid solution as elution buffer. The mass spectra of the enriched glycopeptides derived from fetuin reveal that several series of the ion clusters with mass difference of 291 Da correspond to the presence of multisialylated glycopeptides. In addition, the approach was applied to characterize the sialylated status of α2-macroglobulin and transferrin, respectively, from the sera of healthy subjects and sex- and age-matched patients with thyroid cancer, and their spectra indicate that the change in the amount of the glycoforms containing different number of sialic acid (SA) residues from one glycosylation site may be used to differentiate between healthy subjects and cancer cases.     

A selective electromembrane extraction of uranium (VI) prior to its fluorometric determination in water

A novel method for the selective electromembrane extraction (EME) of U⁶⁺ prior to fluorometric determination has been proposed. The effect of extraction conditions including supported liquid membrane (SLM) composition, extraction time and extraction voltage were investigated. An SLM composition of 1% di-2-ethyl hexyl phosphonic acid in nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) showed good selectivity, recovery and enrichment factor. The best performance was achieved at an extraction potential of 80 volts and an extraction time of 14 minutes Under the optimized conditions, a linear range from 1 to 1000 ng mL⁻¹ and LOD of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ were obtained for the determination of U⁶⁺. The EME method showed good performance in sample cleanup and the reduction of the interfering effects of Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cl⁻ and PO₄³⁻ ions during fluorometric determination of uranium in real water samples. The recoveries above 54% and enrichment factors above 64.7 were obtained by the proposed method for real sample analysis.     

Theoretical analysis of correlation between ionization threshold fluence in IR‐MALDI and IR absorption spectrum of matrix molecules

To investigate the correlation between the wavelength dependence of ionization threshold fluence of target molecule in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization by infrared (IR) laser and the IR absorption spectrum of matrix molecule, we have analyzed the IR absorption spectra of four matrix molecules using density functional theory and correlated ab initio molecular orbital method. The calculated IR absorption spectra of the isolated molecules showed more qualitative correlation with the wavelength dependence of ionization threshold fluence than those of the solid state structures. We can consider that a portion of matrix molecules lost the ordered crystal structure and that the transition to the diluted or isolated state occurred at the early process of IR laser irradiation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effect of Surfactant Microenvironment on SOD-like Activity of Cu(II)-Salicylate Complex

Cu(II)-salicylate was synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. The reaction mechanism of the Cu(II) complex with superoxide anion was studied by ESR spectroscopy, and its (superoxide dismutase) SOD-like activity was determined by a modified illumination method in phosphate buffer (pH = 7.8), micelle solutions and lamellar liquid crystals formed from surfactants CTAB and TX-100. X-ray diffraction indicated that the Cu(II) complex had a formula Cu₂(Hsal)₄EtOHH₂O and a similar structure to the SOD active site. EPR spectra proved that the reaction mechanism of the Cu(II) complex catalyzing O ₂ ^.- dismutation was the same as that of the proposed dismutation reaction catalyzed by SOD. Results obtained by the NBT method indicated that the Cu(II)-complex showed SOD-like activity, and the effect of microenvironment created by surfactants on its activity was same as on SOD activity. The order of the inhibition of NBT reduction by the Cu(II)-complex in different microenvironments was: in phosphate buffer (pH = 7.8) > in TX-100 micelle > in TX-100 liquid crystal, and in nonionic TX-100 organized assemblies > in cationic CTAB organized assemblies. These results were explained by the catalytic effect of micelles, and by the space restriction and high viscosity of organized assemblies of surfactants.     

Graphene oxide reinforced polyamide nanocomposite coated on paper as a novel layered sorbent for microextraction by packed sorbent

ABSTRACT

In this work, a novel layered sorbent for microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) was introduced, which has been prepared by coating graphene oxide/polyamide (GO/PA) nanocomposite (NC) onto cellulose paper through solvent exchange method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied to investigate the surface characteristic and morphology of PA and GO/PA NC coated on cellulose paper. The prepared MEPS device was used for extraction of organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) including chlorpyrifos, fenthion, fenithrothion, ethion, edifenphos and phosalone in environmental aqueous samples followed by detection using gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). Important parameters affecting the MEPS method including pH of sample solution, extraction draw-discard cycles, sorbent layers, desorption solvent volume and desorption draw-eject number were studied and optimised using central composite design (CCD). Based on the method validation, limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 0.2–1 µg L^?1. The calibration graphs for chlorpyrifos, fenthion and edifenphos are linear in the concentration range of 1 to 500 µg L^?1; for ethion and phosalone are linear in the range of 1–1000 µg L^?1 and for fenithrothion is linear in the range of 3–1000 µg L^?1. The method precision (RSD %) with six replicates determinations was in the range of 3 to 9.4 % and 3.9 to 11.9% for distilled water and spiked river water sample, respectively, at the concentration level of 300 µg L^?1 . The developed method was applied successfully to determine OPP compounds in river, dam and tap water samples; accordingly, the relative recoveries (RR%) were obtained in the range of 77.8 to 113.3%.     

Solvent-Free Mechanochemical Synthesis of Aryl Glycosides[ 1 ]

Aryl glycosides have been prepared from a range of readily available glycosyl halides by a solvent-free mechanochemical procedure employing a planetary ball mill in excellent yields. Besides being a solvent-free reaction, the procedure has been successful in eliminating the need for employing any phase-transfer catalyst in the reaction.     

Radiolysis of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)-porphyrin or 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin in aqueous solution in the presence and in the absence of DNA or human serum albumin

The reduction of two free-base ionic porphyrins: 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)-porphyrin (TMPyP) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin (TSPP) by the hydrated electron was studied under neutral pH in aqueous solution in the absence and in the presence of biomolecules, DNA or HSA. Pulse radiolysis studies provided the spectra of the short-lived π-radical anions and steady-state radiolysis led to formation of stable phlorin or chlorin, the products of two-electron reduction and protonation at a meso and a pyrrolic nitrogen positions or at two β-pyrrole positions, respectively. Identification of the final reduction products was based on their reactivity to molecular oxygen—the phlorin, contrary to chlorine, was oxidized rapidly by O₂ to recover the original porphyrin. The stable product of TMPyP reduction was the phlorin, whereas for TSPP the chlorine and the phlorin were obtained. Addition of biomolecules to the solution resulted in changes of the porphyrins spectroscopic properties and in the decrease in rates of the occurring reduction processes proceeding with participation of the porphyrins.