Characterization of Porous Graphitic Carbon LC Phase with some Carbohydrate Derivatives

Stereoselective CE method for investigations of pharmacokinetics of ketoprofen enantiomers (KTP) in patients taking also other drugs is proposed, to establish relation between levels of KTP enantiomers in blood and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Resolution of the analytes was obtained in silica capillary filled with chiral selector-heptakis 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl–β-cyclodextrin in triethanolamine-phosphate buffer. Calibration curves for enantiomers in plasma and synovial fluid were linear in the range of 0.25–50.0 mg L⁻¹, but 1.0–250.0 mg L⁻¹ in urine. Concentrations of KTP enantiomers in synovial fluid measured at 4 h after the administration of a tablet with racemic KTP were insignificantly greater [(−)-R = 1.07 ± 0.66; (+)-S-KTP = 1.13 ± 0.65 mg L⁻¹] than in plasma [(−)-R = 0.86 ± 0.37; (+)-S-KTP = 0.96 ± 0.42 mg L⁻¹]. The validated method has been successfully applied for the determination of KTP enantiomers in biological fluids of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

     

Different Effects of Cigarette Smoke,Heated Tobacco Product and E-Cigarette Vapour on Orbital Fibroblasts in Graves’ Orbitopathy; a Study by Real Time Cell Electronic Sensing

Thyroid autoimmunity in Graves’ disease (GD) is accompanied by Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) in 40% of the cases. Orbital fibroblasts (OF) play a key role in the pathogenesis and cigarette smoking is a known deteriorating factor. Alongside conventional cigarettes (CC) new alternatives became available for smokers, including heated tobacco products (HTP) and E-cigarettes (ECIG). We aimed to study the cellular effects of smoke extracts (SE) in orbital fibroblasts. Primary OF cultures from GO and NON-GO orbits were exposed to different concentrations of SE (1%, 50%) and the changes were followed using Real Time Cell Electronic Sensing (RT-CES). Untreated GO and NON-GO cells had different maximum cell index (CI) values of 3.3 and 2.79 respectively (p < 0.0001). CC, HTP and ECIG treated NON-GO fibroblasts exhibited peak CIs of 2.62, 3.32 and 3.41 while treated GO cells’ CIs were higher, 5.38, 6.25 and 6.33, respectively (p < 0.0001). The metabolic activity (MTT) decreased (p < 0.001) and hyaluronan production doubled (p < 0.02) after 50% of CC SE treatment in all cell cultures. GO fibroblasts were more sensitive to low concentration SE then NON-GO fibroblasts (p < 0.0001). The studied SEs exerted different effects. RT-CES is a sensitive technique to detect the effects of very low concentration of SE on fibroblasts.     

Investigating poly-(vinyl-chloride)-polyethylene blends by thermal methods

Poly-vinyl-chloride (PVC)-polyethylene (PE) alloys were prepared by melt blending using both low- and high-density polyethylene without applying a compatibilizer. The PVC and the PE are incompatible polymers; in spite of this fact stable microheterogeneous materials were obtained. Mechanical methods e.g. tensile tests generally (measured in the usual concentration range) do not support any compatibility. At higher concentrations, the incompatible parts mask the effect of molecular mixing, easily detected at low PE contents. Dynamic mechanical (DMA), differential scanning calorimetric tests were carried out. Glass transition temperatures were determined by both methods. DMA tests were made at four frequencies, and the energy of activation of PVC main transition was also calculated. The decrease of glass-transition temperatures and energy of activation show that there is a slight mixing of the polymers. Specimens were also investigated by infrared method. From the results of IR spectra, grafting reaction of PE can be assumed onto the PVC because of its dehydrochlorination.     

The digestable parent cyclodextrin

The enzymatic digestibility of parent γ-cyclodextrin by human saliva α-amylase was investigated aiming at the determination of lifespan of intact macro ring. It was found that the ring-opening reaction was the slowest step of the γ-cyclodextrin degradation process. The reaction products were mainly maltose and malto-triose, while no higher malto-oligomers were detected. The enzymatic degradation of γ-cyclodextrin reduces the possibility of influencing bioavailability of nutritional lipophiles or drug actives co-administered with γ-cyclodextrin as an excipient or additive. Though there are numerous papers on the ring opening of cyclodextrins by amylases and the same capability of the human α-amylase is expected now we prove this activity. The hydrolysis reaction was followed by direct measurement of the resulting maltose and malto-triose, for the first time.