Determination of the antioxidant alurofen in synthetic rubbers by pyrolysis-gas chromatography

A pyrolysis—gas chromatographic (Py—GC) method for the determination of the antioxidant Alurofen in synthetic rubbers was developed. The Alurofen was extracted from the rubber, then pyrolysed as 873 K in continuous-mode furnace pyrolyser in 20 s. Chromatographic conditions for the separation of the pyrolysis products were established. The pyrolysis of the Alurofen at several temperatures was investigated by measuring the yields of the pyrolysis products. It was observed that 2-phenyl-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane was produced in the greatest, amounts, and the effect of the pyrolysis temperature on the yield of this compound was studied. The overall Py—GC method for the determination of the Alurofen content of rubbers had a mean relative error of 2.7% and a relative standard deviation of 2.94%.     

Titania-supported mixed HPMoV polyoxometallates as precursors of hydrodesulfurization catalysts

HDS catalysts were prepared by loading H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ or H₄PMo₁₁V₁O₄₀ polyoxometallates on TiO₂ (0.5 and 1.0 mmol (Mo+V)). Activity of the catalysts was tested in the HDS of thiophene. The activity of catalysts of low concentration was 2–3 times higher than the activity of those of high concentration. Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and IR spectroscopy were used to determine the properties of the catalyst. TPR measurements proved that vanadium promotes and stabilizes HDS activity due to an increase in the Mo⁵⁺/Mo⁴⁺ ratio.     

Reversible pH-Responsive Coacervate Formation in Lipid Vesicles Activates Dormant Enzymatic Reactions

In situ, reversible coacervate formation within lipid vesicles represents a key step in the development of responsive synthetic cellular models. Herein, we exploit the pH responsiveness of a polycation above and below its pK_a, to drive liquid–liquid phase separation, to form single coacervate droplets within lipid vesicles. The process is completely reversible as coacervate droplets can be disassembled by increasing the pH above the pK_a. We further show that pH-triggered coacervation in the presence of low concentrations of enzymes activates dormant enzyme reactions by increasing the local concentration within the coacervate droplets and changing the local environment around the enzyme. In conclusion, this work establishes a tunable, pH responsive, enzymatically active multi-compartment synthetic cell. The system is readily transferred into microfluidics, making it a robust model for addressing general questions in biology, such as the role of phase separation and its effect on enzymatic reactions using a bottom-up synthetic biology approach.     

Interactions of alkali metal chlorides with phosphatidylcholine vesicles

We study the interaction of alkali metal chlorides with lipid vesicles made of palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC). An elaborate set of techniques is used to investigate the binding process at physiological conditions. The alkali cation binding to POPC is characterized thermodynamically using isothermal titration calorimetry. The isotherms show that for all ions in the alkali group the binding process is endothermic, counterintuitively to what is expected for Coulomb interactions between the slightly negatively charged POPC liposomes and the cations. The process is entropy driven and presumably related to the liberation of water molecules from the hydration shells of the ions and the lipid headgroups. The measured molar enthalpies of the binding of the ions follows the Hofmeister series. The binding constants were also estimated, whereby lithium shows the strongest affinity to POPC membranes, followed by the rest of the ions according to the Hofmeister series. Cation adsorption increases the net surface potential of the vesicles as observed from electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential measurements. While lithium adsorption leads to slightly positive zeta potentials above a concentration of 100 mM, the adsorption of the rest of the ions mainly causes neutralization of the membrane. This is the first study characterizing the binding equilibrium of alkali metal chlorides to phosphatidylcholine membranes at physiological salt concentrations.     

Lamellar-non-lamellar phase transitions in synthetic glycoglycerolipids studied by time-resolved X-ray diffraction

The phase sequences of eight fully hydrated synthetic, stereochemically pure glycoglycerolipids with saturated alkyl chains 12-18 carbon atoms long and a glucose, galactose or mannose head group are followed in real time during heating and cooling scans using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. One of them, 1,2-di-O-hexadecyl-3-O-β-D-glucosyl-sn-glycerol, has been characterized by X-ray diffraction for the first time. A summary of the lamellar-non-lamellar transition sequences and reversibility for all eight glycoglycerolipids studied is provided. It includes also observations of intermediate phases, previously not detected. Lattice parameters of the various phases have been determined as functions of chain length in monoglucosides. While the repeat periods of the lamellar phases increase linearly with chain length, an anomalously high lattice spacing of the inverted hexagonal phase is observed at a chain length of 14 carbon atoms. This maximum coincides with the disappearance of the cubic phases from the phase sequence upon chain elongation from 12 to 14 carbon atoms. It thus appears that the expanded H_II phase in 14-Glc retains structural characteristics of the anticipated cubic phases. Upon heating to high temperatures, its high lattice spacing gradually approaches that of the 'normal' hexagonal phase. A direct transition from lamellar subgel to inverted hexagonal phase has been observed to proceed without intermediate structures, but with an extended phase coexistence region, in 1,2-di-O-tetradecyl-3-O-β-D-galactosyl-sn-glycerol and 1,2-di-O-octadecyl-3-O-β-D-galactosyl-sn-glycerol. This transition is not reversible on cooling when lamellar phases skipped in the heating scan intervene. By contrast, the direct lamellar gel-inverted hexagonal phase transitions are fully reversible with minor or absent temperature hysteresis.     

MaxSynBio: Avenues Towards Creating Cells from the Bottom Up

A large German research consortium mainly within the Max Planck Society (“MaxSynBio”) was formed to investigate living systems from a fundamental perspective. The research program of MaxSynBio relies solely on the bottom‐up approach to synthetic biology. MaxSynBio focuses on the detailed analysis and understanding of essential processes of life through modular reconstitution in minimal synthetic systems. The ultimate goal is to construct a basic living unit entirely from non‐living components. The fundamental insights gained from the activities in MaxSynBio could eventually be utilized for establishing a new generation of biotechnological processes, which would be based on synthetic cell constructs that replace the natural cells currently used in conventional biotechnology.     

Novel method for measuring the adhesion energy of vesicles

Adhering vesicles with osmotically stabilized volume are studied with Monte Carlo simulations and optical microscopy. The simulations are used to determine the dependence of the adhesion area on the vesicle volume, the surface area, the bending rigidity, the adhesion energy per membrane area, and the adhesion potential range. The simulation results lead to a simple functional expression that is supplemented by a correction term for gravity effects. The obtained equation provides a new tool to analyze optical microscopy data and, thus, to measure the adhesion energy per area by analyzing the geometry of the adhering vesicle. The method can be applied in the weak and ultra-weak adhesion regime, where the adhesion energy per area is below 10(-6) J/m(2). By comparing the shapes of adhering vesicles with different reduced volumes, the bending rigidity can be estimated as well. The new approach is applied to experimental data for lipid vesicles on (i) an untreated and (ii) a monolayer-coated glass surface, providing ultra-weak and weak adhesion strength, respectively.     

Synergy in lipofection by cationic lipid mixtures: superior activity at the gel-liquid crystalline phase transition

Some mixtures of two cationic lipids including phospholipid compounds (O-ethylphosphatidylcholines) as well as common, commercially available cationic lipids, such as dimethylammonium bromides and trimethylammonium propanes, deliver therapeutic DNA considerably more efficiently than do the separate molecules. In an effort to rationalize this widespread "mixture synergism", we examined the phase behavior of the cationic lipid mixtures and constructed their binary phase diagrams. Among a group of more than 50 formulations, the compositions with maximum delivery activity resided unambiguously in the solid-liquid crystalline two-phase region at physiological temperature. Thus, the transfection efficacy of formulations exhibiting solid-liquid crystalline phase coexistence is more than 5 times higher than that of formulations in the gel (solid) phase and over twice that of liquid crystalline formulations; phase coexistence occurring at physiological temperature thus appears to contribute significantly to mixture synergism. This relationship between delivery activity and physical property can be rationalized on the basis of the known consequences of lipid-phase transitions, namely, the accumulation of defects and increased disorder at solid-liquid crystalline phase boundaries. Packing defects at the borders of coexisting solid and liquid crystalline domains, as well as large local density fluctuations, could be responsible for the enhanced fusogenicity of mixtures. This study leads to the important conclusion that manipulating the composition of the lipid carriers so that their phase transition takes place at physiological temperature can enhance their delivery efficacy.     

Drag of a Solid Particle Trapped in a Thin Film or at an Interface: Influence of Surface Viscosity and Elasticity

We propose a theoretical model for the motion of a spherical particle entrapped in a thin liquid film or in a monolayer of insoluble surfactant at the air/water interface. Both surface shear and dilational viscosity, surface diffusion, and elasticity of the film are taken into consideration. The drag force acting on the particle is analytically calculated and asymptotic expressions of the problem are provided. The relevance of the model is discussed by comparing the calculated "viscoelastic" drag, gamma(vel), to the one predicted by Saffman's theory, gamma(S), for cylindrical inclusions in membranes. Numerical analyses are performed to evaluate the contributions of the surface viscosity and the diffusion coefficient of the layer on the hydrodynamical resistance experienced by the particle. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.