Ultrasensitive bioelectronic devices based on conducting polymers for electrophysiology studies

Conducting polymer electrodes based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) are evaluated as transducers to record extracellular signals in cell populations. The performance of the polymer electrode is compared with a gold electrode. A small-signal impedance analysis shows that in the presence of an electrolyte, the polymer electrode establishes for frequencies below 100 Hz a higher capacitive electrical double layer at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Furthermore, the polymer/electrolyte interfacial resistance is several orders of magnitude lower than the resistance of the gold/electrolyte interface. The polymer low interfacial resistance minimizes the intrinsic thermal noise and increases the system sensitivity. The ultra-sensitivity of the polymer-based transducer system was demonstrated by recording the electrical activity of cancer cells of the nervous system.     

A novel inorganic–organic nanohybrid material SBA-15@triazine/H<Subscript>5</Subscript>PW<Subscript>10</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>40</Subscript> as efficient catalyst for the one-pot multicomponent synthesis of multisubstituted pyridines

A novel inorganic–organic nanohybrid material SBA-15@triazine/H₅PW₁₀V₂O₄₀ (SBA-15@ADMPT/H₅PW₁₀V₂O₄₀) was prepared and used as an efficient, eco-friendly, and highly recyclable catalyst for the one-pot multicomponent synthesis of multisubstituted pyridines from the reaction of aldehydes, cyclic ketones, malononitrile, and ammonium acetate with good to excellent yields (77–97%). The nanohybrid catalyst was prepared by the chemical anchoring of Keggin heteropolyacid H₅PW₁₀V₂O₄₀ onto the surface of SBA-15 mesoporous silica modified with 2-APTS -4,6-bis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (ADMPT) linker. Standard characterization data such as FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, EDX, and DTA-TGA spectroscopy confirmed that the heteropolyacid H₅PW₁₀V₂O₄₀ is well dispersed on the surface of the solid support and its structure is preserved after immobilization on the SBA-15 mesoporous silica modified with ADMPT. Furthermore, the nanocatalyst can be recovered easily and reused five times without considerable loss of catalytic activity. In general, these advantages highlight this protocol as an attractive and useful methodology, among the other methods reported in the literature, for the eco-friendly and rapid synthesis of biologically active multisubstituted pyridines.     

Determination of Hg(II) in Environmental Water Samples Using DLLME Method Prior to GC-FID

Mercury exists in two forms in environment, inorganic salts and organic compounds. Determination of mercury is very important, due to its health effects. In the present research, diphenylation of mercury using phenylboronic acid as a derivatization reagent was used for the determination of Hg(II) in real water samples. A simple, rapid and cheap method named dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction was used for the extraction of analyte under the following conditions: extraction solvent 16 μL of carbon tetrachloride, disperser solvent 1 mL of ethanol and sample volume 5 mL. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factor for diphenylmercury was 931 and the limit of detection calculated on the basis of five replicates was 0.004 μg mL^?1. The repeatability of the method expresses as relative standard deviation was 5.1 (n = 6). The linear range was between 0.01 and 10 μg mL^?1. The performance of the proposed technique was evaluated for the determination of mercury in different environmental water samples.     

Lipid bilayers covalently anchored to carbon nanotubes

The unique physical and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes make them an exciting material for applications in various fields such as bioelectronics and biosensing. Due to the poor water solubility of carbon nanotubes, functionalization for such applications has been a challenge. Of particular need are functionalization methods for integrating carbon nanotubes with biomolecules and constructing novel hybrid nanostructures for bionanoelectronic applications. We present a novel method for the fabrication of dispersible, biocompatible carbon nanotube-based materials. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are covalently modified with primary amine-bearing phospholipids in a carbodiimide-activated reaction. These modified carbon nanotubes have good dispersibility in nonpolar solvents. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows peaks attributable to the formation of amide bonds between lipids and the nanotube surface. Simple sonication of lipid-modified nanotubes with other lipid molecules leads to the formation of a uniform lipid bilayer coating the nanotubes. These bilayer-coated nanotubes are highly dispersible and stable in aqueous solution. Confocal fluorescence microscopy shows labeled lipids on the surface of bilayer-modified nanotubes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows the morphology of dispersed bilayer-coated MWCNTs. Fluorescence quenching of lipid-coated MWCNTs confirms the bilayer configuration of the lipids on the nanotube surface, and fluorescence anisotropy measurements show that the bilayer is fluid above the gel-to-liquid transition temperature. The membrane protein α-hemolysin spontaneously inserts into the MWCNT-supported bilayer, confirming the biomimetic membrane structure. These biomimetic nanostructures are a promising platform for the integration of carbon nanotube-based materials with biomolecules.     

Fabrication,characterization, and drug release study of vitamin C–loaded alginate/polyethylene oxide nanofibers for the treatment of a skin disorder

Pigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPD) is a skin disorder mainly seen in the lower limbs. The nanofibrous web has been shown to be an appropriate alternative for the treatment of skin diseases as a drug delivery vehicle. In this study, sodium alginate (SA)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibers containing vitamin C (VC) were fabricated using both blended electrospinning and core/shell electrospinning. The resultant nanofibers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Enhancing the VC content resulted in increasing the nanofibers diameter. Also, the degradation rate and drug release were investigated. Drug release was evaluated using the in vitro dissolution and permeation method. The degradation rate and the drug release of the core/shell nanofibers were found to be lower than those of the blended nanofibers. The drug release of the extended nanofibers followed a different pattern, indicating that the extension of the nanofibers could be a promising way to control the drug release.     

Separation and Determination of Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline in Biological Samples Using Single-Drop Microextraction with GC

The combination of liquid phase microextraction (LPME) based on a single drop and gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was used for separation and determination of amitriptyline and nortriptyline in human plasma and urine samples. The sample solution was kept alkaline (pH 12), then a microdrop of organic solvent (isooctane) was suspended in the donor solution; after extraction, the organic microdrop was injected into the GC-FID. Experimental LPME conditions were optimized. Finally, the enrichment factors (89.5?C139.0), the relative standard deviation (RSD%, n = 5) 1.1?C8.5, linearity ranges (0.05?C20 ??g mL^?1), and the limits of detections (0.01, 0.02 ??g mL^?1) for selected drugs were evaluated.     

New polypyrrole–carbon nanotubes–silicon dioxide solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the preconcentration and determination of benzene,toluene, ethylbenzene,and o‐xylene using gas liquid chromatography

For the first time, a polypyrrole–carbon nanotubes–silicon dioxide composite film coated on a steel wire was prepared by an electrochemical method. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that this composite film was even and porous. The prepared fiber was used as an absorbent for the headspace solid‐phase microextraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o‐xylene, followed by gas chromatographic analysis. This method presented an excellent performance, which was much better than that of a polypyrrole–carbon nanotube fiber. It was found that under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges were 0.01–200 ng/mL with correlation coefficients >0.9953, the detection limits were 0.005–0.020 ng/mL, the relative standard deviations were 3.9–6.4% for five successive measurements with a single fiber, and the reproducibility was 5.5–8.5% (n = 3). Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to real water samples, and the relative recoveries obtained for the spiked water samples were from 91.0 to 106.7%.     

Liquid-liquid-liquid phase microextraction of aromatic amines in water using crown ethers by high-performance liquid chromatography with monolithic column

Liquid-liquid-liquid phase microextraction (LLLME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the analysis of some aromatic amines is described. These compounds were extracted from 4.0 mL aqueous sample that adjusted to pH 13 with, NaOH-NaCl buffer solution (donor phase, P₁) into an organic phase (P₂) 150 μl benzyl alcohol and ethyl acetate (2:1) and then back extracted into a microdrop of aqueous acceptor phase (P₃), adjusted at pH 2, with Na₂HPO₄-H₃PO₄ buffer solution. The extraction time, T₁ (from P₁ to P₂) was 20 min and T₂ (from P₂ to P₃) was 1 min. Different crown ethers as complexing agents for amines were added to the acceptor phase to improve the extraction time. Factors such as organic solvents, extraction times, and addition of crown ethers to acceptor phase and stirring rate were optimised. The method was applied for determination of aromatic amines in wastewater samples. Enrichment factors ranged from 184.5 to 389.7. The linearity range was from 3 to 1000 ng/ml and the detection limits varied from 0.8 to 1.80 ng/ml. Relative standard deviations (%, n = 5) were found (at S/N 3) in the range of 1.9 to 10.1. All experiments were carried out at room temperature, 22 ± 0.5 °C.     

Separation and determination of amitriptyline and nortriptyline by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with gas chromatography flame ionization detection

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID) was applied for the determination of two tricyclic antidepressant drugs (TCAs), amitriptyline and nortriptyline, from water samples. This method is a very simple and rapid method for the extraction and preconcentration of these drugs from environmental sample solutions. In this method, the appropriate mixture of extraction solvent (18 μL Carbon tetrachloride) and disperser solvent (1 mL methanol) are injected rapidly into the aqueous sample (5.0 mL) by syringe. Therefore, cloudy solution is formed. In fact, it is consisted of fine particles of extraction solvent which is dispersed entirely into aqueous phase. The mixture was centrifuged and the extraction solvent is sedimented on the bottom of the conical test tube. 2.0 μL of the sedimented phase is injected into the GC for separation and determination of TCAs. Some important parameters, such as kind of extraction and disperser solvent and volume of them, extraction time, pH and ionic strength of the aqueous feed solution were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were between 740.04–1000.25 and 54.76–74.02%, respectively. The linear range was (0.005–16 μg mL⁻¹) and limits of detection were between 0.005 and 0.01 μg mL⁻¹ for each of the analytes. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) for 4 μg mL⁻¹ of TCAs in water were in the range of 5.6–6.4 (n = 6). The performance of the proposed technique was evaluated for determination of TCAs in blood plasma.     

One-pot synthesis of functionalized 4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,3-thiazinanes from primary amines,CS2, and itaconic anhydride

An efficient synthesis of 2-(3-alkyl-4-oxo-2- thioxo-1,3-thiazinan-5-yl)acetic acids is described via a three-component reaction between primary amines, CS₂, and itaconic anhydride.