Fixation of carbon dioxide into aliphatic polycarbonate, cobalt porphyrin catalyzed regio-specific poly(propylene carbonate) with high molecular weight

Cobalt porphyrin complex ((TPPCoX)-X-III) (TPP = 5, 10, 15, 20-Tetraphenylporphyrin; X = halide) in combination with ionic organic ammonium salt was used for the regio-specific copolymerization of propylene oxide and carbon dioxide. A turnover frequency of 188 h(-1) was achieved after 5 h, and the byproduct propylene carbonate was successfully controlled to below 1%, where the obtained poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) showed number average molecular weight (M-n) of 48 kg/mol, head-to-tail content of 93%, and carbonate linkage of over 99%.

Solvent impregnated resin prepared using task-specific ionic liquids for rare earth separation

A novel bifunctional task-specific ionic liquid (TSIL), i.e. [trialkylmethylammonium][sec-nonylphenoxy acetate] ([A336] [CA-100]) was impregnated on intermediate polarized XAD-7 resin, and the prepared solvent impreganated resin (SIR) was studied for rare earth (RE) separation. Adsorption ability of the SIR was indicated to be obviously higher than that prepared by [A336][NO3] because of the functional anion of [A336][CA-100]. Adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm, separation and desorption of the SIR were also studied.

Prostate cancer cell-specific VEGF siRNA delivery system using cell targeting peptide conjugated polyplexes

A polymeric gene carrier was developed to deliver vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) small interfering RNA (siRNA) for prostate cancer cells in a target-specific manner. Prostate cancer-binding peptide (PCP) was conjugated with polyethylenimine (PEI) via a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linker (PEI-PEG-PCP). The PEI-PEG-PCP conjugate could effectively condense siRNA to form stable polyelectrolyte complexes (polyplexes) with an average diameter of approximately 150 nm in an aqueous solution. VEGF siRNA/PEI-PEG-PCP polyplexes exhibited significantly higher VEGF inhibition efficiency than PCP-unmodified polycationic carriers (PEI-PEG or PEI) in human prostate carcinoma cells (PC-3 cells). The enhanced gene silencing activity of VEGF siRNA/PEI-PEG-PCP was maintained even under serum conditions, owing to the steric stabilization of the polyplexes with hydrophilic PEG grafts. Confocal microscopic studies revealed that the siRNA/PEI-PEG-PCP polyplexes were delivered into PC-3 cells in a PCP ligand-specific manner.

Sugars-grafted aliphatic biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-carbonate)s by click reaction and their specific interaction with lectin molecules

A novel biodegradable aliphatic poly(L-lactide-co-carbonate) bearing pendant acetylene groups was successfully prepared by ring-opening copolymerization of L-lactide (LA) with 5-methyl-5-propargyloxycarbonyl-1,3-dioxan-2-one (PC) in the presence of benzyl alcohol as initiator with ZnEt2 as catalyst in bulk at 100 degrees C and subsequently used for grafting 2-azidoethyl beta-D-glucopyranoside and 2-azidoethyl beta-lactoside by the typical "click reaction," that is Cu(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition of azide and alkyne. The density of acetylene groups in the copolymer can be tailored by the molar ratio of PC to LA during the copolymerization. The aliphatic copolymers grafted with sugars showed low cytotoxicity to L929 cells, improved hydrophilic properties and specific recognition and binding ability with lectins, that is Concanavalin A (Con A) and Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA). Therefore, this kind of sugar-grafted copolymer could be a good candidate in variety of biomedical applications.

Specific determination of As(V) by an acid phosphatase-polyphenol oxidase biosensor

An original amperometric biosensor based on the simultaneous entrapment of acid phosphatase (AcP) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) into anionic clays (layered double hydroxides) was developed for the specific detection of As(V). The functioning principle of the bienzyme electrode consisted of the successive hydrolysis of phenyl phosphate into phenol by AcP, followed by the oxidation of phenol into o-quinone by PPO. The phenyl phosphate concentration was, thus, monitored by potentiostating the biosensor at -0.2 V vs Ag/AgCl to detect amperometrically the generated quinone. The detection of As(V) was based on its inhibitory effect on AcP activity toward the hydrolysis of phenyl phosphate into phenol. The As(V) can be specifically determined in pH 6.0 acetate buffer without any interferences of As(III) or phosphate, the detection limit being 2 nM or 0.15 ppb after an incubation step for 20 min.

Biodegradable amphiphilic triblock copolymer bearing pendant glucose residues: Preparation and specific interaction with Concanavalin A molecules

A novel biodegradable amphiphilic block copolymer PLGG-PEG-PLGG bearing pendant glucose residues is successfully prepared by the coupling reaction of 3-(2-aminoethylthio) propyl-R-D-glucopyranoside with the pendant carboxyl groups of PLGG-PEG-PLGG in the presence of N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole. The polymer PLGG-PEG-PLGG, i.e., poly {(lactic acid)-co-[(glycolic acid)-alt-(L-glutamic acid)]}-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly{( lactic acid)-co-[( glycolic acid)-alt-(L-glutamic acid)]}, is prepared by ring-opening copolymerization of L-lactide (LLA) with (3s)-benzoxylcarbonylethylmorpholine-2,5-dione (BEMD) in the presence of dihydroxyl PEG with molecular weight of 2000 as macroinitiator and Sn(Oct)(2) as catalyst, and then by catalytic hydrogenation. The glucose-grafted copolymer shows a lower degree of cytotoxicity to ECV-304 cells and improved specific recognition and binding with Concanavalin A (Con A). Therefore, this kind of glucose-grafted copolymer may find biomedical applications.

Preparation of rare earth ion induced conformation-specific anti-calmodulin monoclonal antibody

Monoclonal antibody technique was employed to detect the conformational change of calmodulin induced by metal ions. Bovine calmodulin was firstly modified by 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene to improve its immunogenicity, then, the derived protein was saturated with trivalent europium ions and injected to Balb/c mice as antigen. After four times of immunization, a corresponding antibody was detected and its titer in serum was determined as 1 : 12 000. By fusing of the spleen cells with hybridoma cells, a europium induced conformation-specific anti-calmodulin monoclonal antibody cell strain named as 2C3 was produced successfully. The molecular recognition ability of antibody to apocalmodulin and holocalmodulin showed a significant difference, indicating that this antibody could be applied to the studies of different effects of metal ions on the conformational change of calmodulin and its interaction with target molecules.

Preparation of europium induced conformation-specific anti-calmodulin monoclonal antibody

Monoclonal antibody technique was employed to detect the conformational difference of CaM induced by metal ions. A trivalent europium ion induced conformation-specific anti-calmodulin monoclonal antibody was successfully prepared with europium-saturated calmodulin as antigen.

Specific mass spectrometric fragmentations from the dissociation of intermediate ion-neutral complexes

It is reported that two kinds of specific mass spectrometric fragmentations are generated from dissociations of the intermediates of both the ion-neutral complex and the proton-bound complex. Collision-induced dissociation, isotopic labelling, and semi-empirical AM1 calculations were used to investigate the formation mechanism of the ion of m/z 139 from ionized tetrahydroimidazole-substituted methylene beta-diketones and the unimolecular fragmentations pathway of 3-phenyl-1-butyn-3-ol upon electron impact.

Detection of specific noncovalent protein-fullerenols complexes by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry is difficult for the characterization of noncovalent complexes hitherto because of the limitations in acidic matrix, sample preparation, laser-induced polymerization and adduct formation with matrix. Under our experimental conditions, sinapinic acid is used as a matrix, the specific noncovalent interactions of protein with fullerenols were observed by MALDI mass spectrometry. Some mass spectrometric features, such as mass shifts, broad adduct peaks and stoichiometries, showed that the specific non-covalent complexes between protein and fullerenols have been formed at a ratio of 1 : 4 for hemoglobin-fullerenols or 1 : 1 for myoglobin-fullerenols. The results implied that fullereneols could be used to protect partly hemoglobin from decomposition in acidic media, and therefore, it is possible to realize the molecular weight determination of a quaternary protein by MALDI mass spectrometry via the addition of specific organic compound in the matrix.

Miscibility and specific interactions in poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate-co-beta-hydroxyvalerate) and poly(P-vinylphenol) blends

The blends of poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate-co-beta-hydroxyvalerate) (P(HB-co-HV)/poly(p-vinylphenol)(PVPh) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform IR (FT-IR) spectroscopy and high-resolution solid-state C-13 NMR techniques. Single glass transition temperatures existing in the whole composition range indicates that these blends are miscible. The presence of hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl of PVPh and carbonyl of P(HB-co-HV), shown by FT-IR spectra, is the origin of the miscibility. Furthermore, results obtained by high-resolution solid-state C-13 NMR give more information about the structure of the blends. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compatibility and specific interactions in poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(p-vinylphenol) blends

The miscibility and specific interactions in poly (beta-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(p-vinylphenol) (PVPh) blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) , fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectrometer and high resolution solid state C-13 NMR, A single composition-dependent glass transition temperatures were obtained by DSC which indicate the blends of PHB/PVPh were miscible in the melt state, The experimental glass transition temperatures were fitted quite well with those obtained from Couchman-Karasz equation. The FTIR study shows that the strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding exists in blends of PHB with strong proton acceptor and PVPh with strong proton donor and is the origin of its compatibility. The CPMAS C-13 NMR spectra also show that the strong hydrogen bonding exists in PHB/PVPh blends. From the T-1 rho(H) relaxation time it follows that the blends of PHB/PVPh(40/60, 20/80) studied are completely homogeneous on the scale of about 3.2 nm.

TWO SPECIFIC CAUSES OF CELL MORTALITY IN FREEZE-THAW CYCLE OF YOUNG THALLI OF PORPHYRA YEZOENSIS (BANGIALES, RHODOPHYTA)1

Porphyra yezoensis Ueda is an important marine aquaculture crop with single-layered gametophytic thalli. In this work, the influences of thallus dehydration level, cold-preservation (freezing) time, and thawing temperature on the photosynthetic recovery of young P. yezoensis thalli were investigated employing an imaging pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM) fluorometer. The results showed that after 40 d of frozen storage when performing thallus thawing under 10 degrees C, the water content of the thalli showed obvious effects on the photosynthetic recovery of the frozen thalli. The thalli with absolute water content (AWC) of 10%-40% manifested obvious superiority compared to the thalli with other AWCs, while the thalli thawed at 20 degrees C showed very high survival rate (93.10%) and no obvious correlation between thallus AWCs and thallus viabilities. These results indicated that inappropriate thallus water content contributed to the cell damage during the freeze-thaw cycle and that proper thawing temperature is very crucial. Therefore, AWC between 10% and 40% is the suitable thallus water content range for frozen storage, and the thawing process should be as short as possible. However, it is also shown that for short-term cold storage the Porphyra thallus water content also showed no obvious effect on the photosynthetic recovery of the thalli, and the survival rate was extremely high (100%). These results indicated that freezing time is also a paramount contributor of the cell damage during the freeze-thaw cycle. Therefore, the frozen nets should be used as soon as time permits.

An electrochemical DNA sensor based on electrodepositing aluminum ion films on stearic acid-modified carbon paste electrode and its application for the detection of specific sequences related to bar gene and CP4 Epsps gene

An electrochemical DNA biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing DNA probe on aluminum ion films that were electrodeposited on the surface of the stearic acid-modified carbon paste electrode (CPE). DNA immobilization and hybridization were characterized with cyclic voltammetry (CV) by using methylene blue (MB) as indicator. MB has a couple of well-defined voltammetric redox peaks at the CPE. The currents of redox peaks of MB decreased after depositing aluminum ion films on the CPE (Al(III)/CPE) and increased dramatically after immobilizing DNA probe (ssDNA/Al(III)/CPE). Hybridization of DNA probe led to a marked decrease of the peak currents of MB, which can be used to detect the target single-stranded DNA. The conditions for the preparation of Al(III)/CPE, and DNA immobilization and hybridization were optimized. The specific sequences related to bar transgene in the transgenic corn and the PCR amplification of CP4 epsps gene from the sample of transgenic roundup ready soybean were detected by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with this new electrochemical DNA biosensor. The difference between the peak currents of MB at ssDNA/Al(III)/CPE and that at hybridization DNA modified electrode (dsDNA/Al(III)/CPE) was applied to determine the Specific sequence related to the target bar gene with the dynamic range comprised between 1.0 X 10(-7) mol/L to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol/L. A detection limit of 2.25 x.10(-8) mol/L. of oligonucleotides can be estimated.