scholarly journals Hydrophobic Interaction: A Promising Driving Force for the Biomedical Applications of Nucleic Acids

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (16) ◽  
pp. 2001048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Xiao ◽  
Zhe Chen ◽  
Zixiang Wei ◽  
Leilei Tian
2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 702-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanying Li ◽  
Thomas H. LaBean ◽  
Kam W. Leong

Nanoengineering exploits the interactions of materials at the nanometre scale to create functional nanostructures. It relies on the precise organization of nanomaterials to achieve unique functionality. There are no interactions more elegant than those governing nucleic acids via Watson–Crick base-pairing rules. The infinite combinations of DNA/RNA base pairs and their remarkable molecular recognition capability can give rise to interesting nanostructures that are only limited by our imagination. Over the past years, creative assembly of nucleic acids has fashioned a plethora of two-dimensional and three-dimensional nanostructures with precisely controlled size, shape and spatial functionalization. These nanostructures have been precisely patterned with molecules, proteins and gold nanoparticles for the observation of chemical reactions at the single molecule level, activation of enzymatic cascade and novel modality of photonic detection, respectively. Recently, they have also been engineered to encapsulate and release bioactive agents in a stimulus-responsive manner for therapeutic applications. The future of nucleic acid-based nanoengineering is bright and exciting. In this review, we will discuss the strategies to control the assembly of nucleic acids and highlight the recent efforts to build functional nucleic acid nanodevices for nanomedicine.


Author(s):  
Will Briley ◽  
Tiffany L. Halo ◽  
Pratik S. Randeria ◽  
Ali H. Alhasan ◽  
Evelyn Auyeung ◽  
...  

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. N. You ◽  
J. C. Liu

A study was conducted to assess the desorptive behavior of chlorophenols in contaminated soils. Two soils spiked with three types of chlorophenols, i.e., 2,6-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP), respectively, were examined. The effects of pH, methanol, surfactants, and soil properties were investigated. Amount of three chlorophenols desorbed from soils increased with increasing pH. Deprotonated chlorophenols were more mobile than their conjugate acids. When methanol was added to the soil-water system, the amount of chlorophenols desorbed increased. The desorption of PCP was enhanced in the presence of anionic surfactant, SDS. However, when non-ionic surfactant, TX-100, was present, the desorption of PCP decreased. The effects of pH and surfactants on desorptive behavior of chlorophenols were most significant on PCP. Generally, the amount of chlorophenol adsorption deceased in the order PCP > TCP > DCP. Hydrophobic interaction was found to be the major driving force of adsorption reactions. It was therefore proposed that hydrophobicity of chlorophenols is an important factor controlling their desorptive behavior.


2020 ◽  
pp. 174751982097393
Author(s):  
Jialu Shen ◽  
Weifeng Chen ◽  
Xiang Liu

A facile and effective route to synthesize graphene quantum dots for cell imaging and as a deoxidizer by using glucan as a precursor is developed. AuNPs are successfully synthesized by mixing of graphene quantum dots and Au(III) salts without any additional reductants. The reducing driving force of these graphene quantum dots is much weaker than that of strong reducing agents such as NaBH4. The sizes of the as-synthesized AuNPs are much larger, with an average size of 15 nm. Notably, this size range is specifically useful and optimal for the application of AuNPs in biomedical applications. In addition, the as-synthesized graphene quantum dots are also successfully applied in cell imaging.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue-Wern Huang ◽  
Han-Jung Lee ◽  
Larry M. Tolliver ◽  
Robert S. Aronstam

Many viral and nonviral systems have been developed to aid delivery of biologically active molecules into cells. Among these, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have received increasing attention in the past two decades for biomedical applications. In this review, we focus on opportunities and challenges associated with CPP delivery of nucleic acids and nanomaterials. We first describe the nature of versatile CPPs and their interactions with various types of cargoes. We then discussin vivoandin vitrodelivery of nucleic acids and nanomaterials by CPPs. Studies on the mechanisms of cellular entry and limitations in the methods used are detailed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (22) ◽  
pp. 8634
Author(s):  
Zuzana Pös ◽  
Ondrej Pös ◽  
Jakub Styk ◽  
Angelika Mocova ◽  
Lucia Strieskova ◽  
...  

Analyzes of cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs) have shown huge potential in many biomedical applications, gradually entering several fields of research and everyday clinical care. Many biological properties of cfNAs can be informative to gain deeper insights into the function of the organism, such as their different types (DNA, RNAs) and subtypes (gDNA, mtDNA, bacterial DNA, miRNAs, etc.), forms (naked or vesicle bound NAs), fragmentation profiles, sequence composition, epigenetic modifications, and many others. On the other hand, the workflows of their analyzes comprise many important steps, from sample collection, storage and transportation, through extraction and laboratory analysis, up to bioinformatic analyzes and statistical evaluations, where each of these steps has the potential to affect the outcome and informational value of the performed analyzes. There are, however, no universal or standard protocols on how to exactly proceed when analyzing different cfNAs for different applications, at least according to our best knowledge. We decided therefore to prepare an overview of the available literature and products commercialized for cfNAs processing, in an attempt to summarize the benefits and limitations of the currently available approaches, devices, consumables, and protocols, together with various factors influencing the workflow, its processes, and outcomes.


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