scholarly journals Study on TEMPO-Mediated Oxidation of N-Succinyl Chitosan and the Water Retention Property

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (20) ◽  
pp. 4698
Author(s):  
Aoqi Li ◽  
Qinglan Xue ◽  
Yingqing Ye ◽  
Peixin Gong ◽  
Mingyu Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hyaluronic Acid ◽  
Nmr Spectroscopy ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Amino Group ◽  
Moisture Retention ◽  
Amino Group Content ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Specific Oxidation ◽  
Mediated Oxidation

C-6 oxidized chitosan is of great interest in obtaining a new moisture retention polymer like hyaluronic acid. The direct C-6 specific oxidation of chitosan mediated by the TEMPO/NaClO/NaBr system has proven to be difficult because of the high crystalline and high C-2 amino group content. In this work, the pre-modification of chitosan by N-succinylation was investigated and followed by the TEMPO-mediated C-6 specific oxidation under homogeneous conditions. The desired 6-oxidized N-succinyl chitosan product was obtained within 15 min with a yield of about 92%. The structure of these chitosan derivatives was confirmed by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. Moreover, it was observed that the selective oxidation led to a great improvement in water solubility and moisture retention ability. These results present a wide range of possibilities for expanding the utilization of chitosan resources.

scholarly journals Rheology and Water Absorption Properties of Alginate–Soy Protein Composites

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1807
Author(s):  
Estefanía Álvarez-Castillo ◽  
José Manuel Aguilar ◽  
Carlos Bengoechea ◽  
María Luisa López-Castejón ◽  
Antonio Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Soy Protein ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Soy Protein Isolate ◽  
Protein Isolate ◽  
Guluronic Acid ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Anionic Polysaccharides ◽  
Porous Matrices

Composite materials based on proteins and carbohydrates normally offer improved water solubility, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, which make them attractive for a wide range of applications. Soy protein isolate (SPI) has shown superabsorbent properties that are useful in fields such as agriculture. Alginate salts (ALG) are linear anionic polysaccharides obtained at a low cost from brown algae, displaying a good enough biocompatibility to be considered for medical applications. As alginates are quite hydrophilic, the exchange of ions from guluronic acid present in its molecular structure with divalent cations, particularly Ca2+, may induce its gelation, which would inhibit its solubilization in water. Both biopolymers SPI and ALG were used to produce composites through injection moulding using glycerol (Gly) as a plasticizer. Different biopolymer/plasticizer ratios were employed, and the SPI/ALG ratio within the biopolymer fraction was also varied. Furthermore, composites were immersed in different CaCl2 solutions to inhibit the amount of soluble matter loss and to enhance the mechanical properties of the resulting porous matrices. The main goal of the present work was the development and characterization of green porous matrices with inhibited solubility thanks to the gelation of alginate.

scholarly journals Applications of Hyaluronic Acid in Ophthalmology and Contact Lenses

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2485
Author(s):  
Wan-Hsin Chang ◽  
Pei-Yi Liu ◽  
Min-Hsuan Lin ◽  
Chien-Ju Lu ◽  
Hsuan-Yi Chou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hyaluronic Acid ◽  
Dry Eye ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Contact Lenses ◽  
Anterior Segment ◽  
Vitreous Body ◽  
Material Surface ◽  
Connective Tissues ◽  
Water Retention Properties ◽  
Bull's Eye

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan that was first isolated and identified from the vitreous body of a bull’s eye. HA is ubiquitous in the soft connective tissues of animals and therefore has high tissue compatibility for use in medication. Because of HA’s biological safety and water retention properties, it has many ophthalmology-related applications, such as in intravitreal injection, dry eye treatment, and contact lenses. Due to its broad range of applications, the identification and quantification of HA is a critical topic. This review article discusses current methods for analyzing HA. Contact lenses have become a widely used medical device, with HA commonly used as an additive to their production material, surface coating, and multipurpose solution. HA molecules on contact lenses retain moisture and increase the wearer’s comfort. HA absorbed by contact lenses can also gradually release to the anterior segment of the eyes to treat dry eye. This review discusses applications of HA in ophthalmology.

scholarly journals Application of Dendrimers for Treating Parasitic Diseases

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 343
Author(s):  
Veronica Folliero ◽  
Carla Zannella ◽  
Annalisa Chianese ◽  
Debora Stelitano ◽  
Annalisa Ambrosino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
High Ratio ◽  
Molecular Volume ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Parasitic Diseases ◽  
Wide Range

Despite advances in medical knowledge, parasitic diseases remain a significant global health burden and their pharmacological treatment is often hampered by drug toxicity. Therefore, drug delivery systems may provide useful advantages when used in combination with conventional therapeutic compounds. Dendrimers are three-dimensional polymeric structures, characterized by a central core, branches and terminal functional groups. These nanostructures are known for their defined structure, great water solubility, biocompatibility and high encapsulation ability against a wide range of molecules. Furthermore, the high ratio between terminal groups and molecular volume render them a hopeful vector for drug delivery. These nanostructures offer several advantages compared to conventional drugs for the treatment of parasitic infection. Dendrimers deliver drugs to target sites with reduced dosage, solving side effects that occur with accepted marketed drugs. In recent years, extensive progress has been made towards the use of dendrimers for therapeutic, prophylactic and diagnostic purposes for the management of parasitic infections. The present review highlights the potential of several dendrimers in the management of parasitic diseases.

scholarly journals A study of the effects of sodium alginate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose on the growth of the common duckweed (Lemna minor L.)

2021 ◽  
pp. 82-82
Author(s):  
Bianca Boros ◽  
Nathalie Grau ◽  
Adriana Isvoran ◽  
Adina Datcu ◽  
Nicoleta Ianovici ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Alginate ◽  
Carboxymethyl Cellulose ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Lemna Minor ◽  
Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose ◽  
Log P ◽  
Growth Inhibitory ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
High Doses

Sodium alginate (ALG) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) are two polysaccharides that have a wide range of applications which could lead to accidental pollution of the environment, making the assessment of their potential ecotoxicity imperative. The present study assesses the ALG and CMC effects on the growth response of the common duckweed (Lemna minor L.). The results emphasize that both polysaccharides can be classified as practically nontoxic based on their EC50 values, with ALG having a relatively higher toxicity compared to CMC. It was also observed that high doses of 1, 5 and 10 mg mL-1 of the two polysaccharides produced growth inhibitory effects against common duckweed. The toxicity of biopolymers against common duckweed, measured as EC50 values, seems to be correlated to the hydrophobicity of the monomers building the polymer. The EC50 values increase linearly with the increase of water solubility (log S) values and decrease linearly with the lipophilicity (log P) values.

scholarly journals Characterization of nucleosome sediments for protein interaction studies by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulric B. le Paige ◽  
ShengQi Xiang ◽  
Marco M. R. M. Hendrix ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Markus Weingarth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Nmr Spectroscopy ◽  
Solid State Nmr ◽  
Magic Angle Spinning ◽  
Magic Angle ◽  
Dense Phase ◽  
Binding Studies ◽  
Nmr Studies ◽  
Solid State Nmr Spectroscopy ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. Regulation of DNA-templated processes such as gene transcription and DNA repair depend on the interaction of a wide range of proteins to the nucleosome, the fundamental building block of chromatin. Both solution and solid-state NMR spectroscopy have become an attractive approach to study the dynamics and interactions of nucleosomes, despite their high molecular weight of ~200 kDa. For solid-state NMR (ssNMR) studies, dilute solutions of nucleosomes are converted to a dense phase by sedimentation or precipitation. Since nucleosomes are known to self-associate, these dense phases may induce extensive interactions between nucleosomes, which could interfere with protein binding studies. Here, we characterized the packing of nucleosomes in the dense phase created by sedimentation using NMR and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments. We found that nucleosome sediments are gels with variable degrees of solidity, have nucleosome concentration close to that found in crystals, and are stable for weeks under high-speed magic angle spinning (MAS). Furthermore, SAXS data recorded on recovered sediments indicate that there is no pronounced long-range ordering of nucleosomes in the sediment. Finally, we show that the sedimentation approach can also be used to study low affinity protein interactions with the nucleosome. Together, our results give new insights into the sample characteristics of nucleosome sediments for ssNMR studies and illustrate the broad applicability of sedimentation-based NMR studies.

Impacts of nano-clay addition to soils: a meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Maddox ◽  
Stephen Bell ◽  
Carles Barriocanal
Keyword(s):  
Soil Amendment ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Clay Particles ◽  
Lab Experiments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Nano Clay ◽  
Positive Effect

<p>Nano-sized clay particles exhibit unique physicochemical properties within soil matrices relevant to several areas of applied environmental sciences. The amendment of soils with nano-clays in field, lab, and greenhouse settings has been increasingly studied over recent decades from various disciplinary perspectives. In general, nano-clay as a soil amendment is seen as a potentially effective and economically feasible method for managing soil resources. However, no comprehensive review and quantification of the impacts of nano-clay amendment on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties has been undertaken, which limits its uptake and application. Here, we provide a review of the impacts of nano-clay addition in soil, using a meta-analytical approach considering soil health parameters (e.g., organic carbon, water retention, cation exchange, pH, pollutant concentration). Preliminary results synthesizing field and lab experiments indicate a wide range of positive effect sizes across key soil properties, with only limited benefits occurring in specific cases. Our results highlight the significant potential of nano-clay as a soil amendment in diverse applications, especially when coupled with the economic and logistical suitability of nano-clay amendment globally.</p>

Pharmacological Properties of Excitatory Neuromuscular Synapses in the Locust

1968 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-361
Author(s):  
P. N. R. USHERWOOD ◽  
P. MACHILI
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Fibres ◽  
Amino Group ◽  
Mechanical Responses ◽  
Neuromuscular Synapses ◽  
Level Of Activity ◽  
Excitatory Activity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Nerve Muscle ◽  
Related Compounds ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. The effects of a wide range of amino acids and related compounds on retractor unguis nerve-muscle preparations from the locust, grasshopper and cockroach have been investigated. 2. L-glutamate is the most active excitatory substance. The presence of two acidic groups and one amino group is essential for excitatory activity while the position of the amino group is of some importance in determining the level of activity. 3. When L-glutamate is applied iontophoretically to the muscle fibres, ‘glutamate’ depolarizations are recorded only at the synaptic sites. Other evidence that the action of glutamate is restricted to the synaptic sites is presented. 4. Perfusion of isolated locust retractor unguis nerve-muscle preparations with locust haemolymph does not markedly affect the neurally evoked mechanical responses. It appears that locust haemolymph contains little ‘free’ L-glutamate. 5. Four acidic amino aids have been identified in the perfusate from isolated retractor unguis preparations namely, glycine, alanine, aspartate and L-glutamate. However, only L-glutamate increases in concentration during stimulation of the retractor unguis nerve.

Chemical Stability of Proteins in Foods: Oxidation and the Maillard Reaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahesha M. Poojary ◽  
Marianne N. Lund
Keyword(s):  
Maillard Reaction ◽  
Protein Oxidation ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Protein Carbonyls ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Food Protein ◽  
Food Proteins ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Specific Oxidation

Protein is a major nutrient present in foods along with carbohydrates and lipids. Food proteins undergo a wide range of modifications during food production, processing, and storage. In this review, we discuss two major reactions, oxidation and the Maillard reaction, involved in chemical modifications of food proteins. Protein oxidation in foods is initiated by metal-, enzyme-, or light-induced processes. Food protein oxidation results in the loss of thiol groups and the formation of protein carbonyls and specific oxidation products of cysteine, tyrosine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, and methionine residues, such as disulfides, dityrosine, kynurenine, m-tyrosine, and methionine sulfoxide. The Maillard reaction involves the reaction of nucleophilic amino acid residues with reducing sugars, which yields numerous heterogeneous compounds such as α-dicarbonyls, furans, Strecker aldehydes, advanced glycation end-products, and melanoidins. Both protein oxidation and the Maillard reaction result in the loss of essential amino acids but may positively or negatively impact food structure and flavor. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, Volume 13 is March 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

scholarly journals Stability Evaluation and Degradation Studies of DAC® Hyaluronic-Polylactide Based Hydrogel by DOSY NMR Spectroscopy

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1478
Author(s):  
Tatiana Guzzo ◽  
Fabio Barile ◽  
Cecilia Marras ◽  
Davide Bellini ◽  
Walter Mandaliti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hyaluronic Acid ◽  
Nmr Spectroscopy ◽  
Bone Growth ◽  
Orthopedic Implants ◽  
Structured Surfaces ◽  
Physiological Conditions ◽  
Hydrophilic Character ◽  
Dosy Nmr ◽  
The Stability

The stability and the degradation of polymers in physiological conditions are very important issues in biomedical applications. The copolymer of hyaluronic acid and poly-D,L-lactic acid (made available in a product called DAC®) produces a hydrogel which retains the hydrophobic character of the poly-D,L-lactide sidechains and the hydrophilic character of a hyaluronic acid backbone. This hydrogel is a suitable device for the coating of orthopedic implants with structured surfaces. In fact, this gel creates a temporary barrier to bacterial adhesion by inhibiting colonization, thus preventing the formation of the biofilm and the onset of an infection. Reabsorbed in about 72 h after the implant, this hydrogel does not hinder bone growth processes. In the need to assess stability and degradation of both the hyaluronan backbone and of the polylactic chains along time and temperature, we identified NMR spectroscopy as a privileged technique for the characterization of the released species, and we applied diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY-NMR) for the investigation of molecular weight dispersion. Our diffusion studies of DAC® in physiological conditions provided a full understanding of the product degradation by overcoming the limitations observed in applying classical chromatography approaches by gel permeation UV.

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