Solubilization of unilamellar liposomes by betaine-type zwitterionic/anionic surfactant systems

The mechanisms governing the solubilizing interactions between zwitterionic/anionic mixed surfactant systems at different molar fractions of the zwitterionic surfactant (X_zwitter) and neutral or electrically charged unilamellar liposomes were investigated. The mixed systems were formed by N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethylbetaine and sodium dodecyl sulfate in the presence of piperazine-1,4-bis-(2-ethanesulfonic acid) buffer at pH 7.20. Unilamellar liposomes formed by egg phosphatidylcholine, in some cases together with stearylamine or phosphatidic acid, were used. Solubilization was detected as a decrease in static light-scattering of liposomes. Two parameters were regarded as corresponding to the effective surfactant/lipid molar ratios (Re) at which the surfactant system (i) saturated the liposomes, Re_sat, and (ii) led to a total solubilization of liposomes, Re_sol. From these parameters the bilayer/aqueous medium surfactant partition coefficients for the saturation (K_sat) and complete bilayer solubilization (K_sol) were determined. When X_zwitter was 0.40, The Re and K parameters showed a maximum, whereas the critical micellar concentration (CMC) of these systems exhibited a minimum, regardless of the electrical charge of bilayers. Given that the ability of the surfactant systems to saturate or solubilize liposomes is inversely related to the Re_sat and Re_sol parameters, these capacities appear to be directly correlated with the CMC of the mixed systems. The similarity of both K_sat and K_sol (particularly for X_zwitter=0.2–0.8) suggests that a similar partition equilibrium governs both the saturation and the complete solubilization of bilayers, the free surfactant concentration (S_a,S_b), remaining almost constant with similar values to the CMC for each mixed system studied.     

Effect of Polyhexamethylene Biguanide in Combination with Undecylenamidopropyl Betaine or PslG on Biofilm Clearance

Hospital-acquired infection is a great challenge for clinical treatment due to pathogens’ biofilm formation and their antibiotic resistance. Here, we investigate the effect of antiseptic agent polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) and undecylenamidopropyl betaine (UB) against biofilms of four pathogens that are often found in hospitals, including Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, and pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. We show that 0.02% PHMB, which is 10-fold lower than the concentration of commercial products, has a strong inhibitory effect on the growth, initial attachment, and biofilm formation of all tested pathogens. PHMB can also disrupt the preformed biofilms of these pathogens. In contrast, 0.1% UB exhibits a mild inhibitory effect on biofilm formation of the four pathogens. This concentration inhibits the growth of S. aureus and C. albicans yet has no growth effect on P. aeruginosa or E. coli. UB only slightly enhances the anti-biofilm efficacy of PHMB on P. aeruginosa biofilms. However, pretreatment with PslG, a glycosyl hydrolase that can efficiently inhibit and disrupt P. aeruginosa biofilm, highly enhances the clearance effect of PHMB on P. aeruginosa biofilms. Meanwhile, PslG can also disassemble the preformed biofilms of the other three pathogens within 30 min to a similar extent as UB treatment for 24 h.     

Separation of kinetics and mass-transfer in a batch alkoxylation reaction

The quantitative aspects of the role of interfacial mass-transfer and reaction kinetics in ethoxylation of lauryl alcohol were examined in a batch recirculation reactor. The liquid droplets falling through a gas column were obtained by utilizing a recirculation loop and a set of spray nozzles. The CO₂/NaOH reaction was employed to characterize the interfacial area. The alkoxylation reaction was studied at temperatures between 124°C and 171°C, at catalyst levels between 0.09 and 0.50 weight percent and at ethylene oxide partial pressures between 68 kPa and 204 kPa. A model was developed which permits the prediction of reactor performance at various operating conditions. The mass-transfer during free fall dominates the interfacial mass-transfer and the contributions during the drop formation and coalescence stages are small. The rate of ethylene oxide (EO) addition to lauryl alcohol was constant during the batch run, indicating similar activity for the unreacted lauryl alcohol and the lauryl alcohol ethoxylated to varying extents. The rate of ethoxylation is first-order in both catalyst and ethylene oxide concentrations. The liquid-phase reaction kinetics and interfacial mass-transfer occur in series, with kinetics dominating the overall ethoxylation rate. As expected, an increasing role of mass transfer is observed at higher temperatures, and/or higher catalyst concentrations where the kinetic rate becomes significantly high. The intrinsic activation energy for the ethoxylation of lauryl alcohol is 55.2 kJ/mole.     

水基Fe3O4磁流体的制备工艺研究

用共沉淀法制备Fe3O4磁流体,总结出用十二烷基磺酸钠与聚乙二醇作为表面活性剂制备水基磁流体的合适条件:(1)反应温度为室温或不高于35℃;(2)表面活性剂十二烷基磺酸钠的最佳用量为0.0030～0.0040 g/80 mL;(3)第一次包裹的最佳pH为9～10;(4)聚乙二醇作为第二次包裹的表面活剂时,体系最佳温度为40℃左右;(5)表面活性剂聚乙二醇的最佳用量为0.0050～0.0060 g/80 mL。通过实验制得了能稳定存在180 d的水基磁流体。并用透射电镜、红外光谱、分光光度计、古埃磁天平等进行了初步表征。     

固体超强酸催化合成烷基磷酸酯

以月桂醇和磷酸为原料,采用固体超强酸催化制备烷基磷酸酯。探讨了催化剂用量、原料配比、反应时间和温度等因素对产品收率的影响。结果表明,最佳反应条件为:n(醇)∶n(酸)=2∶1,反应时间4 h,反应温度120℃,以甲苯共沸带水,催化剂用量为总物料质量的0.4%。     

复合氨基酸月桂醇酯的合成及性能

以菜籽粕水解制得的复合氨基酸浓缩液为原料,与月桂醇酯化制得复合氨基酸月桂醇酯.探讨了物料配比、反应时间、带水剂及催化剂对合成的影响,并对产品的表面活性进行了测定.结果表明:合成反应的最佳条件是月桂醇与复合氨基酸的摩尔比为1∶2.甲苯作带水剂(反应温度110～122℃),反应时间为4h,催化剂浓H2SO4的用量为复合氨基酸的8%,少量的聚乙二醇(PEG600)作相转移催化剂.制得的产品具有良好的泡沫稳定性.     

Betaine Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Disruption of Hepatic Lipid and Iron Homeostasis in Mice

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by excessive fat deposition in the liver, which is often associated with disrupted iron homeostasis. Betaine has been reported to be hepatoprotective, yet whether and how betaine ameliorates high-fat diet-induced disruption of hepatic lipid and iron homeostasis remains elusive. In this study, mice were fed either standard (CON) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 9 weeks to establish a NAFLD model. Mice raised on HF diet were then assigned randomly to HF and HFB groups, HFB group being supplemented with 1% (w/v) of betaine in the drinking water for 13 weeks. Betaine supplementation significantly alleviated excessive hepatic lipid deposition and restored hepatic iron content. Betaine partly yet significantly reversed HFD-induced dysregulation of lipogenic genes such as PRARγ and CD36, as well as the iron-metabolic genes including FPN and HAMP that encodes hepcidin. Similar mitigation effects of betaine were observed for BMP2 and BMP6, the up-stream regulators of hepcidin expression. Betaine significantly rectified disrupted expression of methyl transfer gene, including BHMT, GNMT and DNMT1. Moreover, HFD-modified CpG methylation on the promoter of PRARγ and HAMP genes was significantly reversed by betaine supplementation. These results indicate that betaine alleviates HFD-induced disruption of hepatic lipid and iron metabolism, which is associated with modification of CpG methylation on promoter of lipogenic and iron-metabolic genes.     

两种新型活性染料净洗剂的性能研究

本文研究了两种两性表面活性剂十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱(BS-12)和羟磺基甜菜碱(LHS)分别与不同类型的非离子表面活性剂进行复配后的净洗性能,并对复配体系添加高分子化合物PVP和CMC后的净洗性能进行进一步的研究。初步总结两种不同类型的甜菜碱与高分子添加物的作用规律,并总结归纳出此类表面活性剂与非离子表面活性剂复配的最佳处方。     

Dissolution and Solubility Behavior of Fenofibrate in Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Solutions

The solubility of fenofibrate in pH 6.8 McIlvaine buffers containing varying concentrations of sodium lauryl sulfate was determined. The dissolution behavior of fenofibrate was also examined in the same solutions with rotating disk experiments. It was observed that the enhancement in intrinsic dissolution rate was approximately 500-fold and the enhancement in solubility was approximately 2000-fold in a pH 6.8 buffer containing 2% (w/v) sodium lauryl sulfate compared to that in buffer alone. The micellar solubilization equilibrium coefficient (k*) was estimated from the solubility data and found to be 30884 ± 213 L/mol. The diffusivity for the free solute, 7.15 × 10^{? 6} cm²/s, was calculated using Schroeder's additive molal volume estimates and Hayduk-Laurie correlation. The diffusivity of the drug-loaded micelle, estimated from the experimental solubility and dissolution data and the calculated value for free solute diffusivity, was 0.86 × 10^{? 6} cm²/s. Thus, the much lower enhancement in dissolution of fenofibrate compared to its enhancement in solubility in surfactant solutions appears to be consistent with the contribution to the total transport due to enhanced micellar solubilization as well as a large decrease ( ～ 8-fold) in the diffusivity of the drug-loaded micelle.