Photoinduced Formation of Wrinkled Microstructures with Long‐Range Order in Thin Oxide Films

Thin oxide films with long‐range‐ordered microstructures have been fabricated by a wrinkling process, initiated by photopolymerization from an oxide precursor–photomonomer system through sol‐gel coating procedure followed by UV illumination. The cover image shows a TiO₂ thin film with a long‐range‐ordered microstructure fabricated on a prepatterned substrate, as shown by Masahide Takahashi, Plinio Innocenzi, and co‐workers on p. 4343.     

Static and Dynamic Properties of Multicomponent Bose–Einstein Condensates of Ytterbium Atoms

We consider theoretically static and dynamic properties of multicomponent Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) composed of a mixture of ¹⁷⁴Yb and ¹⁷⁶Yb atoms. The condensate of ¹⁷⁶Yb atoms has an attractive interaction, collapsing above a certain critical particle number. This criterion is modified by the presence of another repulsive condensate of ¹⁷⁴Yb atoms. We discuss the stability condition of this condensate mixture and collapsing dynamics due to the instability.      

1,8-Cineole Ameliorates Steatosis of Pten Liver Specific KO Mice via Akt Inactivation

Hepatocyte-specific Phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten)-knockout (KO) mice exhibit hepatic lesions analogous to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). 1,8-cineole is a monoterpene oxide and it has several biological effects including hepatoprotective effects. In this study we revealed that 1,8-cineole ameliorates NASH of Pten KO mice. Pten KO mice were assigned to a control group without any medication or to a 1,8-cineole group injected with 50 mg/kg i.p. twice per week for eight weeks. At eight weeks, livers from each group were processed to measure triglyceride (TG) content, gene expression analysis, western blot analysis, and histological examination including Oil red O staining. 1,8-cineole ameliorated hepatic steatosis in Pten KO mice, revealed by TG content and Oil red O staining. Moreover, 1,8-cineole downregulated collagen 1a1 expression and improved liver fibrosis. Thus, 1,8-cineole has potential as a candidate to treat NASH by inactivating the Akt/PI3-kinase pathway.     

Reaction Profiles of High Silica MOR Zeolite Catalyzed Friedel–Crafts Acylation of Anisole Using Acetic Anhydride in Acetic Acid

Friedel–Crafts reaction of anisole over high silica mordenite zeolite was investigated. Detailed reaction profiles were obtained using various reaction conditions. In particular, the behavior of acetic anhydride during the reaction and the effect on the hydrophilicity of the mordenite zeolite catalyst were investigated.

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Efficient Encapsulation of a Water-Soluble Molecule into Lipid Vesicles Using W/O/W Multiple Emulsions via Solvent Evaporation

We developed a novel method for preparing lipid vesicles with high entrapment efficiency and controlled size using water‐in‐oil‐in‐water (W/O/W) multiple emulsions as vesicle templates. Preparation consists of three steps. First, a water‐in‐oil (W/O) emulsion containing to‐be‐entrapped hydrophilic molecules in the water phase and vesicle‐forming lipids in the oil phase was formulated by sonication. Second, this W/O emulsion was introduced into a microchannel emulsification device to prepare a W/O/W multiple emulsion. In this step, sodium caseinate was used as the external emulsifier. Finally, organic solvent in the oil phase was removed by simple evaporation under ambient conditions to afford lipid vesicles. The diameter of the prepared vesicles reflected the water droplet size of the primary W/O emulsions, indicating that vesicle size could be controlled by the primary W/O emulsification process. Furthermore, high entrapment yields for hydrophilic molecules (exceeding 80 % for calcein) were obtained. The resulting vesicles had a multilamellar vesicular structure, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy.     

Influence of carbon structure of the anode on the production of graphite in single-walled carbon nanotube soot synthesized by arc discharge using a Fe–Ni–S catalyst

We investigated the production of the graphite contained in the soot of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) synthesized using the arc discharge method with a poorly graphitized carbon (PGC) rod in comparison to a graphite rod. A PGC rod was produced using a mixture of coal tar and carbon black and was heat treated to 1000 °C. The rod was packed with a mixture of iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), sulfur (S), and PGC and used for the production of SWCNT soot using arc discharge. From the results of X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy, the amount of graphite in the SWCNT soot synthesized by PGC rod was lower than that by graphite rod. The production of graphite in the soot was found to be dependent on the carbon structure of the anode and the current density of arc discharge.     

Preparation of liposomes modified with lipopeptides using a supercritical carbon dioxide reverse-phase evaporation method

Although liposomes are considered to be one of the most promising carriers for drug delivery systems (DDS), they have drawbacks such as insufficient drug-entrapment efficiency and long-term stability. The objectives of this study are to improve the trapping efficiency by addition of lipopeptides (LPs), and using a supercritical CO(2) reverse-phase evaporation (SCRPE) process, along with incorporation of PEG-modified phospholipids to improve long-term stability. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model drug substance for entrapment by liposomes. Improvements in the entrapment efficiency and stability of liposomes were achieved by modification with LPs and use of a SCRPE preparation process. The BSA-entrapment efficiency of liposomes modified with cationic LPs with arginine residues, as a result of their ionic interactions, was six times that of liposomes prepared by the Bangham method. Use of a SCRPE method along with LP modification further enhanced entrapment and enabled spontaneous formation of unilamellar liposomes with long-term stability. Liposomes consisting of DPPC/Chol/C(16)-Arg2/DSPE-PEG2000 (60/30/5/5), with up to 70% entrapment efficiency for BSA and a stability level of 90% for over 40 h, were obtained. DSC and SAXS analyses indicated that certain amounts of LP in the DPPC induced phase-transitional and structural changes in the lamellar membrane, and these changes improved the DDS carrier properties.The SCRPE method provides organic-solvent-free liposomes, and the LPs for the liposome modification are derivatives of amino acids and fatty acids, which are sustainable and biocompatible materials. This study therefore suggests that there are opportunities for the development of novel DDS carriers with excellent performance and which address environmental concerns.     

Physicochemical analysis of liposome membranes consisting of model lipids in the stratum corneum

Lamellar lipid layers in the stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the skin, act as a primary permeability barrier to protect the body. The roles of SC lipid composition and membrane structure in skin barrier function have been extensively investigated using ex-vivo SC samples and reconstructed SC lipids in the form of multi-lamellar lipids or liposomes. The primary lipids, especially ceramide, have been found to be highly important. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a well-known chronic inflammatory skin disease with immunologic and epidermal abnormalities of the permeability barrier; therefore, a comparison of SC lipids in AD skin with those in normal skin is a promising method to explore the mechanisms of skin barrier function. Here, we focused on the effect of sphingoids (ceramide metabolites and a minor component of the SC lipids) and their content/species on skin barrier function. A significant difference in the leakage ratio was observed between model SC lipid liposomes with a different sphingolipid ratio (sphingosine/sphinganine), with a value of 5.43 for normal skin vs. 14.3 for AD skin. This result shows a good concordance with AD mouse experiments. Therefore, an alteration in the composition of minor SC lipids resulting from a ceramide metabolic abnormality can affect the membrane integrity (i.e., skin barrier function). Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements revealed no distinct differences in the SAXS pattern between the 3 models, with all models forming a rigid membrane (i.e., a nearly hydrated solid). According to increasing the temperature, the peaks indicated that the lamellar structures decreased in all models and that the lateral packing of lipids decreased, which suggested annealing or melting of the gel to a liquid crystal, although no distinct phase transition was observed through fluorescence anisotropy measurements. Hence, we assume that the altered sphingoid composition triggers local membrane structural changes (i.e., formation of domains or clusters).     

Catanionic mixtures forming gemini-like amphiphiles

The properties of aqueous mixtures of cationic species with alkyl dicarboxylic acid compounds have been studied. The cationic compounds used in this study were tertiary amine-type N-methyl-N-(2,3-dioxypropyl)hexadecylamine (C16amine) and quaternary ammonium-type N,N-dimethyl-N-(2,3-dioxypropyl)hexadecylammonium chloride (C16Q). The alkyl dicarboxylic acid compounds used were HOOC(CH(2))(10)COOH (C12H) and its sodium salt (C12Na). Three aqueous mixtures were examined in this study: (System I) C16amine + C12H, (System II) C16Q + C12Na, and (System III) C16Q + C12H. The solution pH was set at 12 for System III. The combination of (1)H-NMR and mass spectroscopy data has suggested that a stoichiometric complex is formed in the aqueous solutions at a mole fraction of C12H (or C12Na) = 0.33. Here, the C12H (or C12Na) molecule added to the system bridges two cationic molecules, like a spacer of gemini surfactants. In fact, the static surface tensiometry has demonstrated that the stoichiometric complex behaves as gemini-like amphiphiles in aqueous solutions. Our current study offers a possible way for easily preparing gemini surfactant systems.