Novel strategy for encapsulation and targeted delivery of poorly water-soluble active substances

Carriers for targeted delivery and controlled release of poorly water-soluble active substances (PWSAS) are facing three challenges: (a) the encapsulation issues, (b) limitations of PWSAS water solubility, and (c) burst drug release which can be pharmacologically dangerous and economically inefficient. The present study brings a novel strategy for encapsulation and controlled release of PWSAS—caffeine in concentrations which are higher than its maximal water solubility without the possibility of burst effect. The modification of hydrophilic carrier based on poly(methacylic acid) was done using casein and liposomes. To further increase the maximal caffeine loading inside the carrier nicotinamide was used. The release study of the encapsulated PWSAS was elaborated with respect to morphology of the carriers and interactions that could be established between its structural components. The carriers swelling and the release of caffeine and nicotinamide were also investigated depending on caffeine concentration, the presence of different liposomal formulations and the volume ratio of liposomal formulation, in three media with different pH simulating the path of the carrier through the human gastrointestinal tract. The synthesized carriers are promising candidates for encapsulation of PWSAS in concentrations which are higher than its maximal water solubility and for the targeted delivery of those dosages.     

Validation of a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Method for the Measurement of the Redox State Metabolic Ratios Lactate/Pyruvate and β-Hydroxybutyrate/Acetoacetate in Biological Samples

The metabolic ratios lactate/pyruvate and β-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate are considered valuable tools to evaluate the in vivo redox cellular state by estimating the free NAD+/NADH in cytoplasm and mitochondria, respectively. The aim of the current study was to validate a gas-chromatography mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of the four metabolites in plasma and liver tissue. The procedure included an o-phenylenediamine microwave-assisted derivatization, followed by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and silylation with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide:trimethylchlorosilane 99:1. The calibration curves presented acceptable linearity, with a limit of quantification of 0.001 mM for pyruvate, β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate and of 0.01 mM for lactate. The intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision were within the European Medicines Agency’s Guideline specifications. No significant differences were observed in the slope coefficient of three-point standard metabolite-spiked curves in plasma or liver and water, and acceptable recoveries were obtained in the metabolite-spiked samples. Applicability of the method was tested in precision-cut liver rat slices and also in HepG2 cells incubated under different experimental conditions challenging the redox state. In conclusion, the validated method presented good sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility in the quantification of lactate/pyruvate and β-hydroxybutyrate/acetate metabolites and may be useful in the evaluation of in vivo redox states.     

碳纳米管修饰电极的制备及其对NADH的电催化氧化

采用丝网印刷技术,制备出羧基化多壁碳纳米管修饰的丝网印刷碳电极,并采用循环伏安法研究了该电极对还原型烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸(NADH)的电催化氧化性能.结果表明,与未修饰丝网印刷碳电极相比,多壁碳纳米管修饰丝网印刷碳电极显著降低了NADH的氧化峰电位,消除了反应产物对电极的污染及其它电化学反应对测量的干扰.将修饰电极与流...     

Redox-flexible NADH oxidase biosensor: A platform for various dehydrogenase bioassays and biosensors

A generic amperometric bioassay based on the enzymatic oxidation catalysed by the stable NADH oxidase (NAox) from Thermus thermophilus has been developed for NADH measurements. The NAox uses O₂ as its natural electron acceptor and produces H₂O₂ in a two-electron process. Electrochemical and spectrophotometric experiments showed that the NAox used in this work, presents a very good activity towards its substrate and, in contrary to previously mentioned NADH oxidases, does not require the addition of any exogenous flavin cofactor neither to promote nor to maintain its activity. In addition, the NAox used also works with artificial electron acceptors like ferrocene derivatives. O₂ was successfully replaced by redox mediators such as hydroxymethyl ferrocene (FcCH₂OH) for the regeneration of the active enzyme. Combining the NAox with the mediator and the horseradish peroxidase we developed an original, high sensitive “redox-flexible” NADH amperometric bioassay working in a large window of applied potentials in both oxidation and reduction modes. The biosensor has a continuous and complementary linearity range permitting to measure NADH concentrations starting from 5 × 10⁻⁶ M in reduction until 2 × 10³ M in oxidation. This redox-flexibility allows choosing the applied potential in order to avoid electrochemical interferences. The association of the “redox-flexible” concept with NADH dependent enzymes opens a novel strategy for dehydrogenases based bioassays and biosensors. The great number of dehydrogenases available makes the concept applicable for numerous substrates to analyse. Moreover it allows the development of a wide range of biosensors on the basis of a generic platform. This gives several advantages over the previous manufacturing techniques and offers a general and flexible scheme for the fabrication of biosensors presenting high sensitivities, wide calibration ranges and less affected by electrochemical interferences.     

烟酰胺配合物的合成及晶体形态的电镜观察

为了进一步了解烟酰胺配体的配位特征和结构特点，对配合物Mn(Nica)2Cl2,Fe(Nica)2Cl2,Co(Nica)2Cl2,Ni(Nica)2Cl2,Cu(Nica)2Cl2和Zn(Nica)2Cl2进行了合成和红外光谱、透射电镜、扫描电镜的表征，烟酰胺以吡啶氮与金属离子配位，Mn(Ⅱ），Fe(Ⅱ),Co(Ⅱ)，Ni(Ⅱ）配合物为六方晶体结构，Cu(Ⅱ）配合物为金刚石立方晶体结构。     

Minimizing photodecomposition of flavin adenine dinucleotide fluorescence by the use of pulsed LEDs

Dynamic alterations in flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) fluorescence permit insight into energy metabolism‐dependent changes of intramitochondrial redox potential. Monitoring FAD fluorescence in living tissue is impeded by photobleaching, restricting the length of microfluorimetric recordings. In addition, photodecomposition of these essential electron carriers negatively interferes with energy metabolism and viability of the biological specimen. Taking advantage of pulsed LED illumination, here we determined the optimal excitation settings giving the largest fluorescence yield with the lowest photobleaching and interference with metabolism in hippocampal brain slices. The effects of FAD bleaching on energy metabolism and viability were studied by monitoring tissue pO₂, field potentials and changes in extracellular potassium concentration ([K⁺]_o). Photobleaching with continuous illumination consisted of an initial exponential decrease followed by a nearly linear decay. The exponential decay was significantly decelerated with pulsed illumination. Pulse length of 5 ms was sufficient to reach a fluorescence output comparable to continuous illumination, whereas further increasing duration increased photobleaching. Similarly, photobleaching increased with shortening of the interpulse interval. Photobleaching was partially reversible indicating the existence of a transient nonfluorescent flavin derivative. Pulsed illumination decreased FAD photodecomposition, improved slice viability and reproducibility of stimulus‐induced FAD, field potential, [K⁺]_o and pO₂ changes as compared to continuous illumination.     

Flavin adenine dinucleotide binding is the crucial step in alcohol oxidase assembly in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha

We have studied the role of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in the in vivo assembly of peroxisomal alcohol oxidase (AO) in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha. In previous studies, using a riboflavin (Rf) autotrophic mutant, an unequivocal judgement could not be made, since Rf-limitation led to a partial block of AO import in this mutant. This resulted in the accumulation of AO precursors in the cytosol where they remained separated from the putative peroxisomal AO assembly factors. In order to circumvent the peroxisomal membrane barrier, we have now studied AO assembly in a peroxisome-deficient/Rf-autotrophic double mutant (Δper1.rif1) of H. polymorpha. By sucrose density centrifugation and native gel electrophoresis, three conformations of AO were detected in crude extracts of Δper1.rif1 cells grown under Rf-limitation, namely active octameric AO and two inactive, monomeric forms. One of the latter forms lacked FAD; this form was barely detectable in extracts wild-type and Δper1 cells, but had accumulated in the cytosol of rif1 cells. The second form of monomeric AO contained FAD; this form was also present in Δper1 cells but absent/very low in wild-type and rif1 cells. In vivo only these FAD-containing monomers associate into the active, octameric protein. We conclude that in H. polymorpha FAD binding to the AO monomer is mediated by a yet unknown peroxisomal factor and represents the crucial and essential step to enable AO oligomerization; the actual octamerization and the eventual crystallization in peroxisomes most probably occurs spontaneously.     

烟酰胺和3-氰基吡啶的HPLC检测

采用高效液相色谱法测定烟酰胺和3-氰基吡啶的含量.色谱条件为:STR-ODSⅡ柱(4.6 mm×150 mm),流动相为甲醇∶水=1 ∶ 3,流速1.000 mL·min-1,检测波长254 nm,柱温30℃.该方法的烟酰胺和3-氰基吡啶检测范围均为1.0～40.0 mg·L-1,烟酰胺的检测限为0.25 mg·L-1...     

Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease with Extracellular Vesicles from Mesenchymal Stem Cells and CD133+ Expanded Cells: A Comparative Preclinical Analysis

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by structural abnormalities and the progressive loss of kidney function. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from human umbilical cord tissue (hUCT)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and expanded human umbilical cord blood (hUCB)-derived CD133⁺ cells (eCD133⁺) maintain the characteristics of the parent cells, providing a new form of cell-free treatment. We evaluated the effects of EVs from hUCT-derived MSCs and hUCB-derived CD133⁺ cells on rats with CDK induced by an adenine-enriched diet. EVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation and characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and electron microscopy. The animals were randomized and divided into the MSC-EV group, eEPC-EV group and control group. Infusions occurred on the seventh and 14th days after CKD induction. Evaluations of kidney function were carried out by biochemical and histological analyses. Intense labeling of the α-SMA protein was observed when comparing the control with MSC-EVs. In both groups treated with EVs, a significant increase in serum albumin was observed, and the increase in cystatin C was inhibited. The results indicated improvements in renal function in CKD, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of EVs derived from MSCs and eCD133⁺ cells and suggesting the possibility that in the future, more than one type of EV will be used concurrently.     

长期培肥黑土脱氢酶活性动态变化及其影响因素

对东北典型黑土区长期不同培肥黑土脱氢酶活性在作物生长季的动态变化进行研究。结果表明,施用有机肥,生长季黑土总体脱氢酶活性显著高于施用化肥和不施肥,其生长季脱氢酶活性保护容量在5.5 mg TPF/kg土.h以上,黑土总体脱氢酶活性施用高量有机肥>低量有机肥>不施肥>化肥,季节性变化波动性大。长期施用高量有机肥脱氢酶活性最大峰值出现在拔节期,施用低量有机肥、化肥和不施肥最大峰值出现在完熟期;长期施用不同数量和种类肥料所引起的黑土总体脱氢酶活性差异并未因玉米生长影响而改变,说明长期施用高量有机肥黑土微生物氧化活性能力增强,土壤自身调解和维持肥力能力增强。黑土脱氢酶活性的动态变化与绝大多数土壤生物、理化特性指标的动态变化没有显著的相关性;总体脱氢酶活性与多数土壤生物、理化特性因子、植物全磷、钾含量有极显著和显著正相关关系。