Double stimuli-responsive functionalized cellulose nanocrystal-poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (CNC-g-PDMAEMA) reinforced poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxy valerate) (PHBV) electrospun composite membranes were explored as drug delivery vehicles using tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) as a model drug. It was found that rigid CNC-g-PDMAEMA nanoparticles enhanced thermal, crystallization and hydrophilic properties of PHBV. Moreover, great improvements in fiber diameter uniformity, crystallization ability and maximum decomposition temperature (Tmax) could be achieved at 6 wt% CNC-g-PDMAEMA. Furthermore, by introducing stimuli-responsive CNC-g-PDMAEMA nanofillers, intelligent and long-term sustained release behavior of composite membranes could be achieved. The releasing mechanism of composite membranes based on zero order, first order, Higuchi and Korsmeyere-Peppas mathematical models was clearly demonstrated, giving effective technical guidance for practical drug delivery systems.
Biological membranes are tricky to investigate. They are complex in terms of molecular composition and structure, functional over a wide range of time scales, and characterized by nonequilibrium conditions. Because of all of these features, simulations are a great technique to study biomembrane behavior. A significant part of the functional processes in biological membranes takes place at the molecular level; thus computer simulations are the method of choice to explore how their properties emerge from specific molecular features and how the interplay among the numerous molecules gives rise to function over spatial and time scales larger than the molecular ones. In this review, we focus on this broad theme. We discuss the current state-of-the-art of biomembrane simulations that, until now, have largely focused on a rather narrow picture of the complexity of the membranes. Given this, we also discuss the challenges that we should unravel in the foreseeable future. Numerous features such as the actin-cytoskeleton network, the glycocalyx network, and nonequilibrium transport under ATP-driven conditions have so far received very little attention; however, the potential of simulations to solve them would be exceptionally high. A major milestone for this research would be that one day we could say that computer simulations genuinely research biological membranes, not just lipid bilayers.
- MeSH
- biologické modely * MeSH
- fosfolipidy chemie metabolismus MeSH
- kyseliny karboxylové chemie metabolismus MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lipidomika metody MeSH
- membránové lipidy chemie metabolismus MeSH
- membrány chemie metabolismus fyziologie MeSH
- počítačová simulace MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
The control of the surface properties is an important issue for applicability of polymer membranes interacting with cells. In this work, the influence of surface roughness and stiffness of two polymer membranes on viability and mechanical properties of keratinocytes was studied. Terpolimer polyglicolide, polycaprolactone and polylactide, (PGA-PCL-PLA) and copolymer polycaprolactone, polyglicolide (PGA-PCL) substrates were used for membranes fabrication. Surface modification - the hydrolysis of the obtained membranes was carried out. The analysis of membranes' surface properties revealed that RMS surface roughness and roughness factor of PGA-PCL-PLA membrane decreased after hydrolysis while its stiffness increased. In contrast, the PGA-PCL membrane stiffness was only slightly affected by NaOH treatment. Immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT) were grown under standard conditions on the surface of the studied membranes and characterized by means of atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microcopy. The results showed the substrate-dependent effect on cells' properties.
- MeSH
- buněčné linie MeSH
- fluorescenční mikroskopie MeSH
- keratinocyty účinky léků fyziologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- membrány chemie MeSH
- mikroskopie atomárních sil MeSH
- polymery chemická syntéza toxicita MeSH
- povrchové vlastnosti * MeSH
- testování materiálů * MeSH
- viabilita buněk MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Itraconazole (ITZ) is an antifungal agent used clinically to treat mycotic infections. However, its therapeutic effects are limited by low solubility in aqueous media. Liposome-based delivery systems (LDS) have been proposed as a delivery mechanism for ITZ to alleviate this problem. Furthermore, PEGylation, the inclusion in the formulation of a protective "stealth sheath" of poly(ethylene glycol) around carrier particles, is widely used to increase circulation time in the bloodstream and hence efficacy. Together, these themes highlight the importance of mechanistic and structural understanding of ITZ incorporation into liposomes both with and without PEGylation because it can provide a potential foundation for the rational design of LDS-based systems for delivery of ITZ, using alternate protective polymers or formulations. Here we have combined atomistic simulations, cryo-TEM, Langmuir film balance, and fluorescence quenching experiments to explore how ITZ interacts with both pristine and PEGylated liposomes. We found that the drug can be incorporated into conventional and PEGylated liposomes for drug concentrations up to 15 mol % without phase separation. We observed that, in addition to its protective properties, PEGylation significantly increases the stability of liposomes that host ITZ. In a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayer without PEGylation, ITZ was found to reside inside the lipid bilayer between the glycerol and the double-bond regions of POPC, adopting a largely parallel orientation along the membrane surface. In a PEGylated liposome, ITZ partitions mainly to the PEG layer. The results provide a solid basis for further development of liposome-based delivery systems.
- MeSH
- antifungální látky chemie MeSH
- chemie farmaceutická metody MeSH
- fluorescence MeSH
- fosfatidylcholiny chemie MeSH
- itrakonazol chemie MeSH
- lipidové dvojvrstvy chemie MeSH
- liposomy chemie MeSH
- membrány chemie MeSH
- ochranné látky chemie MeSH
- polyethylenglykoly chemie MeSH
- polymery chemie MeSH
- povrchové vlastnosti MeSH
- rozpustnost MeSH
- systémy cílené aplikace léků metody MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Phosphoinositides are a class of phospholipids generated by the action of phosphoinositide kinases with key regulatory functions in eukaryotic cells. Here, we present the atomic structure of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase type IIα (PI4K IIα), in complex with ATP solved by X-ray crystallography at 2.8 Å resolution. The structure revealed a non-typical kinase fold that could be divided into N- and C-lobes with the ATP binding groove located in between. Surprisingly, a second ATP was found in a lateral hydrophobic pocket of the C-lobe. Molecular simulations and mutagenesis analysis revealed the membrane binding mode and the putative function of the hydrophobic pocket. Taken together, our results suggest a mechanism of PI4K IIα recruitment, regulation, and function at the membrane.
- MeSH
- fosfatidylinositoly chemie metabolismus MeSH
- fosfotransferasy s alkoholovou skupinou jako akceptorem chemie metabolismus ultrastruktura MeSH
- inositol chemie MeSH
- konformace proteinů * MeSH
- krystalografie rentgenová * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- membrány chemie MeSH
- metoda Monte Carlo MeSH
- signální transdukce MeSH
- vazba proteinů MeSH
- vazebná místa MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
The lateral pressure profile of lipid bilayers has gained a lot of attention, since changes in the pressure profile have been suggested to shift the membrane protein conformational equilibrium. This relation has been mostly studied with theoretical methods, especially with molecular dynamics simulations, since established methods to measure the lateral pressure profile experimentally have not been available. The only experiments that have attempted to gauge the lateral pressure profile have been done by using di-pyrenyl-phosphatidylcholine (di-pyr-PC) probes. In these experiments, the excimer/monomer fluorescence ratio has been assumed to represent the lateral pressure in the location of the pyrene moieties. Here, we consider the validity of this assumption through atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in a DOPC (dioleoylphosphatidylcholine) membrane, which hosts di-pyr-PC probes with different acyl chain lengths. Based on the simulations, we calculate the pyrene dimerization rate and the lateral pressure at the location of the pyrenes. The dimerization rates are compared with the results of di-pyr-PC probes simulated in vacuum. The comparison indicates that the lateral pressure is not the dominant determinant of the excimer/monomer fluorescence ratio. Thus, the results do not support the usage of di-pyr-PC molecules to measure the shape of the lateral pressure profile. We yet discuss how the probes could potentially be exploited to gain qualitative insight of the changes in pressure profile when lipid composition is altered.
A commonly used method to determine the strength of adhesion between adhering lipid vesicles is measuring their effective contact angle from experimental images. The aim of this paper is to estimate the interobserver variations in vesicles effective contact angle measurements and to propose a new method for estimating the strength of membrane vesicle adhesion. Theoretical model shows for the old and for the new measure a monotonic dependence on the strength of adhesion. Results obtained by both measuring techniques show statistically significant correlation and high interobserver reliability for both methods. Therefore the conventional method of measuring the effective contact angle gives qualitatively relevant results as the measure of the lipid vesicle adhesion. However, the new measuring technique provides a lower variation of the measured values than the conventional measures using the effective contact angle. Moreover, obtaining the adhesion angle can be automatized more easily than obtaining the effective contact angle.
- MeSH
- adhezivita MeSH
- biomechanika MeSH
- cytoplazmatické vezikuly chemie fyziologie MeSH
- lipidy chemie fyziologie MeSH
- mechanický stres MeSH
- membrány chemie fyziologie MeSH
- mikroskopie fázově kontrastní MeSH
- odchylka pozorovatele MeSH
- pevnost ve smyku fyziologie MeSH
- statistické modely MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
The need for detailed biophysical description of cationic lipid membranes, which are commonly used as gene transfection vectors, led us to study the properties of mixed cationic/zwitterionic lipid bilayers. Fluorescence solvent relaxation measurements of 6-dodecanoyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene (Laurdan) incorporated in a membrane consisting of cationic dimyristoyltrimethylammoniumpropane (DMTAP) and zwitterionic dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) were performed. The obtained results are compared with a recently measured system consisting of dioleoyltrimethylammoniumpropane (DOTAP) and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) (Jurkiewicz et al. Langmuir 22:8741-8749, 2006). The similar nonmonotonic dependence of the relaxation kinetics on cationic lipid content in the membrane was present for both systems. While the slowest solvent relaxation have been observed for 30 mol% of DOTAP in the DOPC bilayer (Jurkiewicz et al. Langmuir 22:8741-8749, 2006), for DMPC/DMTAP system it was found at 45 mol% of DMTAP, which agrees with the literature. Both membranes increased their hydration upon increased cationic lipid content.
- MeSH
- 2-naftylamin analogy a deriváty chemie MeSH
- dimyristoylfosfatidylcholin chemie MeSH
- financování organizované MeSH
- fluorescence MeSH
- fluorescenční barviva chemie MeSH
- kationty chemie MeSH
- kvartérní amoniové sloučeniny chemie MeSH
- laurany chemie MeSH
- lipidové dvojvrstvy chemie MeSH
- lipidy chemie MeSH
- membrány chemie MeSH
- molekulární struktura MeSH
- myristáty chemie MeSH
- rozpouštědla chemie MeSH
- voda chemie MeSH
