Role of spacer length in interaction between novel gemini imidazolium surfactants and Rhizopus oryzae lipase

Interaction between newly synthesized surface-active ionic liquids with pharmaceutically active anion and bovine serum albumin

This work describes the synthesis and properties of new surface active (octyl-, and dodecyl-) imidazolium and choline-based ionic liquids with pharmaceutically active 5-fluorouracil anion (SAAPI-IL). The effect of the novel SAAPI-IL on the secondary and tertiary structure of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The binding constants of BSA with SAAPI-IL were estimated from the fluorescence quenching of BSA. The influence of the length of the alkyl chain SAAPI-IL on the binding constant with BSA was analyzed. The localization of ions on BSA was estimated using the molecular docking method. Also, the effect of alkyl substituent length on the aggregation tendency of SAAPI-IL was studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Cytotoxicity and selectivity of SAAPI-ILs on cancer and normal cell lines were compared to molecular 5-fluorouracil and API-IL without the alkyl substituents. Surprisingly, increasing the length of the alkyl substituent did not increase the binding of SAAPI-IL to BSA. On the other hand, [C8Ch][FU] showed selectivity against A 549 cell line, which 5-fluorouracil does not possess.

New Asymmetric Gemini Triazole Surfactants with a Polar Triethylene Glycol Fragment: Synthesis and Physico-Chemical Properties

The present work is devoted to the synthesis and analysis of the physicochemical properties of new functionalized asymmetric Gemini surfactants. Herein, alkyl- and azide-substituted surfactants with symmetric and asymmetric substituents were synthesized by using the click-reaction method. The critical aggregation concentration values of Gemini surfactants were determined. The binding processes of functionalized Gemini surfactants with bovine serum albumin were evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy. Also, using the temperature dependences of the binding constants, the mechanism of Gemini surfactants binding with bovine serum albumin was studied. The hydrodynamic diameters of the formed bovine serum albumin/surfactant aggregates were analyzed. Based on electrophoretic light scattering, the ability of the synthesized Gemini surfactants to form associates was analyzed. The possibility of changing the mechanism of interaction in the 15c/bovine serum albumin system was shown. Based on the results obtained using different light scattering techniques and fluorescence spectroscopy, the mechanisms of interaction between bovine serum albumin and surfactants were determined.

How do surfactants unfold and refold proteins?

Although the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, has been used for more than half a century as a versatile and efficient protein denaturant for protein separation and size estimation, there is still controversy about its mode of interaction with proteins. The term "rod-like" structures for the complexes that form between SDS and protein, originally introduced by Tanford, is not sufficiently descriptive and does not distinguish between the two current vying models, namely protein-decorated micelles a.k.a. the core-shell model (in which denatured protein covers the surface of micelles) versus beads-on-a-string model (where unfolded proteins are surrounded by surfactant micelles). Thanks to a combination of structural, kinetic and computational work particularly within the last 5-10 years, it is now possible to rule decisively in favor of the core-shell model. This is supported unambiguously by a combination of calorimetric and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques and confirmed by increasingly sophisticated molecular dynamics simulations. Depending on the SDS:protein ratio and the protein molecular mass, the formed structures can range from multiple partly unfolded protein molecules surrounding a single shared micelle to a single polypeptide chain decorating multiple micelles. We also have much new insight into how this species forms. It is preceded by the binding of small numbers of SDS molecules which subsequently grow by accretion. Time-resolved SAXS analysis reveals an asymmetric attack by SDS micelles followed by distribution of the increasingly unfolded protein around the micelle. The compactness of the protein chain continues to evolve at higher SDS concentrations according to single-molecule studies, though the protein remains completely denatured on the tertiary structural level. SDS denaturation can be reversed by addition of nonionic surfactants that absorb SDS forming mixed micelles, leaving the protein free to refold. Refolding can occur in parallel tracks if only a fraction of the protein is initially stripped of SDS. SDS unfolding is nearly always reversible unless carried out at low pH, where charge neutralization can lead to superclusters of protein-surfactant complexes. With the general mechanism of SDS denaturation now firmly established, it largely remains to explore how other ionic surfactants (including biosurfactants) may diverge from this path.

Anticorrosion Study for Brass Alloys in Heat Exchangers during Acid Cleaning Using Novel Gemini Surfactants Based on Benzalkonium Tetrafluoroborate

For a variety of applications, the brass alloy has been utilized to replace titanium tubes in heat exchangers. Copper alloys' high corrosion rate during the acid cleaning procedure remains a significant concern. To inhibit the corrosion of brass alloys, we prepared two novel gemini surfactants (GSs), N ₁,N ₃-dibenzyl-N ₁,N ₁,N ₃,N ₃-tetramethylpropane-1,3-diaminium tetrafluoroborate (I H) and N ₁,N ₁,N ₃,N ₃-tetramethyl-N ₁,N ₃-bis (4-methyl benzyl) propane-1,3-diaminium tetrafluoroborate (I Me), and they were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Their inhibition performance against corrosion of brass alloys in 1 M HCl was studied using electrochemical techniques including potentiodynamic polarization (PP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and electrochemical frequency modulation. The inhibition effect of the synthesized compounds was high, and it increased as the inhibitor's concentration was increased. The maximum level of inhibition efficiency was achieved at an inhibitor concentration of 100 ppm, reaching 96.42% according to PP measurements. From Langmuir data, the mechanisms of adsorption of the two GSs on the surface of copper was found to be physisorption and chemisorption adsorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy show that the addition of the two compounds lowers the dissolution of brass ions in the corrosive solution and forms a protective layer on the surface of the brass.

Cationic Surfactants: Self-Assembly, Structure-Activity Correlation and Their Biological Applications

The development of biotechnological protocols based on cationic surfactants is a modern trend focusing on the fabrication of antimicrobial and bioimaging agents, supramolecular catalysts, stabilizers of nanoparticles, and especially drug and gene nanocarriers. The main emphasis given to the design of novel ecologically friendly and biocompatible cationic surfactants makes it possible to avoid the drawbacks of nanoformulations preventing their entry to clinical trials. To solve the problem of toxicity various ways are proposed, including the use of mixed composition with nontoxic nonionic surfactants and/or hydrotropic agents, design of amphiphilic compounds bearing natural or cleavable fragments. Essential advantages of cationic surfactants are the structural diversity of their head groups allowing of chemical modification and introduction of desirable moiety to answer the green chemistry criteria. The latter can be exemplified by the design of novel families of ecological friendly cleavable surfactants, with improved biodegradability, amphiphiles with natural fragments, and geminis with low aggregation threshold. Importantly, the development of amphiphilic nanocarriers for drug delivery allows understanding the correlation between the chemical structure of surfactants, their aggregation behavior, and their functional activity. This review focuses on several aspects related to the synthesis of innovative cationic surfactants and their broad biological applications including antimicrobial activity, solubilization of hydrophobic drugs, complexation with DNA, and catalytic effect toward important biochemical reaction.

Synthesis of functional ionic liquid modified magnetic chitosan nanoparticles for porcine pancreatic lipase immobilization

We developed magnetic chitosan nanoparticles (CS‑Fe₃O₄) with mean diameter of 15-20 nm. Subsequently, these inorganic-organic composite nanoparticles were modified using an imidazole-based functional ionic liquid (IL). The prepared support (IL‑CS‑Fe₃O₄), which was used to immobilize porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL), was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), thermogravimetry (TG), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Circular dichroism (CD) was used to analyze the secondary structure of immobilized PPL. The immobilized PPL (PPL‑IL‑CS‑Fe₃O₄) exhibited 1.93-fold higher specific activity than PPL‑CS-Fe₃O₄ when triacetin was used as the substrate, and showed 95 mg/g of lipase immobilization capacity and 382% of activity recovery. The residual activity of PPL‑IL‑CS‑Fe₃O₄ was above 60% of the initial activity after incubation at 50 °C for 6 h, as was higher than that of PPL‑CS‑Fe₃O₄ which showed 40% of the initial activity. In addition, PPL‑IL‑CS‑Fe₃O₄ retained 84.6% of the initial activity after 10 cycles, whereas PPL‑CS‑Fe₃O₄ retained only 75.5% activity. Furthermore, the kinetic parameters, apparent K_m and V_max of PPL‑IL‑CS‑Fe₃O₄ were 2.51 mg/mL and 1.395 U/mg respectively, these results indicated that the immobilized PPL had better affinity towards the substrate, especially when the nanoparticles were modified by functional IL. Besides, the magnetic chitosan nanoparticles loaded with PPL were easily recovered. A novel, efficient, and practical method for enzyme immobilization was developed.

Structure-activity relationships on the study of β-galactosidase folding/unfolding due to interactions with immobilization additives: Triton X-100 and ethanol

Improving the enzyme stability is a challenge for allowing their practical application. The surfactants are stabilizing agents, however, there are still questions about their influence on enzyme properties. The structure-activity/stability relationship for β-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans is studied here by Circular Dichroism and activity measurements, as a function of temperature and pH. The tendency of preserving the β-sheet and α-helix structures at temperatures below 65°C and different pH is the result of the balance between the large- and short-range effects, respecting to the active site. This information is fundamental for explaining the structural changes of this enzyme in the presence of Triton X-100 surfactant and ethanol. The enzyme thermal stabilization in the presence of this surfactant responds to the rearrangement of the secondary structure for having optimal activity/stability. The effect of ethanol is more related with changes in the dielectric properties of the aqueous solution than with protein structural transformations. These results contribute to understand the effects of surfactant-enzyme interactions on the enzyme behavior, from the structural point of view and to rationalize the surfactant-based stabilizing strategies for β-galactosidades.