Preparation of a novel hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin functionalized monolith for separation of chiral drugs in capillary electrochromatography

In this study, a novel hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CD) functionalized monolithic capillary column was prepared by one-pot sequential strategy and used for chiral separation in capillary electrochromatography for the first time. In one pot, GMA-HP-γ-CD as functional monomer was allowed to be formed via the ring opening reaction between HP-γ-CD and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) catalyzed by 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) and then copolymerized directly with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) in the presence of porogenic solvents via thermally initiated free radical polymerization. The preparation conditions of monoliths were optimized. Enantiomer separations of six chiral drugs including pindolol, clorprenaline, tulobuterol, clenbuterol, propranolol, and tropicamide were achieved on the monolith. Among them, pindolol, clorprenaline, and tropicamide were baseline separated with resolution values of 1.62, 1.73, and 1.55, respectively. The mechanism of enantiomer separation was discussed by comparison of the HP-γ-CD and HP-β-CD functionalized monoliths.

Exploring photoinactivation of microbial biofilms using laser scanning microscopy and confined 2-photon excitation

One pertinent complication in bacterial infection is the growth of biofilms, that is, communities of surface-adhered bacteria resilient to antibiotics. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has been proposed as an alternative to antibiotic treatment; however, novel techniques complementing standard efficacy measures are required. Herein, we present an approach employing multiphoton microscopy complemented with Airyscan super-resolution microscopy, to visualize the distribution of curcumin in Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms. The effects of complexation of curcumin with hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HPγCD) were studied. It was shown that HPγCD curcumin demonstrated higher bioavailability in the biofilms compared to curcumin, without affecting the subcellular uptake. Spectral quantification following PDI demonstrates a method for monitoring elimination of biofilms in real time using noninvasive 3D imaging. Additionally, spatially confined 2-photon inactivation was demonstrated for the first time in biofilms. These results support the feasibility of advanced optical microscopy as a sensitive tool for evaluating treatment efficacy in biofilms toward improved mechanistic studies of PDI.