Computer-aided nanotoxicology: assessing cytotoxicity of nanoparticles under diverse experimental conditions by using a novel QSTR-perturbation approach

Nowadays, the interest in the search for new nanomaterials with improved electrical, optical, catalytic and biological properties has increased. Despite the potential benefits that can be gathered from the use of nanoparticles, only little attention has been paid to their possible toxic effects that may affect human health. In this context, several assays have been carried out to evaluate the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles in mammalian cells. Owing to the cost in both resources and time involved in such toxicological assays, there has been a considerable increase in the interest towards alternative computational methods, like the application of quantitative structure-activity/toxicity relationship (QSAR/QSTR) models for risk assessment of nanoparticles. However, most QSAR/QSTR models developed so far have predicted cytotoxicity against only one cell line, and they did not provide information regarding the influence of important factors rather than composition or size. This work reports a QSTR-perturbation model aiming at simultaneously predicting the cytotoxicity of different nanoparticles against several mammalian cell lines, and also considering different times of exposure of the cell lines, as well as the chemical composition of nanoparticles, size, conditions under which the size was measured, and shape. The derived QSTR-perturbation model, using a dataset of 1681 cases (nanoparticle-nanoparticle pairs), exhibited an accuracy higher than 93% for both training and prediction sets. In order to demonstrate the practical applicability of our model, the cytotoxicity of different silica (SiO2), nickel (Ni), and nickel(ii) oxide (NiO) nanoparticles were predicted and found to be in very good agreement with experimental reports. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to simultaneously predict the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles under multiple experimental conditions by applying a single unique QSTR model.

Computational tool for risk assessment of nanomaterials: novel QSTR-perturbation model for simultaneous prediction of ecotoxicity and cytotoxicity of uncoated and coated nanoparticles under multiple experimental conditions

Nanomaterials have revolutionized modern science and technology due to their multiple applications in engineering, physics, chemistry, and biomedicine. Nevertheless, the use and manipulation of nanoparticles (NPs) can bring serious damages to living organisms and their ecosystems. For this reason, ecotoxicity and cytotoxicity assays are of special interest in order to determine the potential harmful effects of NPs. Processes based on ecotoxicity and cytotoxicity tests can significantly consume time and financial resources. In this sense, alternative approaches such as quantitative structure-activity/toxicity relationships (QSAR/QSTR) modeling have provided important insights for the better understanding of the biological behavior of NPs that may be responsible for causing toxicity. Until now, QSAR/QSTR models have predicted ecotoxicity or cytotoxicity separately against only one organism (bioindicator species or cell line) and have not reported information regarding the quantitative influence of characteristics other than composition or size. In this work, we developed a unified QSTR-perturbation model to simultaneously probe ecotoxicity and cytotoxicity of NPs under different experimental conditions, including diverse measures of toxicities, multiple biological targets, compositions, sizes and conditions to measure those sizes, shapes, times during which the biological targets were exposed to NPs, and coating agents. The model was created from 36488 cases (NP-NP pairs) and exhibited accuracies higher than 98% in both training and prediction sets. The model was used to predict toxicities of several NPs that were not included in the original data set. The results of the predictions suggest that the present QSTR-perturbation model can be employed as a highly promising tool for the fast and efficient assessment of ecotoxicity and cytotoxicity of NPs.

Size and stability of liposomes: a possible role of hydration and osmotic forces

Dynamic light scattering and electrophoretic mobility measurements have been used to characterize the size, size distribution and zeta potentials (zeta-potentials) of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (EYPC) liposomes in the presence of monovalent ions ( Na(+) and K(+)). To study the stability of liposomes the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory has been extended by introducing the hydrated radius of the adsorbed ions onto the liposome surfaces. The decrease of liposome size is explained on the basis of the membrane impermeability to some ions which generate osmotic forces, which leads to evacuate water from liposome inside.

Enabling the Discovery and Virtual Screening of Potent and Safe Antimicrobial Peptides. Simultaneous Prediction of Antibacterial Activity and Cytotoxicity

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent promising alternatives to fight against bacterial pathogens. However, cellular toxicity remains one of the main concerns in the early development of peptide-based drugs. This work introduces the first multitasking (mtk) computational model focused on performing simultaneous predictions of antibacterial activities, and cytotoxicities of peptides. The model was created from a data set containing 3592 cases, and it displayed accuracy higher than 96% for classifying/predicting peptides in both training and prediction (test) sets. The technique known as alanine scanning was computationally applied to illustrate the calculation of the quantitative contributions of the amino acids (in their respective positions of the sequence) to the biological effects of a defined peptide. A small library formed by 10 peptides was generated, where peptides were designed by considering the interpretations of the different descriptors in the mtk-computational model. All the peptides were predicted to exhibit high antibacterial activities against multiple bacterial strains, and low cytotoxicity against various cell types. The present mtk-computational model can be considered a very useful tool to support high throughput research for the discovery of potent and safe AMPs.

A comparative study of the physicochemical properties of perfluorinated and hydrogenated amphiphiles

In this work we studied and compared the physicochemical properties of perfluorinated (sodium perfluoroheptanoate, C7FONa, and perfluorooctanoate, C8FONa) and hydrogenated (sodium octanoate, C8HONa, decanoate, C10HONa, and dodecanoate, C12HONa) amphiphiles. First, we determined their Krafft points to study the solubility and appropriate temperature range of micellization of these compounds. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and ionization degree of micellization (beta) as a function of temperature (T) were estimated from conductivity data. Plots of cmc vs T appear to follow the typical U-shaped curve with a minimum T(min). The results show that the surfactants with CF2/CH2 ratio of 1.5 between alkyl chains (C12HONa-C8FONa and C10HONa-C7FONa) have nearly the same minimum value for cmc against temperature. The comparison between the cmc of hydrogenated amphiphiles and the corresponding perfluorinated amphiphiles must be done at this point. Thermodynamic functions of micellization were obtained by applying different theoretical models and choosing the one that best fit our experimental data. Although perfluorinated and hydrogenated amphiphiles present similar thermodynamic behavior, we have found a variation of 1.3 to 1.7 in the CF2/CH2 ratio, which did not remain constant with temperature. In the second part of this study the apparent molar volumes and adiabatic compressibilities were determined from density and ultrasound velocity measurements. Apparent molar volumes at infinite dilution presented the ratio 1.5 between alkyl chains again. However, apparent molar volumes upon micellization for sodium perfluoroheptanoate indicated a different aggregation pattern.

Complexation between dodecyl sulfate surfactant and zein protein in solution

Interactions between sodium dodecyl sulfate and zein protein, a model system for the understanding of the effect of surfactants on skin, were investigated using a range of techniques involving UV-vis spectroscopy, TOC (total organic carbon analysis), electrophoresis, and static and dynamic light scattering. Zein protein was solubilized by SDS. The adsorption of SDS onto insoluble protein fraction caused the zeta potential of the complex to become more negative. From these values, we calculated the Gibbs energy of absorption, which decreases when the SDS concentration is raised. Finally the structure of the complex, based on the analysis by static and dynamic light scattering, is proposed to be rod like.

Computational ecotoxicology: simultaneous prediction of ecotoxic effects of nanoparticles under different experimental conditions

Nanotechnology has brought great advances to many fields of modern science. A manifold of applications of nanoparticles have been found due to their interesting optical, electrical, and biological/chemical properties. However, the potential toxic effects of nanoparticles to different ecosystems are of special concern nowadays. Despite the efforts of the scientific community, the mechanisms of toxicity of nanoparticles are still poorly understood. Quantitative-structure activity/toxicity relationships (QSAR/QSTR) models have just started being useful computational tools for the assessment of toxic effects of nanomaterials. But most QSAR/QSTR models have been applied so far to predict ecotoxicity against only one organism/bio-indicator such as Daphnia magna. This prevents having a deeper knowledge about the real ecotoxic effects of nanoparticles, and consequently, there is no possibility to establish an efficient risk assessment of nanomaterials in the environment. In this work, a perturbation model for nano-QSAR problems is introduced with the aim of simultaneously predicting the ecotoxicity of different nanoparticles against several assay organisms (bio-indicators), by considering also multiple measures of ecotoxicity, as well as the chemical compositions, sizes, conditions under which the sizes were measured, shapes, and the time during which the diverse assay organisms were exposed to nanoparticles. The QSAR-perturbation model was derived from a database containing 5520 cases (nanoparticle-nanoparticle pairs), and it was shown to exhibit accuracies of ca. 99% in both training and prediction sets. In order to demonstrate the practical applicability of our model, three different nickel-based nanoparticles (Ni) with experimental values reported in the literature were predicted. The predictions were found to be in very good agreement with the experimental evidences, confirming that Ni-nanoparticles are not ecotoxic when compared with other nanoparticles. The results of this study thus provide a single valuable tool toward an efficient prediction of the ecotoxicity of nanoparticles under multiple experimental conditions.

First Multitarget Chemo-Bioinformatic Model To Enable the Discovery of Antibacterial Peptides against Multiple Gram-Positive Pathogens

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as promising therapeutic alternatives to fight against the diverse infections caused by different pathogenic microorganisms. In this context, theoretical approaches in bioinformatics have paved the way toward the creation of several in silico models capable of predicting antimicrobial activities of peptides. All current models have several significant handicaps, which prevent the efficient search for highly active AMPs. Here, we introduce the first multitarget (mt) chemo-bioinformatic model devoted to performing alignment-free prediction of antibacterial activity of peptides against multiple Gram-positive bacterial strains. The model was constructed from a data set containing 2488 cases of AMPs sequences assayed against at least 1 out of 50 Gram-positive bacterial strains. This mt-chemo-bioinformatic model displayed percentages of correct classification higher than 90.00% in both training and prediction (test) sets. For the first time, two computational approaches derived from basic concepts in genetics and molecular biology were applied, allowing the calculations of the relative contributions of any amino acid (in a defined position) to the antibacterial activity of an AMP and depending on the bacterial strain used in the biological assay. The present mt-chemo-bioinformatic model constitutes a powerful tool to enable the discovery of potent and versatile AMPs.

Thermodynamics of Association of Structurally Related Amphiphilic Penicillins

Critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of the penicillins cloxacillin and dicloxacillin in water were determined by conductivity measurements over the temperature range 288.15 to 313.15 K. Both penicillins showed minimum CMCs at temperatures close to 298.15 K. Thermodynamic parameters of aggregate formation were derived from the variation of the CMC with temperature using a modified form of the mass action model applicable to systems of low aggregation number. Values for the enthalpy of aggregate formation, DeltaH(0)(m), calculated by this method showed that the aggregation of both cloxacillin and dicloxacillin became increasingly exothermic with increase in temperature. The predicted DeltaH(0)(m) at 298.15 K was in good agreement with the value determined experimentally by calorimetry for each drug. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Study of the interactions between lysozyme and a fully-fluorinated surfactant in aqueous solution at different surfactant-protein ratios

The interactions of a fluorinated surfactant, sodium perfluorooctanoate, with lysozyme, have been investigated by a combination of UV absorbance, electrical conductivity and dynamic light scattering to detect and to characterize the conformational transitions of lysozyme. By using difference spectroscopy, the transition was followed as a function of surfactant concentration, and the data were analyzed to obtain the Gibbs energy of the transition in water (DeltaGw(o)) and in a hydrophobic environment (DeltaGh(o)) for saturated protein-surfactant complexes. Electrical conductivity was used to determine the critical micelle concentration of the surfactant in the presence of different lysozyme concentration. From these results, the average number of surfactant monomer per protein molecule was calculated. Finally, dynamic light scattering show that only changes in the secondary structure of the protein can be observed.

Manipulating the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite nano-rods structured networks: effects on mineral coating morphology and growth kinetic

BACKGROUND

Nano-hydroxyapatite particles have better bioactivity than the coarse crystals. So, they can be utilized for engineered tissue implants with improved efficiency over other materials. The development of materials with specific bioactive characteristics is still under investigation.

METHODS

The surface properties of four hydroxyapatite materials templated by different micelle-polymer structured network are studied. The synergistic interaction of each block copolymer in contact with CTAB rod-like micelles results in crystalline HAp nano-rods of 25-50nm length organized in hierarchical structures with different micro-rough characteristics.

RESULTS

It was observed that the material in vitro bioactivity strongly depends on the surface structure while in a minor extent on their Ca/P ratio. So, MIII and MIV materials with Skewness parameter Rsk>2.62 favored the formation on their surfaces of net-like phase with a high growth kinetic constant; while MI and MII (Rsk≤2.62) induced the appearance of spherulitic-like structures and a growth rate 1.75 times inferior. Material biocompatibility was confirmed by interaction with rat calvarial osteoblasts.

CONCLUSIONS

The different structures growth is attributed to a dissimilar matching of crystal planes in the material and the apatite layer formed. In specific synthesis conditions, a biocompatible material with a Ca/P ratio close to that for the trabecular bone and a morphology that are considered essential for bone-bonding was obtained.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

The creation of implantable devices with a specific bioactive characteristic may be useful to manipulate the attachment of cells on mineral coating directly affecting the stability and life of the implant.

Thermodynamics of Micellization of Surfactants of Low Aggregation Number: The Aggregation of Propranolol Hydrochloride

The self-association of propranolol hydrochloride in aqueous solution has been studied as a function of temperature. The critical concentration (C*) and the degree of ionization (alpha) were determined by conductivity measurements at temperatures over the range 298.15 to 313.15 K. The enthalpy change on aggregation in water was measured by microcalorimetry. To calculate changes in the thermodynamic properties of aggregation the mass action model for high and low aggregation numbers was applied, the latter model giving better agreement between experimental and theoretical enthalpy changes. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Conformational Changes in Human Serum Albumin Induced by Sodium Perfluorooctanoate in Aqueous Solutions

Conformational changes in the bulk solution and at the air-aqueous interface of human serum albumin (HSA) induced by changes in concentration of sodium perfluorooctanoate (C(7)F(15)COO(-)Na(+)) were studied by difference spectroscopy, zeta-potential data, and axisymmetric drop shape analysis. zeta-potential was used to monitor the formation of the HSA-C(7)F(15)COO(-)Na(+) complex and the surface charge of the complex. The conformational transition of HSA in the bulk solution was followed as a function of denaturant concentration by absorbance measurements at 280 nm. The data were analyzed to obtain values for the Gibbs energies of the transition in water (DeltaG(0)(W)) and in a hydrophobic environment (DeltaG(0)(hc)) pertaining to saturated protein-surfactant complexes. The conformational changes that surfactants induce in HSA molecules alter its absorption behavior at the air-water interface. Dynamic surface measurements were used to evaluate this behavior. At low [C(7)F(15)COO(-)Na(+)], proteins present three adsorption regimes: induction time, monolayer saturation, and interfacial gelation. When surfactant concentration increases and conformational changes in the bulk solution occur, the adsorption regimes disappear. HSA molecules in an intermediate conformational state migrate to the air-water interface and form a unique monolayer. At high [C(7)F(15)COO(-)Na(+)], the adsorption of denatured molecules exhibits a behavior analogous to that of dilute solutions.

Effect of Electrolyte on the Surface and Thermodynamic Properties of Amphiphilic Penicillins

Critical micelle concentrations and surface properties of the penicillins cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, and nafcillin in aqueous solution at 303 K and at electrolyte concentrations over the range 0.0-0.4 mol dm(-3) were determined by surface tension measurements. A mass action model, modified for application to associating systems of low aggregation number, was used to calculate the standard Gibbs energy of micellization of these drugs at each electrolyte concentration. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Effects of fluorinated and hydrogenated surfactants on human serum albumin at different pHs

Complexation between human serum albumin (HSA) and two different surfactants, one fully fluorinated (sodium perfluorooctanoate, SPFO) and one fully hydrogenated (sodium caprylate, SO), was studied using zeta-potential measurements and difference spectroscopy. The study was carried out at three different pHs, 3.2, 6.7, and 10.0. The spectroscopy study was performed at pHs 6.7 and 10.0, given that at pH 3.2 high turbidity was observed in the wide range of surfactant concentrations. The results were interpreted in terms of the electrostatic and hydrophobic contributions to the stability of the different phases formed in the water-surfactant-HSA system. Solutions and precipitates were observed in the concentration range investigated in more detail. Using Pace methods, the thermodynamic values of the surfactant-induced conformational changes in HSA were determined for sodium perfluorooctanoate in the concentration range 2-12 mmol dm(-3) at pH 6.7 and 5-22 mmol dm(-3) at pH 10.0. Electrophoretic measurements were used to characterize surfactant adsorption by determining the number of molecules adsorbed on the surface of HSA and the Gibbs energy of adsorption. Finally, the interactions between human serum albumin and other anionic surfactants studied by other authors were compared with those observed in the present work.

Adsorption of an amphiphilic penicillin onto human serum albumin: characterisation of the complex

The complex formed by the interaction of the amphiphilic penicillin drug nafcillin and human serum albumin (HSA) in water at 25 degrees C has been characterised using a range of physicochemical techniques. Measurements of the solution conductivity and the electrophoretic mobility of the complexes have shown an ionic adsorption of the drug on the protein surface leading to a surface saturation at a nafcillin concentration of 0.012 mmol kg(-1) and subsequent formation of drug micelles in solutions of higher nafcillin concentration. Measurements of the size of the complex and the thickness of the adsorbed layer by static and dynamic light scattering have shown a gradual change in hydrodynamic radius of the complex with increasing drug concentration typical of a saturation rather than a denaturation process, the magnitude of the change being insufficient to account for any appreciable extension or unfolding of the HSA molecule. The interaction potential between the HSA/nafcillin complexes, and the stability of the complexes were determined from the dependence of diffusion coefficients on protein concentration by application of the DLVO colloidal stability theory. The results indicate decreasing stability of the colloidal dispersion of the drug/protein complexes with an increase in the concentration of added drug.

Fibrinogen stability under surfactant interaction

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), circular dichroism (CD), difference spectroscopy (UV-vis), Raman spectroscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements have been performed in the present work to provide a quantitatively comprehensive physicochemical description of the complexation between bovine fibrinogen and the sodium perfluorooctanoate, sodium octanoate, and sodium dodecanoate in glycine buffer (pH 8.5). It has been found that sodium octanoate and dodecanoate act as fibrinogen destabilizer. Meanwhile, sodium perfluorooctanoate acts as a structure stabilizer at low molar concentration and as a destabilizer at high molar concentration. Fibrinogen's secondary structure is affected by all three studied surfactants (decrease in α-helix and an increase in β-sheet content) to a different extent. DSC and UV-vis revealed the existence of intermediate states in the thermal unfolding process of fibrinogen. In addition, SAXS data analysis showed that pure fibrinogen adopts a paired-dimer structure in solution. Such a structure is unaltered by sodium octanoate and perfluoroctanoate. However, interaction of sodium dodecanoate with the fibrinogen affects the protein conformation leading to a complex formation. Taken together, all results evidence that both surfactant hydrophobicity and tail length mediate the fibrinogen stability upon interaction.

Adsorption/desorption study of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drugs onto bioactive hydroxyapatite nano-rods

The use of high doses of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs for patients with bone diseases, associated to implants or bone filling, can develop adverse effects; and consequently, it promotes to think new strategies to avoid this problem. In this work, it has been described the adsorption/release (or desorption) behavior of two drugs, ciprofloxacin (CIP) and ibuprofen (IBU), onto hydroxyapatite (nano-HA) at 37 °C. Through Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, the concentrations of both drugs in adsorption, kinetic and desorption processes were obtained. The Fourier Transformed-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Zeta-potential (ζ-potential), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (H-TEM) and x-Ray Diffraction (xRD) were also used to characterize bared nanoparticles and those with adsorbed drugs. Five adsorption models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich) were used for describing the behavior of both active compounds. The adsorption processes (CIP/nano-HA and IBU/nano-HA) were better predicted by the Sips model than by the others. The kinetic adsorption data were processed, for both active agents, by application of Avrami's model. Desorption/release process (of both drugs) was evaluated though Korsmeyer-Peppas (K-P) model. Owing to the predictability of these systems, we propose the use of these active ceramics as potential bone filler for improving the treatment against bacterial bone infections and to avoid its associated inflammatory process.

Ultraviolet-circular dichroism spectroscopy and potentiometric study of the interaction between human serum albumin and sodium perfluorooctanoate

The interaction of a fluorinated surfactant, sodium perfluorooctanoate, with human serum albumin (HSA) has been investigated by a combination of ultraviolet-circular dichroism (UV-CD) spectroscopy and potentiometry (by a home-built ion-selective electrode) techniques to detect and characterize the conformational transitions of HSA. By using difference spectroscopy, the transition was followed as a function of temperature, and the data were analyzed to obtain the parameters characterizing the thermodynamics of unfolding. The results indicate that the presence of surfactant drastically changes the melting unfolding, acting as a structure stabilizer and delaying the unfolding process. Potentiometric measurements were used to determine the binding isotherms and binding capacity for this system. The isotherm shows a high affinity of surfactant molecules for HSA. The average number of surfactant molecules absorbed per protein molecule (at 28 mM of surfactant concentration) was found to be approximately 900, about 6 g of surfactant per gram of protein. The shape of the binding capacity curve and the relation between binding capacity and extend of cooperativity were examined. From these analysis, the values of g (number of ligand-binding sites), KH (Hill binding constant), and nH (Hill coefficient) were determined.