Triggered release of model drug from AuNP-doped BSA nanocarriers in hair follicles using IRA radiation

Recent advances in the field of dermatotherapy have resulted in research efforts focusing on the use of particle-based drug delivery systems for the stimuli-responsive release of drugs in the skin and skin appendages, i.e. hair follicles and sebaceous glands. However, effective and innocuous trigger mechanisms which result in the release of the drugs from the nanocarriers upon reaching the target structures are still lacking. For the first time, the present study demonstrated the photo-activated release of the model drug fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) from topically applied gold nanoparticle-doped bovine serum albumin (AuNPs-doped BSA) particles (approx. 545nm) using water-filtered infrared A (IRA) radiation in the hair follicles of an ex vivo porcine skin model. The IRA radiation-induced plasmonic heating of the AuNPs results in the partial decomposition or opening of the albumin particles and release the model drug, while control particles without AuNPs show insignificant release. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using IRA radiation to induce release of encapsulated drugs from plasmonic nanocarriers for the targeting of follicular structures. However, the risk of radiation-induced skin damage subsequent to repeated applications of high infrared dosages may be significant. Future studies should aim at determining the suitability of lower infrared A dosages, such as for medical treatment regimens which may necessitate repeated exposure to therapeutics.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Follicular targeting using nanocarriers is of increasing importance in the prophylaxis and treatment of dermatological or other diseases. For the first time, the present study demonstrated the photo-activated release of the model drug fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) from topically applied gold nanoparticle-doped bovine serum albumin (AuNPs-doped BSA) particles using water-filtered infrared A (IRA) radiation in the hair follicles of an ex vivo porcine skin model. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using wIRA radiation to induce release of encapsulated drugs for the targeting of follicular structures, and provide a new vision on the development of optically addressable delivery systems for controlled release of drugs in the skin and skin appendages, i.e. hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

STR-typing of ancient skeletal remains: which multiplex-PCR kit is the best?

Aim

To comparatively test nine commercially available short tandem repeat (STR)-multiplex kits (PowerPlex 16, 16HS, ES, ESI17, ESX17, S5 [all Promega]; AmpFiSTR Identifiler, NGM and SEfiler [all Applied Biosystems]) for their efficiency and applicability to analyze ancient and thus highly degraded DNA samples.

Methods

Fifteen human skeletal remains from the late medieval age were obtained and analyzed using the nine polymerase chain reaction assays with slightly modified protocols. Data were systematically compared to find the most meaningful and sensitive assay.

Results

The ESI, ESX, and NGM kits showed the best overall results regarding amplification success, detection rate, identification of heterozygous alleles, sex determination, and reproducibility of the obtained data.

Conclusion

Since application of these three kits enables the employment of different primer sequences for all the investigated amplicons, a combined application is recommended for best possible and – most importantly – reliable genetic analysis of ancient skeletal material or otherwise highly degraded samples, eg, from forensic cases.

Emerging genetic patterns of the European Neolithic: perspectives from a late Neolithic Bell Beaker burial site in Germany

The transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture in Europe is associated with demographic changes that may have shifted the human gene pool of the region as a result of an influx of Neolithic farmers from the Near East. However, the genetic composition of populations after the earliest Neolithic, when a diverse mosaic of societies that had been fully engaged in agriculture for some time appeared in central Europe, is poorly known. At this period during the Late Neolithic (ca. 2,800-2,000 BC), regionally distinctive burial patterns associated with two different cultural groups emerge, Bell Beaker and Corded Ware, and may reflect differences in how these societies were organized. Ancient DNA analyses of human remains from the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker site of Kromsdorf, Germany showed distinct mitochondrial haplotypes for six individuals, which were classified under the haplogroups I1, K1, T1, U2, U5, and W5, and two males were identified as belonging to the Y haplogroup R1b. In contrast to other Late Neolithic societies in Europe emphasizing maintenance of biological relatedness in mortuary contexts, the diversity of maternal haplotypes evident at Kromsdorf suggests that burial practices of Bell Beaker communities operated outside of social norms based on shared maternal lineages. Furthermore, our data, along with those from previous studies, indicate that modern U5-lineages may have received little, if any, contribution from the Mesolithic or Neolithic mitochondrial gene pool.

Polymorphisms in CTNNBL1 in relation to colorectal cancer with evolutionary implications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex disease related to environmental and genetic risk factors. Several studies have shown that susceptibility to complex diseases can be mediated by ancestral alleles. Using RNAi screening, CTNNBL1 was identified as a putative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, which plays a key role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CTNNBL1 have been associated with obesity, a known risk factor for CRC. We investigated whether genetic variation in CTNNBL1 affects susceptibility to CRC and tested for signals of recent selection. We applied a tagging SNP approach that cover all known common variation in CTNNBL1 (allele frequency >5%; r(2)>0.8). A case-control study was carried out using two well-characterized study populations: a hospital-based Czech population composed of 751 sporadic cases and 755 controls and a family/early onset-based German population (697 cases and 644 controls). Genotyping was performed using allele specific PCR based TaqMan® assays (Applied Biosystems, Weiterstadt, Germany). In the Czech cohort, containing sporadic cases, the ancestral alleles of three SNPs showed evidence of association with CRC: rs2344481 (OR 1.44, 95%CI 1.06-1.95, dominant model), rs2281148 (OR 0.59, 95%CI 0.36-0.96, dominant model) and rs2235460 (OR 1.38, 95%CI 1.01-1.89, AA vs. GG). The associations were less prominent in the family/early onset-based German cohort. Data derived from several databases and statistical tests consistently pointed to a likely shaping of CTNNBL1 by positive selection. Further studies are needed to identify the actual function of CTNNBL1 and to validate the association results in other populations.

[Predictive value of human fatty acid binding protein for myocardial ischemia and injury in perioperative period of cardiac surgery]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the value of human fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP) in predicting myocardial ischemia and injury in the perioperative period of cardiac surgery, we observed the dynamic changes of h-FABP in perioperative period of patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and ventricular septal defects repairing surgery, and evaluated the relationship of h-FABP and ischemia modified albumin (IMA), CK-MB, cTnI.

METHODS

Patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (n=30) and ventricular septal defect repairing (n=30) surgery between February 2008 and December 2008 were included in this study. Venous blood sample was obtained at preoperative, aortic clamping, aortic unclamping of 10 min, 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h for the measurements of h-FABP, IMA, cTnI and CK-MB.

RESULTS

h-FABP and IMA changed in the same way at various examined time points, h-FABP changes also paralleled cTnI and CK-MB changes, h-FABP peaked early during myocardial ischemia and injury and returned to baseline level at 2 h post myocardial ischemia and injury. Linear correlation analysis showed that the peak value of h-FABP was positively correlated with IMA, CK-MB and cTnI in both CABG group (r = 0.948, 0.964 and 0.961, P < 0.05) and in the VSD group (r = 0.986, 0.978 and 0.957).

CONCLUSIONS

h-FABP is an early diagnostic parameter reflecting perioperative myocardial ischemia and injury in cardiac surgery. Quantitative h-FABP monitoring could predict the severity of myocardial ischemia and injury early during cardiac surgery.

Fluorogenic nanocrystals for highly sensitive detection of C-reactive protein

A solid-phase sandwich fluorescence immunoassay using nanocrystals of a fluorogenic precursor, fluorescein diacetate (FDA), conjugated with monoclonal antibodies for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP), is described. FDA nanocrystals were coated with distearoylglycerophosphoethanolamine (DSPE), modified with amino(poly(ethylene glycol))(PEG(2000)-Amine) as an interface for coupling biomolecules. CRP was chosen as a model analyte because of its widely accepted role as a marker for acute inflammation and prospective heart failure. A low limit of detection (1.10 microg l(-1)) and high precision (CV = 2.72-9.48%) were achieved. Following the immunoreaction, the monoclonal anti-CRP conjugated nanocrystals were released by hydrolysis and dissolution instigated by the addition of a large volume of organic solvent-sodium hydroxide mixture. Using human serum samples from 66 patients with high heart attack risk and 19 healthy blood donors, this CRP fluorescence immunoassay showed a good correlation to the commercially available, turbidimetric immunoassay for CRP. This result was corroborated by the Bland-Altman plot that showed a mean difference between the two methods of only 0.36+/-1.46 mg l(-1). The study demonstrates that the organic fluorogenic FDA nanocrystals can be applied for the detection of CRP, which is a clinically interesting plasma protein with a low limit of detection.

Amperometric biosensor for determining human salivary phosphate

An amperometric biosensor was constructed for analysis of human salivary phosphate without sample pretreatment. The biosensor was constructed by immobilizing pyruvate oxidase (PyOD) on a screen-printed electrode. The presence of phosphate in the sample causes the enzymatic generation of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), which was monitored by a potentiostat and was in proportion to the concentration of human salivary phosphate. The sensor shows response within 2s after the addition of standard solution or sample and has a short recovery time (2 min). The time required for one measurement using this phosphate biosensor was 4 min, which was faster than the time required using a commercial phosphate testing kit (10 min). The sensor has a linear range from 7.5 to 625 microM phosphate with a detection limit of 3.6 microM. A total of 50 salivary samples were collected for the determination of phosphate. A good level of agreement (R(2)=0.9646) was found between a commercial phosphate testing kit and the phosphate sensor. This sensor maintained a high working stability (>85%) after 12h operation and required only a simple operation procedure. The amperometric biosensor using PyOD is a simple and accurate tool for rapid determinations of human salivary phosphate, and it explores the application of biosensors in oral and dental research and diagnosis.

A screen-printed biosensor using pyruvate oxidase for rapid determination of phosphate in synthetic wastewater

A screen-printed phosphate biosensor based on immobilized pyruvate oxidase (PyOD, E.C. 1.2.3.3) has been developed for monitoring phosphate concentrations in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system. The enzyme was immobilized by a nafion matrix and covered a poly(carbamoyl) sulfonate (PCS) hydrogel on a screen-printed electrode. PyOD consumes phosphate in the presence of pyruvate and oxygen and generates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), carbon dioxide and acetylphosphate. The electroactive H2O2, monitored at +420 mV vs Ag/AgCl, is generated in proportion to the concentration of phosphate. The sensor has a fast response time (2 s) and a short recovery period (2 min). The time required for one measurement using this phosphate biosensor was 4 min, which was faster than the time required using a commercial phosphate testing kit (10 min). The sensor has a linear range from 7.5 microM to 625 microM phosphate with a detection limit of 3.6 microM. There was good agreement (R2=0.9848) between the commercial phosphate testing kit and the phosphate sensor in measurements of synthetic wastewater in a SBR system. This sensor maintained a high working stability (>85%) after 12 h of operation and involved a simple operation procedure. It therefore serves as a useful tool for rapid and accurate phosphate measurements in the SBR system and probably for process control.

A superior early myocardial infarction marker

Human heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) has a high potential as an early marker for myocardial infarction (MI) being more specific than myoglobin. FABP is a low molecular mass cytoplasmic protein (15 kDa) that is released early after the onset of ischemia and it may be useful for rapid confirmation or exclusion of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Immunochemically assayed FABP, cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and enzymatically assayed creatine phosphokinase (CPK) were determined serially in plasma and serum samples from 218 patients presenting with chest pain and suspected MI. In the 94 patients with confirmed MI, FABP rose to a maximum level (577.6 +/- 43.8 microg/L) 3 hours after the onset of symptoms and returned to normal within 30 hours. The FABP level peaked 7-9 hours earlier than CPK (2288 +/- 131 U/L) and cTnI (357.1 +/- 23.9 microg/L). CPK took 50-70 hours to return to normal level and cTnI returned to normal level over 70 hours. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for FABP were calculated as 0.871 at admission and 0.995 one hour after admission, whereas for CPK the areas were 0.711 and 0.856 and for cTnI the areas were 0.677 and 0.845, indicating that the FABP test gave a better diagnostic classification at the early stage being reached by cTnI (0.995) only 8 hours after admission. For FABP, both sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) increased quickly to 100% for samples monitored just one hour after admission. By using only two samples, one at admission and one 1 hour post admission, sequential FABP monitoring can reliably diagnose AMI patients 1 hour after admission and 100% of non-AMI patients can be excluded with no false negative results. The late markers cTnI and CPK have the similar diagnostic performance only 7 hours later. Thus measurement of FABP in plasma or serum allows the earliest immunochemical confirmation or exclusion of AMI.

Application of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) biosensor for optimization of biological carbon and nitrogen removal from synthetic wastewater in a sequencing batch reactor system

A bench scale reactor using a sequencing batch reactor process was used to evaluate the applicability of biosensors for the process optimization of biological carbon and nitrogen removal. A commercial biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) biosensor with a novel microbial membrane was used to determine the duration of each phase by measuring samples in real time in an SBR cycle with filling/anoxic-anaerobic/aerobic/sludge wasting/settling/withdrawal periods. Possible strategies to increase the efficiency for the biological removal of carbon and nitrogen from synthetic wastewater have been developed. The results show that application of a BOD biosensor enables estimation of organic carbon, in real time, allowing the optimization or reduction the SBR cycle time. Some typical consumption patterns for organic carbon in the non-aeration phase of a typical SBR operation were identified. The rate of decrease of BOD measured using a sensor BOD, was the highest in the initial glucose breakdown period and during denitrification. It then slowed down until a 'quiescent period' was observed, which may be considered as the commencement of the aeration period. Monitoring the BOD curve with a BOD biosensor allowed the reduction of the SBR cycle time, which leads to an increase in the removal efficiency. By reducing the cycle time from 8 to 4 h cycle, the removal efficiencies of nitrate, glucose, and phosphorus in a given time interval, were increased to nearly double, while the removal of nitrogen ammonium was increased by one-third.

Nanoscale surface engineered living cells with extended substrate spectrum

We report on cell surface engineering of living microorganisms by using Layer-by-Layer (LbL) technology to extend the substrate spectrum. The yeast Arxula adeninivorans LS3 (Arxula) was employed as a model organism and biological template. By using LbL technology, Arxula cells were encapsulated by polyelectrolyte and enzyme layers. The biological activity of the Arxula was retained after the encapsulation process. The polymeric capsule surrounding the Arxula provides a stable interface for surface engineering of living cells. LbL of polyelectrolytes followed by an enzyme layer of lactate oxidase were assembled. The outer enzyme layer provides an additional biological function for Arxula to convert the unfavourable substrate lactate into the favourable substrate pyruvate, thus extending the substrate spectrum of the organism. Moreover, capsule stability and enzyme conjugate stability of the surface engineered Arxula were studied.

Enzyme biosensor for studying therapeutics of Alzheimer's disease

An electrochemical method for the investigation and comparison of anti-Alzheimer medications that is based on the inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase is presented. The developed amperometric biosensor determines the in-vitro inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase that is co-immobilized with choline oxidase on the working electrode surface of a three-electrode system using gel entrapment. The sensor has been applied to determine the IC50 values of two known and one newly developed Alzheimer remedy. A simultaneous measurement with the photometric standard method shows the applicability of our method for fast drug screening.

Designing an amperometric thick-film microbial BOD sensor

Thick film oxygen electrodes manufactured by screen print method have been used as a transducer for a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensor. The kinetics of the immobilized yeast, Arxula adeninivorans (Arxula) has been studied. The apparent KM of immobilized Arxula (> 100 microM) is higher than free cells of Arxula (70 microM). The increase in KM caused by the effect of immobilization extends the linear range of the sensor. End-point measurement and quasi-kinetic measurement have been studied comparatively as measurement procedures with a good correlation. The Vmax for end-point measurement is 790.7 microM/s and that for quasi-kinetic measurement is 537.3 microM/s. The limit of detection is calculated 1.24 mg/l BOD. Using the quasi-kinetic measurement, instead of end-point measurements, the measuring time can be reduced from 5-30 min to 100 s. The sensor layer thickness or increase in the layer of covering gel can increase the KM that is accompanied with the extension of the linear range of the sensor. Nevertheless, increase in the layer of covering gel will not increase the saturation signal. Domestic wastewater was checked by the thick film BOD sensor and the results are satisfactory.

Measurement of biodegradable substances using the salt-tolerant yeast Arxula adeninivorans for a microbial sensor immobilized with poly(carbamoyl)sulfonate (PCS). Part II: Application of the novel biosensor to real samples from coastal and island regions

A microbial sensor for rapid measurement of the amount of biodegradable substances based on the salt-tolerant yeast Arxula adeninivorans LS3 has been developed especially for coastal and island regions. Our parameter, the so-called sensorBOD, that is available after only a few minutes, agrees with the 5-day value for the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) very well. We have employed the Arxula sensor in the short-time estimation and supervision of the BOD of both domestic and industrial wastewater with high salinity. The novel sensor makes it possible to monitor the different types of wastewater rapidly without pretreatment, and it can be used for an active process control of sewage treatment works. Compared to a commercially available sensor, the novel sensor achieves better agreement between sensorBOD and BOD5 measurements with salt containing samples.

Measurement of biodegradable substances using the salt-tolerant yeast Arxula adeninivorans for a microbial sensor immobilized with poly(carbamoyl) sulfonate (PCS) Part I: Construction and characterization of the microbial sensor

A microbial biosensor based on the yeast Arxula adeninivorans LS3 has been developed for measurement of biodegradable substances. Arxula is immobilized in the hydrogel poly(carbamoyl) sulfonate (PCS). The immobilized yeast membrane is placed in front of an oxygen electrode with -600 mV versus Ag/AgCl. Arxula is salt tolerant; it can give a stable signal up to 2.5 M NaCl in sample (120 mM in measuring cell). The sensor's measurements are highly correlated to BOD5 measurements. It has a very high stability which can last for 40 day without any decrease in signal. The linear range of the sensor is up to a corresponding BOD value of 550 mg/l.

Surface investigations on the development of a direct optical immunosensor

In the present paper surface studies for the development of a direct optical immunosensor for fast diagnosis of a myocardial infarction are presented. A fatty acid binding protein was detected by monoclonal antibodies. The applied measuring system was the grating coupler BIOS-1. Based on commercially available transducer materials protein immobilisation techniques have been developed and characterised by TOF-SIMS, AFM and EM. Three different label-free assay types were investigated. Only one assay leads to a sensitive and regenerable sensor set-up. It was possible to detect concentrations of the fatty acid binding protein down to 330 ng/ml. The general applicability of a direct optical immunosensor in the field of myocardial infarction diagnosis was demonstrated by this.

On-line flow displacement immunoassay for fatty acid-binding protein

In standard displacement flow immunoassays the analyte in the sample creates an active dissociation of labelled antigens (or antigen homologues) from an antigen binding site of an immobilized antibody, after which the labelled substance is measured downstream. Such systems have been described for molecules up to 1 kDa. In this study, we demonstrate displacement in a flow system for the detection of a small protein, cytoplasmic heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (15 kDa), a plasma marker for myocardial injury. The displacement system uses an inverse set-up: enzyme labelled monoclonal antibodies are associated to immobilized antigen, and are displaced by analyte in the sample. The system permits detection of both physiological (2-12 microg l(-1)) and pathological concentrations (12-2000 microg l(-1)) of fatty acid-binding protein in an on-line flow system.

Kinetic analysis of immunointeractions with covalently immobilized fatty acid-binding protein using a grating coupler sensor

Application of a grating coupler sensor (GCS) to the real time investigation of the interaction kinetics of covalently immobilized recombinant bovine heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) and corresponding antibody is described. The immobilization of the antigen is performed by activating the matrix hydroxyl groups with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (TSC) and afterwards coupling the protein by reaction with its nucleophilic aminogroups. Covalent coupling via TSC permits reproducible measurements of immunointeractions on the same grating coupler sensor chip and complete regeneration after each binding cycle with glycine-hydrochloride. We demonstrate the analysis of binding data obtained on a GCS by linearization as well as direct curve fitting using the integrated rate equation for the determination of apparent rate and affinity constants. With both analysis methods we studied H-FABP/monoclonal anti-H-FABP-antibody interactions and obtained an average apparent association rate constant ka = 4.2 X 10(3) M(-1) s(-1) a dissociation rate constant of kd=1.3 X 10(-4) s(-1) and an equilibrium constant of KD=3 X 10(-8) M.

Highly sensitive determination of hydrogen peroxide and peroxidase with tetrathiafulvalene-based electrodes and the application in immunosensing

Redox mediators enable an efficient electron transfer between redox enzymes and the electrochemical surface of amperometric sensors. A stable and highly sensitive signal was obtained using a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-modified graphite electrode. In the presence of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was monitored with a detection limit of 7 nM at a potential of +20 mV versus a saturated calomel electrode (SCE). With a constant concentration of H2O2, the detection limit for HRP was found to be 150 pM. The accuracy of consecutive measurement of HRP in flow-through systems was improved by short-time polarizing the TTF-modified graphite electrode at +100 mV versus Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl. Using the TTF-modified graphite electrode in an immuno-sandwich approach, rabbit-immunoglobulin G was monitored in the range 5-100 ng/ml.

Development of a heterogeneous amperometric immunosensor for the determination of apolipoprotein E in serum

Apolipoprotein (apo) E is a constituent of serum lipoproteins and can serve as a diagnostic parameter for the assessment of disorders of lipid metabolism. For the determination of apo E in serum a sandwich-type amperometric immunosensor using disposable membranes was developed. The best results were obtained by using a site-directed attachment of a monoclonal capture antibody to a hydrazide-functionalized membrane surface. Bound antigen was then determined with the aid of a polyclonal antibody labelled with alkaline phosphatase in conjunction with p-aminophenyl phosphate as substrate. In this approach a carbon working electrode (vs. Hg/HgCl2) was used, and enzymatically generated p-aminophenol could be monitored with a detection limit of 40 pmol and a linear range of 26-20000 nM. The sensor displayed a linear response from 50 to 1000 ng ml-1 apo E. In contrast, antibody coupling through primary amino groups led to a total loss of antigen binding capacity in this assay configuration. The approach with site-directed immobilization however, not only allowed the determination of apo E in serum, but also the determination of antibody cross-reactivity against the apolipoproteins AI, AII and B.

Enzyme sensor-FIA-system for on-line monitoring of glucose, lactate and glutamine in animal cell cultures

Enzyme sensors for glucose, lactate and glutamine were connected via flow-injection analysis (FIA) devices to two different bioprocesses. They were used for on-line process control of perfused bioreactor systems containing mammalian cell lines producing a monoclonal antibody and recombinant interleukin-2. The biosensor system gives direct access to important process data which can be used as control parameters for long term cell cultivation systems.

Second generation biosensors

Enzyme-membrane electrodes using glucose oxidase in combination with peroxide detection dominate in the field of laboratory analyzers for diluted samples. Using the same indication principle, extremely fast responding glucose sensors have been fabricated by covering thin metal electrodes with a porous enzyme layer. In the second generation auxiliary enzymes and/or co-reactants are coimmobilized with the analyte converting enzyme in order to improve the analytical quality and to simplify the performance. Following this line oxidizable interferences are suppressed by using a glucose oxidase/peroxidase complex which communicates with the electrode at a low working potential. Furthermore, fluctuations of pH or buffer capacity are ineffective when using a glucose oxidase/peroxidase layer covered fluoride FET in the potentiometric glucose determination. Enzymatic recycling of the analyte and/or accumulation of intermediates increase the sensitivity by several orders of magnitude. Inclusion of NAD bound to PEG in the glucose dehydrogenase layer allows a reagentless glucose measurement.

An electrochemical method for determination of cell respiration

The respiration of microorganisms was determined with a sensor composed of microorganisms and an oxygen electrode. The microorganisms (suspensions of about 100 microliters) are sedimented by centrifugation in a special tube on a very thin paper layer (diameter 4 mm). This paper layer is sandwiched between a polyethylene membrane and a dialysis membrane. A linear relationship is obtained between the current and the cell mass of Bacillus subtilis (between 0.05-0.35 mg dry weight per electrode preparation). When an assimilable substrate is added to the measuring solution the respiration rate is increased. It is possible to determine very fast changes in the respiration rates (1-5 sec). The application of this electrode system for investigations of the physiological state of cells during the growth cyclus is demonstrated.

The peroxidatic function of liver microsomal cytochrome P-450: comparison of hydrogen peroxide and NADPH-catalysed N-demethylation reactions

Fifteen different secondary and tertiary methyl amines have been examined as substrates for the cytochromes P-450 of rat-liver microsomes to determine the similarities or differences between the NADPH and oxygen-dependent N-demethylation reaction and the reaction occurring in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. No apparent correlation of the rates of formaldehyde formation using the two different conditions of oxidation was observed. The types of cytochromes P-450 were altered by using rat-liver microsomes from animals treated with various inducing agents. No obvious predictable dependence on the animals treated with various inducing agents. No obvious predictable dependence on the type of cytochrome P-450 present was obtained for the hydrogen peroxide-supported peroxidatic reaction. It is concluded that the hydrogen peroxide-dependent N-demethylation reaction occurs by a reaction mechanism distinct from that occurring during the mixed-function oxidase activity of cytochrome P-450 obtained in the presence of NADPH and oxygen.

Study of H2O2-supported N-demethylations catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 and horseradish peroxidase

H2O2-supported oxidative demethylation reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 and horseradish peroxidase have been compared. In contrast to peroxidase catalyzed reactions no free substrate radicals could be detected by EPR stopped flow measurements in demethylation reactions catalyzed by highly purified cytochrome P-450 although the rate of product formation for both enzyme systems was identical. These findings cause doubts in a general peroxide dependent demethylation mechanism valid for all hemoproteins and in the hypothesis that free substrate radicals are principally formed during cytochrome P-450 catalysis.