Covalent Organic Frameworks as Nano-Reservoir for Room Temperature RNA Storage

The emerging role of Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) as therapeutics is alluring. However, RNAs are extremely labile under ambient conditions and typically need to be stored in cryogenic conditions (-20 °C to -80 °C). Hence, storage, stabilization, and transportation of RNA under ambient conditions have been an arduous task and remain an unsolved problem. In this work, a guanidinium-based ionic covalent organic framework (COF), TTGCl with nanotubular morphology, was synthesized and used as nano-reservoirs for room-temperature storage of RNA. To understand the role of the nanotubular morphology and chemical nature of TTGCl in stabilizing the RNA structure and for comparison purposes, a neutral COF, TMT-TT, is synthesized and studied. Further, density functional theory (DFT) studies confirmed non-covalent interaction between the COFs and the RNA nucleobases, facilitating reversible storage of RNA. RNA loaded in COFs was found to be resistant to enzymatic degradation when treated with RNase. Gel electrophoresis and sequencing confirmed the structural integrity of the recovered RNAs and their further processibility.

Seeing is believing: Efficiency evaluation of multifunctional ionic-dependent AIEgens for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a significant public health threat with high rates of infection and mortality. Rapid and reliable theranostics of TB are essential to control transmission and shorten treatment duration. In this study, we report two cationic aggregation-inducing emission luminogens (AIEgens) named TTVP and TTPy, which have different functional charged moieties, to investigate their potential for simultaneous tracing and photodynamic therapy in TB infection. TTVP and TTPy exhibit intrinsic positive charges, excellent water solubility, and near-infrared (NIR) emission. Based on ionic-function relationships, TTVP, with more positive charges, demonstrates a stronger binding affinity to Mycobacterium marinum (M.m), (a close genetic relative of Mtb), compared to TTPy. Both TTVP and TTPy exhibit high efficiency in generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to white light irradiation, enabling effective photodynamic killing of M.m in vitro. Additionally, we achieved long-term, real-time, noninvasive, continuous tracing, and evaluated therapeutic performance in vivo. Notably, TTVP outperformed TTPy in intracellular killing of M.m, suggesting a possible correlation between the labeling and photodynamic killing abilities of AIEgens. These findings provide valuable insights and a design basis for cationic AIEgens in TB research, offering potential advancements in TB theranostics.

Modified linear solvation energy relationships for adsorption of perfluorocarboxylic acids by polystyrene microplastics

Microplastics (MPs) could act as vectors of organic pollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Therefore, understanding adsorptive interactions are essential steps towards unraveling the fate of PFAS in the natural waters where MPs are ubiquitous. Linear solvation energy relationships (LSER)-based predictive models are utilitarian tools to delineate the complexity of adsorption interactions. However, commonly studied PFAS are in their ionic forms at environmentally relevant conditions and LSER modeling parameters do not account for their ionization. This study aims to develop the first LSER model for the adsorption of PFAS by MPs using a subset of ionizable perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCA). The adsorption of twelve PFCAs by polystyrene (PS) MPs was used for model training. The study provided mechanistic insights regarding the impacts of PFCA chain length, PS oxidation state, and water chemistry. Results show that the polarizability and hydrophobicity of anionic PFCA are the most significant contributors to their adsorption by MPs. In contrast, van der Waals interactions between PFCA and water significantly decrease PFCA binding affinity. Overall, LSER is demonstrated as a promising approach for predicting the adsorption of ionizable PFAS by MPs after the correction of Abraham's solute descriptors to account for their ionization.

First-principles prediction of critical micellar concentrations for ionic and nonionic surfactants

The concentration of surfactant in solution for which micelles start to form, also known as critical micelle concentration is a key property in formulation design. The critical micelle concentration can be determined experimentally with a tensiometer by measuring the surface tension of a concentration series. In analogy with experiments, in-silico predictions can be achieved through interfacial tension calculations. We present a newly developed method, which employs first principles-based interfacial tension calculations rooted in COSMO-RS theory, for the prediction of the critical micelle concentration of a set of nonionic, cationic, anionic, and zwitterionic surfactants in water. Our approach consists of a combination of two prediction strategies for modelling two different phenomena involving the removal of the surfactant hydrophobic tail from contact with water. The two strategies are based on regular micelle formation and thermodynamic phase separation of the surfactant from water and both are required to take into account a wide range of polarity in the hydrophilic headgroup. Our method yields accurate predictions for the critical micellar concentration, within one log unit from experiments, for a wide range of surfactant types and introduces possibilities for first-principles based prediction of formulation properties for more complex compositions.

Dielectric relaxation studies of collagen - surfactant complexes in aqueous buffer solution

Dielectric relaxation studies of rat tail tendon collagen with anionic sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), cationic cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and nonionic Tween 80 in aqueous buffer solutions at four different temperatures have been carried out in the frequency range 1 GHz to 25 GHz using time domain dielectric spectroscopy. The frequency dependent normalized dielectric modulus function P of the collagen and surfactant solutions show up as peaks around 1-2 GHz which is due to the bound water around collagen macromolecule and surfactant micelles. For the collagen - surfactant complexes, the peak in normalized dielectric modulus function P is shifted towards high frequency side near 2-3 GHz upon addition of surfactants to collagen in buffer solution. The water structure around collagen is altered in the presence of micelle forming surfactant additives and this change may affect the degrees of freedom of their motion. Hence the significant changes are observed in the relaxation time of bound water around collagen macromolecule in the presence of surfactants. Further, it was observed that no considerable change in relaxation time of hydration water of the complexes with respect to change in temperature within the studied temperature range. The activation enthalpy and activation entropy for the dipolar orientation corresponding to the free water for the surfactants and their complexes with collagen have been calculated from the Arrhenius plot. Our thermodynamic results suggest that the two‑hydrogen-bonded model may be possible in SDS and Tween 80 environments, whereas the one‑hydrogen-bonded model is likely to be possible in buffer and CTAB environments.

Plasma-membrane electrical responses to salt and osmotic gradients contradict radiotracer kinetics, and reveal Na+-transport dynamics in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A systematic analysis of NaCl-dependent, plasma-membrane depolarization (∆∆Ψ) in rice roots calls into question the current leading model of rapid membrane cycling of Na⁺ under salt stress. To investigate the character and mechanisms of Na⁺ influx into roots, Na⁺-dependent changes in plasma-membrane electrical potentials (∆∆Ψ) were measured in root cells of intact rice (Oryza sativa L., cv. Pokkali) seedlings. As external sodium concentrations ([Na⁺]_ext) were increased in a step gradient from 0 to 100 mM, membrane potentials depolarized in a saturable manner, fitting a Michaelis-Menten model and contradicting the linear (non-saturating) models developed from radiotracer studies. Clear differences in saturation patterns were found between plants grown under low- and high-nutrient (LN and HN) conditions, with LN plants showing greater depolarization and higher affinity for Na⁺ (i.e., higher V_max and lower K_m) than HN plants. In addition, counterion effects on ∆∆Ψ were pronounced in LN plants (with ∆∆Ψ decreasing in the order: Cl^- > SO₄^2- > HPO ₄ ^2- ), but not seen in HN plants. When effects of osmotic strength, Cl^- influx, K⁺ efflux, and H⁺-ATPase activity on ∆∆Ψ were accounted for, resultant K_m and V_max values suggested that a single, dominant Na⁺-transport mechanism was operating under each nutritional condition, with K_m values of 1.2 and 16 mM for LN and HN plants, respectively. Comparing saturating patterns of depolarization to linear patterns of ²⁴Na⁺ radiotracer influx leads to the conclusion that electrophysiological and tracer methods do not report the same phenomena and that the current model of rapid transmembrane sodium cycling may require revision.

Assessing the release of copper from nanocopper-treated and conventional copper-treated lumber into marine waters II: Forms and bioavailability

One application of nanocopper is as a wood-preserving pesticide in pressure-treated lumber. Recent research has shown that pressure-treated lumber amended with micronized copper azole (MCA), which contains nanosized copper, releases copper under estuarine and marine conditions. The form of copper released (i.e., ionic, nanocopper [1-100 nm in size]) is not fully understood but will affect the bioavailability and toxicity of the metal. In the present study, multiple lines of evidence, including size fractionation, ion-selective electrode electrochemistry, comparative toxicity, and copper speciation were used to determine the form of copper released from lumber blocks and sawdust. The results of all lines of evidence supported the hypothesis that ionic copper was released from MCA lumber and sawdust, with little evidence that nanocopper was released. For example, copper concentrations in size fractionations of lumber block aqueous leachates including unfiltered, 0.1 μm, and 3 kDa were not significantly different, suggesting that the form of copper released was in the size range operationally defined as dissolved. These results correlated with the ion-selective electrode data which detects only ionic copper. In addition, comparative toxicity testing resulted in a narrow range of median lethal concentrations (221-257 μg/L) for MCA lumber blocks and CuSO4 . We conclude that ionic copper was released from the nanocopper pressure-treated lumber under estuarine and marine conditions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1969-1979. Published 2018 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

Predicting solvent-water partitioning of charged organic species using quantum-chemically estimated Abraham pp-LFER solute parameters

Methods for obtaining accurate predictions of solvent-water partitioning for neutral organic chemicals (e.g., K_ow) are well-established. However, methods that provide comparable accuracy are not available for predicting the solvent-water partitioning of ionic species. Previous methods for addressing charge contributions to solvent-water partitioning rely on charged solute descriptors which are obtained from regressions to neutral species descriptors as well as charged descriptors which are specific to unique charge-functionalities and structural moieties. This paper presents a method for obtaining Abraham poly-parameter linear free energy relationship (pp-LFER) descriptors using quantum chemical calculations and molecular structure, only. The method utilizes a large number of solvent-water systems to overcome large errors in individual quantum chemical computations of ionic solvent-water partition coefficients. The result is a single set of quantum-chemically estimated Abraham solute parameters (QCAP) which are solvent-independent, and can be used to predict the solvent-water partitioning of ionic species. Predictions of solvent-water partition coefficients for ionic species using quantum-chemically estimated Abraham parameters (QCAPs) are shown to provide improved accuracy compared over both existing Absolv-estimated Abraham solute parameters (AAP) as well as direct a priori quantum chemical (QC) calculations for partitioning of anionic solutes in 4 organic solvent-water systems (RMS = 0.740, 2.48 and 0.426 for the Absolv, QC and QCAP methods, respectively). For quaternary amine cations in the octanol-water system the RMS errors of the solvent-water partition coefficients were larger and similar between the two Abraham models (RMSE = 0.997 and 1.16, for the AAP and QCAP methods, respectively). Both methods showed significant improvement over direct QC calculations (RMSE = 2.82).

Considering ionic state in modeling sorption of pharmaceuticals to sewage sludge

Information on the partitioning of chemicals between particulate matter and water in sewage treatment plants (STPs) can be used to predict their subsequent environmental fate. However, this information can be challenging to acquire, especially for pharmaceuticals that are frequently present in ionized forms. This study investigated the relationship between the ionization state of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their partitioning between water and sludge in STPs. We also investigated the underlying mechanisms of sludge sorption by using chemical descriptors based on ionized structures, and evaluated the usefulness of these descriptors in quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) modeling. K_D values were collected for 110 APIs, which were classified as neutral, positive, or negative at pH 7. The models with the highest performance had the R²Y and Q² values of above 0.75 and 0.65, respectively. We found that the dominant intermolecular forces governing the interactions of neutral and positively charged APIs with sludge are hydrophobic, pi-pi, and dipole-dipole interactions, whereas the interactions of negatively charged APIs with sludge were mainly governed by covalent bonding as well as ion-ion, ion-dipole, and dipole-dipole interactions; hydrophobicity-driven interactions were rather unimportant. Including charge-related descriptors improved the models' performance by 5-10%, underlining the importance of electrostatic interactions. The use of descriptors calculated for ionized structures did not improve the model statistics for positive and negative APIs, but slightly increased model performance for neutral APIs. We attribute this to a better description of neutral zwitterions.

Which iodinated contrast media is the least cytotoxic to human disc cells?

BACKGROUND

Iodinated contrast media (CM) is commonly used for various intradiscal injections such as in discography and endoscopic spinal surgery. However, CM has been shown to be toxic to renal tissue due to its ionic strength and osmolarity and as a result of iodine-induced cytotoxicity, which has raised concern over whether there are similar negative effects on disc cells.

PURPOSE

This in vitro study was designed to identify the least cytotoxic iodinated CM to the human disc cell among four different physiochemical iodinated contrast dyes.

STUDY DESIGN

In vitro laboratory study.

METHODS

Intervertebral disc tissue was obtained by discectomy from a total of 10 lumbar disc patients undergoing surgery and disc cells were isolated. The human disc cells were grown in 3D alginate bead culture with 0, 0.1, 10, and 100 mg/mL CM solutions (ionic dimer, ionic monomer, non-ionic dimer, and non-ionic monomer) and mannitol as a control for 2 days. The living cells were analyzed with trypan blue staining. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis was performed using Annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) and 3D alginate bead immunostaining to identify live, apoptotic, and necrotic cells.

RESULTS

Human disc cell death was time- and dose-dependent in response to CM and more necrosis was observed than apoptosis. In addition, non-ionic dimeric CM (iodixanol) showed the least toxic effect on human disc cells, followed by non-ionic monomeric (iopromide), ionic dimeric (ioxaglate), and ionic monomeric CM (ioxithalamate).

CONCLUSIONS

Contrast media is cytotoxic to human disc cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This in vitro study revealed that, among four different CM preparations, non-ionic dimeric CM is the least detrimental to human disc cell viability. Careful attention should be paid to the type of CM chosen for discography and endoscopic spinal surgery. It is also necessary to investigate the detrimental effects of CM on disc cells and disc degeneration in further in vivo studies.

Use of bioreporters and deletion mutants reveals ionic silver and ROS to be equally important in silver nanotoxicity

The mechanism of antibacterial action of silver nanoparticles (AgNp) was investigated by employing a combination of microbiology and geochemical approaches to contribute to the realistic assessment of nanotoxicity. Our studies showed that suspending AgNp in media with different levels of chloride relevant to environmental conditions produced low levels of ionic silver thereby suggesting that dissolution of silver ions from nanoparticulate surface could not be the sole mechanism of toxicity. An Escherichia coli based bioreporter strain responsive to silver ions together with mutant strains of E. coli lacking specific protective systems were tested against AgNp. Deletion mutants lacking silver ion efflux systems and resistance mechanisms against oxidative stress showed an increased sensitivity to AgNp. However, the bioreporter did not respond to silver nanoparticles. Our results suggest that oxidative stress is a major toxicity mechanism and that this is at least partially associated with ionic silver, but that bulk dissolution of silver into the medium is not sufficient to account for the observed effects. Chloride ions do not appear to offer significant protection, indicating that chloride in receiving waters will not necessarily protect environmental bacteria from the toxic effects of nanoparticles in effluents.