Self-aggregation of hydrophobically modified dextrin and their interaction with surfactant

A series of newly hydrophobically modified polymers (dexC16) with different degrees of substitution (DSC16) have been synthesized. They can self-assemble to form micelle-like aggregates through association of the hydrophobic alkyl chains in aqueous solution. The self-aggregation processes, i.e. the critical micelle concentrations (cmc's) of the polymers were characterized by steady-state fluorescence. Further, the interaction between these dexC16 polymers and ionic surfactants (SOS, SDS and DTAC) was investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). For the studied mixed systems some important parameters can be derived from calorimetric titration curves, such as interaction enthalpies, critical concentrations and enthalpies of aggregation. The critical concentrations and the aggregation behaviour for the dexC16/SDS system were confirmed by fluorescence measurements. The effects of hydrophobic side group concentrations on the interaction were evaluated in detail. Importantly, we show that the aggregation behaviour of the mixed systems depends on the molar ratio of surfactant to hydrophobic side group (R = ns/nside group).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Association and Phase Behavior of Cholic Acid-Modified Dextran and Phosphatidylcholine Liposomes

The interaction between liposomes (1,2-dimyristoyl-<i>sn</i>-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)) and a hydrophobically modified water-soluble polymer (HMP; a bile acid-modified dextran) has been investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), combined with turbidity measurement and cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). The thermodynamic information on the association (enthalpy of interaction, enthalpy of transition of mixed vesicles to mixed micelle-like aggregates) was obtained from ITC. Further, the phase behavior for the system could be derived from the ITC measurements, and be confirmed by turbidity and cryo-SEM. The effect of cholic acid (CA) side groups on the ordered arrangement of DMPC bilayers was studied by DSC, by following the changes they induce in the gel-to-liquid crystalline liposome phase transition. The DSC results were in excellent agreement with the interpretation proposed for the ITC results. The morphology of the aggregates, as characterized by cryo-SEM, is in line with the proposed aggregate morphologies

1H-NMR-Based Metabonomics of the Protective Effect of Coptis chinensis and Berberine on Cinnabar-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity in Rats

Coptis chinensis Franch has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating infectious and inflammatory diseases for over two thousand years. Berberine (BN), an isoquinoline alkaloid, is the main component of Coptis chinensis. The pharmacological basis for its therapeutic effects, which include hepatoprotective effects on liver injuries, has been studied intensively, yet the therapy of liver injuries and underlying mechanism remain unclear. We investigated the detoxification mechanism of Coptis chinensis and berberine using metabolomics of urine and serum in the present study. After the treatment with Coptis chinensis and berberine, compared with the cinnabar group, Coptis chinensis and berberine can regulate the concentration of the endogenous metabolites. PLS-DA score plots demonstrated that the urine and serum metabolic profiles in rats of the Coptis chinensis and berberine groups were similar those of the control group, yet remarkably apart from the cinnabar group. The mechanism may be related to the endogenous metabolites including energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism and metabolism of intestinal flora in rats. Meanwhile, liver and kidney histopathology examinations and serum clinical chemistry analysis verified the experimental results of metabonomics