Effect of the operating temperature on hydrodynamics and membrane parameters in pressure retarded osmosis

Producción CientíficaThe osmotic energy recovered by pressure-retarded osmosis from flows of different salinities is affected by the temperature, so its effect on hydrodynamic and membrane parameters is studied here. It is shown by models and experimental results that raising the temperature of the solutions leads to a variation in the mass transfer coefficient, the boundary layer, the diffusion coefficient, the solute resistivity, and the permeability, therefore, affecting the water flux. Consequently, the expected power density is improved at high temperatures, although, the salt flux diffusion increases. Laboratory results are presented using solutions at different concentrations and temperatures to validate the analysis.Funded by Mineco Project DPI2014-54530-R and FEDER fund

Endocytosis of dextran and silan-coated magnetite nanoparticles and the effect of intracellular hyperthermia on human mammary carcinoma cells in vitro

To obtain more evidence for intracellular magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH), endocytosis and hyperthermia efficacy of silan and dextran magnetite was investigated. Differential endocytosis was observed in dependence of nanoparticle and cell type. Clonogenic survival was 3-fold lower after MFH versus waterbath hyperthermia. The selective \u27remote inactivation\u27 of cancer cells by an AC magnetic field has been demonstrated in vitro

Endocytosis of dextran and silan-coated magnetite nanoparticles and the effect of intracellular hyperthermia on human mammary carcinoma cells in vitro

To obtain more evidence for intracellular magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH), endocytosis and hyperthermia efficacy of silan and dextran magnetite was investigated. Differential endocytosis was observed in dependence of nanoparticle and cell type. Clonogenic survival was 3-fold lower after MFH versus waterbath hyperthermia. The selective 'remote inactivation' of cancer cells by an AC magnetic field has been demonstrated in vitro

A nonviral DNA delivery system based on surface modified silica-nanoparticles can efficiently transfect cells in vitro

Diverse polycationic polymers have been used as nonviral transfection agents. Here we report the ability of colloidal silica particles with covalently attached cationic surface modifications to transfect plasmid DNA in vitro and make an attempt to describe the structure of the resulting transfection complexes. In analogy to the terms lipoplex and polyplex, we propose to describe the nanoparticle-DNA complexes by the term 'nanoplex'. Three batches, Si10E, Si100E, and Si26H, sized between 10 and 100 nm and with ζ potentials ranging from +7 to +31 mV at pH 7.4 were evaluated. The galactosidase expression plasmid DNA pCMVβ was immobilized on the particle surface and efficiently transfected Cos-1 cells. The transfection activity was accompanied by very low cytotoxicity, with LD50 values in the milligrams per milliliter range. The most active batch, Si26H, was produced by modification of commercially available silica particles with N-(6-aminohexyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, yielding spherical nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 26 nm and a ζ potential of +31 mV at pH 7.4. Complexes of Si26H and pCMVβ plasmid DNA formed at w/w ratios of 10 were most effective in promoting transfection of Cos-1 cells in the absence of serum. At this ratio, >90% of the DNA was associated with the particles, yielding nanoplexes with a net negative surface charge. When the transfection medium was supplemented with 10% serum, maximum gene expression was observed at a w/w ratio of 30, at which the resulting particle-DNA complexes possessed a positive surface charge. Transfection was strongly increased in the presence of 100 µM chloroquine in the incubation medium and reached approximately 30% of the efficiency of a 60 kDa polyethylenimine. In contrast to polyethylenimine, no toxicity was observed at the concentrations required. Atomic force microscopy of Si26H-DNA complexes revealed a spaghetti-meatball-like structure. The surface of complexes prepared at a w/w ratio of 30 was dominated by particles half-spheres. Complex sizes correlated well with those determined previously by dynamic light scattering

Reconstitution of the membrane protein OmpF into biomimetic block copolymer-phospholipid hybrid membranes

Structure and function of many transmembrane proteins are affected by their environment. In this respect, reconstitution of a membrane protein into a biomimetic polymer membrane can alter its function. To overcome this problem we used membranes formed by poly(1,4-isoprene-block-ethylene oxide) block copolymers blended with 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. By reconstituting the outer membrane protein OmpF from Escherichia coli into these membranes, we demonstrate functionality of this protein in biomimetic lipopolymer membranes, independent of the molecular weight of the block copolymers. At low voltages, the channel conductance of OmpF in 1 M KCl was around 2.3 nS. In line with these experiments, integration of OmpF was also revealed by impedance spectroscopy. Our results indicate that blending synthetic polymer membranes with phospholipids allows for the reconstitution of transmembrane proteins under preservation of protein function, independent of the membrane thickness

Synthesis and surface modification of deagglomerated superparamagnetic nanoparticles

A method for the preparation of aminosilane coated, chemically stable, agglomerate-free superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (ferrites, e.g. Fe3O4 and gamma-Fe2O3) has been developed. These nanocomposite particles posess core-shell structure. The well crystallized core particles are prepared by precipitation from aqueous salt solutions (primary particle size 10 nm). The surface modification of the weakly agglomerated core particles with aminiosilane (e.g. gamma-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane) leads to deagglomerated particles, covered by a thin polymerized aminosilane shell. A stron dependency of the particle/agglomerate size on the silane/iron oxide-ratio as well as on the disintegration time was found. A ratio of aminosilane to iron oxide of 0.8 (weigth ratio) and a disintegration time of 72h result in overall particle sizes in the range of 10-15 nm. After surface modification, aminogroups are present on the particle surface (IEP of 9.5). The particles show superparamagnetic behaviour (saturation magnetization 68 EMU/g) and aqueous suspensions are stable against agglomeration. A desorption of the coating in aqueous suspensions (pH 3 to 11) is not observed