General model of phospholipid bilayers in fluid phase within the single chain mean field theory

Coarse-grained model for saturated (DCPC, DLPC, DMPC, DPPC, DSPC) and unsaturated (POPC, DOPC) phospholipids is introduced within the Single Chain Mean Field theory. A single set of parameters adjusted for DMPC bilayers gives an adequate description of equilibrium and mechanical properties of a range of saturated lipid molecules that differ only in length of their hydrophobic tails and unsaturated (POPC, DOPC) phospholipids which have double bonds in the tails. A double bond is modeled with a fixed angle of 120 degrees, while the rest of the parameters are kept the same as saturated lipids. The thickness of the bilayer and its hydrophobic core, the compressibility and the equilibrium area per lipid correspond to experimentally measured values for each lipid, changing linearly with the length of the tail. The model for unsaturated phospholipids also fetches main thermodynamical properties of the bilayers. This model is used for an accurate estimation of the free energies of the compressed or stretched bilayers in stacks or multilayers and gives reasonable estimates for free energies. The proposed model may further be used for studies of mixtures of lipids, small molecule inclusions, interactions of bilayers with embedded proteins

Association of polymers and small solute molecules with phospholipid membranes

El present treball està dedicat a les aplicacions pràctiques de diversos mètodes teòrics i de simulació incloent la dinàmica molecular, Montecarlo i la mitjana dels càlculs del camp per entendre les propietats físiques del sistema bicapa lipídica, així com la interacció dels objectes a escala nanomètrica en contacte amb lípids desenvolupament i bicapes. En particular, el treball es tracten els següents temes: 1. Optimització i equilibri de propietats bicapes lipídiques utilitzant única cadena de la teoria de camp mig. 2. El desenvolupament del model i estudiar les propietats d'equilibri de bicapes de lípids oxidats amb camp mitjà i els mètodes de dinàmica molecular 3. Estudi de les propietats d'equilibri de doble capa amb nanopartícules utilitzant camp mitjà i els mètodes de Montecarlo. Optimització de polímer translocacional través de la tècnica 5. Mètodes estadístics GPU membrana utilitzats per a les propietats superficials de micro fulles d'alteració bicapes lipídiques.El presente trabajo está dedicado a las aplicaciones prácticas de varios métodos teóricos y de simulación incluyendo la dinámica molecular, Monte Carlo y la media de los cálculos del campo para entender las propiedades físicas del sistema bicapa lipídica, así como la interacción de los objetos a escala nanométrica en contacto con lípidos desarrollo y bicapas. En particular, el trabajo se tratan los siguientes temas: 1. Optimización y equilibrio de propiedades bicapas lipídicas utilizando única cadena de la teoría de campo medio. 2. El desarrollo del modelo y estudiar las propiedades de equilibrio de bicapas de lípidos oxidados con campo medio y los métodos de dinámica molecular 3. Estudio de las propiedades de equilibrio de bicapa con nanopartículas utilizando campo medio y los métodos de Monte Carlo. Optimización de polímero translocacional través de la técnica 5. Métodos estadísticos GPU membrana utilizados para las propiedades superficiales de micro cuchillas de alteración bicapas lipídicas.Present work is devoted to the development and practical applications of several theoretical and simulation methods including Molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo and Mean field calculations to understand the physical properties of the lipid bilayer system as well as the interaction of nano-scale object in contact with lipid bilayers. In partcular, the work covers the following topics: 1. Optimization and equilibrium properties of lipid bilayers using Single Chain Mean Field theory. 2. Developing the model and study the equilibrium properties of bilayers with oxidized lipids with mean field and molecular dynamics methods 3. Study the equilibrium properties of bilayer with nanoparticles using mean field and Monte Carlo methods4. Optimization of translocational polymer through membrane GPU technique 5. Statistical methods used to the surface properties of micro blades disrupting lipid bilayers

Neural network learns physical rules for copolymer translocation through amphiphilic barriers

Recent developments in computer processing power lead to new paradigms of how problems in many-body physics and especially polymer physics can be addressed. Parallel processors can be exploited to generate millions of molecular configurations in complex environments at a second, and concomitant free-energy landscapes can be estimated. Databases that are complete in terms of polymer sequences and architecture form a powerful training basis for cross-checking and verifying machine learning-based models. We employ an exhaustive enumeration of polymer sequence space to benchmark the prediction made by a neural network. In our example, we consider the translocation time of a copolymer through a lipid membrane as a function of its sequence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic units. First, we demonstrate that massively parallel Rosenbluth sampling for all possible sequences of a polymer allows for meaningful dynamic interpretation in terms of the mean first escape times through the membrane. Second, we train a multi-layer neural network on logarithmic translocation times and show by the reduction of the training set to a narrow window of translocation times that the neural network develops an internal representation of the physical rules for sequence-controlled diffusion barriers. Based on the narrow training set, the network result approximates the order of magnitude of translocation times in a window that is several orders of magnitude wider than the training window. We investigate how prediction accuracy depends on the distance of unexplored sequences from the training window. © 2020, The Author(s)

Serum lactate dehydrogenase activities as systems biomarkers for 48 types of human diseases

Most human diseases are systems diseases, and systems biomarkers are better fitted for diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment monitoring purposes. To search for systems biomarker candidates, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), a housekeeping protein expressed in all living cells, was investigated. To this end, we analyzed the serum LDH activities from 172,933 patients with 48 clinically defined diseases and 9528 healthy individuals. Based on the median values, we found that 46 out of 48 diseases, leading by acute myocardial infarction, had significantly increased (p  0.8) for hepatic encephalopathy and lung fibrosis

Apatite nanoparticles strongly improve red blood cell cryopreservation by mediating trehalose delivery via enhanced membrane permeation

Cryopreservation of red blood cells (RBC) is an important method for maintaining an inventory of rare RBC units and managing special transfusion circumstances. Currently, in a clinical setting, glycerol is used as cryoprotectant against freezing damage. After thawing and before transfusion, glycerol must however be removed to avoid intravascular hemolysis, via a complex and time-consuming deglycerolization process which requires specialized equipment. Improved cryopreservation methods using non-toxic agents are required to increase biocompatibility and decrease processing time. Biocompatible cryoprotectants (e.g. trehalose) were proposed, but their low permeation through RBC membranes limits their cryoprotection efficacy. Herein, we report for the first time a glycerol-free cryopreservation approach, using colloidal bioinspired apatite nanoparticles (NP) as bioactive promoters of RBC cryopreservation mediated by trehalose. Addition of apatite NP in the medium tremendously increases RBC cryosurvival, up to 91% (42% improvement compared to a control without NP) which is comparable to FDA-approved cryoprotection protocol employing glycerol. NP concentration and incubation conditions strongly modulate the NP bioactivity. Complementary experimental and computational analyses of the interaction between apatite NP and model lipid bilayers revealed complex events occurring at the NP-bilayer interface. Apatite NP do not cross the bilayer but momentarily modulate its physical status. These changes affect the membrane behavior, and promote the permeation of trehalose and a model fluorescent molecule (FITC). This approach is a new alternative to using toxic glycerol for cells cryopreservation, and the identification of this enhancing no-pore permeation mechanism of apatite NP appears as an original delivery pathway for cryoprotectant agents and beyond

Peroxidised phospholipid bilayers: insight from coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations

International audienceAn original coarse-grained model for peroxidised phospholipids is presented, based on the MARTINI lipid force field. This model results from a combination of thermodynamic modelling and structural information on the area per lipid, which have been made available recently. The resulting coarse-grained lipid molecules form stable bilayers, and a set of elastic coefficients (compressibility and bending moduli) is obtained. We compare the compressibility coefficient to the experimental values [Weber et al., Soft Matter, 2014, 10, 4241]. Predictions for the mechanical properties, membrane thickness and lateral distribution of hydroperoxide groups in the phospholipid bilayer are presented

Ultrathin 2D Titanium Carbide MXene (Ti3C2Tx) Nanoflakes Activate WNT/HIF-1α-Mediated Metabolism Reprogramming for Periodontal Regeneration

Periodontal defect regeneration in severe periodontitis relies on the differentiation and proliferation of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs). Recently, an emerging 2D nanomaterial, MXene (Ti3C2Tx), has gained more and more attention due to the extensive antibacterial and anticancer activity, while its potential biomedical application on tissue regeneration remains unclear. Through a combination of experimental and multiscale simulation schemes, Ti3C2Tx has exhibited satisfactory biocompatibility and induced distinguish osteogenic differentiation of human PDLCs (hPDLCs), with upregulated osteogenesis-related genes. Ti3C2Tx manages to activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by enhancing the Wnt-Frizzled complex binding, thus stabilizing HIF-1α and altering metabolic reprogramming into glycolysis. In vivo, hPDLCs pretreated by Ti3C2Tx display excellent performance in new bone formation and osteoclast inhibition with enhanced RUNX2, HIF-1α, and β-catenin in an experimental rat model of periodontal fenestration defects, indicating that this material has high efficiency of periodontal regeneration promotion. It is demonstrated in this work that Ti3C2Tx has highly efficient therapeutic effects in osteogenic differentiation and periodontal defect repairment. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Healthcare Materials published by Wiley-VCH Gmb