This thesis describes the design and construction of a Brewster Angle Microscope (BAM) to investigate monolayer films at the air/water interface. A Schiff base coordination polymer, Cu(ll) 5,5'-methylenebis(N-hexadecyl- sallcylideneamine (poly(CuMBSH)), was initially investigated using the BAM equipment. This material is being developed as the active material in vapour sensing devices produced by the Langmuir Blodgett (LB) method. Transfer of the monomer (MBSH) to the substrate was found to be poor but poly(CuMBSH) had a good deposition ratio (>0.95). The film was polymerised at the air/water interface by injecting a solution of Cu(ll) ions into the subphase. BAM was able to record the polymerisation of MBSH to poly(CuMBSH) in real time. Qualitative image analysis indicates a reordering of the material at the interface and a decrease in film thickness. The technique of BAM clearly displays the change in structure between the monomer film and the polymer film and that the poly(CuMBSH) film is homogenous at the micron level. Poly(para-phenylenevinylenes) PPV derivatives are presently being examined as potential LED devices. One method used to produce such devices is the LB method. BAM was used to investigate ordering of the monolayer prior to deposition. Results by the Physics and Engineering department indicated that if subphase contained water that had been left to stand for several days film transfer was improved. A range of BAM experiments were conducted with varying subphases to determine the cause of this effect. A new technique of determining the surface excess concentration was developed in this work which is known as Brewster Reflectivity (BAR). The reflectivity of simple surfactants; sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Getyltrimethylammonium bromide, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide and dodecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide at concentrations above and below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) were correlated to surface excess. This is a new, simple, non-invasive method for probing the surface excess using intrinsic properties of the system.

No description available.

O crescente número de bactérias resistentes é devido principalmente ao número limitado de modos de ação dos antibióticos, contra os quais bactérias criam mecanismo de resistência. Há, portanto, necessidade de terapias com espectro de ação mais amplo, atingindo diferentes alvos moleculares. A inativação fotodinâmica (IFD) pode ser uma dessas terapias, pois baseia-se na geração de espécies reativas que atacam diversas moléculas, e não um alvo específico. Fotossensibilizadores (FSs) absorvem luz em comprimento de onda específico e a energia absorvida pode ser transferida a um oxigênio molecular, gerando espécies reativas de oxigênio (EROs). Tais espécies são altamente citotóxicas e produzem reações de oxidação que levam à morte celular. Um dos alvos das EROs são fosfolipídios insaturados das membranas biológicas. O objetivo desta dissertação é investigar a interação dos FSs curcumina e azul de metileno com fosfolipídios e o efeito da foto-ativação desses FSs em um mimético de membrana bacteriana. Para tanto, foram usados filmes de Langmuir do extrato lipídico de Escherichia coli e dos lipídios sintéticos isolados DOPE, POPG e cardiolipina. As isotermas de pressão com o extrato de E coli indicam interação entre os FSs e os lipídios do filme, aumentando a área ocupada. A irradiação do filme na presença de curcumina aumenta sua estabilidade, o que sugere formação de hidroperóxidos de lipídio, mais hidrofílicos, pela ação do oxigênio singleto. Nos filmes dos lipídios isolados só a curcumina é incorporada, havendo aumento na área ocupada pelo filme, e redução no potencial de superfície. Nenhum efeito decorrente da irradiação desses filmes foi detectado. Um filme Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) de extrato de E. coli com curcumina foi submetido a quatro ciclos de fotoclareamento seguido de recuperação da fluorescência visualizados num microscópio confocal. A intensidade da fluorescência aumentou após o primeiro ciclo, indicativo de mudança conformacional para alocar maior quantidade de curcumina, o que corrobora a hipótese da formação de hidroperóxidos. / The growing number of resistant bacteria is mainly due to the limited number of modes of action of antibiotics, against which bacteria create resistance. There is, therefore, a need for therapies with broader action spectrum, reaching different molecular targets. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) may be one of these therapies, because it is based on the generation of reactive species that attack several molecules, not a specific target. Photosensitizers (FSs) absorb light at a specific wavelength and the absorbed energy can be transferred to a molecular oxygen, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Such species are highly cytotoxic and produce oxidation reactions that lead to cell death. One of the targets of ROS are unsaturated phospholipids from biological membranes. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate the interaction of the FSs curcumin and methylene blue with phospholipids and the effect of photoactivation of these FSs on a bacterial membrane mimetic. For this purpose, Langmuir films of the lipid extract of Escherichia coli and the synthetic lipids DOPE, POPG and cardiolipin were used. The surface pressure isotherms with the E. coli extract indicate interaction between the FSs and the lipids of the film, increasing the occupied area. The irradiation of the film in the presence of curcumin increases its stability, which suggests the formation of more hydrophilic lipid hydroperoxides by the action of singlet oxygen. In the synthetic lipid films only curcumin is incorporated, with increase in the area occupied by the film, and reduction in surface potential. No effect from irradiation of these films was detected. A Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film of E. coli extract with curcumin was submitted to four cycles of photobleaching followed by fluorescence recovery visualized in a confocal microscope. The intensity of the fluorescence increased after the first cycle, indicative of conformational change to allocate a larger amount of curcumin, which corroborates the hypothesis of hydroperoxide formation.

O crescente número de bactérias resistentes é devido principalmente ao número limitado de modos de ação dos antibióticos, contra os quais bactérias criam mecanismo de resistência. Há, portanto, necessidade de terapias com espectro de ação mais amplo, atingindo diferentes alvos moleculares. A inativação fotodinâmica (IFD) pode ser uma dessas terapias, pois baseia-se na geração de espécies reativas que atacam diversas moléculas, e não um alvo específico. Fotossensibilizadores (FSs) absorvem luz em comprimento de onda específico e a energia absorvida pode ser transferida a um oxigênio molecular, gerando espécies reativas de oxigênio (EROs). Tais espécies são altamente citotóxicas e produzem reações de oxidação que levam à morte celular. Um dos alvos das EROs são fosfolipídios insaturados das membranas biológicas. O objetivo desta dissertação é investigar a interação dos FSs curcumina e azul de metileno com fosfolipídios e o efeito da foto-ativação desses FSs em um mimético de membrana bacteriana. Para tanto, foram usados filmes de Langmuir do extrato lipídico de Escherichia coli e dos lipídios sintéticos isolados DOPE, POPG e cardiolipina. As isotermas de pressão com o extrato de E coli indicam interação entre os FSs e os lipídios do filme, aumentando a área ocupada. A irradiação do filme na presença de curcumina aumenta sua estabilidade, o que sugere formação de hidroperóxidos de lipídio, mais hidrofílicos, pela ação do oxigênio singleto. Nos filmes dos lipídios isolados só a curcumina é incorporada, havendo aumento na área ocupada pelo filme, e redução no potencial de superfície. Nenhum efeito decorrente da irradiação desses filmes foi detectado. Um filme Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) de extrato de E. coli com curcumina foi submetido a quatro ciclos de fotoclareamento seguido de recuperação da fluorescência visualizados num microscópio confocal. A intensidade da fluorescência aumentou após o primeiro ciclo, indicativo de mudança conformacional para alocar maior quantidade de curcumina, o que corrobora a hipótese da formação de hidroperóxidos. / The growing number of resistant bacteria is mainly due to the limited number of modes of action of antibiotics, against which bacteria create resistance. There is, therefore, a need for therapies with broader action spectrum, reaching different molecular targets. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) may be one of these therapies, because it is based on the generation of reactive species that attack several molecules, not a specific target. Photosensitizers (FSs) absorb light at a specific wavelength and the absorbed energy can be transferred to a molecular oxygen, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Such species are highly cytotoxic and produce oxidation reactions that lead to cell death. One of the targets of ROS are unsaturated phospholipids from biological membranes. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate the interaction of the FSs curcumin and methylene blue with phospholipids and the effect of photoactivation of these FSs on a bacterial membrane mimetic. For this purpose, Langmuir films of the lipid extract of Escherichia coli and the synthetic lipids DOPE, POPG and cardiolipin were used. The surface pressure isotherms with the E. coli extract indicate interaction between the FSs and the lipids of the film, increasing the occupied area. The irradiation of the film in the presence of curcumin increases its stability, which suggests the formation of more hydrophilic lipid hydroperoxides by the action of singlet oxygen. In the synthetic lipid films only curcumin is incorporated, with increase in the area occupied by the film, and reduction in surface potential. No effect from irradiation of these films was detected. A Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film of E. coli extract with curcumin was submitted to four cycles of photobleaching followed by fluorescence recovery visualized in a confocal microscope. The intensity of the fluorescence increased after the first cycle, indicative of conformational change to allocate a larger amount of curcumin, which corroborates the hypothesis of hydroperoxide formation.

No description available.

No description available.

Le défi majeur de la thérapie génique à base de siARN est sa délivrance sûre et efficace. Récemment, notre groupe a mis au point des dendrimères amphiphiles comme vecteurs robustes et efficaces de délivrance non-virale de siARN, qui combinent les avantages de délivrance des vecteurs lipidiques et polymèriques. J’ai effectué au cours de ma thèse de doctorat une analyse de la relation structure/activité (SAR) d'une série de dendrimères comportant des queues hydrophobes de différentes longueurs. Nos résultats démontrent qu’un équilibre optimal entre la longueur de la chaîne alkyle hydrophobe et la partie hydrophile dendritique joue un rôle crucial sur leur capacité d’auto-assemblage, ainsi que sur leur activité de transport des siRNA. En outre, en combinant bola-amphiphiles et nos dendrimères amphiphiles, nous avons développé un nouveau dendrimère bola-amphiphile dont nous avons étudié les propriétés d’auto-assemblage et l'efficacité de transport du siARN correspondant. Ce dendrimère bola-amphiphile particulier a été en mesure de réagir à des espèces réactives de l'oxygène pour la délivrance spécifique, ouvrant ainsi de nouvelles perspectives pour la conception de vecteurs stimuli-déclencheurs pour siARN ciblés. Enfin, nous avons étudié l’«effet d'éponge à protons» des vecteurs dendritiques amphiphiles à l'aide de la technique du film Langmuir en monocouche. Nos résultats ont prouvé le gonflement des vecteurs dendritiques amphiphiles par protonation, offrant ainsi des données expérimentales permettant de soutenir sans ambiguïté l’hypothèse de l'«effet d'éponge à protons». / A key challenge in RNAi-based gene therapy is the safe and effective siRNA delivery. Recently, our group has established amphiphilic dendrimers as robust and effective nonviral delivery vectors for siRNA, which combine the beneficial delivery features of both lipid and dendritic polymer vectors while overcoming their shortcomings.With the desire to understand the underlying mechanism of amphiphilic dendrimers for efficient delivery, I performed a structure/activity relationship (SAR) analysis of a series of dendrimers featuring hydrophobic tails of different lengths during my PhD thesis. We systematically investigated these dendrimers for their self-assembling characters and their capacities for both binding and delivery of siRNA. Our results demonstrate that an optimal balance between the hydrophobic alkyl chain length and the hydrophilic dendritic portion plays a crucial role in the self-assembly and the delivery activity towards siRNA.Furthermore, we developed a novel bola-amphiphilic dendrimer by combining bola-amphiphiles and our amphiphilic dendrimers and studied their self-assembly properties and the corresponding siRNA delivery efficiency. This peculiar bola-amphiphilic vector was able to respond to reactive oxygen species for specific delivery, opening a new perspective for the design of stimuli-trigged vectors for targeted siRNA delivery.Finally, I studied the “proton sponge effect” of the amphiphilic dendrimer vectors using the Langmuir monolayer film technique. Our results gave direct evidence of swelling of the amphiphilic dendrimers upon protonation, offering unambiguous experimental data to support the “proton sponge effect”.

Les microgels sont des particules colloïdales de polymère réticulé gonflées par un solvant. Déformables et poreuses, elles peuvent changer d’état de gonflement lors de l’application d’un stimulus. Ce travail de thèse a pour but de développer de nouveaux concepts tirant profit des propriétés stimulables et de la déformabilité intrinsèque des microgels tout en approfondissant les connaissances sur le comportement de ces objets en solution et aux interfaces. Les microgels de poly(N-alkylacrylamide) sont utilisés comme modèles. Dans un premier temps, notre travail a porté sur l’étude d’un nouveau type de microgels électrochimiluminescents grâce à l’incorporation d’un complexe métallique de ruthénium dans la matrice polymère. A la transition de phase, ces microgels présentent une exaltation de l’intensité ECL jusqu’à 2 ordres de grandeur, en lien avec la distance entre les sites redox. Le concept est ensuite transposé à des microgels sensibles aux saccharides et à des systèmes comportant deux luminophores, un donneur ECL et un accepteur d’énergie pouvant donner lieu à un transfert d’énergie par résonance. La deuxième partie de la thèse est consacrée à l’adsorption de microgels à une interface liquide-liquide plane, en vue de mieux comprendre l’origine de la stabilité des émulsions stabilisées par ce genre d’objets. De façon analogue aux protéines flexibles, les microgels changent de conformation à l’interface, passant d’un état étendu à un état comprimé, à l’origine de variations de l’élasticité interfaciale. Les microgels ainsi adsorbés sont fonctionnalisés de façon régiosélective dans l’eau et permettent de produire des microgels non symétriques, dits Janus, susceptibles de s’auto-assembler. / Microgels are colloidal particles made of cross-linked polymer swollen by a solvent. Soft and porous, they can adapt their swelling degree in response to a stimulus. The main objective of this work is to develop new concepts taking advantage of microgels’ stimuli-responsive properties and intrinsicsoftness while deepening understanding of their properties in solution and at interfaces. Poly(Nalkylacrylamide) microgels are used as a model. Initially our work focused on the study of a new type of electrochemiluminescent (ECL) microgels thanks to the incorporation of a ruthenium complex in the polymer matrix. At the volume phase transition, these microgels exhibit an amplification of the ECL intensity up to 2 orders of magnitude, related to the decrease of the distance between redox sites. This concept is then transposed to saccharides-sensitive microgels and systems bearing two luminophores, an ECL donor and an energy acceptor in order to give rise to resonance energy transfer. The second part of this manuscript is devoted to adsorption of microgels at a planar liquid-liquid interface, to improve knowledge on the origin of the stability of emulsions stabilized by such objects. Such as flexible proteins, microgels can change their conformation at the interface, from an extended to a compressed state, causing variation in the interfacial elasticity. When microgels are adsorbed they can also be functionalized regioselectively in water to produce non-symmetrical microgels, called Janus, able to self-assemble.

Fatty acids (FAs) represent an important class of metabolites, impacting on membrane building blocks and signaling compounds in cellular regulatory networks. In nature, prokaryotes are characterized with the most impressing FA structural diversity and the highest relative content of free fatty acids (FFAs). In this context, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (order Rhizobiales), the symbionts of legumes, are particularly interesting. Indeed, the FA profiles influence the structure of rhizobial nodulation factors, required for successful infection of plant root. Although FA patterns can be assessed by gas chromatography—(GC-) and liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry (LC-MS), sample preparation for these methods is time-consuming and quantification suffers from compromised sensitivity, low stability of derivatives and artifacts. In contrast, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) represents an excellent platform for high-efficient metabolite fingerprinting, also applicable to FFAs. Therefore, here we propose a simple and straightforward protocol for high-throughput relative quantification of FFAs in rhizobia by combination of Langmuir technology and MALDI-TOF-MS featuring a high sensitivity, accuracy and precision of quantification. We describe a step-by-step procedure comprising rhizobia culturing, pre-cleaning, extraction, sample preparation, mass spectrometric analysis, data processing and post-processing. As a case study, a comparison of the FFA metabolomes of two rhizobia species—Rhizobium leguminosarum and Sinorhizobium meliloti, demonstrates the analytical potential of the protocol.