<p>In this thesis, the structure and stability of globular proteins adsorbed onto nanometer-sized hydrophilic silica particles were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX), and mass spectrometry (MS). The adsorption process itself was characterized with fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The combination of these methods offered a unique insight into adsorption-induced changes within proteins related to their adsorption characteristics. DSC contributed with thermodynamic information on the overall structural stability within the protein population. HDX in combination with MS contributed information on the structure and stability of adsorbed proteins with focus on changes within the secondary structure elements. In order to increase the structural resolution in this part of the investigation, proteolysis was performed prior to the MS analyzing step. Knowledge on the protein adsorption process was utilized in a practical approach called ligand fishing. In this approach, SPR was used to monitor the chip-based affinity purification of a protein with MS used for protein identification.</p><p>Adsorption isotherms revealed that electrostatic interactions play an important role in the adsorption of proteins to hydrophilic surfaces. DSC investigation revealed that the thermal stability of proteins reduces with increasing electrostatic attraction between the protein and the surface and that this effect diminishes at higher surface coverage. The mass-increase due to exchange between protein hydrogen atoms and deuterium atoms in solution was investigated as a function of time. This gave insight into adsorption-induced changes in the structural stability of proteins. By combining DSC and HDX-MS, it was possible to differentiate between adsorption-induced changes in the secondary and tertiary structure. Additionally, if limited proteolysis was performed, the investigations gave insight into the orientation and protein segment specific changes in the stability of proteins adsorbed to silica surfaces. The adsorption of proteins to silica particles also provided the basis for a new experimental design that allows handling of minute amounts of proteins in a ligand fishing application, as used in the field of functional proteomics.</p>

<p>Drug transport across the intestinal epithelium is roughly predicted from permeability values obtained from Caco-2 cell monolayers. This thesis examines the important role of <i>pH</i> and extracellular additives for increasing the reliability and predictivity of the <i>in vitro</i> screening system, Caco-2.</p><p>It was shown that the passive transport of ionizable compounds may be biased by a false efflux or uptake component, when applying a physiological <i>pH</i>-gradient across the membrane. <i>pH</i> also affected the amount of compound available at the transporter-binding site. Therefore, <i>pH</i> dependence should be considered in studies of such compounds and of drug-drug interactions involving efflux transporters. It was also shown that proton-dependent apical uptake or basolateral efflux should be studied both with and without a <i>pH</i> gradient over the whole monolayers. </p><p>The two extracellular additives, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the solubilizing agent, Cremophor^® EL, also influenced Caco-2 permeabilities. BSA applied to the receiver side increases, and to the donor side decreases drug permeation according to the drug’s protein binding capacity. Thus, the absorptive transport for both passive and active compounds is favoured, giving a physiologically sound improvement of the Caco-2 cell model. Inclusion of BSA increased both the predictivity and quality of permeability studies, particularly of highly lipophilic, BCS class II compounds. Passive and active transport processes could also be distinguished after accounting for unbound concentrations. The overall effect of Cremophor^® EL on the permeability to a drug was compound-specific and probably dependent on micellar incorporation. Cremophor^® EL can therefore not be recommended. </p><p>Neither <i>pH</i> nor BSA affect the functionality of transporters such as P-glycoprotein. However, efflux ratios of ionizable or protein bound drugs are altered in the presence of a <i>pH</i>-gradient or BSA, indicating that an experimental system without protein or <i>pH</i> gradient can over- or underestimate active and passive efflux in drug transport.</p>

In this thesis, the structure and stability of globular proteins adsorbed onto nanometer-sized hydrophilic silica particles were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX), and mass spectrometry (MS). The adsorption process itself was characterized with fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The combination of these methods offered a unique insight into adsorption-induced changes within proteins related to their adsorption characteristics. DSC contributed with thermodynamic information on the overall structural stability within the protein population. HDX in combination with MS contributed information on the structure and stability of adsorbed proteins with focus on changes within the secondary structure elements. In order to increase the structural resolution in this part of the investigation, proteolysis was performed prior to the MS analyzing step. Knowledge on the protein adsorption process was utilized in a practical approach called ligand fishing. In this approach, SPR was used to monitor the chip-based affinity purification of a protein with MS used for protein identification. Adsorption isotherms revealed that electrostatic interactions play an important role in the adsorption of proteins to hydrophilic surfaces. DSC investigation revealed that the thermal stability of proteins reduces with increasing electrostatic attraction between the protein and the surface and that this effect diminishes at higher surface coverage. The mass-increase due to exchange between protein hydrogen atoms and deuterium atoms in solution was investigated as a function of time. This gave insight into adsorption-induced changes in the structural stability of proteins. By combining DSC and HDX-MS, it was possible to differentiate between adsorption-induced changes in the secondary and tertiary structure. Additionally, if limited proteolysis was performed, the investigations gave insight into the orientation and protein segment specific changes in the stability of proteins adsorbed to silica surfaces. The adsorption of proteins to silica particles also provided the basis for a new experimental design that allows handling of minute amounts of proteins in a ligand fishing application, as used in the field of functional proteomics.

With increasing environmental awareness and natural resource limitations, researchers must begin to incorporate sustainability into their process and product designs. One target for green engineering is in reaction and separation design. This is typically done in a wasteful and often toxic manner with organic solvents and lack of recycle. The following thesis discusses alternatives to these costly separations by means of ionic liquids, benign extraction, separation with carbon dioxide, and near critical water. Ionic liquids are combined with carbon dioxide to induce melting point depressions of up to 124 degrees Celsius. Using this system as a reaction medium will offer control over the reaction phases while utilizing green solvents. Benign extractions are performed on both ferulic acid and on proteins from biomass by replacing alkaline solvents and costly protein separation techniques with simple liquid-liquid extraction. This means simpler systems and less waste than from previous methods. This thesis also discusses an opportunity for more efficient separation and recycle of a pharmaceutical catalyst, Mn-Salen. Using carbon dioxide with the organic aqueous tunable solvent system, the reaction can be run homogeneously and the product and catalyst separated heterogeneously, thus creating an extremely efficient process. Lastly, near critical water is used as an extraction and reaction medium by extracting ferulic acid from Brewers Spent Grain and then catalyzing its transformation to 4-vinylguaiacol. In this manner a simple, benign process is used to turn waste into valuable chemicals. Although somewhat different, each of the studied processes strives to eliminate waste and toxicity of many commonly used reaction and separation techniques, thus creating safe and sustainable processes.

Drug transport across the intestinal epithelium is roughly predicted from permeability values obtained from Caco-2 cell monolayers. This thesis examines the important role of pH and extracellular additives for increasing the reliability and predictivity of the in vitro screening system, Caco-2. It was shown that the passive transport of ionizable compounds may be biased by a false efflux or uptake component, when applying a physiological pH-gradient across the membrane. pH also affected the amount of compound available at the transporter-binding site. Therefore, pH dependence should be considered in studies of such compounds and of drug-drug interactions involving efflux transporters. It was also shown that proton-dependent apical uptake or basolateral efflux should be studied both with and without a pH gradient over the whole monolayers. The two extracellular additives, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the solubilizing agent, Cremophor® EL, also influenced Caco-2 permeabilities. BSA applied to the receiver side increases, and to the donor side decreases drug permeation according to the drug’s protein binding capacity. Thus, the absorptive transport for both passive and active compounds is favoured, giving a physiologically sound improvement of the Caco-2 cell model. Inclusion of BSA increased both the predictivity and quality of permeability studies, particularly of highly lipophilic, BCS class II compounds. Passive and active transport processes could also be distinguished after accounting for unbound concentrations. The overall effect of Cremophor® EL on the permeability to a drug was compound-specific and probably dependent on micellar incorporation. Cremophor® EL can therefore not be recommended. Neither pH nor BSA affect the functionality of transporters such as P-glycoprotein. However, efflux ratios of ionizable or protein bound drugs are altered in the presence of a pH-gradient or BSA, indicating that an experimental system without protein or pH gradient can over- or underestimate active and passive efflux in drug transport.

Particles and macromolecular components, including biopolymers (protein and carbohydrate), are viewed as the main foulants in the complex feed submerged membrane filtration systems such as membrane bioreactor (MBR). This work focused on two aspects of fouling in complex fluids: 1- Assessing fouling propensity and mechanisms for various model solutions. 2- Using of two specific solutions modelling biomass found in MBR for a better understanding of the fouling mechanisms in submerged MBR processes. Filtrations were carried out with 0.22 ??m PVDF hollow fibre membrane. Alginate was used as a model for polysaccharide, bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model for protein, (un)washed yeast and bentonite were representing suspended solid contents. According to the data obtained during this study the fouling propensity of each model solution was classified as follow in a decreasing order: Alginate &gt unwashed yeast &gt washed yeast &gt BSA &gt bentonite for one-component solutions; and Alginate-washed yeast &gt Alginate-BSA &gt Alginate-bentonite &gt Alginate-unwashed yeast for two-component solutions. Introducing the alginate increased the reversible fouling (except BSA). Passive adsorption had a significant effect on fouling of alginate even before the beginning of the filtration. Washed yeast and a mixture of washed yeast + BSA were then used as model solutions to simulate the activated sludge found in MBR. The concentration of washed yeast and BSA used in this study were calculated in order for the characterisations of the two model solution to match (in terms of biopolymer contents) those of MBR biomasses reported in the literature. By rinsing, backwashing and chemical cleaning of the membrane, three fouling layers of upper, intermediate and lower were defined respectively. Results obtained from the analysis of the biopolymers found in the cleaning solutions allow a better understanding of the fouling mechanisms occurring for the two model solutions used in this study: for washed yeast, the lower layer and for washed yeast + BSA , the upper and intermediate layers were found to have relatively high biopolymeric composition. This was explained by higher concentration of solids on the membrane surface and by higher biopolymer interactions when washed yeast was mixed with BSA.

Orientadores: Carlos Francisco Sampaio Bonafé, Claudio Chrysostomo Werneck / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T01:47:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Norberto_DouglasRicardo_D.pdf: 1634322 bytes, checksum: 288f08df151602db46da98bf9d58476f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Ureia desnatura proteínas em diferentes concentrações, dependendo das condições experimentais e da proteína. A proteína monomérica soro albumina bovina (BSA) foi o principal modelo de investigação na presença de concentrações subdesnaturantes de ureia com base no modelo de equilíbrio de dois estados. A desnaturação induzida por alta pressão foi intensificada em concentrações de ureia ( [U] ) entre 3,5 M e 8,0 M, com variação de energia livre à pressão atmosférica (?Gº[U]) de +5,0 a -2,5 kJ/mol de BSA, e variação do volume de desnaturação (?V) de -30 a -36 mL/mol de BSA. Os parâmetros m apresentaram caráter bifásico, com valores de m1 e m2 de 0,92 e 2,35 kJ.mol-1.M-1, respectivamente. A partir de gráficos da variação de com relação à foram obtidos valores de , o coeficiente estequiométrico aparente do agente desnaturante, de 1,68 e 6,67 mol de ureia/mol de BSA, respectivamente v1 e v2, correspondentes à m1 e m2. Estes resultados foram comparados com os de outras proteínas monoméricas da literatura e com um conjunto de dados da SNase ?+PHS I92A e estequiometrias sistematicamente baixas foram observadas. No entanto, um valor de 140 mols de ureia/mol de BSA pode ser alcançado a partir de abordagem que considera a existência de uma população heterogênea com respeito a energia livre de desnaturação e aspectos moleculares da interação proteína-solvente puderam ser melhor interpretados / Abstract: Urea denatures proteins at different concentrations, depending on the experimental conditions and the protein. We investigated the pressure-induced denaturation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model in the presence of subdenaturing concentrations of urea based on a two-state equilibrium model. Pressure-induced denaturation was enhanced at urea concentrations ([U]) of 3.5 M to 8.0 M, with the free energy of denaturation at atmospheric pressure (?Gº[U]) ranging from +5.0 to -2.5 kJ/mol of BSA while the volume change ranged from -30 to -36 mL/mol of BSA. The m values appeared to be biphasic, with m1 and m2 of 0.92 and 2.35 kJ.mol-1.M-1, respectively. Plots of ?Gº[U] versu ln[U] yielded values of v , the apparent stoichiometric coefficient, of 1.68 and 6.67 mol of urea/mol of BSA respectively for m1 and m2. These results were compared with the m and values of other monomeric proteins reported from the literature and of SNase ?+PHS I92A and the very low values of were systematically observed. However, a value of 140 moles of urea/mole of BSA could be reached by considering the existence of a heterogeneous molecular population with respect to the free energy of denaturation and the molecular binding aspects could be better interpreted / Doutorado / Bioquimica / Doutor em Biologia Funcional e Molecular

Interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and thimerosal (TM), organic mercury compound, was investigated by spectroscopic methods. The results, by molecular fluorescence, show that the interaction takes place by static quenching with electrostatic forces spontaneously (ΔG = - 4.40 kJ mol-1 at 30°C). The binding constant (Kb) was 3.24 ± 0.01x103 L mol-1 (30°C) is considered a moderate interaction. Fluorescence in three dimensions revealed that TM causes structural involving the the polypeptide chain BSA changes in the polarity of the tryptophan and tyrosine residues confirmed by circular dichroism (CD) showed an increase in α-helix content after interaction with TM. In addition, the TM decreases the surface hydrophobicity of the protein. Bilirubin was used as a marker for the subdomain IB, confirming that TM interacts in this region of the protein. The study of the interaction mechanism proposed that TM is reacted with BSA through the free cysteine residue, forming the adduct BSA-HgEt release of thiosalicylic acid (ATS), which interacts with amino acids with side chain positive. Besides, it was seen that TM accelerates the protein fibrillation kinetics by 42%, with a possible indication of the toxicity of this compound in biological systems. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A interação entre albumina do soro bovino (BSA) e timerosal (TM), composto orgânico de mercúrio, foi investigada utilizando métodos espectroscópicos. Os resultados, por fluorescência molecular, evidenciam que a interação acontece por quenching estático através de forças eletrostáticas de forma espontânea (ΔG = - 4,40 kJ mol-1 a 30ºC). A constante de ligação (Kb) foi de 3,24 ± 0,01x103 L mol-1 (30ºC) sendo considerada uma interação moderada. A fluorescência em três dimensões revelou que TM causa mudanças estruturais envolvendo a cadeia polipeptídica da BSA assim como altera a polaridade dos resíduos de triptofano e tirosina, confirmada por dicroísmo circular (DC) que evidenciou aumento no conteúdo de α-hélice após interação com TM. Além disto, TM diminui a hidrofobicidade superficial da proteína. Bilirrubina foi utilizada como marcador para o subdomínio IB, confirmando que TM interage nesta região da proteína. O estudo do mecanismo de interação propôs que TM reage com BSA através do resíduo de cisteína livre, formando o aduto BSA-HgEt com liberação de ácido tiosalicílico (ATS), que interage com os aminoácidos com cadeia lateral positiva. Por fim, foi visto que TM acelera a cinética de fibrilação proteica em 42%, sendo um possível indício da toxicidade deste composto em sistemas biológicos.

This thesis is focused on synthesis of quantum dots (QDs) for protein detection. It comprises three parts. The first part summaries the theory of QDs, their synthesis, functionalization, interactions and applications in medicine. In the second part synthesis of CdTe/ZnS core/shell QDs modified by glutathione (GSH) is described, followed by the conjugation with biomolecules BSA and IgG. Several coupling agents such as EDC with NHS and CDI were used. In the last part, the final products were characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy and capillary electrophoresis. The results show the dependence of the fluorescence intensity of the QDs on pH range, concentration of BSA and IgG concentrations using different crosslinkers.

Development of methods for studying drug delivery systems is of great significance for the improvement of topical formulations. Active compounds for topical drug delivery are often formulated into gels and creams, that can be applied onto skin surfaces. It is important to know the extent of the permeability of the active compounds, in order to determine the medical effect. This study examines the possibilities of using an animal-free skin equivalent for penetration and permeation experiments, i.e. a silk scaffold integrated with viable human dermaland epidermal cells. Mammalian cell culturing together with silkconstruct formation, constituted the upstream bioprocess and acquisition of the skin equivalents. Permeability of fluorescently labelled Bovine Serum Albumin and Sodium Fluorescein salt was assessed, using a Franz- cell setup incorporated with the skin equivalents. Furthermore, fluorescence analysis and SDS-PAGE was performed on the collected samples, along with cryosectioning and image analysis of the skin equivalents. The results indicate variations in tissue integrity, leading to both high and low permeability. Fluorescence intensity can be correlated with the amount of sample liquid passing through. The model is still under development, hence more research is needed to draw a conclusion regarding the cellular composition of the skin equivalents, and how it influences permeability. / NextBioForm