Exploiting specific properties of squid pens for the preparation of oligochitosan hydrochloride.

Herein, we describe in first the application of squid pens for the preparation of pharmaceutical-grade oligochitosan hydrochloride with the physicochemical characteristics corresponding with the requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia. It is shown that the use of specific properties of squid pens as a source of parent chitosan allows preparing the product with a high yield at relatively moderate process conditions used for squid pens treatments and chitosan depolymerization.

An insight into the effect of interaction with protein on antibacterial activity of chitosan derivatives.

Antimicrobial activity of chitosan in protein-rich media is of a particular interest for various protein-based drug delivery and other systems. For the first time, bacteriostatic activity of chitosan derivatives in the presence of caseinate sodium (CAS) was studied and discussed. Complexation of chitosan derivatives soluble in acidic (CH and RCH) or alkalescent (RCH) media with CAS was confirmed by fluorescent spectroscopy, turbodimetry, light scattering data and measurement of electrical potentials of CAS/chitosan derivative complexes.

Effect of Soft Preheating of Bovine Serum Albumin on the Complexation with Oligochitosan: Structure and Conformation of BSA in the Complex.

Phase analysis, spectroscopic, and light scattering methods are applied to investigate the peculiarities of the interaction of oligochitosan (OCHI) with native and preheated bovine serum albumin (BSA) as well as the conformational and structural changes of BSA in BSA/OCHI complex. As shown, untreated BSA binds with OCHI mainly forming soluble electrostatic nanocomplexes, with the binding causing an increase in BSA helicity without a change in the local tertiary structure and thermal stability of BSA. In contrast, soft preheating at 56 °C enhances the complexation of BSA with OCHI and slightly destabilizes the secondary and local tertiary structures of BSA within the complex particles.

Complexation of oligochitosan with sodium caseinate in alkalescent and weakly acidic media.

Сomplexation of oligochitosan (OCHI) having the degree of acetylation (DA 26 %) with sodium caseinate (SC) at pH 5.8 and 7.2 is described and compared with the complexation of OCHI (DA 2 %) at pH 5.

A feasible approach to tune the interaction of chitosan with sodium dodecyl sulfate.

Interaction of binary chitosan/nonionic surfactant (NIS) system with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solution is described using turbodimetry, light scattering, electophoretic mobility and cryogenic electron microscopy. The formation of insoluble CHI/SDS complexes is weakened with a decrease in molecular weight of chitosan and critical micelle concentration of NIS as well as with an increase in NIS concentration. Soluble chitosan/NIS complexes absorb SDS molecules until the charge of mixed chitosan/NIS/SDS complexes reaches a critical value that depends on chitosan molecular weight followed by aggregation of primary electrostatic complexes via hydrogen bonding to complex nanoparticles.

Molecular features of the interaction and antimicrobial activity of chitosan in a solution containing sodium dodecyl sulfate.

Molecular interaction of chitosan with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is a more complicated process than it has been imagined so far. For the first time it has been shown that the shorter chitosan chains are, the more preferably they interact with the SDS and the larger-in-size microparticles they form. The influence of ionic strength, urea and temperature on microparticles formation allows interpreting the mechanism of microparticles formation as a cooperative electrostatic interaction between SDS and chitosan with simultaneous decrease in the surface charge of the complexes initiating the aggregation of microparticles.

Extraction of residual heavy metals from commercial chitosan and approach to preparation of oligochitosan hydrochloride.

For biomedical applications, chitosan and oligochitosan must be appropriately characterized and meet pharmacological requirements in terms of contamination by residual heavy metals. In this work, a series of commercial chitosans was analyzed by ICP-MS method, and high concentration of Fe (44-382 ppm), Cr (3.1-35.

[Biologically Active Peptides of King Crab Hepatopancreas].

Substances of a peptide nature isolated from the hepatopancreas of the king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus exhibited physicochemical properties and membranotropic and specific activities similar to those of membranotropic homeostatic tissue-specific bioregulators previously found in different mammalian and plant tissues. Their biological effect on vertebrate tissues was demonstrated on a model of roller organotypic cultivation of Pleurodeles waltl newt liver tissue.

[Peptide-containing fraction from a culture medium of Fusarium sambucinum: composition and biological effects].

The culture fluid of the fungus Fusarium sambucinum was investigated for the presence of new peptide-containing bioregulators, previously identified in various mammalian and plant tissues. A fraction containing peptides with molecular weights from 1000 to 2000 Da, which exhibited specific membranotropic activity and a number of physical and chemical properties characteristic of this group of bioregulators, was obtained. The effects of this fraction on the model roller organotypic cultivation of liver tissue of the Pleurodeles waltl newt in vitro were investigated for the first time.

Analysis of a bioregulator isolated from rat testes in roller organotypic culture of mouse testes in vitro.

A new bioregulator, a representative of membranotropic homeostatic tissue-specific bioregulators acting in ultralow doses, was isolated from rat testes. A model of roller organotypic culturing of mouse testes was developed and the protective effect of the bioregulator was analyzed.

[Modulators of the regulatory protein activity acting at microdoses].

New, previously not studied bioregulators active in the ultra low doses corresponding of 10(-8) - 10(-17) mg/ml have been isolated from vitreoretinal tissue of eye. It has been shown that these bioregulators comprise some regulatory peptides-modulators represented by proteins with molecular weights 15-70 KDa one of which is bovine serum albumin. Correlation between the nanosize of bioregulators and their ability to show activity in ultra low doses is established.

Structural-functional characteristics of a new bioregulator isolated from bovine pigmented epithelium tissue.

A new bioregulator operating in ultralow doses corresponding to 10(-17) mg/ml has been isolated from tissue of pigmented epithelium of bovine eyes. It has been established that the functional basis of this bioregulator is a complex of a low molecular weight regulatory peptide (4372 Da) and a modulator consisting of a mixture of proteins with molecular weights of 14.980-66.

The complexon-renal stone interaction: solubility and electronic microscopy studies.

We have studied how complex formation between calcium and ethylenediaminetetraacetate or citrate ions influences the surface texture and the size of passed oxalate-phosphate renal stones. The four hour concrement treatment by sodium citrate or ethylenediaminetetraacetate aqueous solutions strongly affects the stone texture and provides a mass loss of 6-15%. We have found a significant decrease of the calcium and phosphor content on a concrement surface and formation of appreciable cracks.

[New liposomal forms of antifungal antibiotics, modified by amphiphilic polymers].

A method has been developed, for incorporating macrocyclic polyene antibiotics nistatin and amphotericin B into liposomes containing phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol (7:3) or phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and cardiolipin (7:3:1), the membranes of which were modified with an amphiphilic polymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone, carrying one terminal n-octadecyl group and having a molecular weight of 4000 Da. The amount of antibiotics within such liposomal nanocarriers may be as high as 17-22%. It was demonstrated that the modified liposomes have sizes in the range 150-200 nm and exhibit increased long-term storage stability and increased resistance to disrupting agents (Triton X-100 or ethanol) and ultrasound.

[Primary structure of a short toxin from the venom of a vietnamese scorpion (Buthus sp.)].

The complete amino acid sequence of an important toxin (toxin 14) from the venom of a Vietnamese scorpion (Buthus occitanus sp.) has been determined, which includes 35 amino acid residues and three disulfide bridges (molecular weight, 3843 Da). The comparison of the sequence with sequences of short scorpion toxins led us to conclude that toxin 14 belongs to a novel group of toxins affecting the excitability of myelinated nerves.

Isolation of toxins from Buthus occitanus sp. scorpion and their action on excitability of myelinated nerve.

A series of short neurotoxins (molecular weight 3500-5000 D) was isolated from Vietnamese scorpion B. occitanus sp. All these toxins blocked generation of action potentials (this effect depended on their molecular weight), but did not change conduction velocity and excitation threshold of the nerve.

[Isolation and some properties of a lectin from the venom of the Vietnamese scorpion Buthus occitanus sp].

A lectin was isolated from the venom of scorpion Buthus occitanus sp. by means of Sephadex G-50 gel filtration and CM-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. The homogeneous lectin preparation consisted of homodimeric molecules with a subunit Mr of 9.

[Isolation and characteristics of a lectin-like protein from bee venom].

Lectin-like properties of bee venom proteins were studied. Phospholipase A2 was demonstrated to harbor lectin activity. Specific hemagglutinating activity of the isolated phospholipase exceeded 320 times the activity of the initial bee venom.