Hydrated dispersions containing equimolar mixtures of cationic and anionic amphiphiles, referred to as catanionic systems, exhibit synergistic physicochemical properties, and mixing single-chain cationic and anionic lipids can lead to the spontaneous formation of vesicles as well as other phase structures. In the present work, we have characterized two catanionic systems prepared by mixing -acyltaurines (NATs) and sarcosine alkyl esters (SAEs) bearing 11 and 12 C atoms in the acyl/alkyl chains. Turbidimetric and isothermal titration calorimetric studies revealed that both NATs form equimolar complexes with SAEs having matching acyl/alkyl chains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFN-Acylated amino acids and neurotransmitters in mammals exert significant biological effects on the nervous system, immune responses, and vasculature. -Acyl derivatives of γ-aminobutyric acid (-acyl GABA), which belong to both classes mentioned above, are prominent among them. In this work, a homologous series of -acyl GABAs bearing saturated -acyl chains (C8-C18) have been synthesized and characterized with respect to self-assembly, thermotropic phase behavior, and supramolecular organization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEquimolar mixtures of oppositely charged single-chain amphiphiles form a variety of phases, including vesicles. Such catanionic mixed lipid systems show high stability and exhibit versatile physicochemical properties. In the present study we have investigated the aggregation behaviour of lauryl sarcosinate hydrochloride (LS·HCl) in aqueous dispersion as well as its interaction with the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochemical and biophysical studies revealed that chitinase O from Chitiniphilus shinanonensis (CsChiO) exhibits considerable thermotolerance, possibly due to the formation of a stable structural conformation. CsChiO is an exochitinase with a temperature optimum of 70 °C. The secondary structures of CsChiO and its catalytic domain (Cat-CsChiO) are only marginally affected upon heating up to 90 °C, as revealed by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF-,-Diacylethanolamines (DAEs) are derived by simple esterification of bioactive -acylethanolamines, which are present in plant and animal tissues. In this study, two homologous series of DAEs, namely -acyl ( = 8-15), -palmitoylethanolamines (N-O16s) and -acyl ( = 8-14), -pentadecanoylethanolamines (N-O15s) were synthesized and characterized with respect to thermotropic phase transitions, crystal structures and intermolecular interactions. In addition, computational studies were performed to get a molecular level insight into the role of different factors in selective polymorphism in N-O16s and N-O15s.
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