Radical generation and bactericidal activity of nanobubbles produced by ultrasonic irradiation of carbonated water.

Our previous study showed that nanobubbles (NBs) encapsulating CO gas have bactericidal activity due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Yamaguchi et al., 2020). Here, we report that bulk NBs encapsulating CO can be efficiently generated by ultrasonically irradiating carbonated water using a piezoelectric transducer with a frequency of 1.

Two-dimensional water-molecule-cluster layers at nanobubble interfaces.

Hypothesis: Bulk nanobubbles (NBs) have high surface charge densities and long lifetimes. Despite several attempts to understand the lifetime of NBs, their interfacial layer structure remains unknown. It is hypothesized that a specific interfacial layer exists with a hydrogen bond network that stabilizes NBs.

Bactericidal Activity of Bulk Nanobubbles through Active Oxygen Species Generation.

We investigated the bactericidal activity of bulk nanobubbles (NBs) using , a model bacterium. Bulk NBs were produced by forcing gas through a porous alumina membrane with an ordered arrangement of nanoscale straight holes in contact with water. NBs with different gas contents, including CO, O, and N, were generated and evaluated for their bactericidal effects.

Parallel Recordings of Transmembrane hERG Channel Currents Based on Solvent-Free Lipid Bilayer Microarray.

The reconstitution of ion-channel proteins in artificially formed bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) forms a well-defined system for the functional analysis of ion channels and screening of the effects of drugs that act on these proteins. To improve the efficiency of the BLM reconstitution system, we report on a microarray of stable solvent-free BLMs formed in microfabricated silicon (Si) chips, where micro-apertures with well-defined nano- and micro-tapered edges were fabricated. Sixteen micro-wells were manufactured in a chamber made of Teflon, and the Si chips were individually embedded in the respective wells as a recording site.

Optical transport of sub-micron lipid vesicles along a nanofiber.

Enhanced manipulation and analysis of bio-particles using light confined in nano-scale dielectric structures has proceeded apace in the last several years. Small mode volumes, along with the lack of a need for bulky optical elements give advantages in sensitivity and scalability relative to conventional optical manipulation. However, manipulation of lipid vesicles (liposomes) remains difficult, particularly in the sub-micron diameter regime.

Bactericidal Activity of TiO Nanotube Thin Films on Si by Photocatalytic Generation of Active Oxygen Species.

The photocatalytic bactericidal activity of titanium dioxide (TiO) thin films has been extensively studied. In this study, we investigated the bactericidal activities of TiO nanotube (NT) thin films using and cells as the model bacteria. Metallic titanium (Ti) thin films were anodized on a silicon (Si) wafer substrate to form TiO NT thin films.

Characterization of Bulk Nanobubbles Formed by Using a Porous Alumina Film with Ordered Nanopores.

Nanobubbles (NBs), with their unique physicochemical properties and promising applications, have become an important research topic. Generation of monodispersed bulk NBs with specified gas content remains a challenge. We developed a simple method for generating bulk NBs, using porous alumina films with ordered straight nanoscaled holes.

Advances in Artificial Cell Membrane Systems as a Platform for Reconstituting Ion Channels.

An artificial cell membrane that is composed of bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) with transmembrane proteins incorporated within them represents a well-defined system for the analysis of membrane proteins, especially ion channel proteins that are major targets for drug design. Because the BLM system has a high compatibility with recently developed cell-free expression systems, it has attracted attention as a next-generation drug screening system. However, three issues associated with BLM systems, i.

Modulation of Photoinduced Transmembrane Currents in a Fullerene-Doped Freestanding Lipid Bilayer by a Lateral Bias.

We report on a novel lipid bilayer system, in which a lateral bias can be applied in addition to a conventional transmembrane voltage. Freestanding bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) doped with [6,6]-phenyl-C-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were formed in a microaperture, around which metal electrodes were deposited. Using this system, it was possible to modulate and amplify photoinduced transmembrane currents by applying a lateral bias along the BLM.

Impact of modular organization on dynamical richness in cortical networks.

As in many naturally formed networks, the brain exhibits an inherent modular architecture that is the basis of its rich operability, robustness, and integration-segregation capacity. However, the mechanisms that allow spatially segregated neuronal assemblies to swiftly change from localized to global activity remain unclear. Here, we integrate microfabrication technology with in vitro cortical networks to investigate the dynamical repertoire and functional traits of four interconnected neuronal modules.

Dependence and Homeostasis of Membrane Impedance on Cell Morphology in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons.

The electrical impedance of cell membranes is important for excitable cells, such as neurons, because it strongly influences the amount of membrane potential change upon a flow of ionic current across the membrane. Here, we report on an investigation of how neuronal morphology affects membrane impedance of cultured hippocampal neurons. Microfabricated substrates with patterned scaffolding molecules were used to restrict the neurite growth of hippocampal neurons, and the impedance was measured via whole-cell patch-clamp recording under the inhibition of voltage-dependent ion channels.

Amphiphobic Septa Enhance the Mechanical Stability of Free-Standing Bilayer Lipid Membranes.

Artificial bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) provide well-defined systems for investigating the fundamental properties of membrane proteins, including ion channels, and for screening the effect of drugs that act on them. However, the application of this technique is limited due to the low stability and low reconstitution efficiency of the process. We previously reported on improving the stability of BLM based on the fabrication of microapertures having a tapered edge in SiO/SiN septa and efficient ion channel incorporation based on vesicle fusion accelerated by a centrifugal force.

Effective Subnetwork Topology for Synchronizing Interconnected Networks of Coupled Phase Oscillators.

A system consisting of interconnected networks, or a network of networks (NoN), appears diversely in many real-world systems, including the brain. In this study, we consider NoNs consisting of heterogeneous phase oscillators and investigate how the topology of subnetworks affects the global synchrony of the network. The degree of synchrony and the effect of subnetwork topology are evaluated based on the Kuramoto order parameter and the minimum coupling strength necessary for the order parameter to exceed a threshold value, respectively.

Formation of Cell Membrane Component Domains in Artificial Lipid Bilayer.

The lipid bilayer environment around membrane proteins strongly affects their structure and functions. Here, we aimed to study the fusion of proteoliposomes (PLs) derived from cultured cells with an artificial lipid bilayer membrane and the distribution of the PL components after the fusion. PLs, which were extracted as a crude membrane fraction from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, formed isolated domains in a supported lipid bilayer (SLB), comprising phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and cholesterol (Chol), after the fusion.

Mechanically stable solvent-free lipid bilayers in nano- and micro-tapered apertures for reconstitution of cell-free synthesized hERG channels.

The self-assembled bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) is the basic component of the cell membrane. The reconstitution of ion channel proteins in artificially formed BLMs represents a well-defined system for the functional analysis of ion channels and screening the effects of drugs that act on them. However, because BLMs are unstable, this limits the experimental throughput of BLM reconstitution systems.

Fabrication and Characterization of High-Quality Perovskite Films with Large Crystal Grains.

Solution-processable organometal perovskite materials have been widely used in various kinds of devices. In these devices, the perovskite materials normally act as active layers. Grain boundaries and structural disorder in the perovskite layer would interfere the charge transport and increase recombination probability.

Size-dependent regulation of synchronized activity in living neuronal networks.

We study the effect of network size on synchronized activity in living neuronal networks. Dissociated cortical neurons form synaptic connections in culture and generate synchronized spontaneous activity within 10 days in vitro. Using micropatterned surfaces to extrinsically control the size of neuronal networks, we show that synchronized activity can emerge in a network as small as 12 cells.

Live-Cell, Label-Free Identification of GABAergic and Non-GABAergic Neurons in Primary Cortical Cultures Using Micropatterned Surface.

Excitatory and inhibitory neurons have distinct roles in cortical dynamics. Here we present a novel method for identifying inhibitory GABAergic neurons from non-GABAergic neurons, which are mostly excitatory glutamatergic neurons, in primary cortical cultures. This was achieved using an asymmetrically designed micropattern that directs an axonal process to the longest pathway.

Reconstitution of Human Ion Channels into Solvent-free Lipid Bilayers Enhanced by Centrifugal Forces.

Artificially formed bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) provide well-defined systems for functional analyses of various membrane proteins, including ion channels. However, difficulties associated with the integration of membrane proteins into BLMs limit the experimental efficiency and usefulness of such BLM reconstitution systems. Here, we report on the use of centrifugation to more efficiently reconstitute human ion channels in solvent-free BLMs.

Photopatterning Proteins and Cells in Aqueous Environment Using TiO2 Photocatalysis.

Organic contaminants adsorbed on the surface of titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be decomposed by photocatalysis under ultraviolet (UV) light. Here we describe a novel protocol employing the TiO2 photocatalysis to locally alter cell affinity of the substrate surface. For this experiment, a thin TiO2 film was sputter-coated on a glass coverslip, and the TiO2 surface was subsequently modified with an organosilane monolayer derived from octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS), which inhibits cell adhesion.

Micro- and nano-technologies for lipid bilayer-based ion-channel functional assays.

Ion channel proteins provide gated pores that allow ions to passively flow across cell membranes. Owing to their crucial roles in regulating transmembrane ion flow, ion channel proteins have attracted the attention of pharmaceutical investigators as drug targets for use in the studies of both therapeutics and side effects. In this review, we discuss the current technologies that are used in the formation of ion channel-integrated bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) in microfabricated devices as a potential platform for next-generation drug screening systems.

Characterization of citrates on gold and silver nanoparticles.

In this paper, we report different coordinations of citrates on gold (AuNP) and silver (AgNP) nanoparticles, as determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and molecular orbital (MO) calculations. AuNPs and AgNPs are found to have completely different interactions with the carboxylate anchoring groups, as indicated by their unique asymmetric stretching vibrations in the FTIR spectra. The ν(as) (COO(-)) of citrate exhibits a high-frequency shift resulting from the formation of a unidentate coordination on AuNPs, whereas this vibration exhibits a low-frequency shift as a result of ionic bond formation on AgNPs, as predicted from the MO calculations of the corresponding metal complex salts.

Reconstitution of human ether-a-go-go-related gene channels in microfabricated silicon chips.

This paper reports on the reconstitution of human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channels in artificial bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) formed in micropores fabricated in silicon chips. The hERG channels were isolated from Chinese hamster ovary cell lines expressing the channels and incorporated into the BLMs formed by a process in which the two lipid monolayers were folded into the micropores. The characteristic features of hERG channels reported by the patch-clamp method, including single-channel conductance, voltage dependence, sensitivity to typical drugs and dependence on the potassium concentration, were investigated in the BLM reconstitution system.

Stable lipid bilayers based on micro- and nano-fabrication as a platform for recording ion-channel activities.

In this review, we will discuss our recent approaches for the formation of mechanically stable bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) by combining with BLM formation and micro- and nano-fabrication techniques. BLMs were prepared across a microaperture fabricated in silicon (Si) chips or nanoporous alumina films using a minimized amount of organic solvent. Although BLMs spanned over the porous alumina film showed better electrical properties, such as background current noise and current transient, BLMs suspended in a thin Si(3)N(4) septum showed a much superior BLM stability.

Ag nanoparticle sheet as a marker of lateral remote photocatalytic reactions.

The lateral remote photocatalytic activity of TiO(2) nanotubes fabricated by anodic oxidation, was characterized by use of a 'silver nanosheet' as a marker. The silver nanosheet is a two-dimensional crystalline film composed of myristate-capped silver nanoparticles (d = 5 nm), which has a sharp localized plasmon absorption band at lambda(max) = 470 nm. A quartz substrate was coated with TiO(2) nanotubes to a coverage of 10% and then covered with a silver nanosheet.