Hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) is a well-established antimalarial drug that has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 associated pneumonia epidemic. Gelatin is a multifunctional biomacromolecule with pharmaceutical applications and can be used to deliver HCQ. The effect of HCQ on the gelation behaviors, water mobility, and structure of gelatin was investigated to understand the interaction between the drug and its delivery carrier. The gel strength, hardness, gelling (T) and melting (T) temperatures, gelation rate (k), and water mobility of gelatin decreased with increasing amounts of HCQ. The addition of HCQ led to hydrogen bonding that interfered with triple helix formation in gelatin. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis further confirmed that the interaction between HCQ and gelatin is primarily through hydrogen bonding. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that higher content of HCQ resulted in more and larger aggregates in gelatin. These results provide not only an important understanding of gelatin for drug delivery design but also a basis for the studying interactions between a drug and its delivery carrier.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8565095 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.127849 | DOI Listing |
ACS Nano
January 2025
Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Québec H2X 0A9, Canada.
The abnormally viscous and thick mucus is a hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF). How the mutated CF gene causes abnormal mucus remains an unanswered question of paramount interest. Mucus is produced by the hydration of gel-forming mucin macromolecules that are stored in intracellular granules prior to release.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiopolymers
March 2025
Centro de Investigación en Química Aplicada, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico.
Exploring new ecological and simultaneous processes to modify wood fibers (WF) by-products is a required pathway toward circular economy and sustainability. Thus, plasma-activated water (PAW) and ultrasound (U) were employed as alternative methods to modify WF in a continuous process. Such treatments promoted the etching and cavities on the WF surface that destabilized the hydrogen bonds of the hemicellulose and lignin molecules, increasing the cellulose fraction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
The film water, with an exceptional capacity to maintain a premelting, liquid-like state even under subzero conditions, provides a potential dynamic conduit for the movement of water in frozen soils. However, the distinctive structural and dynamic characteristics of film water have not been comprehensively elucidated. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to examine the freezing of a system containing ice, water, silica, and gas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
January 2025
Université Paris Cité - Institut de Physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F75005 Paris, France.
Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit high reactivity and mobility in the environment, and a significant capacity to penetrate living organisms, potentially leading to harmful effects. Volcanoes are the second major source of natural NPs emitted into the atmosphere, with an estimated flux of 342 Tg/year. Few studies have focused on their fate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol Res (Camb)
February 2025
Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada.
The mining industry, including uranium mining and milling, is of high importance in Canada. It is, however, important to consider that ore processing can result in the creation of by-products that contain radionuclides such as radium-226 (Ra). Even with the strict discharge regulations in place, there is limited evidence to suggest that the current Canadian regulatory thresholds for Ra are protective for aquatic life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!