ICSC PAS Articles

Displaying 1 - 5 of 20 records

Coalescence of surface bubbles: The crucial role of motion-induced dynamic adsorption layer
(Elsevier, 2023-06-01) Zawała, Jan; Miguet, Jonas; Rastogi, Preetika; Atasi, Omer; Borkowski, Mariusz; Scheid, Benoit; Fuller, Gerald G.; Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland; Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; TIPs, Fluid Physics Unit, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
The formation of motion-induced dynamic adsorption layers of surfactants at the surface of rising bubbles is a widely accepted phenomenon. Although their existence and formation kinetics have been theoretically postulated and confirmed in many experimental reports, the investigations primarily remain qualitative in nature. In this paper we present results that, to the best of our knowledge, provide a first quantitative proof of the influence of the dynamic adsorption layer on drainage dynamics of a single foam film formed under dynamic conditions. This is achieved by measuring the drainage dynamics of single foam films, formed by air bubbles of millimetric size colliding against the interface between n-octanol solutions and air. This was repeated for a total of five different surfactant concentrations and two different liquid column heights. All three steps preceding foam film rupture, namely the rising, bouncing and drainage steps, were sequentially examined. In particular, the morphology of the single film formed during the drainage step was analyzed considering the rising and bouncing history of the bubble. It was found that, depending on the motion-induced state of adsorption layer at the bubble surface during the rising and the bouncing steps, single foam film drainage dynamics can be spectacularly different. Using Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS), it was revealed that surfactant redistribution can occur at the bubble surface as a result of the bouncing dynamics (approach-bounce cycles), strongly affecting the interfacial mobility, and leading to slower rates of foam film drainage. Since the bouncing amplitude directly depends on the rising velocity, which correlates in turn with the adsorption layer of surfactants at the bubble surface during the rising step, it is demonstrated that the lifetime of surface bubbles should intimately be related to the history of their formation.
Bacteria at Work - Experimental and Theoretical Studies Reveal the Catalytic Mechanism of Ectoine Synthase
(Wiley, 2024-01-22) Andrys-Olek, Justyna; Kluza, Anna; Tataruch, Mateusz; Heider, Johann; Korecki, Józef; Borowski, Tomasz Maciej; Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland; Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Ectoine synthase (EctC) catalyses the ultimate step of ectoine biosynthesis, a kosmotropic compound produced as compatible solute by many bacteria and some archaea or eukaryotes. EctC is an Fe2+-dependent homodimeric cytoplasmic protein. Using Mössbauer spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations and QM/MM calculations, we determined the most likely coordination number and geometry of the Fe2+ ion and proposed a mechanism of the EctC-catalysed reaction. Most notably, we show that apart from the three amino acids binding to the iron ion (Glu-57, Tyr-84 and His-92), one water molecule and one hydroxide ion are required as additional ligands for the reaction to occur. They fill the first coordination sphere of the Fe2+-cofactor and act as critical proton donors and acceptors during the cyclization reaction.
Bovine Serum Albumin as a Platform for Designing Biologically Active Nanocarriers—Experimental and Computational Studies
(MDPI, 2023-12-19) Adamczyk, Olga; Szota, Magdalena; Rakowski, Kamil; Prochownik, Magdalena; Doveiko, Daniel; Chen, Yu; Jachimska, Barbara; Department of Physics, Cracow University of Technology, Krakow, Poland; Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland; Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Due to the specificity of their structure, protein systems are adapted to carry various ligands. The structure of many proteins potentially allows for two types of immobilization of a therapeutic agent, either on the outer surface of the protein or within the protein structure. The existence of two active sites in BSA’s structure, the so-called Sudlow I and II, was confirmed. The conducted research involved determining the effectiveness of BSA as a potential carrier of 5-fluorouracil (5FU). 5-fluorouracil is a broad-spectrum anticancer drug targeting solid tumors. The research was carried out to estimate the physicochemical properties of the system using complementary measurement techniques. The optimization of the complex formation conditions made it possible to obtain significant correlations between the form of the drug and the effective localization of the active substance in the structure of the protein molecule. The presence of two amino groups in the 5FU structure contributes to the deprotonation of the molecule at high pH values (pH > 8) and the transition to the anionic form (AN1 and AN3). To investigate the binding affinity of the tautomeric form with BSA, UV-vis absorption, fluorescence quenching, zeta potential, QCM-D, and CD spectroscopic studies were performed. The experimental research was supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular docking. The simulations confirm the potential location of 5FU tautomers inside the BSA structure and on its surface.
Effect of Ionization Degree of Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer and 5-Fluorouracil on the Efficiency of Complex Formation—A Theoretical and Experimental Approach
(MDPI, 2023-01-03) Szota, Magdalena; Wolski, Pawel; Carucci, Cristina; Marincola, Flaminia Cesare; Gurgul, Jacek; Panczyk, Tomasz; Salis, Andrea; Jachimska, Barbara; Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 30-239 Krakow, Poland; Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
Due to their unique structure, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers can bind active ingredients in two ways: inside the structure or on their surface. The location of drug molecules significantly impacts the kinetics of active substance release and the mechanism of internalization into the cell. This study focuses on the effect of the protonation degree of the G4PAMAM dendrimer and the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU) on the efficiency of complex formation. The most favorable conditions for constructing the G4PAMAM-5FU complex are a low degree of protonation of the dendrimer molecule with the drug simultaneously present in a deprotonated form. The fluorine components in the XPS spectra confirm the formation of the stable complex. Through SAXS and DLS methods, a decrease in the dendrimer’s molecular size resulting from protonation changes at alkaline conditions was demonstrated. The gradual closure of the dendrimer structure observed at high pH values makes it difficult for the 5FU molecules to migrate to the interior of the support structure, thereby promoting drug immobilization on the surface. The 1H NMR and DOSY spectra indicate that electrostatic interactions determine the complex formation process. Through MD simulations, the localization profile and the number of 5FU molecules forming the complex were visualized on an atomic scale.
Effect of Alkaline Conditions on Forming an Effective G4.0 PAMAM Complex with Doxorubicin
(MDPI, 2023-03-08) Szota, Magdalena; Jachimska, Barbara; Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
In this study, special attention was paid to the correlation between the degree of ionization of the components and the effective formation of the complex under alkaline conditions. Using UV-Vis, 1H NMR, and CD, structural changes of the drug depending on the pH were monitored. In the pH range of 9.0 to 10.0, the G4.0 PAMAM dendrimer can bind 1 to 10 DOX molecules, while the efficiency increases with the concentration of the drug relative to the carrier. The binding efficiency was described by the parameters of loading content (LC = 4.80–39.20%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE = 17.21–40.16%), whose values increased twofold or even fourfold depending on the conditions. The highest efficiency was obtained for G4.0PAMAM-DOX at a molar ratio of 1:24. Nevertheless, regardless of the conditions, the DLS study indicates system aggregation. Changes in the zeta potential confirm the immobilization of an average of two drug molecules on the dendrimer’s surface. Circular dichroism spectra analysis shows a stable dendrimer-drug complex for all the systems obtained. Since the doxorubicin molecule can simultaneously act as a therapeutic and an imaging agent, the theranostic properties of the PAMAM-DOX system have been demonstrated by the high fluorescence intensity observable on fluorescence microscopy.

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