Search results for "Saccharide"

A comparative study of carboxy myoglobin in saccharide-water systems by molecular dynamics simulation.

2007

Results from room-temperature molecular dynamics simulation on a system containing carboxy-myoglobin, water, and maltose molecules are reported. Protein atomic fluctuations, protein−solvent and solvent−solvent hydrogen bonding have been analyzed and compared to the ones in trehalose−water and sucrose−water systems (Proteins 2005, 59, 291−302). Results help in rationalizing, at a molecular level, the effects of homologues disaccharides on protein structure/dynamics experimentally observed. Furthermore, the effectiveness of disaccharides in bioprotection in terms of peculiar protein−matrix coupling is also discussed.

“Water Association” Band in Saccharide Amorphous Matrices: Role of Residual Water on Bioprotection

2021

Saccharides protect biostructures against adverse environmental conditions mainly by preventing large scale motions leading to unfolding. The efficiency of this molecular mechanism, which is higher in trehalose with respect to other sugars, strongly depends on hydration and sugar/protein ratio. Here we report an Infrared Spectroscopy study on dry amorphous matrices of the disaccharides trehalose, maltose, sucrose and lactose, and the trisaccharide raffinose. Samples with and without embedded protein (Myoglobin) are investigated at different sugar/protein ratios, and compared. To inspect matrix properties we analyse the Water Association Band (WAB), and carefully decompose it into sub-bands,…

Fructooligosaccharide and levan producing activity of Zymomonas mobilis extracellular levansucrase

2002

Abstract The present work was devoted to investigations of the fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and levan forming activity of ethanol producing bacteria Zymomonas mobilis and their extracellular levansucrase. After cell separation the culture liquid was treated with ethanol to precipitate levan together with extracellular levansucrase. Levan–levansucrase sediment can be used as biocatalyst for fructooligosaccharide (FOS) production in sucrose syrup and levan sediment as soluble fibre source. The dynamics of sucrose conversion and glucose, fructose, and FOS formation by extracellular levansucrase showed that the fructose content increased only during the first 6 h, while the glucose content conti…

Chitosomes as drug delivery systems for C-phycocyanin: preparation and characterization.

2010

The aim of this work was to investigate chitosomes, i.e. liposomes coated by a polyelectrolyte complex between chitosan (CH) and xantan gum (XG), as potential delivery system for oral administration of the protein C-phycocyanin. To this purpose several CH-XG-microcomplexes were prepared in aqueous lactic acid at different chitosan-xanthan gum percent ratios and rheological properties of the microcomplexes were studied to analyse the contribution of chitosan and xanthan gum in the reaction of microcomplexation. After establishing the best microcomplexes, chitosomes were prepared by coating C-phycocyanin loaded liposomes with the CH-XG hydrogels using spray-drying or freeze-drying. The chitos…

Synthesis, mechanical and thermal rheological properties of new gellan gum derivatives

2017

New derivatives of gellan gum (GG) were prepared by covalent attachment of octadecylamine (C18- NH2) to polysaccharide backbone via amide linkage by using bis(4-nitrophenyl) carbonate (4-NPBC) as a coupling agent. The effect of the alkyl chain grafted onto hydrophilic backbone of high molecular weight GG was investigated in terms of physicochemical properties and ability of new derivatives to form hydrogels. A series of hydrogels was obtained in solutions with different kind and concentration of ions and their stability and mechanical properties were evaluated. The obtained derivatives resulted soluble at temperature lower than starting GG and physicochemical properties of obtained hydrogel…

An efficient acetylation of dextran using in situ activated acetic anhydride with iodine

2010

A facile, efficient, cost-effective and solvent-free acetylation method has been developed for the acetylation of dextran. Dextran acetates were successfully synthesized using different molar ratios of acetic anhydride in the presence of iodine as a catalyst without the use of any solvent. The reactions were realized at 50?C for 3 h under stirring and nitrogen. This efficient method yielded highly pure and organosoluble dextran esters. The reaction appears highly effective for obtaining higher degrees of substitution (DS) with great efficiency. Under solvent-free conditions, dextran triacetates were efficiently synthesized. It was also observed that the molar ratio can easily control the DS…

Synthesis of tumor-associated glycopeptide antigens for the development of tumor-selective vaccines

2004

In contrast to normal cells, the glycoprotein profile on epithelial tumor cells is distinctly altered. Due to an incomplete formation of the glycan side-chains resulting from a premature sialylation, additional peptide epitopes become accessible to the immune system in mucin-type glycoproteins on tumor cells. These tumor-associated structure alterations constitute the basis for a selective immunological attack on cancer cells. For the construction of immunostimulating antigens, glycopeptide partial structures from the mucins MUC1 and MUC4 carrying the tumor-associated sialyl-T(N), alpha2,6-sialyl-T and alpha2,3-sialyl-T antigens have been synthesized. Employing different linkers such as the…

Total Synthesis of the Glycopeptide Recognition Domain of the P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1

2008

Photo-Cross-Linked Hydrogels with Polysaccharide−Poly(amino acid) Structure:  New Biomaterials for Pharmaceutical Applications

2006

The aim of this work has been the preparation and characterization of novel hydrogels with polysaccharide-poly(amino acid) structure having suitable physicochemical properties for pharmaceutical applications. In the first step, hyaluronic acid (HA) and alpha,beta-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) have been derivatized with methacrylic anhydride (AMA), thus obtaining HA-AMA and PHM derivatives, respectively. In the second step, aqueous solutions of both these derivatives have been irradiated at 313 nm to obtain chemical hydrogels. The hydrogel obtained by irradiating for 15 min an aqueous solution containing 4% w/v of HA-AMA and 4% w/v of PHM resulted in the highest yield. Its swe…

The Effect of Calcium on the Cohesive Strength and Flexural Properties of Low-Methoxyl Pectin Biopolymers.

2019

Abstract: Pectin binds the mesothelial glycocalyx of visceral organs, suggesting its potential role as a mesothelial sealant. To assess the mechanical properties of pectin films, we compared pectin films with a less than 50% degree of methyl esterification (low-methoxyl pectin, LMP) to films with greater than 50% methyl esterification (high-methoxyl pectin, HMP). LMP and HMP polymers were prepared by step-wise dissolution and high-shear mixing. Both LMP and HMP films demonstrated a comparable clear appearance. Fracture mechanics demonstrated that the LMP films had a lower burst strength than HMP films at a variety of calcium concentrations and hydration states. The water content also influe…