• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.26-35
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• 2017

The hydrolysis of proteins constitutes an invaluable tool, granting access to a variety of peptide fragments with potentially interesting biological properties. Therefore, a hemoglobin (Hb) hydrolysate of Crocodylus siamensis was generated by digestion under acidic conditions. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the Hb hydrolysate were assessed in comparison with intact Hb. A disc diffusion assay revealed that the Hb hydrolysate exhibited antibacterial activity against eight strains of gram-positive bacteria and showed a higher efficacy than intact Hb. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of intact Hb and its hydrolysate was evaluated using ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays. The Hb hydrolysate exhibited free radical scavenging rates of 6-32%, whereas intact Hb showed a slightly higher activity. In addition, non-toxicity to human erythrocytes was observed after treatment with quantities of Hb hydrolysate up to $10{\mu}g$. Moreover, active fragmented Hb (P3) was obtained after purifying the Hb hydrolysate by reversed-phase HPLC. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the induction of bacterial cell membrane abnormalities after exposure to P3. Antibacterial and antioxidant activities play crucial roles for supporting the wound healing activity. Consequently, an in vivo mice excisional skin wound healing assay was carried out to investigate the effects of intact Hb treatment on wound healing in more detail. The results clearly demonstrate that intact Hb is capable of promoting 75% wound closure within 6 days. These findings imply that intact Hb of C. siamensis and its acid hydrolysate may serve as valuable precursors for food supplementary products benefitting human health.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 2009

Soybean phosphatidylcholine microparticles loaded with cyclosporin A (CsA) were prepared by the modified emulsion solvent diffusion and ionic gelation method, in which chitosan on the surface of the microparticles was crosslinked with various concentrations of tripolyphosphate (TPP). The morphology of the particles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The change of particle size and zeta-potential by chitosan on the surface of the lipid microparticles were systematically observed. The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of CsA in the particles were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In vitro release kinetics was studied using the dialysis method. In the results, the mean particle size and the zeta-potential of lipid microparticles increased when the attached chitosan was cross-linked (from 2.5 to 6.2 ${\mu}m$ and from -37.0 to +93.0 mV, respectively). The cyclosporin A-loaded lipid microparticles appeared discrete and spherical particles with smooth surfaces. The encapsulation efficiency of CsA was between 79% and 90% while the loading capacity was between 41% and 56%. In vitro release study showed that the crosslinkage of chitosan by TPP significantly delayed the release of CsA from the particles in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, the release of CsA from the lipid microparticles could be controlled by tripolyphosphate used as a cross-linking agent.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.25-37
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• 2011

PES UF membranes containing silver were prepared to impart antibacterial properties for waste water treatment. Asymmetric membranes for antibacterial application were prepared from polyethersulfone (PES) and silver nitrate ($AgNO_3$) (PES/$AgNO_3$=15/2 by weight) solution in N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) via simple wet phase inversion technique. These membranes were characterized by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) of different molecular weights (1000 ppm in water) at room temperature and on operating pressure of 5 bars. It was observed that the water flux of PES-$AgNO_3$ membrane is slightly lower than virgin PES but still increased linearly with the increment of pressure applied. The morphology of the resulting membranes was examined using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Elemental analysis using EDS proved that silver is successfully loaded on the membrane surfaces. Due to the success of loading silver on membrane surfaces, antibacterial activities were evaluated via agar diffusion method against Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) culture. By incorporating 2 wt% of silver nitrate, PES-$AgNO_3$ showed significant inhibition ring on both E.coli and S.aureus. Filtration of E.coli solution (OD 0.31) showed satisfactory rejection data with ~100% inhibition growth after 24 hours incubation at $37^{\circ}C$. Resultant membranes also exhibit better tensile strength (compared to virgin PES) up to 71% may be due to the suggested interactions. The residual silver during fabrication was measured using ICP-MS and result showed that the residual silver content of PES-$AgNO_3$ membrane was only ~1% of the original silver added in the polymer solution. These studies have shown that PES-$AgNO_3$ UF membranes are potential in improving the filtration in water treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1299-1306
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• 2014

Background: Nano-biotechnology is recognized as offering revolutionary changes in various fields of medicine. Biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles have a wide range of applications. Materials and Methods: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized with an aqueous extract of Pterocladiella (Pterocladia) capillacea, used as a reducing and stabilizing agent, and characterized using UV-VIS spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infra red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive analysis (EDX). The biosynthesized AgNPs were tested for cytotoxic activity in a human hepatocellular carcinoma ($HepG_2$) cell line cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 1% antibiotic and antimycotic solution and 2 mM glutamine. Bacterial susceptibility to AgNPs was assessed with Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis [Gram+ve] and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli [Gram-ve]. The agar well diffusion technique was adopted to evaluate the bactericidal activity of the biosynthesized AgNPs using Ampicillin and Gentamicin as gram+ve and gram-ve antibacterial standard drugs, respectively. Results: The biosynthesized AgNPs were $11.4{\pm}3.52$ nm in diameter. FT-IR analysis showed that carbonyl groups from the amino acid residues and proteins could assist in formation and stabilization of AgNPs. The AgNPs showed potent cytotoxic activity against the human hepatocellular carcinoma ($HepG_2$) cell line at higher concentrations. The results also showed that the biosynthesized AgNPs inhibited the entire panel of tested bacteria with a marked specificity towards Bacillus subtillus. Conclusions: Cytotoxic activity of the biosynthesized AgNPs may be due to the presence of alkaloids present in the algal extract. Our AgNPs appear more bactericidal against gram-positive bacteria (B. subtillus).

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2006

Biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles were developed for sustained delivery of water-soluble macromolecules. PLGA nanoparticles were fabricated by spontaneous emulsification solvent diffusion method generating negatively charged particles and heterogeneous size distribution. As a model drug, blue dextran was encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles. In addition, nanoparticles were also prepared with varying ratio of poloxamer 188 (P188) and poloxamer 407 (P407), and coating with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Then, the particle size, zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles containing blue dextran were studied. In vitro release of blue dextran from nanoparticles was also investigated. The surface and morphology of nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In case of nanoparticles prepared with PLGA, P407, and different organic solvents, particle size was in the range of $230{\sim}320\;nm$ and zeta potentials of nanoparticles were negative. The SEM images showed that ethyl acetate is suitable for the formulation of PLGA nanoparticles with good appearance. Moreover, ethyl acetate showed higher encapsulation efficiency than other solvents. The addition of P188 to formulation did not affect the particle size of PLGA nanoparticles but altered the release patterns of blue dextran from nanoparticles. However, PVA, as a coating material, altered the particle size with increasing the PVA concentration. The nanoparticles were physically stable in the change of particle size during long-term storage. From the results, the PLGA nanoparticles prepared with various contents of poloxamers and PVA, could modulate the particles size of nanoparticles, in vitro release pattern, and encapsulation of water-soluble macromolecules.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.34-37
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• 2003

[ $HfO_2$ ] and $HfO_xN_y$ films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using $Hf[OC(CH_3)_3]_4$ as the precursor in the absence of $O_2$. The crystallization temperature of the $HfO_xN_y$ films is higher than that of the $HfO_2$ film. Nitrogen incorporation in $HfO_xN_y$ was confirmed by auger electron spectroscopy analysis. After post deposition annealing (PDA) at 800$\Box$, the EOT increased from 1.34 to 1.6 nm in the $HfO_2$ thin films, whereas the increase of EOT was suppressed to less than 0.02 nm in the $HfO_xN_y$. The leakage current density decreased from 0.18 to 0.012 $A/cm^2$ with increasing PDA temperature in the $HfO_2$ films. But the leakage current density of $HfO_xN_y$ does not vary with increasing PDA temperature because an amorphous $HfO_xN_y$ films suppresses the diffusion of oxygen through the gate dielectric.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1177-1182
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• 2004

The effect of poly[2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine] (pMPC) on the skin permeation property was investigated by performing in vitro skin permeation study of a model drug, nicotinic acid (NA). Effect of pMPC polymer in donor solution on skin permeation rates was evaluated using side-by-side diffusion cells. Also, the structural alterations in the stratum corneum (SC), inter-lamellar bilayer (ILB) and dermis layers in pMPC-treated and -untreated skin sections were investigated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The permeation profile of NA without pMPC in donor solution showed biphasic mode: initial $1^{st} phase and 2^{nd}$ hydration phase. The sudden, more than 10-fold increase in flux from the initial steady state (43.5 $\mu g/cm^2$/hr) to the $2^{nd}$ hydration phase (457.3 $\mu g/cm^2$/hr) suggests the disruption of skin barrier function due to extensive hydration. The permeation profile of NA with 3% pMPC in the donor solution showed monophasic pattern: the steady state flux (10.9 $\mu g/cm^2$/hr) without abrupt increase of the flux. The degree of NA permeation rate decreased in a concentration-dependent manner of pMPC. TEM of skin equilibrated with water or 2% pMPC for 12 h showed that corneocytes are still cohesive and epidermis is tightly bound to dermis in 2% pMPC-treated skin, while wider separation between corneocytes and focal dilations in inter-cellular spaces were observed in water-treated skin. This result suggests that pMPC could protect the barrier property of the stratum corneum by preventing the disruption of ILB structure caused by extensive skin hydration during skin permeation study.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.549-555
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• 2016

We have investigated a glass-forming region of $V_2O_5-P_2O_5-ZnO$ glass and the effects of the addition of modifier oxides ($B_2O_3$) to the glass systems as a sealing material to improve the adhesion between the glass frits and a soda lime substrate. Thermal properties and coefficient of thermal expansion were measured using a differential scanning calorimetry, a dilatometer and a hot stage microscopy. Structural changes and interfacial reactions between the glass substrate and the glass frit after sintering (at $400^{\circ}C$ for 1 h) were measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the adhesion strength increases as the content of $B_2O_3$ at 5 mol% increases because of changes in the structural properties. It seems that the glass structures change with $B_2O_3$, and the $Si^{4+}$ ions from the substrate are diffused to the sealing glass. From these results, we could understand the mechanism of strengthening of the adhesion of soda lime silica substrate by ion-diffusion from the substrate to the glass.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.140-145
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• 2002

This study was conducted to investigate the brazing characteristics between Zircaloy-4 nuclear fuel cladding tubes and bearing pads with filler metals of amorphous $Zr_{1-x}Be_x$(0.3$\leq$x$\leq$0.5) binary alloy, in which they were produced in the ribbon form by the melt-spinning metod. The crystallization behavior, stability, hardness and micro-structure of brazed zone were examined by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, micro-Vickers hardness test, optical microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. $Zr_{1-x}Be_x$(0.3$\leq$x$\leq$0.4) amorphous alloys were crystallized to $\alpha$-Zr with increasing the temperature, and the rest were transformed to ZrBe$_2$at higher temperatures. On the other hand, $Zr_{1-x}Be_x$(0.4$\leq$x$\leq$0.5) amorphous alloys were crystallized to $\alpha$-Zr and ZrBe$_2$, simultaneously. The thickness of the layer brazed with amorphous alloy was increased with increasing the beryllium content due to the higher diffusion of Be. The morphology of brazed layer with PVD Be filler metal showed dendrite while that brazed with amorphous alloys appeared globular. Micro-Vickers hardness of brazed zone increased as the beryllium content of filler metal was decreased.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2015

Objectives : The objective of this research was to investigate the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of bio-fermented Sanguisorbae Radix extract.Methods : The Sanguisorbae Radix extract was fermented byStreptococcus thermophilus,and their products was tested for antibacterial activity against pathogenic microorganisms namely,Bacillus cereus,Bacillus subtilis,Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli,Vibrio parahaemolyticusandSalmonella typhimuriumby paper disc diffusion method and the antioxidant activities of extract was evaluated by five different assays as electron donating ability(EDA), superoxide dismutase(SOD)-like activity, polyphenol, flavonoid contents and nitrite scavenging ability.Results : The bio-fermented Sanguisorbae Radix extract was safe from heat. Antibacterial activity of fermented Sanguisorbae Radix extract appeared relatively highly againstBacillus cereusandStaphylococcus aureusand didn't show any difference. EDA in comparison to Vitamin C showed over 90% activity at about the same time of Sanguisorbae Radix extract expressed highly. SOD activity showed 15% in fermentation before and after. The nitrite scavenging ability of Sanguisorbae Radix extract before and after fermentation showed higher numerical value over 70% in pH 2.5 than that of butylated hydroxytoluene(BHT). But SOD activity, EDA and nitrite scavenging ability were not different between the Sanguisorbae Radix extract before and after fermentation. Total polyphenol content expressed over about 20 mg/g, and that of the Sanguisorbae Radix extracts was increased than that of the fermented Sanguisorbae Radix extracts.Conclusions : The results suggest the usefulness of developing functional materials using antioxidant active Sanguisorbae Radix extract was fermented bySalmonella typhimuriumwith high polyphenol contents and nitrite scavenging ability.