A new approach to study the thermodynamics of salt-protein interaction is described using a protein-ligand binding system. The effects of salts on the thermodynamics of association or dissociation of the ligand are related to the effect on the hydrophobic side chains on the interior of the protein by these salts. The calculated free energies of transfer of a methylene group from an interior of ...

Bile salts are surfactants that partition into phospholipid bilayers. When liposomes or membranes are exposed to mixed solutions of bile salts, the more hydrophobic bile salt species associate preferentially with the lipid bilayer. As a consequence, in the aqueous phase, the free monomeric concentration of bile salt declines and the more hydrophilic species become relatively enriched. Above a c...

Manual grinding of CuCl(2), 2,2'-bipyridine and hydrophobic CdSe QDs creates a selective and fast turn-on fluorescence sensor for detection of nanogram quantities of solid cyanide salts by the naked-eye. Using a fluorescence detector this simple sensor detects 100 ppm of NaCN in sand.

A specific ion-pair approach can be involved in precise control of the size of gold nanodots. The dendrimers with terminal amine and hydroxyl groups were a hydrophilic and hydrophobic microcavity-template, respectively, for trapping gold salts. The facile strategy can significantly enhance the quantum yield of gold nanodots from 20% to 62% after microwave irradiation.

Sodium bentonite was subjected to the effect of two new homologue series of chlorides (alcoxymethyl) dimethyloctyloamonium chlorides and 3-alcoxymethyl-1-octylimidazole chlorides with the hydrophobic substituents of the same length. Morphology of the obtained modified bentonite was studied under scanning electron microscope [SEM] and the degree of adsorption of the ammonium salts was determined...

Autotaxin (ATX) generates the lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). ATX-LPA signalling is involved in multiple biological and pathophysiological processes, including vasculogenesis, fibrosis, cholestatic pruritus and tumour progression. ATX has a tripartite active site, combining a hydrophilic groove, a hydrophobic lipid-binding pocket and a tunnel of unclear function. We present crystal ...

The aggregation properties of novel bile acid analogs-phosphonobile salts (PBS)-have been studied. The critical micellar concentration of 23 and 24-phosphonobile salts were measured using fluorescence and 31P NMR methods. All the ten synthesized phosphonobile salts formed gels at different pH ranges in water. The pH range at which individual PBSs could gelate water was narrow and influenced by ...

We have studied the alkaline unfolding of bovine liver catalase and its dependence on ionic strength by enzymic activity measurements and a combination of optical methods like circular dichroism, fluorescence and absorption spectroscopies. Under conditions of high pH (11.5) and low ionic strength, the native tetrameric enzyme dissociates into monomers with complete loss of enzymic activity and ...

The cause of Cystic fibrosis liver disease (CFLD), is unknown. It is well recognized that hepatic exposure to hydrophobic bile salts is associated with the development of liver disease. For this reason, we hypothesize that, CFTR dependent variations, in the hepatic handling of hydrophobic bile salts, are related to the development CFLD. To test our hypothesis we studied, in Cftr-/- and control ...

Supramolecular hydrogels can spontaneously undergo syneresis through fibre–fibre interactions and expel significant amounts of water upon aging. In this process, the hydrophobicity fibres which regulates 3D-rearrangement self-assembled structures during is important. Here, we show that control hydrophobic microenvironment gels by incorporating organic salts into co-assembled gel thereby enablin...