In vitro study of chlorine dioxide on porcine intestinal epithelial cell gene markers.

BACKGROUND: Chlorine dioxide (ClO2 ) is an inorganic, potent biocide and is available in highly purified aqueous solution. It can be administered as an oral antiseptic in this form. OBJECTIVES: Our aim is to determine the level of inflammatory markers and cytochrome genes expressed by enterocytes exposed to different concentrations of hyperpure chlorine dioxide solution. METHODS: Porcine jejunal enterocyte cell (IPEC-J2) cultures were treated with the aqueous solution of hyper-pure chlorine dioxide of various concentrations. We determined the alterations in mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators, such as IL6, CXCL8/IL8, TNF, HSPA6 (Hsp70), CAT and PTGS2 (COX2); furthermore, the expression of three cytochrome genes (CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP3A29) were analysed by quantitative PCR method. RESULTS: The highest applied ClO2 concentration reduced the expression of all three investigated CYP genes. The gene expression of PTGS2 and CAT were not altered by most concentrations of ClO2 . The expression of IL8 gene was reduced by all applied concentrations of ClO2 . TNF mRNA level was also decreased by most ClO2 concentrations used. CONCLUSIONS: Different concentrations of chlorine dioxide exhibited immunomodulatory activity and caused altered transcription of CYP450 genes in porcine enterocytes. Further studies are needed to determine the appropriate ClO2 concentration for oral use in animals.

Adaptive moving mesh algorithm based on local reaction rate.

An empirical mesh adaption algorithm is introduced for modeling one-dimensional reaction-diffusion systems with large moving gradients. Our new algorithm is based on the revelation, that in reaction-diffusion systems the high moving concentration gradients appear nearby to the region where the rate of reaction is maximal, thus the local reaction rate can be used to control the mesh adaption. We found, that the main advantage of such a method is its simplicity and easy implementation. As an example we study an acid-base diode, where large moving gradients appear. The mathematical model of the diode contains several parabolic PDEs, coupled with one elliptic PDE. An r-refinement technique is used and attached to the commercial finite element solver COMSOL. We investigated the time-dependent salt effects of the diode with our developed algorithm. Our mesh adaption method is advantageous for modeling of any reaction-diffusion systems with localized high concentration gradients.

Platinum as a HOI/I2 Redox Electrode and Its Mixed Potential in the Oscillatory Briggs-Rauscher Reaction.

Pt is a common redox electrode used to follow oscillations qualitatively in the Briggs-Rauscher (BR) and the Bray-Liebhafsky (BL) reactions from the time of their discovery. Although the potential oscillations of the electrode reflect the temporal pattern of the reaction properly, there is no general agreement as to how that potential is determined by the components of the reaction mixture. In this article, first we investigate how iodine species in different oxidation states affect the potential of a Pt electrode. It was found that I(+3) and I(+5) species do not affect the potential; only I-, I2, and HOI may have an influence. Although the latter three species are always present simultaneously as participants of the rapid iodine hydrolysis equilibrium, it was found that below and above the so-called hydrolysis limit potential (HLP, where the iodide and HOI concentrations are equal) the actual potential determining redox couple is different. Below the HLP, it is the traditional I2/I- redox couple, but above the HLP, it is the HOI/I2 redox pair that determines the potential of a Pt electrode. That change in the potential control mechanism was proven experimentally by exchange current measurements. In addition, from the potential response of the Pt electrode below and above the HLP, it was possible to calculate the equilibrium constant of the iodine hydrolysis as K°H = (4.97 ± 0.20) × 10-13 M2, in rather good agreement with earlier measurements. We also studied the perturbing effect of H2O2 on the previously mentioned potentials. The concentration of H2O2 was 0.66 M, as in the BR reaction studied here. It was found that below the HLP, the perturbing effect of H2O2 was minimal but above the HLP, H2O2 shifted the mixed potential considerably down toward the HLP. In our experiments with the BR reaction, the potential oscillations of the Pt electrode crossed the HLP, indicating that from time to time the HOI concentration exceeds that of the iodide. We can conclude that although the perturbing effect of H2O2 prevents the calculation of concentrations from Pt potentials above the HLP, [I-]/[I2]1/2 ratios can be calculated as a good approximation from Pt potentials below the HLP.

HOI versus HOIO selectivity of a molten-type AgI electrode.

UNLABELLED: AgI electrode is often applied not only to determine iodine concentration but also to follow oscillations in the weakly acidic medium of the Bray-Liebhafsky and Briggs-Rauscher reactions where it partly follows the hypoiodous acid (HOI) concentration. It is known that HOI attacks its matrix in the corrosion reaction: AgI + HOI + H(+) ⇆ Ag(+) + I2 + H2O and the AgI electrode measures the silver ion concentration produced in that reaction. The signal of the electrode can be the basis of sensitive and selective HOI concentration measurements only supposing that an analogous corrosive reaction between AgI and iodous acid (HOIO) can be neglected. To prove that assumption, the authors calibrated a molten-type AgI electrode for I(-), Ag(+), HOI, and HOIO in 1 M sulfuric acid and measured the electrode potential in the disproportionation of HOIO, which is relatively slow in that medium. Measured and simulated electrode potential versus time diagrams showed good agreement, assuming that the electrode potential is determined by the HOI concentration exclusively and the contribution of HOIO is negligible. An independent and more direct experiment was also performed giving the same result. HOIO was produced with a new improved recipe. CONCLUSION: an AgI electrode can be applied to measure the HOI concentration selectively above the so-called solubility limit potential.

Chlorine dioxide is a size-selective antimicrobial agent.

BACKGROUND / AIMS: ClO2, the so-called "ideal biocide", could also be applied as an antiseptic if it was understood why the solution killing microbes rapidly does not cause any harm to humans or to animals. Our aim was to find the source of that selectivity by studying its reaction-diffusion mechanism both theoretically and experimentally. METHODS: ClO2 permeation measurements through protein membranes were performed and the time delay of ClO2 transport due to reaction and diffusion was determined. To calculate ClO2 penetration depths and estimate bacterial killing times, approximate solutions of the reaction-diffusion equation were derived. In these calculations evaporation rates of ClO2 were also measured and taken into account. RESULTS: The rate law of the reaction-diffusion model predicts that the killing time is proportional to the square of the characteristic size (e.g. diameter) of a body, thus, small ones will be killed extremely fast. For example, the killing time for a bacterium is on the order of milliseconds in a 300 ppm ClO2 solution. Thus, a few minutes of contact time (limited by the volatility of ClO2) is quite enough to kill all bacteria, but short enough to keep ClO2 penetration into the living tissues of a greater organism safely below 0.1 mm, minimizing cytotoxic effects when applying it as an antiseptic. Additional properties of ClO2, advantageous for an antiseptic, are also discussed. Most importantly, that bacteria are not able to develop resistance against ClO2 as it reacts with biological thiols which play a vital role in all living organisms. CONCLUSION: Selectivity of ClO2 between humans and bacteria is based not on their different biochemistry, but on their different size. We hope initiating clinical applications of this promising local antiseptic.

Multi-layered stochasticity and paracrine signal propagation shape the type-I interferon response.

The cellular recognition of viruses evokes the secretion of type-I interferons (IFNs) that induce an antiviral protective state. By live-cell imaging, we show that key steps of virus-induced signal transduction, IFN-ß expression, and induction of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) are stochastic events in individual cells. The heterogeneity in IFN production is of cellular-and not viral-origin, and temporal unpredictability of IFN-ß expression is largely due to cell-intrinsic noise generated both upstream and downstream of the activation of nuclear factor-κB and IFN regulatory factor transcription factors. Subsequent ISG induction occurs as a stochastic all-or-nothing switch, where the responding cells are protected against virus replication. Mathematical modelling and experimental validation show that reliable antiviral protection in the face of multi-layered cellular stochasticity is achieved by paracrine response amplification. Achieving coherent responses through intercellular communication is likely to be a more widely used strategy by mammalian cells to cope with pervasive stochasticity in signalling and gene expression.

Measurement of hypoiodous acid concentration by a novel type iodide selective electrode and a new method to prepare HOI. Monitoring HOI levels in the Briggs-Rauscher oscillatory reaction.

A new type of iodide selective electrode prepared by dipping a silver wire into molten silver iodide is reported. The electrode was calibrated for silver and iodide ions and the measured electromotive force for various Ag(+) and I(-) concentrations was close to the theoretical within a few millivolts. Besides Ag(+) and I(-) ions, however, the electrode also responds to hypoiodous acid. Thus, the electrode was calibrated for HOI as well, and for that purpose a new method of hypoiodous acid preparation was developed. To explain the close to Nernstian electrode response for HOI and also the effect of hydrogen ion and iodine concentration on that response, the corrosion potential theory suggested earlier by Noszticzius et al. was modified and developed further. Following oscillations in the Briggs-Rauscher reaction with the new electrode the potential crosses the "solubility limit potential" (SLP) of silver iodide. Potentials below SLP are controlled by the concentration of I(-), but potentials above SLP are corrosion potentials determined by the concentration of HOI. Finally, the measured HOI oscillations are compared with calculated ones simulated by a model by Furrow et al.