Development of fluorescent thermoresponsive nanoparticles for temperature monitoring on membrane surfaces.

In this work, tris(phenantroline)ruthenium(II) chloride (Ru(phen)3) was immobilized in silica nanoparticles prepared according to the Stöber method. Efforts were devoted on the optimization of the nano-thermometer in terms of size, polydispersity, intensity of the emission and temperature sensitivity. In particular, the immobilization of the luminophore in an external thin shell made of silica grown in a second step on bare silica nanoparticles allowed producing fluorescent monodisperse silica nanoparticles (420±20nm). A systematic study was addressed to maximize the intensity of the emission of the fluorescent nanoparticles by adjusting the concentration of Ru(phen)32+ in the shell from 0.2 to 24wt.%, whereas the thickness of the shell is affected by the amount of silica precursor employed. The luminescent activity of the doped nanoparticles was found to be sensitive to the temperature. In fact, the intensity of the emission linearly decreased by increasing the temperature from 20°C to 65°C. The thermoresponsive nanoparticles were functionalized with long aliphatic chains in order to obtain hydrophobic nanoparticles. The developed nanoparticles were immobilized via dip-coating procedure on the surface of hydrophobic porous membranes, such as Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) prepared via Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS), providing local information about the membrane surface temperature.

Magnetic core-shell fluorescent pH ratiometric nanosensor using a Stöber coating method.

We describe the use of a modified Stöber method for coating maghemite (γ-Fe(2)O(3)) nanocrystals with silica shells in order to built magnetic fluorescent sensor nanoparticles in the 50-70nm diameter range. In detail, the magnetic cores were coated by two successive silica shells embedding two fluorophores (two different silylated dye derivatives), which allows for ratiometric pH-measurements in the pH range 5-8. Silica coated magnetic nanoparticles were prepared using maghemite nanocrystals as cores (5-10nm in diameter) coated by tetraethoxyorthosilicate via hydrolysis/condensation in ethanol, catalyzed by ammonia. In the inner shell was covalently attached a sulforhodamine B, which was used as a reference dye; while a pH-sensitive fluorescein was incorporated into the outer shell. Once synthesized, the particles were characterized in terms of morphology, size, composition and magnetization, using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). TEM analysis showed the nanoparticles to be very uniform in size. Wide-angle X-ray diffractograms showed, for uncoated as well as coated nanoparticles, typical peaks for the spinel structure of maghemite at the same diffraction angle, with no structural changes after coating. When using VSM, we obtained the magnetization curves of the resulting nanoparticles and the typical magnetization parameters as saturation magnetization (M(s)), coercivity (H(c)), and remanent magnetization (M(r)). The dual-dye doped magnetic-silica nanoparticles showed a satisfactory magnetization that could be suitable for nanoparticle separation and localized concentration of them. Changes in fluorescence intensity of the pH indicator in the different pH buffered solutions were observed within few seconds indicating an easy accessibility of the embedded dye by protons through the pores of the silica shell. The relationship between the ratio in fluorescence (sensor/reference dyes) and pH was adjusted to a sigmoidal fit using a Boltzmann type equation. Finally, the proposed method was statistically validated against a reference procedure using samples of water and physiological buffer with 2% (w/v) of horse serum added, indicating that there are no significant statistical differences at a 95% confidence level.

Ultrasonic assisted protein enzymatic digestion for fast protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Sonoreactor versus ultrasonic probe.

Two different ultrasonic energy sources, the sonoreactor and the ultrasonic probe, are compared for enzymatic digestion of proteins for protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) using the peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) procedure. Variables such as (i) trypsin/protein ratio; (ii) sonication time; (iii) ultrasound amplitude; and (iv) protein concentration are studied and compared. As a general rule, the trypsin/protein ratio and the minimum protein concentration successfully digested are similar with both ultrasonic energy sources. Results showed that the time needed to digest proteins was shorter with the ultrasonic probe, 60s versus 120s, for the same amplitude of sonication, 50%. However, lower standard deviations and cleaner MALDI-TOF-MS spectra were obtained with the sonoreactor. In addition, the sonoreactor device provided higher sample throughput (6 samples for the sonoreactor versus 1 sample for the ultrasonic probe) and easier sample handling for lower sample volumes (25 microl). Finally, a comparison of both methodologies for the specific identification of the adenylylsulphate reductase alfa subunit from a complex protein mixture from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 was done as a proof of the procedure.

Sonoreactor-based technology for fast high-throughput proteolytic digestion of proteins.

Fast (120 s) and high-throughput (more than six samples at once) in-gel trypsin digestion of proteins using sonoreactor technology has been achieved. Successful protein identification was done by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, MALDI-TOF-MS. Specific identification of the adenylylsulphate reductase alfa subunit from a complex protein mixture from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 was done as a proof of the methodology. The new sample treatment is of easy implementation, saves time and money, and can be adapted to online procedures and robotic platforms.

New findings for in-gel digestion accelerated by high-intensity focused ultrasound for protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

New findings in sample treatment based on high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for protein digestion after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separation are presented. The following variables were studied: (i) sample volume; (ii) sonotrode diameter; (iii) previous protein denaturation; (iv) cooling; (v) enzyme concentration; and (vi) protein concentration. Results showed that positive protein identification could be done after protein separation by gel electrophoresis through peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) in a volume as low as 25 microL. The time needed was less than 2 min and no cooling was necessary. The importance of the sonotrode diameter was negligible. On the other hand, protein denaturation before sonication was a trade-off for the success of procedure here described. The protein coverage was raised from 5 to 30%, and the number of peptides matching the proteins was also increased in a percentage ranging 10-100% when the classical overnight treatment is compared with the proposed HIFU procedure. The minimum amount of protein that can be identified using the HIFU sample treatment by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was 0.06 microg. The lower concentration of trypsin successfully used to obtain an adequate protein digestion was 3.6 microg/mL.