Unveiling the formation capacity of multicomponent oleogels: Performance of lecithin interacting with monostearate derivatives.

Oleogels have been explored as fat substitutes due to their healthier composition compared to trans and saturated fats, also presenting interesting technological perspectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the compositional perspective of multicomponent oleogels. Structuring ability of lecithin (LEC) (20 or 90 wt% of phosphatidylcholine - PC) combined with glycerol monostearate (GMS), sorbitan monostearate (SMS) or sucrose monostearate (SAC) in sunflower oil was evaluated from oleogels properties. The thermal and rheological properties, microstructure and stability of the oleogels were affected by the difference in the chemical composition of LEC and the ratio between LEC and different surfactants. Interestingly, low-phosphatidylcholine LEC (L20) performed better, although systems formed with reduced amounts of LEC tended to be softer (LEC-GMS) and present high oil holding capacity (LEC-SMS). The mixtures of LEC and monostearate-based surfactants showed different behaviors, depending on the surfactant polar head. In LEC-GMS systems, LEC hindered the self-assembly of GMS in sunflower oil, compromising mechanical properties and increasing oil release. When combined with SMS, LEC acted as a crystal habit modifier of SMS, forming a more homogeneous microstructure and producing stronger oleogels with greater oil binding capacity. However, above the threshold concentration, LEC prevented SMS self-assembly, resulting in a weaker gel. A positive interaction was found in LEC-SAC formulations in specific ratios, since SAC cannot act as a single oleogelator. Results show the impact of solubility balance played by LEC and fatty-acid derivatives surfactant when combined and used as oleogelators. This knowledge can contribute to a rational perspective in the preparation and modulation of the properties of edible oleogels.

Simultaneous production of biosurfactant and extracellular unspecific peroxygenases by Moesziomyces aphidis XM01 enables an efficient strategy for crude oil degradation.

Crude oil is a hazardous pollutant that poses significant and lasting harm to human health and ecosystems. In this study, Moesziomyces aphidis XM01, a biosurfactant mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs)-producing yeast, was utilized for crude oil degradation. Unlike most microorganisms relying on cytochrome P450, XM01 employed two extracellular unspecific peroxygenases, MaUPO.1 and MaUPO.2, with preference for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes respectively, thus facilitating efficient crude oil degradation. The MELs produced by XM01 exhibited a significant emulsification activity of 65.9% for crude oil and were consequently supplemented in an "exogenous MELs addition" strategy to boost crude oil degradation, resulting in an optimal degradation ratio of 72.3%. Furthermore, a new and simple "pre-MELs production" strategy was implemented, achieving a maximum degradation ratio of 95.9%. During this process, the synergistic up-regulation of MaUPO.1, MaUPO.1 and the key MELs synthesis genes contributed to the efficient degradation of crude oil. Additionally, the phylogenetic and geographic distribution analysis of MaUPO.1 and MaUPO.1 revealed their wide occurrence among fungi in Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, with high transcription levels across global ocean, highlighting their important role in biodegradation of crude oil. In conclusion, M. aphidis XM01 emerges as a novel yeast for efficient and eco-friendly crude oil degradation.

Microemulsions based on Acer truncatum seed oil and its fatty acids: fabrication, rheological property, and stability.

AIMS: To construct the microemulsion delivery system (ME) loading ATSO and NA and study their physicochemical characteristics to enhance their stability and water solubility. METHODS: By plotting ternary phase diagrams, the composition and proportions of the MEs were determined. The physicochemical characteristics and stability of MEs were evaluated by mean diameter, polydispersity index (PDI), pH, electrical conductivity, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), rheological behaviour measurement, and phase inversion temperature (PIT). RESULTS: The MEs was composed with EL-40 as a surfactant and specifically with the addition of ethanol as a cosurfactant in NA-loaded ME. The mean diameters of ATSO-loaded ME and NA-loaded ME were 39.65 ± 0.24 nm and 32.90 ± 2.65 nm, and PDI were 0.49 ± 0.01 and 0.28 ± 0.14, respectively. The TEM confirmed the spherical and smooth morphology of MEs. The rheological results indicated that MEs are dilatant fluids with the advantages of low viscosity, high fluidity, and tolerance to temperature fluctuations. The mean diameter and PDI of MEs showed no significant change after storage at 25 °C for 28 days and centrifugation. CONCLUSION: The prepared microemulsions could expand the application prospects of ATSO and NA products in cosmetics, medicine, foods and other fields.

Synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles from Lawsonia inermis and its effect on the biodegradation of crude oil hydrocarbon.

Crude oil hydrocarbons are considered major environmental pollutants and pose a significant threat to the environment and humans due to having severe carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. Bioremediation is one of the practical and promising technology that can be applied to treat the hydrocarbon-polluted environment. In this present study, rhamnolipid biosurfactant (BS) produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PP4 and green synthesized iron nanoparticles (G-FeNPs) from Lawsonia inermis was used to evaluate the biodegradation efficiency (BE) of crude oil. The surface analysis of G-FeNPs was carried out by using FESEM and HRTEM to confirm the size and shape. Further, the average size of the G-FeNPs was observed around 10 nm by HRTEM analysis. The XRD and Raman spectra strongly confirm the presence of iron nanoparticles with their respective peaks. The BE (%) of mixed degradation system-V (PP4+BS+G-FeNPs) was obtained about 82%. FTIR spectrum confirms the presence of major functional constituents (C=O, -CH3, C-O, and OH) in the residual oil content. Overall, this study illustrates that integrated nano-based bioremediation could be an efficient approach for hydrocarbon-polluted environments. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the G-FeNPs with rhamnolipid biosurfactant on the biodegradation of crude oil.

Production, characterization, and application of Pseudoxanthomonas taiwanensis biosurfactant: a green chemical for microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR).

Biosurfactants, as microbial bioproducts, have significant potential in the field of microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). Biosurfactants are microbial bioproducts with the potential to reduce the interfacial tension (IFT) between crude oil and water, thus enhancing oil recovery. This study aims to investigate the production and characterization of biosurfactants and evaluate their effectiveness in increasing oil recovery. Pseudoxanthomonas taiwanensis was cultured on SMSS medium to produce biosurfactants. Crude oil was found to be the most effective carbon source for biosurfactant production. The biosurfactants exhibited comparable activity to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at a concentration of 400 ppm in reducing IFT. It was characterized as glycolipids, showing stability in emulsions at high temperatures (up to 120 °C), pH levels ranging from 3 to 9, and NaCl concentrations up to 10% (w/v). Response surface methodology revealed the optimized conditions for the most stable biosurfactants (pH 7, temperature of 40 °C, and salinity of 2%), resulting in an EI24 value of 64.45%. Experimental evaluations included sand pack column and core flooding studies, which demonstrated additional oil recovery of 36.04% and 12.92%, respectively. These results indicate the potential application of P. taiwanensis biosurfactants as sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches to enhance oil recovery in MEOR processes.

Enhanced Hydrogen Bonding by Urea Functionalization Tunes the Stability and Biological Properties of Peptide Amphiphiles.

Self-assembled nanostructures such as those formed by peptide amphiphiles (PAs) are of great interest in biological and pharmacological applications. Herein, a simple and widely applicable chemical modification, a urea motif, was included in the PA's molecular structure to stabilize the nanostructures by virtue of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Since the amino acid residue nearest to the lipid tail is the most relevant for stability, we decided to include the urea modification at that position. We prepared four groups of molecules (13 PAs in all), with varying levels of intermolecular cohesion, using amino acids with distinct ß-sheet promoting potential and/or containing hydrophobic tails of distinct lengths. Each subset contained one urea-modified PA and nonmodified PAs, all with the same peptide sequence. The varied responses of these PAs to variations in pH, temperature, counterions, and biologically related proteins were examined using microscopic, X-ray, spectrometric techniques, and molecular simulations. We found that the urea group contributes to the stabilization of the morphology and internal arrangement of the assemblies against environmental stimuli for all peptide sequences. In addition, microbiological and biological studies were performed with the cationic PAs. These assays reveal that the addition of urea linkages affects the PA-cell membrane interaction, showing the potential to increase the selectivity toward bacteria. Our data indicate that the urea motif can be used to tune the stability of a wide range of PA nanostructures, allowing flexibility on the biomaterial's design and opening a myriad of options for clinical therapies.

Degradation and enhanced oil recovery potential of Alcanivorax borkumensis through production of bio-enzyme and bio-surfactant.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has become the focus of oilfield research due to its low cost, environmental friendliness and sustainability. The degradation and EOR capacity of A. borkumensis through the production of bio-enzyme and bio-surfactant were first investigated in this study. The total protein concentration, acetylcholinesterase, esterase, lipase, alkane hydroxylase activity, surface tension, and emulsification index (EI) were determined at different culture times. The bio-surfactant was identified as glycolipid compound, and the yield was 2.6 ± 0.2 g/L. The nC12 and nC13 of crude oil were completely degraded, and more than 40.0 % of nC14-nC24 was degraded by by A. borkumensis. The results of the microscopic etching model displacement and core flooding experiments showed that emulsification was the main mechanism of EOR. A. borkumensis enhanced the recovery rate by 20.2 %. This study offers novel insights for the development of environmentally friendly and efficient oil fields.

Assessment of spilled oil dispersion affected by dispersant: Characteristic, stability, and related mechanism.

Oil dispersion, a crucial process in oil transport, involves the detachment of oil droplets from slicks and their introduction into the water column, influencing subsequent oil migration and transformation. This study examines oil dispersion, considering characteristics, stability, and mechanisms, while evaluating the impact of dispersants and salinity. Results show the significant role of surfactant type in dispersants on oil dispersion characteristics, with anionic surfactants exhibiting higher sensitivity to salinity changes compared to nonionic surfactants. The dispersion efficiency varies with salinity, with anionic surfactants performing better in low salinity (<20‰) and nonionic surfactants showing superior performance at 30-35‰ salinities. Rheological analysis illustrates the breakup and coalescence of oil droplets within the shear rates of breaking waves. An increase in interfacial film rigidity impedes the coalescence of oil droplets, contributing to the dynamic stability of the oil-water hybrid system. The use of GM-2, a nonionic dispersant, results in the formation of a solid-like interface, characterized by increased elastic modulus, notably at 20‰ salinity. However, stable droplet size distribution (DSD) at 35‰ salinity for 60 h suggests droplets can remain dispersed in seawater. The enhancement of stability of oil dispersion is interpreted as the result of two mechanisms: stabilizing DSD and developing the strength of viscoelastic interfacial film. These findings offer insights into oil dispersion dynamics, highlighting the importance of surfactant selection and salinity in governing dispersion behavior, and elucidating mechanisms underlying dispersion stability.

Process Optimization of Tinospora cordifolia Extract-Loaded Water in Oil Nanoemulsion Developed by Ultrasound-Assisted Homogenization.

Nanoemulsions are gaining interest in a variety of products as a means of integrating easily degradable bioactive compounds, preserving them from oxidation, and increasing their bioavailability. However, preparing stable emulsion compositions with the desired characteristics is a difficult task. The aim of this study was to encapsulate the Tinospora cordifolia aqueous extract (TCAE) into a water in oil (W/O) nanoemulsion and identify its critical process and formulation variables, like oil (27-29.4 mL), the surfactant concentration (0.6-3 mL), and sonication amplitude (40% to 100%), using response surface methodology (RSM). The responses of this formulation were studied with an analysis of the particle size (PS), free fatty acids (FFAs), and encapsulation efficiency (EE). In between, we have studied a fishbone diagram that was used to measure risk and preliminary research. The optimized condition for the formation of a stable nanoemulsion using quality by design was surfactant (2.43 mL), oil concentration (27.61 mL), and sonication amplitude (88.6%), providing a PS of 171.62 nm, FFA content of 0.86 meq/kg oil and viscosity of 0.597 Pa.s for the blank sample compared to the enriched TCAE nanoemulsion with a PS of 243.60 nm, FFA content of 0.27 meq/kg oil and viscosity of 0.22 Pa.s. The EE increases with increasing concentrations of TCAE, from 56.88% to 85.45%. The RSM response demonstrated that both composition variables had a considerable impact on the properties of the W/O nanoemulsion. Furthermore, after the storage time, the enriched TCAE nanoemulsion showed better stability over the blank nanoemulsion, specially the FFAs, and the blank increased from 0.142 to 1.22 meq/kg oil, while TCAE showed 0.266 to 0.82 meq/kg.

Amphiphilic Rhodamine Fluorescent Probes Combined with Basal Imaging for Fine Structures of the Cell Membrane.

Confocal fluorescence imaging of fine structures of the cell membrane is important for understanding their biofunctions but is often neglected due to the lack of an effective method. Herein, we develop new amphiphilic rhodamine fluorescent probe RMGs in combination with basal imaging for this purpose. The probes show high signal-to-noise ratio and brightness and low internalization rate, making them suitable for imaging the fine substructures of the cell membrane. Using the representative probe RMG3, we not only observed the cell pseudopodia and intercellular nanotubes but also monitored the formation of migrasomes in real time. More importantly, in-depth imaging studies on more cell lines revealed for the first time that hepatocellular carcinoma cells secreted much more adherent extracellular vesicles than other cell lines, which might serve as a potential indicator of liver cells. We believe that RMGs may be useful for investigating the fine structures of the cell membrane.

An investigation into the effect of surfactants on iron oxide powder suspension formulations for fingermark development.

Iron oxide powder suspension (FePS) is a fingermark development technique that can be used on adhesive and non-porous surfaces, the efficacy of which is known to be influenced by the surfactant used in the formulation. Despite previous work optimising surfactants for use in FePS, there is limited understanding of the interactions between surfactants, powders and fingermark residue which aid the successful development of fingermarks. To better understand the effect of surfactant on development quality produced by FePS, this research assessed a wide range of surfactants of different ionic natures and evaluated their ability to develop fingermarks based on the quality of ridge detail, contrast and background development produced. It was found that surfactants play a critical role in the selective deposition of powder on fingermark residue, as formulations made with only water (no surfactant) produced heavy background deposition. The efficacy of each surfactant depended on the quality parameter considered, and the addition of some surfactants hindered fingermark development. Effective surfactants such as T20, KP and TX100 prevented background development and produced well contrasted developed marks. Poor contrast was produced by LN, SP80/T80 and T80 due to indiscriminate powder deposition either across the entire sample or preventing any powder to deposit on the surface, demonstrating the role surfactants play in allowing powder deposition in this technique. The effectiveness of a surfactant in PS was not directly dependent on its ionic nature, and most surfactants were more effective when diluted from stock concentrations. This research has provided a robust base for future work improving fundamental understanding of FePS, which will greatly aid the efficacy of future optimisation efforts.

Performance evaluation of rhamnolipid biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its effect on marine oil-spill remediation.

This study aimed to reveal that the effect of biosurfactant on the dispersion and degradation of crude oil. Whole genome analysis showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa GB-3 contained abundant genes involved in biosurfactant synthesis and metabolic processes and had the potential to degrade oil. The biosurfactant produced by strain GB-3 was screened by various methods. The results showed that the surface tension reduction activity was 28.6 mN·m-1 and emulsification stability was exhibited at different pH, salinity and temperature. The biosurfactant was identified as rhamnolipid by LC-MS and FTIR. The fermentation conditions of strain GB-3 were optimized by response surface methodology, finally the optimal system (carbon source: glucose, nitrogen source: ammonium sulfate, C/N ratio:16:1, pH: 7, temperature: 30-35 °C) was determined. Compared with the initial fermentation, the yield of biosurfactant increased by 4.4 times after optimization. In addition, rhamnolipid biosurfactant as a dispersant could make the dispersion of crude oil reach 38% within seven days, which enhanced the bioavailability of crude oil. As a biostimulant, it could also improve the activity of indigenous microorganism and increase the degradation rate of crude oil by 10-15%. This study suggested that rhamnolipid biosurfactant had application prospect in bioremediation of marine oil-spill.

Cellular Uptake of Cell-Penetrating Peptides Activated by Amphiphilic p-Sulfonatocalix[4]arenes.

We report the synthesis of a series of amphiphilic p-sulfonatocalix[4]arenes with varying alkyl chain lengths (CX4-Cn) and their application as efficient counterion activators for membrane transport of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). The enhanced membrane activity is confirmed with the carboxyfluorescein (CF) assay in vesicles and by the direct cytosolic delivery of CPPs into CHO-K1, HCT 116, and KTC-1 cells enabling excellent cellular uptake of the CPPs into two cancer cell lines. Intracellular delivery was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy after CPP entry into live cells mediated by CX4-Cn, which was also quantified after cell lysis by fluorescence spectroscopy. The results present the first systematic exploration of structure-activity relationships for calixarene-based counterion activators and show that CX4-Cn are exceptionally effective in cellular delivery of CPPs. The dodecyl derivative, CX4-C12, serves as best activator. A first mechanistic insight is provided by efficient CPP uptake at 4 °C and in the presence of the endocytosis inhibitor dynasore, which indicates a direct translocation of the CPP-counterion complexes into the cytosol and highlights the potential benefits of CX4-Cn for efficient and direct translocation of CPPs and CPP-conjugated cargo molecules into the cytosol of live cells.

Bioinspired, surfactant-free, dual-layer asymmetric structures based on polysaccharides, gelatin, and tannic acid for potential applications in biomedicine.

The formation of dual-layer asymmetric porous structures in surfactant-based systems is significantly influenced by emulsions. Surfactants self-assemble to alter the conformational arrangement of polysaccharides, while gravity disrupts the initial uniformity of the established equilibrium droplet concentration gradient in the emulsion, thus achieving delamination. Specifically, high-speed rotation and non-instantaneous freezing allow the gelatin solution to form two different states of foam layers. The integrated dual-layer asymmetric porous structure, composed of polysaccharides and tannic acid, is constructed with gelatin as a skeleton and surfactant. This innovative approach eliminates the need to consider the toxicity of chemically synthesized surfactants and expands the concept of gelatin utilization. This intriguing structure exhibits a variety of desirable characteristics within 30 days (e.g., tailorable performance, ultrarapid antioxidant activity, efficient antibacterial activity, low differential blood clotting index, and good hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility), suggesting its potential as a valuable reference for applying hierarchical porous structures, thereby offering more formulation flexibility for biomaterials with adjustable properties.

Preparation of novel shell-ionotropically crosslinked micelles based on hexadecylamine and tripolyphosphate for cancer drug delivery.

AIMS: Micellar systems have the advantage of being easily prepared, cheap, and readily loadable with bioactive molecular cargo. However, their fundamental pitfall is poor stability, particularly under dilution conditions. We propose to use simple quaternary ammonium surfactants, namely, hexadecylamine (HDA) and hexadecylpyridinium (HDAP), together with tripolyphosphate (TPP) anion, to generate ionotropically stabilized micelles capable of drug delivery into cancer cells. METHODS: optimized mixed HDA/HDAP micelles were prepared and stabilized with TPP. Curcumin was used as a loaded model drug. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Moreover, their cellular uptake was assessed using flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: The prepared nanoparticles were found to be stable under dilution and at high temperatures and to have a size range from 139 nm to 580 nm, depending on pH (4.6-7.4), dilution (up to 100 times), and temperature (25 - 80 °C). They were effective at delivering their load into cancer cells. Additionally, flow cytometry indicated the resulting stabilized micellar nanoparticles to be non-cytotoxic. CONCLUSIONS: The described novel stabilized micelles are simple to prepare and viable for cancer delivery.

Production and characterization of rhamnolipids by Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in the Amazon region, and potential antiviral, antitumor, and antimicrobial activity.

Biosurfactants encompass structurally and chemically diverse molecules with surface active properties, and a broad industrial deployment, including pharmaceuticals. The interest is growing mainly for the low toxicity, biodegradability, and production from renewable sources. In this work, the optimized biosurfactant production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa BM02, isolated from the soil of a mining area in the Brazilian Amazon region was assessed, in addition to its antiviral, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. The optimal conditions for biosurfactant production were determined using a factorial design, which showed the best yield (2.28 mg/mL) at 25 °C, pH 5, and 1% glycerol. The biosurfactant obtained was characterized as a mixture of rhamnolipids with virucidal properties against Herpes Simplex Virus, Coronavirus, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus, in addition to antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium), at 50 µg/mL. The antitumor activity of BS (12.5 µg/mL) was also demonstrated, with potential selectivity in reducing the proliferation of breast tumor cells, after 1 min of exposure. These results demonstrate the importance of studying the interconnection between cultivation conditions and properties of industrially important compounds, such as rhamnolipid-type biosurfactant from P. aeruginosa BM02, a promising and sustainable alternative in the development of new antiviral, antitumor, and antimicrobial prototypes.

Removal of perfluoroalkyl acids from aqueous media by surfactant-modified clinoptilolites.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are environmentally persistent, bioaccumulating, and toxic compounds that have attracted global attention. It is challenging to reduce the residual concentrations of these compounds to safe discharge limits. In this study, batch experiments were performed to evaluate natural clinoptilolite and clinoptilolites modified (MC) with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC-MC), didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB-MC), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA-MC), and tetramethylammonium chloride (TMA-MC) as cost-effective aqueous PFAS adsorbents. The removal capacities of the adsorbents for the majority of the PFASs decreased in the following order: DDAB-MC > CPC-MC ≫ modified natural clinoptilolite with hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA-MC) ≫ modified natural clinoptilolite with tetramethylammonium chloride (TMA-MC) ≈ natural clinoptilolite modified with NaCl (NC). In particular, CPC-MC and DDAB-MC reduced PFASs concentration in 50 µg/L by up to 98% for perfluorooctane sulphonate. Within 30 min, CPC-MC (30.5 µg/L) and DDAB-MC (32.1 µg/L) met the PFOS water quality criterion of 36 µg/L in inland surface waters. Both adsorbents met this criterion at the highest solution volume (40 mL) and 0.125 g/L (solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:8). PFASs with short hydrocarbon chains competed more for adsorption. PFASs with sulphonate functional groups were also adsorbed more than carboxyl groups in single- and multi-PFAS solutions. The modified surfaces of clinoptilolites controlled PFAS adsorption through hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. PFAS removal with surfactant-modified clinoptilolites is cost-effective and protects aquatic environments by using surplus natural materials.

Isolation, characterization, and multimodal evaluation of novel glycolipid biosurfactant derived from Bacillus species: A promising Staphylococcus aureus tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitor through molecular docking and MD simulations.

Glycolipid-based biosurfactants (BSs), known for their intriguing and diverse properties, represent a largely uncharted territory in the realm of potential biomedical applications. This field holds great promise yet remains largely unexplored. This investigation provides new insights into the isolation, characterization, and comprehensive biomedical assessment of a novel glycolipid biosurfactant derived from Bacillus species, meeting the growing demand for understanding its multifaceted impact on various biomedical issues. Within this framework, two glycolipids, BG2A and BG2B, emerged as the most proficient strains in biosurfactant (BS) production. The biosurfactants (BSs) ascertained as glycolipids via thin layer chromatography (TLC) exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Both isolates exhibited anticancer effects against cervical carcinoma cells and demonstrated significant anti-biofilm activity against V. cholerae. Moreover, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to explore their antimicrobial resistance properties against Tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) of Staphylococcus aureus, a well-annotated molecular target. Characterization and interpretation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H and 13C NMR) confirmed that the BSs produced by each strain were glycolipids. These findings suggest that the isolated BSs can serve as effective agents with antibiofilm, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, in addition to their considerable antibacterial resistance attributes.

Two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy elucidated the volatilization process of the microemulsion composed of peppermint essential oil and composite herbal extract.

Microemulsion is usually a transparent and isotropic liquid mixture composed of oil phase, water phase, surfactant and cosurfactant. The surfactant-framed nanoscale droplets in the microemulsion can penetrate into the skin surface to reduce its barrier function. This makes microemulsion an ideal preparation for the transdermal drug delivery. The permeability of microemulsion may be further enhanced when botanical essential oils that can dissolve the stratum corneum are used as the oil phase. However, the volatility of essential oils is possible to shorten the retention time of the microemulsion on the skin surface. Therefore, analytical methods are required to understand the volatilization process of the microemulsion composed of essential oils to develop the reasonable topical drug carrier system. In this research, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with an attenuated total reflection (ATR) accessory cooperated with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) to elucidate the volatilization processes of some microemulsions composed of peppermint essential oil. Principal component analysis (PCA) and moving-window two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (MW2DCOS) revealed the multiple stages of the volatilization processes of the microemulsions. Synchronous 2D correlation infrared spectra indicated the compositional changes during each stage. It was found that the successive volatilizations of ethanol, water and menthone were the major events during the volatilization process of the microemulsion composed of peppermint essential oil. Ethanol can accelerate the volatilization of water, while the composite herbal extract seemed to not influence the volatilization of the other ingredients. After a 20-min-long volatilization process, the remaining microemulsion still contained considerable peppermint essential oil to affect the skin. The above results showed the feasibility of developing the microemulsion composed of peppermint essential oil for the transdermal drug delivery of composite herbal extract. This research also proved that the combination of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and 2DCOS was valuable to study the volatilization process of the microemulsion.

A multi-wavelength cross-reactive fluorescent sensor ensemble for fingerprinting flavonoids in serum and urine.

Flavonoids are a kind of natural polyphenols which are closely related to human health, and the identification of flavonoids with similar structures is an important but difficult issue. We herein easily constructed a powerful fluorescent sensor ensemble by using surfactant cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) encapsulating two commercially available fluorescent probes (F1 and F2) with multi-wavelength emission. Fluorescence measurements illustrate the present sensor ensemble exhibits turn-off responses to flavones and flavonols but ratiometric responses to isoflavones, owing to different FRET processes. The heat map and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) results show that this single sensor can effectively distinguish 6 flavonoids belong to three subgroups by collecting the fluorescence variation at four typical wavelengths. Moreover, it can be applied to identify different flavonoids even in biofluids like serum and urine, providing potential practical application.