Molecular crowding has no effect on the dilution thermodynamics of the biologically relevant cation mixtures.

The ionic composition of intracellular space is rigorously maintained in the expense of high-energy expenditure. It has been recently postulated that the cytoplasmic ionic composition is optimized so the energy cost of the fluctuations of calcium ion concentration is minimized. Specifically, thermodynamic arguments have been produced to show that the presence of potassium ions at concentrations higher than 100 mM reduce extend of the energy dissipation required for the dilution of calcium cations. No such effect has been measured when sodium ions were present in the solution or when the other divalent cation magnesium was diluted. The experimental observation has been interpreted as the indication of the formation of ionic clusters composed of calcium, chloride and potassium. In order to test the possibility that such clusters may be preserved in biological space, the thermodynamics of ionic mixtures dilution in solutions containing albumins and model lipid bilayers have been measured. Obtained thermograms clearly demonstrate that the energetics of calcium/potassium mixture is qualitatively different from calcium/sodium mixture indicating that the presence of the biologically relevant quantities of proteins and membrane hydrophilic surfaces do not interfere with the properties of the intracellular aqueous phase.

Molecular machines - a new dimension of biological sciences.

Biological systems are characterized by directional and precisely controlled flow of matter and information along with the maintenance of their structural patterns. This is possible thanks to sequential transformations of information, energy and structure carried out by molecular machines. The new perception of biological systems, including their mechanical aspects, requires the implementation of tools and approaches previously developed for engineering sciences. In this review paper, a biological system is presented in a new perspective as an ensemble of coordinated molecular devices functioning in the limited space confined by the biological membrane. The working of a molecular machine is presented using the example of F0F1 ATPase, and the general conditions necessary for the coordination of a large number of functional units are described.

The cellular internalization of liposome encapsulated protoporphyrin IX by HeLa cells.

The proper lipid composition of liposomes designed to carry drugs determines their surface properties ensuring their accumulation within selected tissue. The electrostatic potential and surface topology of liposomes affect the internalization by single cells. The high-resolution imaging of cancer cells and the distribution of protoporphyrin-loaded liposomes within the cytoplasm and its dependence on the liposome surface properties are presented. In the paper, HeLa cells were used to investigate the uptake of porphyrin-loaded liposomes and liposomes alone by means of confocal and differential interference contrast microscopies. The effect of liposomes surface electrostatic potential and surface topology on their intracellular distribution was evaluated. The time evolution of the intracellular distribution of liposomes labelled with Rhodamine-PE was examined on HeLa cells. These studies allow for the identification of the liposome lipid composition so the efficient delivery of the active substance to cancer cells will be achieved. The obtained results showed that neutral PC-liposomes are the most efficiently internalized by HeLa cells. Moreover, results showed that properties of liposomes affect not only the internalization efficiency of the photosensitizer but also its distribution within the cells, as revealed by colocalization measurements.

Analysis of metal surfaces coated with europium-doped titanium dioxide by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy.

The surface passivation with titanium sol-gel coatings is a frequently used technique to control the adsorption of selected biological macromolecules and to reduce the exposure of the bulk material to biological matter. Due to the increasing number of new coating-preparation methods and new gel compositions with various types of additives, the quality and homogeneity determination of the surface covering is a critical factor affecting performance of any implanted material. While coating thickness is easy to determine, the homogeneity of the surface distribution of coating materials requires more elaborate methodologies. In the paper, the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) based method, capable to quantitate the homogeneity and uniformity of the europium in titanium dioxide sol-gel coatings on stainless steel surfaces prepared with two different procedures: spin-coating and dip-coating, is presented. The emission intensity of titanium has been used to determine the coating thickness whereas the relative values of europium and titanium emission intensities provide data on the coating homogeneity. The obtained results show that the spin-coating technique provides better surface coverage with titanium dioxide. However, when the surface coating compositions were compared the dip-coating technique was more reliable.