Bile salts at the air-water interface: adsorption and desorption.

Bile salts (BS) are bio-surfactants which constitute a vital component in the process of fat digestion. Despite the importance of the interfacial properties in their biological role, these have been scarcely studied in the literature. In this work, we present the adsorption-desorption profiles of two BS (NaTC and NaGDC) including dilatational rheology. Findings from this study reveal very different surface properties of NaTC and NaGDC which originate from different complexation properties relevant to the digestion process. Dynamic adsorption curves show higher adsorption rates for NaTC and suggest the existence of various conformational regimes in contrast to NaGDC which presents only one conformational regime. This is corroborated by analysis of the adsorption isotherms and more in detail by the rheological behaviour. Accordingly, the dilatational response at 1Hz displays two maxima of the dilatational modulus for NaTC as a function of bulk concentration, in contrast to NaGDC which displays only one maximum. The desorption profiles reveal that NaTC adopts an irreversibly adsorbed form at high surface coverage whereas NaGDC fully desorbs from the surface within the whole range of concentrations used. Analysis of the adsorption-desorption profiles provides new insight into the surface properties of BS, suggesting a surface complexation of NaTC. This knowledge can be useful since through interfacial engineering we might control the extent of lipolysis providing the basis for the rational design of food products with tailored digestibility.

Development of a constant surface pressure penetration langmuir balance based on axisymmetric drop shape analysis.

A new constant pressure pendant-drop penetration surface balance has been developed combining a pendant-drop surface balance, a rapid-subphase-exchange technique, and a fuzzy logic control algorithm. Beside the determination of insoluble monolayer compression-expansion isotherms, it allows performance of noninvasive kinetic studies of the adsorption of surfactants added to the new subphase onto the free surface and of the adsorption/penetration/reaction of the former onto/into/with surface layers, respectively. The interfacial pressure pi is a fundamental parameter in these studies: by working at constant pi one controls the height of the energy barrier to adsorption/penetration and can select different regimes and steps of the adsorption/penetration process. In our device a solution drop is formed at the tip of a coaxial double capillary, connected to a double microinjector. Drop profiles are extracted from digital drop micrographs and fitted to the equation of capillarity, yielding pi, the drop volume V, and the interfacial area A. pi is varied changing V (and hence A) with the microinjector. Control is based on a case-adaptable modulated fuzzy-logic PID algorithm able to maintain constant pi (or A) under a wide range of experimental conditions. The drop subphase liquid can be exchanged quantitatively by the coaxial capillaries. The adsorption/penetration/reaction kinetics at constant pi are then studied monitoring A(t), i.e., determining the relative area change necessary at each instant to compensate the pressure variation due to the interaction of the surfactant in the subsurface with the surface layer. A fully Windows-integrated program manages the whole setup. Examples of experimental protein adsorption and monolayer penetration kinetics are presented.

Dentin wetting by four adhesive systems.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the dentin wetting by four adhesive systems and to relate the wetting properties with the adhesive efficiency. METHODS: Scotch Bond Multipurpose Plus (3M), Syntac Single-Component (Vivadent), One-Step (Bisco) and Heliobond (Vivadent) were used. The substrate was superficial and deep human dentin. Roughness and water contact angle were measured before and after acid etching. Dentin wetting by resins was studied by contact angle measurements as a function of time to evaluate the spreading time. The shear bond strength was evaluated following a single plane method, and the microleakage was evaluated in Class V cavities. RESULTS: Acid etching increased dentin roughness and wettability and no differences were found between acids tested. Dentin wetting and roughness was higher on deep dentin. Dentin wetting and shear bond strength of resins was similar except for Heliobond that displayed the lowest value. Microleakage was higher on the gingival wall, and the leaking was lowest for Scotch Bond Multipurpose Plus, and maximum for Heliobond. The spreading time exceeded 30s with water-based and hydrophobic adhesives, and was lower with an acetone-based adhesive. Dentin depth had some influence on contact angle and shear bond strength: contact angles obtained with SBMP and One-Step were higher on superficial dentin, and shear bond strength for One-Step was higher on superficial dentin. Dentin wetting by resins could be correlated to shear bond strength and microleakage. SIGNIFICANCE: Dentin acid etching with different conditioners promotes similar roughness and wetting changes. On a similar substrate, the adhesion depends on the chemical and wetting characteristics of resins.