Diffusion as a function of aggregation in colloidal media

With the assumption that adsorption is a simple function of surface area, an analytical treatment is given for the dependence of the diffusion coefficient of an adsorbable solute upon the degree of aggregation of the adsorbing colloid. A simple relation is deduced after introducing some approximations. Some implications of the final diffusion equation are given.     

Delayed adsorption and diffusion in colloidal media

The behavior of the diffusion coefficient of a solute which can be adsorbed by a colloid only after the colloid has aggregated to a certain size is deduced on the basis of a few assumptions. Some relations of such a mechanism to cell reactions are indicated.     

Improvement in radiographic contrast media through the development of colloidal or particulate media: an analysis.

In the field of active and passive transport of substances across epithelial membranes little progress has been made, mostly for technical reasons, towards a comprehensive view of a wealth of isolated laboratory data. The present study is an attempt to advance the use of the method of computer simulation, with application of the “Continuous System Modelling Program” into the field of membrane transport. High speed of operation and great versatility make this procedure uniquely suitable to transport studies on multicompartment biological systems, such as epithelia. Basic prerequisites are, a detailed knowledge of the morphological parameters of the system, and an abundance of often isolated laboratory data against which the function of a model membrane can be checked. The simulation process becomes then a study of finding the constraints on all rate constants involved (a few of which may be known) which lead to results compatible with experimental facts. Whereas computer modelling is no substitute for experimental studies, it is one way of arriving at a comprehensive view of the complex flow patterns in such complex structures as epithelia. The computer simulation technique can lead to new, testable predictions, and it gives the laboratory investigator a critical perspective of potential pitfalls in experimental techniques used in studies on fluxes in structures as small as those encountered in epithelia. The usefulness of computer simulation in the field of membrane transport is exemplified by applying it to the problem of the initial rate of uptake of Na⁺ by frog skin epidermis. It is shown, here, that the computer data are in excellent agreement with experimental data on epidermis. Beyond this, the computer data permit calculations on kinetic parameters, e.g. Na⁺ pool sizes and rates of Na⁺ fluxes between compartments, which, for the present at least, cannot be directly measured.     

Diffusion and dynamics of penetratin in different membrane mimicking media

The interaction between the cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) penetratin and different membrane mimetic environments has been investigated by two different NMR methods: ¹⁵N spin relaxation and translational diffusion. Diffusion coefficients were measured for penetratin in neutral and in negatively charged bicelles of different size, in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles (SDS), and in aqueous solution. The diffusion coefficients were used to estimate the amount of free and bicelle/micelle-bound penetratin and the results revealed that penetratin binds almost fully to all studied membrane mimetics. ¹⁵N relaxation data for three sites in penetratin were interpreted with the model-free approach to obtain overall and local dynamics. Overall correlation times for penetratin were in agreement with findings for other peptides of similar size in the same solvents. Large differences in order parameters were observed for penetratin in the different membrane mimetics. Negatively charged surfaces were seen to restrict motional flexibility, while a more neutral membrane mimetic did not. This indicates that although the peptide binds to both bicelles and SDS micelles, the interaction between penetratin and the various membrane mimetics is different.     

Diffusion and reaction within porous packing media: a phenomenological model

A phenomenological model has been developed to describe biomass distribution and substrate depletion in porous diatomaceous earth (DE) pellets colonized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The essential features of the model are diffusion, attachment and detachment to/from pore walls of the biomass, diffusion of substrate within the pellet, and external mass transfer of both substrate and biomass in the bulk fluid of a packed bed containing the pellets. A bench-scale reactor filled with DE pellets was inoculated with P. aeruginosa and operated in plug flow without recycle using a feed containing glucose as the limiting nutrient. Steady-state effluent glucose concentrations were measured at various residence times, and biomass distribution within the pellet was measured at the lowest residence time. In the model, microorganism/substrate kinetics and mass transfer characteristics were predicted from the literature. Only the attachment and detachment parameters were treated as unknowns, and were determined by fitting biomass distribution data within the pellets to the mathematical model. The rate-limiting step in substrate conversion was determined to be internal mass transfer resistance; external mass transfer resistance and microbial kinetic limitations were found to be nearly negligible. Only the outer 5% of the pellets contributed to substrate conversion. (c) 1993 Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Diffusion with irreversible chemical reaction in heterogeneous media: Application to oxygen transport in respiring tissue

A heterogeneous model is proposed for determining transport in a two-phase medium where irreversible reaction takes place in the suspended phase but not in the continuous phase. The model is based on the classical approach of Maxwell for determining effective transport properties of heterogeneous media. The mathematical expressions are utilized for the theoretical study of oxygen transport in tissue. It is shown that the model is physically more realistic than the layered models of Tai & Chang (1974) which can only predict maximum and minimum values for the transport rate. Formation of anoxic conditions for oxygen-consuming cells inside a tissue are predicted.     

A liquid chromatography method for quantifying caffeine dissolution from pharmaceutical formulations into colloidal,fat-rich media

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid-chromatography method is presented that permits quantification of caffeine in colloidal fat emulsions proposed as new ‘biorelevant’ dissolution media (Intralipid™ and various milks). Using a mobile phase of 0.1 M sodium acetate (pH 4.0) and acetonitrile (89.5:10.5, v/v) at 1 ml min⁻¹, the drug and internal standard (7-β-hydroxyethyltheophylline) were eluted within 8 min. Caffeine extraction was undertaken by protein precipitation in ice-cold 12% (w/v) trichloroacetic acid and centrifugation at 10,000 rpm for 15 min. This simple extraction method generated caffeine recovery values (corrected for % fat content) of 75.4 ± 1.4–100.6 ± 5.5%. The limit of detection was within the range 0.25–0.4 μg ml⁻¹ and linearity was demonstrated in each medium up to 125 μg ml⁻¹. Precision was <11.5% RSD and intra- and inter-day accuracy was 93.4–109.3%. The validated method was applied to in vitro USP dissolution tests in milk which compared the kinetics of caffeine release from (i) extended release matrices containing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and (ii) an immediate release commercial analgesic tablet. Good reproducibility was obtained in both extended and immediate release dissolution tests. The method provides high-throughput quantification of this common drug in fat emulsions used as biorelevant dissolution media.     

Diffusion of lactate and ammonium in relation to growth of Geotrichum candidum at the surface of solid media

Geotrichum candidum was cultivated at the surface of solid model media containing peptone to simulate the composition of Camembert cheese. The surface growth of G. candidum induced the diffusion of substrates from the core to the rind and the diffusion of produced metabolites from the rind to the core. In the range of pH measured during G. candidum growth, constant diffusion coefficients were found for lactate and ammonium, 0.4 and 0.8 cm(2) day(-1), respectively, determined in sterile culture medium. Growth kinetics are described using the Verlhust model and both lactate consumption and ammonium production are considered as partially linked to growth. The experimental diffusion gradients of lactate and ammonium recorded during G. candidum growth have been fitted. The diffusion/reaction model was found to match with experimental data until the end of growth, except with regard to ammonium concentration gradients in the presence of lactate in the medium. Indeed, G. candidum preferentially assimilated peptone over lactate as a carbon source, resulting in an almost cessation of ammonium release before the end of growth. On peptone, it was found that the proton transfer did not account for the ammonium concentration gradients. Indeed, amino acids, being positively charged, are involved in the proton transfer at the beginning of growth. This effect can be neglected in the presence of lactate within the medium, and the sum of both lactate consumption and ammonium release gradients corresponded well to the proton transfer gradients, confirming that both components are responsible for the pH increase observed during the ripening of soft Camembert cheese.     

Diffusion in immobilized-cell gels

Summary The relationship between the diffusion coefficient, the effective diffusion coefficient and the partition coefficient for a solute in a cell-containing gel is discussed. The use of correlation equations that are based on some kind of physical model is recommended when the effect of cell concentration on diffusion is interpreted.     

Spectroimmunochemistry using colloidal gold bioconjugates

Using surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy of dry films of colloidal gold (CG) bioconjugates with protein A, it is shown that certain characteristic bands of the protein (e.g., amide I, amide II and some other vibration modes) are essentially affected by the metal surface. Thus, the method may be used for controlling the quality of such bioconjugates. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the biospecific reaction of protein A attached to CG particles with human immunoglobulin G (IgG) results in further essential changes in SEIRA spectra, providing a means for an easy and rapid IR spectroscopic detection of biospecific immunochemical interactions (i.e., spectroimmunochemistry). The results obtained can form a basis for developing test systems for detecting various biospecific interactions.     

Electrophoresis of colloidal biological particles

Microscope electrophoresis was used to measure the electrophoretic mobility of polystyrene latex particles and bacterial, and mammalian tissue cells. The submicroscopic hydrophilic colloids (gelatin, serum albumin, and staphylococcal enterotoxin B) were adsorbed on latex carrier particles to determine their electrophoretic mobility and the effect of concentration, pH, electrolyte addition, and buffer ionic strength. Mobility curves as a function of pH were established for latex particles at 1 ppm concentration indicating an isoelectric point (IEP) at pH 3.6. The IEP for Escherichia coli B cells was measured at pH 2.8, Serratia marcescens at pH 2.6, Bacillus subtilis var. niger at pH 2.9, and L strain mouse fibroblast cells at pH 4.4. Using an adsorption technique, isoelectric points were measured for proteins: gelatin (acid form) at pH 9.4, serum albumin at pH 4.9, and staphylococcal enterotoxin B at pH 6.3. Procefures for examining electrophoretic characteristics of microscopic and submicroscopic biological particles are described in order to standardize procedures and to generate results applicable to an understanding of parameters influencing concentration and purification of colloidal biological particles.