Functional Casein-Poly saccharide Conjugates Prepared by Controlled Dry Heating

Casein was conjugated with dextran and galactomannan in a controlled dry state at a relative humidity of 79% and at 60°C for 24 hr. The covalent attachment of polysaccharides to casein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and HPLC. The emulsifying activity of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 1.5 times higher than that of casein. The emulsion stability of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 10 times higher than that of casein. The improvement in these emulsifying properties reached a steady state when the conjugation of casein with polysaccharide was done for 24 hr in a controlled dry state, suggesting the rapid formation of conjugates through a Maillard reaction in the case of casein. Compared to commercial emulsifiers, the casein-polysaccharide conjugates showed better emulsifying properties in acidic and high-salt concentration systems.     

Liposome-mediated labeling of adrenocorticotropin fragments parallels their biological activity

To test our hypothesis that specific interactions of ACTH peptides with model lipid membranes reflect the biological importance of similar interactions on target cells, we investigated the liposome-mediated labeling of ACTH fragments with the extremely hydrophobic photolabel, 3-trifluoromethyl-3-(m-[125I]iodophenyl)diazirine. Correlations were found between the labeling rates and the agonistic and antagonistic potencies of the peptides for in vitro steroidogenesis and inhibition of a synaptosomal protein kinase. A model for the cross-reactivity between ACTH and opioid peptides is discussed.     

Photodynamic herbicides: 1. Concept and phenomenology

A new approach to the design of conceptually and phenomenologically new herbicides is described. It involves the joint utilization of tetrapyrrole precursors, such as δ-aminolaevulinic acid (a biodegradable amino acid) and activators of the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway, such as 2,2′-dipyridyl, in order to induce treated plants to biosynthesize and accumulate massive amounts of tetrapyrrole intermediates of the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway in the dark (i.e. at night). During the subsequent light period (daylight) the accumulated tetrapyrroles act as potent photodynamic sensitiziers, which in turn result in the death of susceptible plants in a matter of hours. We have therefore proposed to name herbicides that act via this mechanism as photodynamic herbicides, or more pictorially as laser herbicides. From a limited survey of agricultural plant and weed species it appears that photodynamic herbicides exhibit a very pronounced organ, age and species-dependent selectivity. For example, dicotyledonous weeds such as mustard, red-root pigweed, common purslane and lambsquarter are very susceptible while monocotyledonous plants such as corn, wheat, barley and oats are not. The biochemical basis of this selectivity seems to lie, among other things, in the rates of tetrapyrrole turnover and in a differential enhancement by the applied chemicals of the monovinyl and divinyl tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathways in the various species. A survey of various groups of chemicals (herbicides and other selected biochemicals) that are likely to exhibit photodynamic herbicidal properties is currently under investigation.     

Isoelectric focusing following by electrophoresis of proteins for visualizing their titration curves by zymogram and immunofixation

After isoelectric focusing followed by electrophoresis at right angles in the same gel slab, it is possible to visualize the titration curve of proteins by zymograms or immunofixation even of an unpurified sample. This information can be very useful for the selection of the proper purification strategy by charge-dependent methods, e.g. ion-exchange chromatography, zone and disc electrophoresis and isotachophoresis. The titration curve also gives information on the stability of the protein as a function of the prevailing pH of the medium, in the pH 3-10 range. A region of instability is found for most proteins in acidic conditions, below pH 4.5, while most proteins are stable in the alkaline pH region, at least up to pH 10. The best method for developing zymograms and immunoprints appears to pH 10. The best method for developing zymograms and immunoprints appears to be the 'sandwich technique', by which a thin agarose slab, cast on an hydrophilic polyester sheet, and impregnated with appropriate reagents, is left in contact with a polyacrylamide gel thin layer used to generate the titration curves.     

Maternal and neonatal disposition of pethidine in childbirth--a study using quantitative gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

An assay for pethidine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with single ion monitoring has been developed for its analysis in the blood of neonates whose mothers received pethidine during childbirth. Concentrations were determined from the height of the peak at m/e 218 derived from pethidine compared with that at m/e 234 derived from the internal standard lignocaine. Results from 10 mothers and their babies show the time-related passage of pethidine across the placenta. The elimination half-life of the drug from neonatal blood was 22.7h compared with 3h in the adult.