Biomedical subjects

Edgar Acosta

Publications and source records attributed to Edgar Acosta.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effect of humidity on the stability of lung surfactant films adsorbed at air-water interfaces.

The effect of humidity on the film stability of Bovine Lipid Extract Surfactant (BLES) is studied using the captive bubble method. It is found that adsorbed BLES films show distinctly different stability patterns at two extreme relative humidities (RHs), i.e., bubbles formed by ambient air and by air prehumidified to 100% RH at 37 degrees C. The differences are illustrated by the ability to maintain low surface tensions at various compression ratios, the behavior of bubble clicks, and film compressibility. These results suggest that 100% RH at 37 degrees C tends to destabilize the BLES films. In turn, the experimental results indicate that the rapidly adsorbed BLES film on a captive bubble presents a barrier to water transport that retards full humidification of the bubble when ambient air is used for bubble formation. These findings necessitate careful evaluation and maintenance of environmental humidity for all in vitro assessment of lung surfactants. It is also found that the stability of adsorbed bovine natural lung surfactant (NLS) films is not as sensitive as BLES films to high humidity. This may indicate a physiological function of SP-A and/or cholesterol, which are absent in BLES, in maintaining the extraordinary film stability in vivo.

Adsorption↗

PubMed2006

Chitosan enhances the in vitro surface activity of dilute lung surfactant preparations and resists albumin-induced inactivation.

Chitosan is a natural, cationic polysaccharide derived from fully or partially deacetylated chitin. Chitosan is capable of inducing large phospholipid aggregates, closely resembling the function of nonionic polymers tested previously as additives to therapeutic lung surfactants. The effects of chitosan on improving the surface activity of a dilute lung surfactant preparation, bovine lipid extract surfactant (BLES), and on resisting albumin-induced inactivation were studied using a constrained sessile drop (CSD) method. Also studied in parallel were the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG, 10 kD) and hyaluronan (HA, 1240 kD). Both adsorption and dynamic cycling studies showed that chitosan is able to significantly enhance the surface activity of 0.5 mg/mL BLES and to resist albumin-induced inactivation at an extremely low concentration of 0.05 mg/mL, 1000 times smaller than the usual concentration of PEG and 20 times smaller than HA. Optical microscopy found that chitosan induced large surfactant aggregates even in the presence of albumin. Cytotoxicity tests confirmed that chitosan has no deleterious effect on the viability of lung epithelial cells. The experimental results suggest that chitosan may be a more effective polymeric additive to lung surfactant than the other polymers tested so far.

Albumins↗

PubMed2005

Effect of humidity on the adsorption kinetics of lung surfactant at air-water interfaces.

The in vitro adsorption kinetics of lung surfactant at air-water interfaces is affected by both the composition of the surfactant preparations and the conditions under which the assessment is conducted. Relevant experimental conditions are surfactant concentration, temperature, subphase pH, electrolyte concentration, humidity, and gas composition of the atmosphere exposed to the interface. The effect of humidity on the adsorption kinetics of a therapeutic lung surfactant preparation, bovine lipid extract surfactant (BLES), was studied by measuring the dynamic surface tension (DST). Axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) was used in conjunction with three different experimental methodologies, i.e., captive bubble (CB), pendant drop (PD), and constrained sessile drop (CSD), to measure the DST. The experimental results obtained from these three methodologies show that for 100% relative humidity (RH) at 37 degrees C the rate of adsorption of BLES at an air-water interface is substantially slower than for low humidity. It is also found that there is a difference in the rate of surface tension decrease measured from the PD and CB/CSD methods. These experimental results agree well with an adsorption model that considers the combined effects of entropic force, electrostatic interaction, and gravity. These findings have implications for the development and evaluation of new formulations for surfactant replacement therapy.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Field demonstration of surfactant-enhanced solubilization of DNAPL at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.

This study reports on a surfactant-based flood for tetrachloroethylene (PCE) removal from a control test cell at the Dover National Test Site. The surfactant formulation (sodium dihexyl sulfosuccinate (Aerosol-MA or AMA), isopropanol and calcium chloride) was able to achieve a high concentration of PCE in swollen micelles (supersolubilization) without vertical PCE migration. The hydraulic system included eight screened wells that were operated in both vertical circulation and line drive configurations. After 10 pore volumes of flushing, the overall PCE removal was 68% (65% of which corresponded to the surfactant flooding alone). In addition, the residual PCE saturation was reduced from 0.7% to 0.2%, and the concentration of PCE in the groundwater was reduced from 37-190 mg/L before the flushing to 7.3 mg/L after flooding. Recycling the surfactant solution reduced the required surfactant mass (and thus cost, and waste) by 90%. Close to 80% of the total PCE removal was obtained during the first five pore volumes which were operated in an upward vertical circulation flow scheme. No free oil phase was observed during the test. Further analysis of multilevel sampler data suggests that most of the trapped oil remaining in the cell was likely localized in secluded regions of the aquifer, which helps explain the lower PCE groundwater concentration after remedial activities. In summary, this field study demonstrated the feasibility of surfactant-enhanced remediation to reduce the mass in the source zone and significantly reduce the PCE aqueous concentration and therefore the risk associated with the contaminant plume.

2-Propanol↗

PubMed2005

Modeling solubilization of oil mixtures in anionic microemulsions II. Mixtures of polar and non-polar oils.

Polar/amphiphilic oils, called lipophilic linkers, are sometimes added to oil-water-ionic surfactant microemulsions in order to increase the solubilization of hydrophobic oils. The solubilization increase has been well documented for a number of systems. However, mathematical models to calculate the solubilization increase have been proposed only for optimum microemulsions (i.e., middle phase microemulsions solubilizing equal volumes of oil and water). In this paper we propose a model, which predicts solubilization enhancement for non-optimum microemulsion systems as well. The model is an extension of the net-average curvature model of microemulsion. The net-average curvature model is combined with a surface activity model to account for the increased palisade layer solubilization due to the presence of the polar/amphiphilic oil component. New non-linear mixing rules are also incorporated to account for the optimum salinity and the characteristic length variation of the anionic surfactant microemulsion as a function of the lipophilic linker concentration. The model predicts the effect of the lipophilic linker and the electrolyte concentration on the oil solubilization in accordance with the experimental results.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Preferential solubilization of dodecanol from dodecanol-limonene binary oil mixture in sodium dihexyl sulfosuccinate microemulsions: effect on optimum salinity and oil solubilization capacity.

Solubilization of dodecanol-limonene binary oil mixtures has been studied in saturated Winsor type I and III sodium dihexyl sulfosuccinate microemulsions. The systems showed different oil solubilization behavior below and above dodecanol volume fraction 0.2. Below 0.2 dodecanol volume fraction regular Winsor type microemulsions formed. The oil solubilization was characterized in this concentration range by the optimum salinity and the maximum characteristic length. Dodecanol showed Langmuirian-type surface excess adsorption at the vicinity of the surfactant layer. Variation of the optimum salinity and middle phase characteristic length with increasing dodecanol concentration could be linked to changes in the dodecanol surface excess. These relationships were used to develop new mathematical models for the optimum salinity and characteristic length as a function of oil phase composition. Both models yield excellent agreement with the data. Above dodecanol volume fraction 0.2 regular Winsor type III microemulsions are not formed. Therefore our new models are not applicable in this concentration range.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Effect of surfactant on interfacial gas transfer studied by axisymmetric drop shape analysis-captive bubble (ADSA-CB).

A new method combining axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) and a captive bubble (CB) is proposed to study the effect of surfactant on interfacial gas transfer. In this method, gas transfer from a static CB to the surrounding quiescent liquid is continuously recorded for a short period (i.e., 5 min). By photographical analysis, ADSA-CB is capable of yielding detailed information pertinent to the surface tension and geometry of the CB, e.g., bubble area, volume, curvature at the apex, and the contact radius and height of the bubble. A steady-state mass transfer model is established to evaluate the mass transfer coefficient on the basis of the output of ADSA-CB. In this way, we are able to develop a working prototype capable of simultaneously measuring dynamic surface tension and interfacial gas transfer. Other advantages of this method are that it allows for the study of very low surface tensions (<5 mJ/m2) and does not require equilibrium of gas transfer. Consequently, reproducible experimental results can be obtained in a relatively short time. As a demonstration, this method was used to study the effect of lung surfactant on oxygen transfer. It was found that the adsorbed lung surfactant film shows a retardation effect on oxygen transfer, similar to the behavior of a pure DPPC film. However, this retardation effect at low surface tensions is less than that of a pure DPPC film.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

A two-state model for selective solubilization of benzene-limonene mixtures in sodium dihexyl sulfosuccinate microemulsions.

When surfactants are used to solubilize oil, the oil to be solubilized is often a mixture of components with differing properties, for example, solubilization of drug molecules in microemulsion formulations, remediation of organic polluted aquifers using surfactants, and so forth. Previous research has demonstrated that selective solubilization of one organic component over the other may occur if the organic components are dissimilar. In this research, we investigated selective solubilization from benzene-limonene mixtures in Winsor type I and III microemulsion systems containing water, sodium di-n-hexyl sulfosuccinate, and NaCl. The effect of the oil phase composition and the electrolyte concentration on the selectivity was studied. It was found that the selectivity toward benzene was highest at low electrolyte and benzene concentrations, decreasing as the electrolyte or benzene concentration increased. The results are discussed on the basis of the two-state solubilization theory and by correlating the curvature of the surfactant film in the microemulsion with changes of the electrolyte concentration and the oil phase composition. A simple mathematical model is developed for the selectivity, which combines the two-state solubilization theory and the net-average curvature model of microemulsion solubilization to yield close agreement with the experimental data.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Improving the extraction of tetrachloroethylene from soil columns using surfactant gradient systems.

In this work, we extend the recently developed gradient approach for surfactant-enhanced remediation of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL)-impacted sites. The goal of the gradient approach is to maximize the DNAPL solubilization capacity in swollen micelles (Type I aqueous microemulsions) while at the same time minimizing the potential for DNAPL mobilization. In this work, we introduce a modified version of the capillary/trapping curve that we refer to as the gradient curve to help interpret and/or design the gradient approach. The gradient curve presents the residual DNAPL saturation as a function of interfacial tension and microemulsion viscosity. This approach demonstrates that keeping a low viscosity of the microemulsion phase is not only important for keeping a low head loss during surfactant flooding but also to prevent oil mobilization. Eight microemulsion systems were evaluated in this research; these systems were evaluated based on their tetrachloroethylene (PCE) solubilization capacity, interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, density, and coalescence kinetics. Two of these systems were chosen for evaluation in site-specific column tests using an increasing electrolyte gradient to produce a decreasing IFT/increasing solubilization gradient system. The column studies were conducted with media from Dover Air Force Base in Dover, DE. Both solubilized and mobilized DNAPL were quantified. During the column studies, we observed that substantial PCE was mobilized when the residual level of PCE in the column was significantly higher than the steady-state residual saturation level being approach (as predicted from the gradient curve). Four column studies were performed, three of which were used to asses the validity of the gradient curve in predicting the residual saturation after each gradient step. From these tests we observed that starting IFTs of less than 1 mN/m all produced the same mobilization potential. In the last column, we used an additional gradient step with an initial IFT above 1 mN/m to dramatically reduce the amount of PCE mobilize. Based on the good agreement between column results and projections based on the gradient curve, we propose this as a preferred method for designing gradient surfactant flushing systems.

Environmental Pollutants↗

PubMed2002

Formulating chlorinated hydrocarbon microemulsions using linker molecules.

Previously we reported on the use of lipophilic, hydrophilic, and combined linkers for formulating microemulsions of trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. These linker molecules augment the interaction between the surfactant and oil phase (lipophilic linkers) or between the surfactant and water phase (hydrophilic linkers). Combining both linkers can increase the solubilization capacity several-fold. This formulation technique shows potential advantage in reducing surfactant costs and remedial times, as well as allowing the use of more environmentally friendly additives when designing surfactant-enhanced remediation systems. In this paper, we evaluate the relative importance of the surfactant and each linker in increasing the system's solubilization capacity. This interpretation is based on solubilization curves, partitioning studies, and formulation studies. The solubilization curves show that optimum linker performance is reached at an equimolar ratio of dodecanol, used as a lipophilic linker, and sodium mono and dimethyl naphthalene sulfonate, used as a hydrophilic linker. Furthermore, this equimolar combination was able to replace the anionic surfactant sodium dihexylsulfosuccinate. Dodecanol partitioning at optimum formulation shows that the poor performance of lipophilic linkers alone is due to their low partitioning into the middle phase. Adding hydrophilic linkers into this system increases the fraction of dodecanol in the middle phase, thereby further enhancing the solubilization capacity of the system. A variation of the combined linker approach is introduced by changing a lipophilic linker, oleic acid, into a surfactant (soap), with further increases in the solubilization capacity by 4- to 5-fold.

Oleic Acid↗