Biomedical subjects

Zhanfeng Cui

Publications and source records attributed to Zhanfeng Cui.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Effect of freezing and thawing rates on denaturation of proteins in aqueous solutions.

The freeze denaturation of model proteins, LDH, ADH, and catalase, was investigated in absence of cryoprotectants using a microcryostage under well-controlled freezing and thawing rates. Most of the experimental data were obtained from a study using a dilute solution with an enzyme concentration of 0.025 g/l. The dependence of activity recovery of proteins on the freezing and thawing rates showed a reciprocal and independent effect, that is, slow freezing (at a freezing rate about 1 degrees C/min) and fast thawing (at a thawing rate >10 degrees C/min) produced higher activity recovery, whereas fast freezing with slow thawing resulted in more severe damage to proteins. With minimizing the freezing concentration and pH change of buffer solution by using a potassium phosphate buffer, this phenomenon could be ascribed to surface-induced denaturation during freezing and thawing process. Upon the fast freezing (e.g., when the freezing rate >20 degrees C/min), small ice crystals and a relatively large surface area of ice-liquid interface are formed, which increases the exposure of protein molecules to the ice-liquid interface and hence increases the damage to the proteins. During thawing, additional damage to proteins is caused by recrystallization process. Recrystallization exerts additional interfacial tension or shear on the entrapped proteins and hence causes additional damage to the latter. When buffer solutes participated during freezing, the activity recovery of proteins after freezing and thawing decreased due to the change of buffer solution pH during freezing. However, the patterns of the dependence on freezing and thawing rates of activity recovery did not change except for that at extreme low freezing rates (<0.5 degrees C/min). The results exhibited that the freezing damage of protein in aqueous solutions could be reduced by changing the buffer type and composition and by optimizing the freezing-thawing protocol.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed2003

Parameter scanning ultrafiltration: rapid optimisation of protein separation.

High-resolution fractionation of proteins using ultrafiltration is feasible only at highly optimised conditions. Conventional process optimisation methodology demands both time and material. Pulsed sample injection ultrafiltration has been suggested as a rapid process optimisation technique. In the present work the scope of this technique is further extended by "parameter scanning ultrafiltration," which involves continuous change of a process parameter (e.g., pH, salt concentration). The time and material consumption are thus further reduced. The technique was validated using different proteins and membranes. Sieving coefficients at different pH and salt concentration were compared to those obtained in fixed parameter ultrafiltration experiments. As fractionation case studies the separation of monoclonal antibody from bovine serum albumin and separation of human IgG from human serum albumin were examined.

Alemtuzumab↗

PubMed2003

Measurement of the chondrocyte membrane permeability to Me2SO, glycerol and 1,2-propanediol.

The addition of cryopreservative agents (CPAs) to chondrocytes and natural and engineered cartilage is critical to protect the cells and tissues from freezing damage during cryopreservation, but this may cause cell damage, e.g. by osmotic shock. The damage could be minimized by the control of the cell volume excursion with the knowledge of cell membrane permeability. In this study, the cell volume responses of chondrocytes to three commonly used CPAs were evaluated using a perfusion microscope stage. The osmotic response of chondrocytes was measured to the perfusion with 1.4 M dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), 1,2-propanediol and glycerol at 21 degrees C. Cell volumes and their transients were determined with image analysis. The cell membrane permeability parameters, including the hydraulic conductivity (Lp), the CPA permeability (omega) and the reflection coefficients (sigma) in the Kedem-Katchalsky (K-K) model, and the Lp and omega in the two-parameter model were determined. The correlated K-K parameters at 21 degrees C were Lp=0.166 +/- 0.035, 0.149 +/- 0.061, 0.212 +/- 0.041 microm/min atm, omega=(7.630 +/- 0.174) x 10(-2), (1.428 +/- 0.627) x 10(-2), (2.744 +/- 0.775) x 10(-2) microm/s and sigma=0.91 +/- 0.09, 0.82 +/- 0.11, 0.88 +/- 0.10 for Me(2)SO, glycerol and 1,2-propanediol, respectively. For the two-parameter model, the parameter values were Lp=0.163 +/- 0.040, 0.128 +/- 0.031, 0.169 +/- 0.025 microm/min atm, omega=(7.881 +/- 0.178) x 10(-2), (1.529 +/- 0.525) x 10(-2), (3.716 +/- 0.493) x 10(-2) microm/s for Me2SO, glycerol and 1,2-propanediol, respectively. No significant difference in the predictions of cell volume excursion during CPA addition was observed when using either the K-K model or the two-parameter model and it was hence advised to adopt the simple two-parameter model in the evaluation. The measured parameters can be used to optimise the CPA addition and removal protocols to maximize the cell survival during cryopreservation.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Separation of human serum albumin and human immunoglobulins using carrier phase ultrafiltration.

The fractionation of the plasma proteins human serum albumin (HSA) and human immunoglobulins (HIgG) using the combination of two newly developed techniques, pulsed sample injection technique and carrier phase ultrafiltration (CPUF), is discussed in this paper. The effects of pH and ionic strength on the transmission of a single protein (i.e., either HSA or HIgG) through 100 and 300 kDa MWCO polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were quantified using the pulsed sample injection technique. The experimental results thus obtained suggested that it would be possible to fractionate these proteins by optimizing the solution pH and ionic strength. With 100 and 300 kDa PES membranes, effective separation of HSA and HIgG was achieved by CPUF using suitable conditions, i.e., pH 4.7 and low salt concentration. The fractionation of HSA and HIgG by "reverse selectivity" using 300 kDa membranes was also examined.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Culture of neural stem cells in calcium alginate beads.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) with the capacity of extensive self-renewal and multilineage differentiation have attracted more and more attention in research as NSCs will play an important role in the nerve disease treatment and nerve injury repair. The shortage of NSCs, both their sources and their numbers, however, is the biggest challenge for their clinic application, and hence, in vitro culture and expansion of NSCs is vitally important to realize their potentials. In this work, mouse-derived NSCs were cultured in three-dimensional calcium alginate beads (Ca-Alg-Bs). Gelling conditions, cell density, and cell harvest were determined by the exploration of formation and dissociation parameters for Ca-Alg-Bs. Additionally, the recovered and the subsequent induced cells were identified by immunofluorescence staining of Nestin, beta-tubulin, and GFAP. The results show that the 2-mm diameter Ca-Alg-Bs, prepared with 1.5% sodium alginate solution and 3.5% CaCl2 solution and with gelling for 10 min, is suitable for the NSCs culture. The seeding density of 0.8 x 10(5) cells x mL-1 for the encapsulation of NSCs resulted in the most expansion, and the NSCs almost doubled during the experiment. The average cell recovery rate is over 88.5%, with the Ca-Alg-Bs dissolving in 55 mM sodium citrate solution for 10 min. The recovered cells cultured in the Ca-Alg-Bs still expressed Nestin and had the capacity of multilineage differentiation into neurons and glial cells and, thus, remained to be NSCs. These results demonstrate that NSC expansion within Ca-Alg-Bs is feasible and provides further possibilities for NSC expansion in bioreactors of the scale of clinical relevance.

Alginates↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The parameter conversion from the Kedem-Katchalsky model into the two-parameter model.

Cryopreservation is an important process for preserving cells and tissues. The process itself can, however, cause damage to cells and tissues. During addition and removal of a cryoprotective agent (CPA), cells are subjected to imbalanced osmotic pressures between the intracellular and extracellular solutions. Cells can be injured if these shrinkage and swelling events are beyond their tolerable limits. The characteristics of the cell volume changes during these processes depend on the types of CPA, the methods of adding and removing of the CPA and the permeability of cells to CPA and water. The typical models of this transportation are the two-parameter (2-p) model and the Kedem-Katchalsky (K-K) model. The K-K model is more general than the 2-p model. However, there is evidence that in many cases water and CPAs do not permeate through common pathways, hence the use of the reflection coefficient in the K-K model may be unnecessary and in some cases it may create conceptual errors. Therefore, the 2-p model is more suitable for use as a transport model than the K-K model. The aim of this study is to use the values of the K-K model parameters from data in the literature to calculate the corresponding parameters for the 2-p model. The results from these simulations demonstrate that the cell volume changes during CPA addition and removal from the K-K model can be closely estimated by the 2-p model.

Animals↗