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Biomedical subjects

Zheng-Liang Zhi

Publications and source records attributed to Zheng-Liang Zhi.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Straightforward and effective protein encapsulation in polypeptide-based artificial cells.

A simple and straightforward approach to encapsulating an enzyme and preserving its function in polypeptide-based artificial cells is demonstrated. A model enzyme, glucose oxidase (GOx), was encapsulated by repeated stepwise adsorption of poly(L-lysine) and poly(L-glutamic acid) onto GOx-coated CaCO3 templates. These polypeptides are known from previous research to exhibit nanometer-scale organization in multilayer films. Templates were dissolved by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) at neutral pH. Addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the polypeptide assembly solutions greatly increased enzyme retention on the templates, resulting in high-capacity, high-activity loading of the enzyme into artificial cells. Assay of enzyme activity showed that over 80 mg-mL(-1) GOx was retained in artificial cells after polypeptide multilayer film formation and template dissolution in the presence of PEG, but only one-fifth as much was retained in the absence of PEG. Encapsulation is a means of improving the availability of therapeutic macromolecules in biomedicine. This work therefore represents a means of developing polypeptide-based artificial cells for use as therapeutic biomacromolecule delivery vehicles.

Calcium Carbonate↗

Perturbation of nanoscale structure of polypeptide multilayer thin films.

Multilayer thin films formed by sequential deposition of oppositely charged polypeptides on a charged surface are known from previous studies to comprise a mixture of types of secondary structure. Here, study of the perturbation of polypeptide film structure by deposition of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) on the film surface has revealed differences in behavior attributable to physical properties of the peptides. The methods of analysis were circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UVS), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Films made of poly(L-lysine) (PLL) and poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLGA) with an average charge per monomer of about 1 were substantially more susceptible to perturbation of structure than films made of designed polypeptides with an average charge per monomer of about 0.5, despite preparation under identical conditions. PLL-PLGA films showed loss or gain of material and change in secondary structure content on perturbation, whether made of high molecular mass (ca. 90 kDa) or low molecular mass (ca. 14 kDa) polymers. By contrast, films made of very low molecular mass (ca. 3.5 kDa) designed polypeptides showed little change in secondary structure content. The data suggest that the penetrability of PSS or PAH into a film and therefore film density can depend substantially on the polypeptides of which it is made and the character of intermolecular interactions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Nanosystems for biosensing: multianalyte immunoassay on a protein chip.

This chapter describes the construction of addressable two-dimensional (2D) microarrays via the random fluidic self-assembly of metallic particles and the use of these arrays as platforms for constructing protein chips for bioassays. These arrays will be useful as platforms for constructing protein chips for bioassays in a broad range of applications. The basic units in the assembly are microfabricated particles, which carry a straightforward visible code, and the corresponding array template patterned on a glass substrate. On one face, the particles consist of a hydrophobic and magnetic Ni-polytetrafluoroethylene (Ni-PTFE) composite layer; the other face has a gold layer that was modified for biomolecular attachment. We use photoresist patterning to create an array template with spatially discrete microwells into which an Ni-PTFE hydrophobic composite layer and a hydrophobic photoadhesive coating are electrodeposited. After biomaterial attachment and binding processes in bulk, the particles are randomly self-assembled onto the lubricated bonding sites on the chip substrate. This self-assembly process is driven by a combination of magnetic, hydrophobic, and capillary interactions. The encoding symbol carried by each particle is used to identify the target attached to the particle surface. This model system demonstrates the utility of the protein chip array for conducting simultaneous multianalyte immunoassays of human immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM).

Animals↗

Screening of clostebol and its metabolites in bovine urine with ELISA and comparison with GC-MS results in an interlaboratory study.

An extraction procedure for clostebol metabolites in urine is developed including enzymatic hydrolysis of conjugated metabolites with Helix pomatia juice (SHP) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) with further cleanup of sample extracts. For the enzymatic deconjugation step, variables such as buffer pH, amount of enzyme, incubation time, and temperature are examined. For the SPE step, different wash solutions and combinations with subsequent liquid-liquid extractions are examined. Incurred bovine urine samples, obtained through oral and intramuscular administration of clostebol acetate to animals, are used to test the performance of the developed method. In addition to the optimization of the sample pretreatment procedure, an interlaboratory study for the analysis of the incurred urine samples with ELISA and GC-MS is performed and good agreements are observed.

Administration, Oral↗