PURPOSE The aim of the present study was the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of a novel aqueous formulation based on polymeric micelles for the topical delivery of cyclosporine A for dry eye treatment. METHODS In vitro experiments were carried out on primary rabbit corneal cells, which were characterized by immunocytochemistry using fluorescein-labeled lectin I/isolectin B4 for the endothelia...

Molecular dynamics simulations of three related helical antimicrobial peptides have been carried out in zwitterionic diphosphocholine (DPC) micelles and anionic sodiumdodecylsulfate (SDS) micelles. These systems can be considered as model mammalian and bacterial membrane interfaces, respectively. The goal of this study is to dissect the differences in peptide composition which make the mutant p...

We introduce a novel and versatile approach for preparing self-assembled nanoporous multilayered films with tunable optical properties. Protonated polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) and anionic polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) block copolymer micelles (BCM) were used as building blocks for the layer-by-layer assembly of BCM multilayer films. BCM film growth is go...

To obtain a better understanding of the structural features characteristic of the equilibrated micelle a solubilized molecule acting as probe may be employed. A good probe is one whose selected physical properties are sensitive to the nature of the mioroenvironment it experiences and which are readily measured by experiment. The nature of the microenvironment includes the microvisco3ity, polari...

Structure of diglycerol monolaurate (abbreviated as C(12)G(2)) micelles in nonpolar oils cyclohexane and n-octane as a function of compositions, temperatures, and surfactant chain length has been investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAXS data were evaluated by the generalized indirect Fourier transformation (GIFT) method and real-space structural information of particles was...

Clathrate hydrates are supramolecular solids in which small, hydrophobic species are trapped inside a network of hydrogen-bonded water cages. While the best known examples are the natural gas hydrates, similar crystalline structures can also be formed from salts of tetra-n-butylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH). When TBAOH is reacted with medium to long chain carboxylic acids it produces surfactant co...

Scavenger receptors (SRs) like cluster determinant 36 (CD36) and SR class B type I (SR-BI) play a debated role in lipid transport across the intestinal brush border membrane. We used surface plasmon resonance to analyze real-time interactions between the extracellular protein loops and various ligands ranging from single lipid molecules to mixed micelles. Micelles mimicking physiological struct...

Stimuli-responsive self-assembly is playing an increasingly important role in emerging applications, ranging from smart materials to biosensors. However, obtaining essential information for further development, such as molecular arrangement and interaction, is still experimentally challenging. A molecular-level understanding of the stimuli-responsive self-assembly is needed. Azobenzene-containi...

Attachment invasion locus (Ail) protein of Yersinia pestis is a crucial outer membrane protein for host invasion and determines bacterial survival within the host. Despite its importance in pathogenicity, surprisingly little is known on Ail biophysical properties. We investigate the contribution of micelle concentrations and interface tryptophans on the Ail β-barrel refolding and unfolding proc...