When considering a family of cationic lipids designed for gene delivery, the nature of the cationic polar head probably has a great influence on both the transfection efficacy and toxicity. Starting from a cationic lipothiophosphoramidate bearing a trimethylammonium headgroup, we report herein the impact on gene transfection activity of the replacement of the trimethylammonium moiety by a trime...

In a search for direct evidence leading to the biological relevance of airway secretions in innate host defense, we characterized the antibacterial function of cationic polypeptides within minimally manipulated nasal fluid. In this study, we show that cationic antimicrobial polypeptides are responsible for most of the bactericidal activity of whole nasal fluid. The removal of cationic polypepti...

With the aid of pH variation, direct transformation of a "1-1" cationic-anionic surfactant pair to a "1-2" cationic-anionic surfactant pair was attained in the system of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and n-decylphosphoric acid. Owing to the transformation of a "1-1" pair to a "1-2" pair, diverse microstructures and peculiar phase behavior in this cationic-anionic surfactant mixture was obtaine...

Mucosal surfaces of the vagina are the portals for heterosexual transmission of HIV-1 and therefore play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of primary infection. In the search for direct biological evidence for the role of human vaginal fluid in innate host defense, we characterized the anti-HIV-1 function of cationic polypeptides within minimally manipulated vaginal fluid. In the current s...

Rat lungs were inflated and incubated in either anionic or cationic ferritin, and alveolar and capillary basement membranes were examined by electron microscopy. Cationic ferritin bound to heparan sulfate proteoglycans on the external surface of the alveolar basement membrane, whereas cationic ferritin bound to the lamina densa of the capillary basement membranes. Anionic and cationic ferritin ...

the effect of different kinds of surfactants in various concentrations incorporated in an inert matrix, on the release of procainamide hydrochloride, as a cationic model compound, was investigated in this study. sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium stearate as anionic surfactants, cetyl pyridinium chloride and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as cationic and span 60 and tween 80 as non-ionic surfact...

Cationic amphiphilic peptides that are found throughout nature have very broad-spectrum activities against microbes. The initial sites of interaction are with microbial membranes. Although dogma suggests that their lethal action involves disruption of the cytoplasmic membranes, a number of cationic peptides can traverse intact membranes to interact with internal targets.

PURPOSE Cationic liposomes have been shown to selectively target tumor endothelial cells. Therefore, the encapsulation of antineoplastic drugs into cationic liposomes is a promising tool to improve selective drug delivery by targeting tumor vasculature. It was the aim of our study to evaluate tumor selectivity and antitumoral efficacy of paclitaxel encapsulated in cationic liposomes in comparis...

BACKGROUND Salivary eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) level has the potential to be an assessment tool for asthma. Its measurement is not well-established and needs standardization. We studied how passive drool (PD) and two commercial devices, Salivette(®) (cotton-based device) and Sorbette(®) (cellulose-cotton-based-device), may affect ECP levels during collection among healthy subjects. MET...