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The direct and indirect interaction mechanisms of pyrene with: (i) various molecular weight fractions of a synthetic humic-like substance (SyHA) and (ii) extracts of natural humic acids (NHA) from Moselle River suspended matter were investigated using quenching fluorescence and surface tension measurements. Humic materials were characterized in a previous study. The Stern-Volmer associative constants were determined from the quenching technique. Surface tension measurements revealed an increase in surface activity as a function of concentration for each humic fraction independently of the pyrene presence in solution, even during the formation of humic micelles. The results obtained suggest the possibility of specific intermolecular interactions occurring during pyrene entrapment within humic acids. In addition, we show that molecular weight, aliphatic chains (especially those containing nitrogen groups) and number of acidic groups are determinant characteristics for pollutant entrapment capacity at concentrations below the critical micellar concentration (CMC) of humic substances., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) in cancer treatment involves the uptake of a photosensitizer by cancer tissue followed by photoirradiation. The use of nanoparticles as carriers of photosensitizers is a very promising approach because these nanomaterials can satisfy all the requirements for an ideal PDT agent. This review describes and compares the different individual types of nanoparticles that are currently in use for PDT applications. Recent advances in the use of nanoparticles, including inorganic oxide-, metallic-, ceramic-, and biodegradable polymer-based nanomaterials as carriers of photosensitizing agents, are highlighted. We describe the nanoparticles in terms of stability, photocytotoxic efficiency, biodistribution and therapeutic efficiency. Finally, we summarize exciting new results concerning the improvement of the photophysical properties of nanoparticles by means of biphotonic absorption and upconversion.

Destruction of the neovasculature is essential for tumor eradication by photodynamic therapy. Since the over-expression of integrins is correlated with tumor angiogenesis, we conjugated a photosensitizer (5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylchlorin or porphyrin) to the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin specific peptide RGD (H-Arg-Gly-Asp-OH) motif as a common sequence. We reported an efficient solid-phase synthesis of a new family of peptidic photosensitizers with linear or cyclic[RGDfK] RGD motif and compared conjugates in vitro selectivity and photodynamic activity. The conjugates were characterized by (1)H NMR, MALDI, UV-visible spectroscopy and singlet oxygen formation was performed. Chlorins containing linear and constrained RGD motif were incorporated up to 98- and 80-fold more, respectively, than the unconjugated photosensitizer over a 24-h exposure in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) over-expressing alpha(v)beta(3) integrin. Peptidic moiety also led to a non-specific increased cellular uptake by murine mammary carcinoma cells (EMT-6), lacking RGD binding receptors. Survival measurements demonstrated that HUVEC were greatly sensitive to conjugates-mediated photodynamic therapy.

A model of a humic substance (MHS) obtained from auto-oxidation of catechol and glycine, was aggregated at pH 6 and 8 with Al(13) polycations. The fate of Al(13) coagulant species upon association with MHS functional groups was studied using solid state (27)Al Magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR and CP-MAS (13)C NMR. Electrophoretic measurements and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy with pyrene as a fluoroprobe, were combined to investigate structural re-organization of humic material with aluminum concentration. MAS (27)Al NMR revealed that the coagulant species are Al(13) polycations or oligomers of Al(13) units at both pHs. CP MAS (13)C spectra indicated that, at low Al concentration, hydrolyzed aluminum species bind selectively to carboxylic groups at pH 6 and to phenolic moieties at pH 8. At higher coagulant concentrations, the remaining functional groups also interact with hydrolyzed Al to yield similar CP MAS (13)C spectra in the optimum concentration range. Negative values of electrophoretic mobility were obtained at optimum coagulant concentrations even though an overall charge balance was achieved between MHS anionic charge and Al(13) cationic charge at pH 6. The polarity-sensitive fluorescence of pyrene revealed that the interaction of Al(13) coagulant species with MHS functional groups induces the formation of intramolecular hydrophobic microenvironments. Such structural changes were reversed upon further addition of Al(13) polycations.

Destruction of the neovasculature is essential for efficient tumor eradication by photodynamic therapy (PDT). Since the over-expression of receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is correlated with tumor angiogenesis and subsequent growth, we conjugated a photosensitizer (5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenyl-chlorin, TPC), via a spacer (6-aminohexanoic acid, Ahx), to a VEGF receptor-specific heptapeptide (ATWLPPR). ATWLPPR and TPC-Ahx-ATWLPPR bound exclusively to neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) recombinant chimeric protein (IC50=19 and 171 microM, respectively) but were devoid of affinity for VEGF receptor type 2 (VEGFR-2, KDR), to which ATWLPPR was initially thought to bind. TPC-Ahx-ATWLPPR was incorporated up to 25-fold more in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) than TPC over a 24-h period, and the addition of 8 mM ATWLPPR induced a significant decrease of this uptake (P<0.05), corroborating a receptor-mediated incorporation. Slightly less cytotoxic in the dark, TPC-Ahx-ATWLPPR exhibited enhanced in vitro photodynamic activity (10.4-fold), compared to TPC. Pharmacokinetic analysis in nude mice xenografted with U87 human malignant glioma cells revealed relevant tumor levels as soon as 1 h after intravenous injection of TPC-Ahx-ATWLPPR, and a rapid elimination from the blood compartment. Moreover, TPC-Ahx-ATWLPPR was not degraded in vivo up to 2 h after intravenous injection. Taken together, our results demonstrate that TPC-Ahx-ATWLPPR is a much more potent photosensitizer in vitro than TPC, in NRP-1-expressing cells. Thus, it may efficiently potentiate the vascular effect of PDT in vivo.

Nowadays, synthetic biodegradable polymers, such as aliphatic polyesters, are largely used in tissue engineering. They provide several advantages compared to natural materials which use is limited by immunocompatibility, graft availability, etc. In this work, poly(L-lactic) acid (PLLA), poly(DL-lactic) acid (PDLA), poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PCL), poly(L-lactic)-co-caprolactone (molar ratio 70/30) (PLCL) were selected because of their common use in tissue engineering. The membranes were elaborated by solvent casting. Membrane morphology was investigated by atomic force microscopy. The membranes were seeded with human fibroblasts from cell line CRL 2703 in order to evaluate the biocompatibility by the Alamar blue test. The roughness of the membranes ranged from 4 nm for PDLA to 120 nm and they presented very smooth surface except for PCL which beside a macroscopic structure due to its hydrophobicity. Human fibroblasts proliferated over 28 days on the membranes proving the non-in vitro toxicity of the materials and of the processing method. A further step will be the fabrication of three-dimensional scaffold for tissue engineering and the treatment of the scaffolds to augment cell adhesion.

Several strategies have been proposed to improve the efficiency of photosensitizers used in photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this context, the synthesis of mono- (1) and di-glucosylated (2) porphyrins, and mono-glucosylated chlorin (3) was performed. HT29 human adenocarcinoma cells were significantly more sensitive to asymmetric and less hydrophobic glucosylated photosensitizers-mediated PDT (1, 3), compared to tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP). The lowest photosensitivity observed for TPP was consistent with the lowest uptake. Moreover, the most pronounced photodynamic activity measured for 3 was in relation with the improvement of cellular uptake, the singlet oxygen quantum yield and the high extinction coefficient value at 650 nm compared to porphyrins. Cellular localization analysis showed that 1 and 3 accumulated mainly inside the endoplasmic reticulum.

Bent near-field optical probes for biological applications have been fabricated using a combination of a two-step chemical etching method and focused ion beam milling to create a well-defined aperture. The transmission efficiencies have been evaluated as a function of laser wavelength (lambda) and aperture size (D) for both large and small core fibres. The probe transmission behaviour follows a (D/lambda)3 relationship. The double-etched probes are compared to pulled probes fabricated from highly GeO2-doped dispersion compensating fibre and a standard single-mode optical fibre. The transmission efficiencies of both types of pulled probes are approximately two orders of magnitude lower than double-etched probes with similar aperture sizes. To demonstrate the utility of the various probes, their imaging performance has been evaluated for samples of polymer beads and phase-separated phospholipid monolayers of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine or cholesterol/phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin mixtures. Both pulled and double-etched probes are suitable for fluorescence imaging of polymer spheres. However, pulled probes are rapidly damaged at the higher input laser intensities required for fluorescence imaging of monolayer samples doped with < 1% of a fluorescent dye-labelled lipid. The images obtained with the double-etched probes show excellent spatial resolution and signal/noise, illustrating the potential of such probes for imaging of biological samples.

A good sensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) should be a very selective reagent, which should fastly eliminate from healthy tissues. Furthermore it should have a strong absorption in the red light and good energy transfer properties to molecular oxygen to produce singlet oxygen. All these specifications imply that many second generation photosensitizers (porphyrins, chlorins, bacteriochlorins...) have been modified in order to improve their properties, but however, few have received the approval by regulatory authorities. One way to increase the selectivity of a photosensitizer is coupling it to a vector. Carbohydrate-bound porphyrins were found to be of great interest because of the specific affinity of particular carbohydrates for some tumour cells, the increasing of plasmatic life time and solubility. In this study, we report the synthesis and the photophysical properties (absorption, fluorescence, singlet oxygen formation) of new glycosylated porphyrins. Then, in vitro photocytotoxic properties were evaluated on the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT29.

Polysaccharides are interesting and often essential macromolecules but are difficult to analyse due to their lack of convenient chromophores. We propose an efficient labelling procedure for polysaccharides such as functionalized dextrans with coumarin derivatives: the fluorescent tracers present inter alia properties of emission of fluorescence dependent on the molecular environment (polarity, viscosity, temperature, pH, etc.). Hence, with in mind the understanding of cell-polysaccharide interactions, the labelled polymers were studied by in vitro tests on a line of endothelial cells sensitive to the proliferative effect of these dextran polysaccharides. Using 3D fluorescence microscopy, the fixation and internalization of fluorescent functionalized dextrans were observed in endothelial cells.

Our main objective is to enlarge the fluorescence use in biosciences, with especially the photodynamic therapy (PDT) used for cancer treatment as one of the target applications. Meta-tetra(hydroxyphenyl)chlorin (m-THPC) is a second-generation photosensitiser, applied in photodynamic therapy. The localisation of this sensitiser as well as its induced cell death mechanisms in human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and its resistant subline MCF-7DXR, DXR: doxorubicin) were evaluated using fluorescence microscopy. In addition, we will present two additional routes, whose aims are to create new features to respond to the PDT questioning: firstly, the synthesis of fluorescent tracers, with a particular attention to the presence of hydrophilic groups (glucosamine ring) on the basic fluorophore structure to orientate the localisation of the probe and, secondly, the use of scanning near-field optical microscopy to reach a better resolution for the fluorescence microscopy analysis.

The micellization and adsorption of two short chain perfluorodiols 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-nonafluorohexane-1,2-diol (nFHD) and 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-tridecafluorooctane-1,2-diol (tFOD) are examined from a thermodynamic point of view as a function of temperature and methanol content. The microenvironment of the fluorinated aggregates is evaluated by the fluorescence probe method using pyrene and a molecular rotor 1,1-dicyano-4-p-dimethylaminophenyl)-1,3-butadiene (DMAPhC). The formation of micellar aggregates being evidenced, the results are discussed in terms of the polarity and of the cohesion behavior of the micellar aggregates by taking into account the methanol (MeOH) effect. The critical micellization concentrations thus determined are compared with those given by surface tension measurements. Micellar and adsorption thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs free energies, enthalpies, and entropies are determined together with the surface areas. The results are compared with literature data and discussed. A model for describing the adsorption process of the fluorinated compounds upon the influence of methanol is finally proposed. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

In this study, we measured the influence of cholesterol rigidification on oxygen permeability in human endothelial cell monolayer membranes (ECs). Cholesterol-induced membrane rigidification was assessed at different membrane depths by a fluorescence polarization method with diphenyl-hexatriene (DPH) and 1-(4-trimethylamino)-6-phenylhexatriene (TMA-DPH). Fluorescence quenching by oxygen was probed in preferentially labelled membrane with pyrene butyric acid (PyC4) and pyrene dodecanoic acid (PyC12), as shown with a 3D fluorescence microscope (CellScan System). With both probes the experiments revealed a decrease in oxygen diffusion as the cholesterol concentration increased in the medium culture (from 3.42 microM to 17.11 microM). We showed that very low concentrations of cholesterol (about 1000 times below normal value, 6.2 mM) particularly decrease oxygen levels or diffusion rate in the middle region of the membrane. In conclusion, these findings prove in a direct manner that cholesterol significantly affect the endothelial barrier function and molecular oxygen transfer to underlying tissues. Risk factors (cholesterol) directly would contribute to tissue ischemia.

Molecular rotors, which structure can be 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)-benzene, -benzylidene and -cinnamylidene derivatives and, also, coumarine-like compounds, have photophysical characteristics which strongly depend on the environmental parameters (polarity, viscosity, temperature, etc.). In this paper, a basic knowledge on molecular fluorescent rotors will be reminded and two fields of applications using molecular fluorescent rotors as optical sensors will be described: firstly, in polymer and, more particularly to detect the formation of hydrophobic microdomains, in the case of the aggregation of amphiphilic polymers (as models for globular proteins and/or enzymes) and, secondly, in cell biology, especially in liposomes (as models for biological membranes) to follow their thermotropic behavior and in endothelial cells under 3D fluorescence microscopy.

In the present study, we investigate the effect of glutaraldehyde incorporation on the erythrocyte deformability, membrane fluidity and process of molecular oxygen diffusion. The erythrocyte deformability variations were inversely related with the glutaraldehyde concentration incorporated. The membrane fluidity, as assessed by a method based on the kinetics of pyrene dodecanoic acid excimers formation, decreased as the glutaraldehyde concentration increased. So, we verified that glutaraldehyde incorporation was accompanied by membrane rigidification. In the presence of glutaraldehyde, decreased absorption of hemoglobin heme group (420 nm) and decreased hemoglobin-dependent quenching of pyrene butyric acid (PBA) fluorescence would result from hemoglobin polymerization. Using a technique of fluorescence intensity quenching by molecular oxygen (accessibility to oxygen), we showed that oxygen diffusion was decreased in the presence of glutaraldehyde. To conclude, membrane rigidification induced by glutaraldehyde incorporation would affect oxygen molecular process.

This work studied the effect of cholesteryl hemisuccinate incorporation on membrane fluidity and on the kinetics of oxygen diffusion at different depths in the erythrocyte membrane. Cholesterol concentration in the membrane was expressed as the cholesterol-protein ratio (C/Pt). The membrane fluidity, as assessed by a fluorescence polarization method with diphenyl-hexatriene and 1-(4-trimethylamino)-6-phenylhexa-1,3,5-triene, decreased as the C/Pt ratio increased. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of pyrene dodecanoic acid (PDA) under an increasing C/Pt ratio in the erythrocyte membrane revealed enhanced oxygen diffusion in the middle of the membrane bilayer (in which PDA was incorporated), which was not the case with pyrene butyric acid (PBA) incorporated in the internal part of the membrane surface. It has generally been accepted that increased membrane fluidity reduces the physical barrier to oxygen permeation. Such conflicting observations on oxygen permeation in the rigidified erythrocyte membrane could be due to variations in oxygen solubility (preferential partitioning) in different polarity microdomains (cholesterol and phospholipid partitions).

Fiber-optic sensors allow remote analyses of chemical substances and they now find many applications in chemistry and biology [1,2]. The purpose of this short report is to give our first results in the development of optical-fiber chemical sensors. Among the numerous known spectrometric methods, we chose the fluorometric one, generally described as a suitable method for determining substances at the parts per million or parts per billion level, with the objective of analyzing nitrate and nitrite anions, using modifications of the fluorescence emission of suitable dyes. The detection of nitrates is based on the irreversible nitration of fluorescein, which leads to a subsequent inhibition of fluorescence emission [3]; determination of nitrites corresponds to their addition on 2,3-diaminonaphthalene, which on the contrary, improves the fluorescence emission [4]. To set up simple instrumentation, we are developing fiber-optic sensors. This consists of (i) realizing an extrinsic active optical fiber by chemical linkage of suitable fluorescent dyes on silica fiber involving silanization reaction (APTES) and chemical methods and (ii) designing an optical device which is appropriate for measurements with optical fibers. The threshold of detection, coating efficiency, and stability with time are presented.

Photophysical techniques have potential for the development of optical sensors in monitoring and controlling fermentors. In the particular case of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation, carried out by bacteria of the speciesClostridium acetobutylicum, we have developed two studies based on fluorescence spectroscopy. First, we measured the intrinsic fluorescence of NADH related to bacteria metabolism, leading to a linear relationship between the NADH specific fluorescence and the specific rate of butyric acid production. At the same time, we have correlated enzymatic activities (acetate kinase, butyrate kinase, acetoacetate decarboxylase) with NADH specific fluorescence. Second, we studied the fluorescence polarization of extrinsic DPH (1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene) related to membrane fluidity. A simultaneous increase in both DPH anisotropy (order parameter increase) and butanol production is observed. Even though these results seem contradictory, because of the well-known fluidizing effect of butanol on lipids, they can be explained by a homeoviscous response ofC. acetobutylicum to the presence of butanol during fermentation. Thus the apparent changes in fluidity could be the result of the adaptative membrane alteration.

The effect of thyroid hormones and chemically related compounds, on the activity of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (EC 2.4.1.17) and cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases in rat liver microsomes was investigated. The animals were thyroidectomized and treated with different doses of the drugs for 3 weeks. Opposite effects were observed depending on the isoenzyme of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase considered. While 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine, 3,3',5-triiodothyroacetic acid, 3,3',5-triiodothyropropionic acid, isopropyldiiodothyronine and L- and D-thyroxine strongly increased 4-nitrophenol glucuronidation in a dose-dependent fashion, they decreased markedly bilirubin glucuronidation. However, the activity toward nopol, a monoterpenoid alcohol, was not significantly changed regardless of which compound or dose was used. Variation of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase observed with 4-nitrophenol and bilirubin was related to the thyromimetic effect of the drugs estimated from the increase in alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. Thyronine and 3,5-diiodo-L-tyrosine, which did not enhance this activity, also failed to affect glucuronidation. Variations in UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity were more likely due to changes in protein expression rather than changes in enzyme latency, since lipid organization of the microsomal membrane, as estimated from the mean anisotropy of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene by fluorescence polarization was not significantly modified by the drug administration. Although some of the drugs could significantly decrease the triacylglycerol and cholesterol contents in plasma, all failed to affect lauric acid hydroxylation. The activities of catalase, palmitoyl-CoA dehydrogenase (CN- insensitive) and carnitine acetyltransferase in the fraction enriched in peroxisomes were also not significantly affected by treatment with the thyroid hormone LT3. In contrast, the activity of 7-ethoxycoumarine O-deethylase was increased by large doses of thyronine and by 3,3',5-triiodothyropropionic acid. The concentration of total cytochrome P-450 was decreased in a dose-dependent fashion by all the compounds used, except thyronine. Finally, significant correlations were observed between glucuronidation of bilirubin and 4-nitrophenol and the content in cytochrome P-450. This suggests a possible coordinate regulation of the two processes, which depends on the physicochemical characteristics of the thyroid hormones and related compounds.

It is possible to characterize the cohesion of the lipidic zones in cells or in membranes by using molecular emission spectroscopy techniques such as : fluorescence polarization, quenching reactions, intramolecular reactions. However, applying these techniques in biology can be improved by the use of pulsed excitations leading to the time-resolved evolutions of some properties of the probe, which can themselves be a function of their environment. The first and the last techniques, based on the use of diphenylhexatriene and dipyrenylpropane respectively are used in practice by steady state excitation. In the case of fluorescence polarization, it can be shown that the method can be applied, within certain limits, which have to be precised when studying the modifications in the membranes. This is also partly true for methods based on the use of intramolecular reactions. However these continuous excitation techniques usually only lead to a global result which is a function of several spectroscopic parameters and of the "cohesion" of the membrane. Then it can be shown that to go beyond this step of semi-quantitative analysis, it is necessary to use pulsed or modulated excitation methods. Moreover this more sophisticated technical approach implies a new theoretical effort to understand the molecular dynamics of the membranes.

Emission spectroscopy of intramolecular excimer probes allows the determination of 'equivalent viscosity' of membranes. While increasing the pressure on artificial membrane suspensions, variations in viscosity - essentially related to an increase in the order parameter in the membranes - are observed. In the case of mixed phospholipids, the effect of pressure is amplified, probably due to the existence of holes on the molecular scale between the two lipidic layers.

Intramolecular excimer formation of dipyrenylpropane was investigated in human blood platelets. The ratio of the emission intensities of excimer to monomer (IE/IM) is sensitive to changes in lipidic membrane structure, induced by external perturbations, such as cholesteryl hemisuccinate introduction and temperature. Lack of reliable "microviscosities" determinations could be due to poor solubility of the probe in aqueous cells suspensions. Results were compared to those obtained with the fluorescence polarization technique.

The cellular interactions involving the membrane depend on its physico-chemical nature and on the topographical distribution of the membrane receptors. At present, the role of the lipidic regions is not well defined; however, it is known than the fluidity or "microviscosity" of the lipidic components controls important processes in cellular biology. Different spectrofluorimetric methods, continuous or time resolved, susceptible to the cohesion of lipidic regions have been developed: 1. The anisotropy of fluorescence where the rotation of probes is studied (linked to the coefficient of diffusional rotation). 2. The inhibition of fluorescence where the kinetics of the reaction is practically diffusion controlled. 3. The formation of emissive intramolecular complexes where the internal rotations of interchromophoric bonds are studied. After the development of kinetic models, the methods have been tested with synthetic and natural organized assemblies. The values of "microviscosity" obtained with these methods may be different because the environments of probes are different. Therefore, the concept of "microviscosity", applied to biological membranes is limited.