Protein/peptide purification by three-well OFFGEL electrophoresis with immobilized ultra narrow pH gradient gels

A protein/peptide mixture (P) for electrophoretic fractionation.

Propolis Induces Chondroitin/Dermatan Sulphate and Hyaluronic Acid Accumulation in the Skin of Burned Wound

Changes in extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans during the wound repair allowed us to apply the burn model in which therapeutic efficacy of propolis and silver sulfadiazine was compared. Burns were inflicted on four pigs. Glycosaminoglycans isolated from healthy and burned skin were quantified using a hexuronic acid assay, electrophoretic fractionation, and densitometric analyses. Using the reverse-phase HPLC the profile of sulfated disaccharides released by chondroitinase ABC from chondroitin/dermatan sulfates was estimated. Chondroitin/dermatan sulfates and hyaluronic acid were found in all samples. Propolis stimulated significant changes in the content of particular glycosaminoglycan types during burn healing. Glycosaminoglycans alterations after silver sulfadiazine application were less expressed. Propolis maintained high contribution of 4-O-sulfated disaccharides to chondroitin/dermatan sulfates structure and low level of 6-O-sulfated ones throughout the observed period of healing. Propolis led to preservation of significant contribution of disulfated disaccharides especially 2,4-O-disulfated ones to chondroitin sulfates/dermatan sulfates structure throughout the observed period of healing. Our findings demonstrate that propolis accelerates the burned tissue repair by stimulation of the wound bed glycosaminoglycan accumulation needed for granulation, tissue growth, and wound closure. Moreover, propolis accelerates chondroitin/dermatan sulfates structure modification responsible for binding growth factors playing the crucial role in the tissue repair.

ELECTROPHORETIC FRACTIONATION OF CARBON NANOTUBE DISPERSIONS ON AGAROSE GELS

We show that various aqueous suspensions of single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, dispersed using either common surfactants or DNA, can be separated into components using agarose gel electrophoresis. In a DC electric field, carbon nanotubes and nanotube–DNA complexes migrate in the gel in the direction of positive potential to form well-defined bands. Raman spectroscopy as a function of band position shows that nanotubes having different spectroscopic properties have distinct electrophoretic mobilities. The results suggest that the separation of nanotubes according to structure can be achieved by this procedure. We discuss the factors affecting the mobility of the nanotube complexes and propose analytical applications of this technique.

Application of gel electrophoretic techniques to the investigation of actinide-humic interactions in soils

Humic material from several soils was fractionated using both gel chromatographic and gel electrophoretic techniques. The distribution of uranium amongst fractions obtained by both methods was determined using ICP-MS. Humic material isolated from electrophoretic fractions was characterised using FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopy, base titration, Sephadex G200 size fractionation and CHN elemental analysis. Both size and chemical separation occurred during electrophoretic fractionation with the smaller, more hydrophilic molecules being more electrophoretically mobile. The gel chromatographic and gel electrophoretic studies showed that the association of U in soils was skewed towards the larger humic molecules but that some association with certain smaller humic molecules warrants further work to characterise the behaviour of these complexes under varying environmental conditions.