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Biomedical subjects

Limin Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Limin Zhou.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Bioelectrocatalytic application of titania nanotube array for molecule detection.

A bioelectrocatalysis system based on titania nanotube electrode has been developed for the quantitative detection application. Highly ordered titania nanotube array with inner diameter of 60 nm and total length of 540 nm was formed by anodizing titanium foils. The functionalization modification was achieved by embedding glucose oxidases inside tubule channels and electropolymerizing pyrrole for interfacial immobilization. Morphology and microstructure characterization, electrochemical properties and bioelectrocatalytic reactivities of this composite were fully investigated. The direct detection of hydrogen peroxide by electrocatalytic reduction reaction was fulfilled on pure titania nanotube array with a detection limit up to 2.0 x 10(-4)mM. A biosensor based on the glucose oxidase-titania/titanium electrode was constructed for amperometric detection and quantitative determination of glucose in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.8) under a potentiostatic condition (-0.4V versus SCE). The resulting glucose biosensor showed an excellent performance with a response time below 5.6s and a detection limit of 2.0 x 10(-3)mM. The corresponding detection sensitivity was 45.5 microA mM(-1)cm(-2). A good operational reliability was also achieved with relative standard deviations below 3.0%. This novel biosensor exhibited quite high response sensitivity and low detection limit for potential applications.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Intestinal absorption of hawthorn flavonoids--in vitro, in situ and in vivo correlations.

Our previous studies identified hyperoside (HP), isoquercitrin (IQ) and epicatechin (EC) to be the major active flavonoid components of the hawthorn phenolic extract from hawthorn fruits demonstrating inhibitory effect on in vitro Cu(+2)-mediated low density lipoproteins oxidation. Among these three hawthorn flavonoids, EC was the only one detectable in plasma after the oral administration of hawthorn phenolic extract to rats. The present study aims to investigate the intestinal absorption mechanisms of these three hawthorn flavonoids by in vitro Caco-2 monolayer model, rat in situ intestinal perfusion model and in vivo pharmacokinetics studies in rats. In addition, in order to investigate the effect of the co-occurring components in hawthorn phenolic extract on the intestinal absorption of these three major hawthorn flavonoids, intestinal absorption transport profiles of HP, IQ and EC in forms of individual pure compound, mixture of pure compounds and hawthorn phenolic extract were studied and compared. The observations from in vitro Caco-2 monolayer model and in situ intestinal perfusion model indicated that all three studied hawthorn flavonoids have quite limited permeabilities. EC and IQ demonstrated more extensive metabolism in the rat in situ intestinal perfusion model and in vivo study than in Caco-2 monolayer model. Moreover, results from the Caco-2 monolayer model, rat in situ intestinal perfusion model as well as the in vivo pharmacokinetics studies in rats consistently showed that the co-occurring components in hawthorn phenolic extract might not have significant effect on the intestinal absorption of the three major hawthorn flavonoids studied.

Animals↗

Improved quality control method for Danshen products--consideration of both hydrophilic and lipophilic active components.

The current study intends to provide an improved quality control analysis for Danshen product-a representative herbal product with known active components that are both hydrophilic and lipophilic in nature. A simple HPLC method with photodiode-array (PDA) ultraviolet detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of three major lipophilic components (cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I and tanshinone IIA) and three major hydrophilic components (danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde and salvianolic acid B) of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). These six components were successfully separated using Radial-pak C18 cartridge with the elution gradient consisting of 0.5% acetic acid in water and 0.5% acetic acid in acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The intra-day and inter-day precisions of the analysis were within 2.32 and 2.0%, respectively. The detection limits were 0.02, 0.01, 0.01, 0.05, 0.005 and 0.02 microg/ml for cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, tanshinone IIA, danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde and salvianolic acid B, respectively. The developed method has been applied to the simultaneous determination of above six major components in Fufang Danshen Tablet and Dripping Pill products by extraction with methanol and water. It has been demonstrated that salvianolic acid B and danshensu are the major components among the eight commercial Fufang Danshen products studied. The current developed method with methanol as extraction solvent provides a simple and efficient method for simultaneous detection of both lipophilic and hydrophilic major components in Danshen products.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Danshen: an overview of its chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and clinical use.

Danshen, the dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, has been widely used in China and, to a lesser extent, in Japan, the United States, and other European countries for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In China, the specific clinical use is angina pectoris, hyperlipidemia, and acute ischemic stroke. The current review covers its traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, clinical applications, and potential herb-drug interactions based on information obtained in both the English and Chinese literature. Although numerous clinical trials have demonstrated that certain Danshen products in China are effective and safe for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, most of these lack sufficient quality. Therefore, large randomized clinical trials and further scientific research to determine its mechanism of actions will be necessary to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and better understanding of its action.

Abietanes↗

Low-coherence Michelson interferometric fiber-optic multiplexed strain sensor array: a minimum configuration.

A minimum configuration Michelson fiber-optic low-coherence interferometric quasi-distributed sensing system is proposed that permits absolute length measurement in remote reflective sensor arrays. The sensor's reflective signal characteristics have been analyzed, and the relationship between intensities of light and number of sensors is given for evaluation of multiplexing potential. The proposed sensing scheme will be useful for the measurement of strain distribution. An important application may be strain monitoring in smart structures. Experimentally, four-sensor array has been demonstrated.

Journal Article↗

Nanofabrication with atomic force microscopy.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was developed in 1986. It is an important and versatile surface technique, and is used in many research fields. In this review, we have summarized the methods and applications of AFM, with emphasis on nanofabrication. AFM is capable of visualizing surface properties at high spatial resolution and determining biomolecular interaction as well as fabricating nanostructures. Recently, AFM-based nanotechnologies such as nanomanipulation, force lithography, nanografting, nanooxidation and dip-pen nanolithography were developed rapidly. AFM tip (typical radius ranged from several nanometers to tens of nanometers) is used to modify the sample surface, either physically or chemically, at nanometer scale. Nanopatterns composed of semiconductors, metal, biomolecules, polymers, etc., were constructed with various AFM-based nanotechnologies, thus making AFM a promising technique for nanofabrication. AFM-based nanotechnologies have potential applications in nanoelectronics, bioanalysis, biosensors, actuators and high-density data storage devices.

Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted↗

Design of a fiber-optic quasi-distributed strain sensors ring network based on a white-light interferometric multiplexing technique.

A fiber-optic quasi-distributed strain sensors ring network has been designed based on a Mach-Zehnder optical paths interrogator. The optical paths matching for each sensor are discussed, and the optical power budgetary analysis is performed. The relation between the number of sensors and the intensity of the signals of the ring network is given for evaluation of the multiplexing capacity. Experimentally, a seven-sensor array ring network was realized under the condition of light source power 35 microW at 1310 nm, and the distribution strain test was also demonstrated.

Journal Article↗