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Osteoclastic resorption of calcium phosphate coatings applied with electrostatic spray deposition (ESD), in vitro.

Calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings have been applied on titanium implants to improve the bioactivity in order to favor the initial bone healing response. Recently, a new technique has been developed to apply CaP coatings: electrostatic spray deposition (ESD). Although ESD-derived coatings have several benefits, it is not known whether they are degradable. This study was designed to examine the cell-mediated degradation of two ESD-derived coatings with different chemical compositions, that is, beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) and carbonate apatite (CA). First, coatings were deposited and analyzed physiochemically. Subsequently, rat bone marrow-derived osteoclastlike cells were seeded on the coatings, and analyzed with osteoclast-specific markers, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Results showed that both coatings exhibited porous morphologies, with an average pore size of less than 1 microm (beta-TCP), or larger than 1 microm (CA). After heat treatment, both coatings were crystalline in structure. The Ca/P ratios were 1.4 to 1.5 for the beta-TCP coating, and 1.8 to 2.0 for the CA coating. After 8 and 12 days of culture, multinucleated osteoclastlike cells were observed on both coatings. The osteoclast phenotype was confirmed by tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, and immunostaining against the calcitonin receptor. Using scanning electron microscopy, numerous resorption lacunae were observed in both coatings. Finally, transmission electron microscopy of TRAP-positive cells confirmed the osteoclastlike aspect of the cells revealing multiple nuclei and a ruffled border. In conclusion, CaP coatings produced with the ESD process can be degraded by osteoclasts.

Absorbable Implants↗

Influence of deposition parameters on chemical properties of calcium phosphate coatings prepared by using electrostatic spray deposition.

The electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) technique offers the possibility of depositing calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings onto various substrate materials with defined chemical and morphological properties. The relationship between physical, apparatus-related deposition parameters, and the chemical characteristics of ESD coatings was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy to be able to deposit CaP coatings with tailored chemical properties. The results showed that the chemical characteristics of CaP coatings, deposited with use of the ESD technique, were strongly dependent on the deposition temperature, the nozzle-to-substrate distance, the liquid flow rate, and the geometry of the spraying nozzle. By investigating the influence of the deposition temperature, information could be obtained on the formation mechanism of CaP coatings-and specifically the biologically interesting carbonate apatite phase-using the ESD technique. CaP coatings were not formed merely because of solvent evaporation; a chemical reaction was needed to synthesize the coatings. This reaction involved thermal decomposition of the organic solvent butyl carbitol into carbonate ions via formation of intermediate oxalate ions. The amount of carbonate incorporation, and consequently, the Ca/P ratios of the deposited coatings, was shown 1) to decrease with increasing nozzle-to-substrate distance, 2) to decrease with increasing liquid flow rate, and 3) to decrease by making use of a novel two-component nozzle geometry.

Calcium Phosphates↗

The influence of the crystallinity of electrostatic spray deposition-derived coatings on osteoblast-like cell behavior, in vitro.

This article describes the influence of the crystallinity of carbonate apatite (CA) coatings on osteoblast-like cell behavior. Porous CA coatings were produced with electrostatic spray deposition (ESD), and subsequently, received heat treatments of 400, 500, or 700 degrees C to induce various coating crystallinities. As a result, an amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), a crystalline CA (CCA), and a crystalline carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) structure were formed, respectively. Uncoated titanium substrates served as the control group. After seeding rat osteoblast-like cells, the initial cell attachment was similar between the groups, and approached 100% after 6 h. Between the various coatings, no differences were observed for proliferation, differentiation, or mineralization. However, proliferation of the osteoblast-like cells was lower on all coated substrates after longer culture periods, compared to the uncoated substrates, while at the same time differentiation was stimulated. Furthermore, after 8 and 16 days of incubation, scanning electron microscopy showed more signs of mineralization on coated substrates, compared to the uncoated substrates. In conclusion, porous ESD-derived CA coatings have a positive effect on the in vitro differentiation of osteoblast-like cells, compared to uncoated, as-machined titanium. However, this effect is not further enhanced by the degree of crystallinity of the ESD-derived CA coatings.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Protein electrostatic self-assembly on poly(DL-lactide) scaffold to promote osteoblast growth.

The development of protein coating on 3D biodegradable scaffold based on electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) to promote osteoblast growth is reported. Poly (ethylenimine) (PEI) was employed to obtain a stable positively charged surface on poly(DL-lactide) (PDL-LA) substrate. An extracellular-matrix (ECM)-like biomacromolecule, gelatin, was chosen as the polyelectrolyte to deposit on the activated PDL-LA substrate via ESA technique. Osteoblast (MC3T3) was then cultured on unmodified and gelatin-modified PDL-LA scaffolds. Osteoblast testing regarding total intracellular protein content, total DNA content, cell activity, and cell morphology on the ECM-like multilayer-modified PDL-LA scaffold showed that osteoblast growth was promoted. It will be easy to replace the gelatin with osteoinductive proteins or other polyelectrolytes to promote specific osteoblast functions. In comparison with conventional coating methods, polyelectrolyte multilayers are easy and stable to prepare. They may be a good choice for the surface modification of complex biomedical devices, especially for the 3D tissue-engineering scaffold. These very flexible systems allow broad medical applications for drug delivery and tissue engineering.

3T3 Cells↗

Electrostatic component of solvation: comparison of SCRF continuum models.

We report a systematic comparison of the electrostatic contributions to the free energy of solvation from three different kinds of quantum mechanical self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) methods. We also compare the liquid-phase dipole moments as a measure of the solute's response to the reaction field of the solvent. In particular, we compare these quantities for the generalized Born model as implemented in the SM5.42R method, the multipolar expansion model developed at Nancy, and the MST version of the polarizable continuum model. All calculations are carried out at the HF/6-31G(d) level. The effects of various choices of solute cavities and representations of the charge density are examined. The test set consists of 18 molecules containing prototypical polar groups, and three different values of the dielectric permittivity are considered.

Journal Article↗

Wave functions derived from experiment. V. Investigation of electron densities, electrostatic potentials, and electron localization functions for noncentrosymmetric crystals.

The constrained Hartree-Fock method using experimental X-ray diffraction data is extended and applied to the case of noncentrosymmetric molecular crystals. A new way to estimate the errors in derived properties as a derivative with respect to added Gaussian noise is also described. Three molecular crystals are examined: ammonia [NH(3)], urea [CO(NH(2))(2)], and alloxan [(CO)(4)(NH)(2)]. The energetic and electrical properties of these molecules in the crystalline state are presented. In all cases, an enhancement of the dipole moment is observed upon application of the experimental constraint. It is found that the phases of the structure factors are robustly determined by the constrained Hartree-Fock model, even in the presence of simulated noise. Plots of the electron density, electrostatic potential, and the electron localization function for the molecules in the crystal are displayed. In general, relative to the Hartree-Fock model, there is a depletion of charge around hydrogen atoms and lone pair regions, and a build-up of charge within the molecular framework near nuclei, directed along the bonds. The electron localization function plots reveal an increase in the pair density between vicinal hydrogen atoms.

Journal Article↗

Intraprotein electrostatics derived from first principles: divide-and-conquer approaches for QM/MM calculations.

Two divide-and-conquer (DAQ) approaches for building multipole-based molecular electrostatic potentials of proteins are presented and evaluated for use in QM/MM calculations. One approach is a further development of the neutralization method of Bellido and Rullmann (J Comput Chem 1989, 10, 479-487) while the other is based on removing part of the electron density before performing the multipole expansion. Both methods create systems with integer charges without using charge renormalization. To determine their performance in terms of location of cuts and distance to QM region, the new DAQ approaches are tested in calculations of the proton affinity of N(zeta) of Lys55 in the inhibitor turkey ovomucoid third domain. Finally, the two methods are used to build a variety of MM regions, applied to calculations of the pK(a) of Lys55, and compared to other computational methodologies in which force field charges are employed.

Journal Article↗

Performance comparison of generalized born and Poisson methods in the calculation of electrostatic solvation energies for protein structures.

This study compares generalized Born (GB) and Poisson (PB) methods for calculating electrostatic solvation energies of proteins. A large set of GB and PB implementations from our own laboratories as well as others is applied to a series of protein structure test sets for evaluating the performance of these methods. The test sets cover a significant range of native protein structures of varying size, fold topology, and amino acid composition as well as nonnative extended and misfolded structures that may be found during structure prediction and folding/unfolding studies. We find that the methods tested here span a wide range from highly accurate and computationally demanding PB-based methods to somewhat less accurate but more affordable GB-based approaches and a few fast, approximate PB solvers. Compared with PB solvation energies, the latest, most accurate GB implementations were found to achieve errors of 1% for relative solvation energies between different proteins and 0.4% between different conformations of the same protein. This compares to accurate PB solvers that produce results with deviations of less than 0.25% between each other for both native and nonnative structures. The performance of the best GB methods is discussed in more detail for the application for force field-based minimizations or molecular dynamics simulations.

Hydrogen Bonding↗

Prediction of physicochemical properties of organic molecules using van der Waals surface electrostatic potentials.

The generalized interaction properties function (GIPF) methodology developed by Politzer and coworkers, which calculated molecular surface electrostatic potential (MSESP) on a density envelope surface, was modified by calculating the MSESP on a much simpler van der Waals (vdW) surface of a molecule. In this work, vdW molecular surfaces were obtained from the fully optimized structures confirmed by frequency calculations at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. Multiple linear regressions for normal boiling point, heats of vaporization, heats of sublimation, heats of fusion, liquid density, and solid density were performed using GIPF variables from vdW model surface. Results from our model are compared with those from Politzer and coworkers. The surface-dependent beta (and gamma) values are dependent on the surface models but the surface-independent alpha and regression coefficients (r) are constant when vdW surface and density surface with 0.001 a.u. contour value are compared. This interesting phenomenon is explained by linear dependencies of GIPF variables.

Journal Article↗

MDSIMAID: automatic parameter optimization in fast electrostatic algorithms.

MDSIMAID is a recommender system that optimizes parallel Particle Mesh Ewald (PME) and both sequential and parallel multigrid (MG) summation fast electrostatic solvers. MDSIMAID optimizes the running time or parallel scalability of these methods within a given error tolerance. MDSIMAID performs a run time constrained search on the parameter space of each method starting from semiempirical performance models. Recommended parameters are presented to the user. MDSIMAID's optimization of MG leads to configurations that are up to 14 times faster or 17 times more accurate than published recommendations. Optimization of PME can improve its parallel scalability, making it run twice as fast in parallel in our tests. MDSIMAID and its Python source code are accessible through a Web portal located at http://mdsimaid.cse.nd.edu.

Journal Article↗

Representation of Zn(II) complexes in polarizable molecular mechanics. Further refinements of the electrostatic and short-range contributions. Comparisons with parallel ab initio computations.

We present refinements of the SIBFA molecular mechanics procedure to represent the intermolecular interaction energies of Zn(II). The two first-order contributions, electrostatic (E(MTP)), and short-range repulsion (E(rep)), are refined following the recent developments due to Piquemal et al. (Piquemal et al. J Phys Chem A 2003, 107, 9800; and Piquemal et al., submitted). Thus, E(MTP) is augmented with a penetration component, E(pen), which accounts for the effects of reduction in electronic density of a given molecular fragment sensed by another interacting fragment upon mutual overlap. E(pen) is fit in a limited number of selected Zn(II)-mono-ligated complexes so that the sum of E(MTP) and E(pen) reproduces the Coulomb contribution E(c) from an ab initio Hartree-Fock energy decomposition procedure. Denoting by S, the overlap matrix between localized orbitals on the interacting monomers, and by R, the distance between their centroids, E(rep) is expressed by a S(2)/R term now augmented with an S(2)/R(2) one. It is calibrated in selected monoligated Zn(II) complexes to fit the corresponding exchange repulsion E(exch) from ab initio energy decomposition, and no longer as previously the difference between (E(c) + E(exch)) and E(MTP). Along with the reformulation of the first-order contributions, a limited recalibration of the second-order contributions was carried out. As in our original formulation (Gresh, J Comput Chem 1995, 16, 856), the Zn(II) parameters for each energy contribution were calibrated to reproduce the radial behavior of its ab initio HF counterpart in monoligated complexes with N, O, and S ligands. The SIBFA procedure was subsequently validated by comparisons with parallel ab initio computations on several Zn(II) polyligated complexes, including binuclear Zn(II) complexes as in models for the Gal4 and beta-lactamase metalloproteins. The largest relative error with respect to the RVS computations is 3%, and the ordering in relative energies of competing structures reproduced even though the absolute numerical values of the ab initio interaction energies can be as large as 1220 kcal/mol. A term-to-term identification of the SIBFA contributions to their ab initio counterparts remained possible even for the largest sized complexes.

Mathematical Computing↗

Electric field-derived point charges to mimic the electrostatics in molecular crystals.

Because of the way the electrostatic potential is defined in a crystal, it is not possible to determine potential-derived charges for atoms in a crystal. To overcome this limitation, we present a novel method for determining atomic charges for a molecule in a crystal based on a fit to the electric field at points on a surface around the molecule. Examples of fits to the electric field at points on a Hirshfeld surface, using crystal Hartree-Fock electron densities computed with a DZP basis set are presented for several organic molecular crystals. The field-derived charges for common functional groups are transferable, and reflect chemical functionality as well as the subtle effects of intermolecular interactions. The charges also yield an excellent approximation to the electric field surrounding a molecule in a crystal for use in cluster calculations on molecules in solids.

Crystallization↗

Multi-turn time-of-flight mass spectrometers with electrostatic sectors.

The mass resolution of a time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer is directly proportional to its total flight pathlength. Multi-turn or multi-passage ion optical geometries are necessary to obtain fight distances of sufficient length within reasonable size limitations. We have investigated ion optics for a multi-turn TOF mass spectrometer with electrostatic sectors. The concept of 'perfect' focusing conditions is introduced. Furthermore, a new type of multi-turn TOF mass spectrometer, the MULTUM Linear plus, was developed. It consists of four cylindrical electric sectors and 28 electric quadrupole lenses. It has a vacuum chamber 60 x 70 x 20 cm in size. Mass resolution is demonstrated to increase according to the number of ion cycles. A mass resolution of 350 000 (m/z = 28, FWHM) was achieved after 501.5 cycles. The MULTUM Linear plus analyzer is not simple, however; 28 electric quadrupole lenses are used. In order to reduce the number of ion optical parts, an improved multi-turn TOF mass spectrometer, the MULTUM II, consisting of only four toroidal electric sectors, was also developed. The possibility of tandem mass spectrometric applications using multi-turn TOF mass spectrometers is also discussed.

Journal Article↗

Electrostatic charge characteristics of aerosols produced from metered dose inhalers.

The electrostatic charge properties of aerosols produced by commercial metered dose inhalers (MDIs), including Ventolin, QVAR, Flixotide, Intal Forte, and Tilade were studied using a modified 13-stage electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI) with aerodynamic diameter cutoff ranging from 0.028 to 10.07 microm. All the stages are electrically insulated from each other with the last 12 stages connected individually to electrometers with sensitivity at femtoampere levels. Aerosol particles deposited on the impactor stages according to their aerodynamic diameters and their charges were measured by the electrometers. The deposited drug mass was assayed chemically using HPLC. The results show that particles of bipolar charge distribution were produced reproducibly from Intal Forte, Tilade, and Flixotide. In contrast, those from Ventolin and QVAR displayed charge variation, depending on the time lapse between actuations. This suggests that charge relaxation may influence the charging of these two MDIs. Mass distributions were reproducible for all MDIs except for Ventolin, the first puff from which was always the highest in dose. The different charge characteristics of the MDIs could be attributed to differences in the drug and formulation as well as valve materials. In general, submicron particles showed a larger variation in the charge-to-mass ratio (q/m). This indicated charge contribution by propellant/excipients (which produce submicron particles) rather than the drug itself. The calculated number of elementary charges per drug particle of size <or= 6.06 microm ranged from zero to several ten thousands. The charge level is sufficiently high to have a potential effect on the deposition of the inhaled particles in the respiratory tract. In conclusion, the ELPI provided more detailed charge information about the MDI aerosol particles. Different aerosol charge profiles were shown by commercial MDIs, and the results can be explained by variation in the drug, formulation and the MDI materials. The results may have practical significance on lung deposition of MDI aerosols and regulatory aspects of generic aerosol products.

Aerosols↗

Studies on the formation of electrostatic complexes between benzethonium chloride and anionic polymers.

The chemistry of a mixture of benzethonium chloride and a copolymer of methoxyethylene-maleic anhydride was investigated. This mixture was of interest because it was effective in reducing dental plaque, calculus, and gingival inflammation in vivo. Evidence from dialysis, pH measurements, and stoichiometry demonstrated that the benzethonium cation and the anion of the hydrolyzed copolymer formed an electrostatic complex. An emulsion was produced when a stoichiometric excess of either component was present, but this mixture coacervated at stoichiometric quantities. The stability of the complex was pH dependent, and it did not form in 50% acetone. The complex was decomposed by simulated saliva, mainly due to calcium and magnesium ions, but was unaffected by salivary proteins. Other anionic polymers also formed this type of complex.

Acetone↗

Modeling solid-state effects on NMR chemical shifts using electrostatic models.

This paper presents a comparison of the embedded ion method (EIM) and the surface charge representation of the electrostatic embedding potential (SCREEP) method, two methods which can be used to calculate solid-state effects on NMR chemical shifts. The results in a selected group of compounds with known single-crystal solid-state NMR data and neutron diffraction structures, confirm that these effects are important in both (13)C and (15)N chemical shifts. The solid-state effects calculated by both methods are similar and of equal statistical quality when compared with the experimental data.

Algorithms↗

A "parallel plate" electrostatic model for bimolecular rate constants applied to electron transfer proteins.

A "parallel plate" model describing the electrostatic potential energy of protein-protein interactions is presented that provides an analytical representation of the effect of ionic strength on a biomolecular rate constant. The model takes into account the asymmetric distribution of charge on the surface of the protein and localized charges at the site of electron transfer that are modeled as elements of a parallel plate condenser. Both monopolar and dipolar interactions are included. Examples of simple (monophasic) and complex (biphasic) ionic strength dependencies obtained from experiments with several electron transfer protein systems are presented, all of which can be accommodated by the model. The simple cases do not require the use of both monopolar and dipolar terms (i.e., they can be fit well by either alone). The biphasic dependencies can be fit only by using dipolar and monopolar terms of opposite sign, which is physically unreasonable for the molecules considered. Alternatively, the high ionic strength portion of the complex dependencies can be fit using either the monopolar term alone or the complete equation; this assumes a model in which such behavior is a consequence of electron transfer mechanisms involving changes in orientation or site of reaction as the ionic strength is varied. Based on these analyses, we conclude that the principal applications of the model presented here are to provide information about the structural properties of intermediate electron transfer complexes and to quantify comparisons between related proteins or site-specific mutants. We also conclude that the relative contributions of monopolar and dipolar effects to protein electron transfer kinetics cannot be evaluated from experimental data by present approximations.

Binding Sites↗

Electrostatic effects in electron transfer reactions of [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins with inorganic reagents.

The kinetics of electron transfer from the reduced [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins from the cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120 and the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis to select cobalt coordination compounds have been studied in order to gain insight into the mechanism of electron transfer and intrinsic reactivity of [2Fe-2S] active sites. With tripositive cobalt complexes, reactions of both proteins displayed saturation kinetics; values of association constants of 12,900 and 1,400 M-1 and limiting rate constants of 7.6 and 3.5 s-1 were found for oxidation of T. vaginalis and Anabaena ferredoxins, respectively, by Co(NH3)6(3+) at room temperature and I = 0.1 M. An activation enthalpy of 12.1 kcal/mol and activation entropy of -14.3 cal/mol K for oxidation of T. vaginalis ferredoxin by Co(NH3)6(3+) contrasted with corresponding values of 13.4 kcal/mol and -10.5 cal/mol K for the Spirulina platensis protein, which is homologous to Anabaena ferredoxin. The dependence of the reaction rates on ionic strength were measured to probe the importance of electrostatics on the reactivity of the proteins. Analysis of the ionic strength dependence of the oxidation of the proteins by Co(NH3)6(3+) by the "parallel plate" model of Watkins et al. (1994, Protein Sci 3:2104-2114) afforded values for active site charges of -0.7 and -1.1 and limiting rate constants at infinite ionic strength of 25,800 and 76 M-1 S-1 for T. vaginalis and Anabaena ferredoxins, respectively. These results suggest that the [2Fe-2S] center of the protozoal ferredoxin is more accessible and adjacent to a less highly charged, more compact patch of negative charges than the photosynthetic protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗