Adrian Hawley

A low-background-intensity focusing small-angle X-ray scattering undulator beamline

The SAXS/WAXS beamline at the Australian Synchrotron is an advanced and flexible undulator X-ray scattering beamline used for small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis on a wide variety of solids, fluids and surfaces across a diverse range of research and development fields. The beamline has numerous features that minimize the intensity of the instrument background, provide automated stable optics, and allow accurate analysis of very weakly scattering samples. The geometric and intensity requirements of a three-slit collimation system are described in detail for conventional metal and single-crystal germanium slits. Straightforward ray tracing and simple linear projections describe the observed direct beam as well as parasitic background scattering geometry of the beamline at its longest camera length, providing a methodology for the design and operation of similar beamlines. As an aid to instrument design, the limit of background intensity determined by the intensity incident on single-crystal germanium guard slit edges and its q dependence was quantified at 11 keV. Details of the beamlines implementation, underlying optical concept and measured performance are given.

High throughput preparation and characterisation of amphiphilic nanostructured nanoparticulate drug delivery vehicles.

The preparation, characterisation and assessment of drug delivery vehicles is typically a slow and complex process. Here we present a nanostructured nanoparticle system that can be prepared and characterised in a high-throughput fashion. In particular we use phytantriol and Myverol to prepare inverse bicontinuous cubic and inverse hexagonal liquid crystalline nanoparticles loaded with 10 commonly used therapeutic agents at increasing concentration. The dispersions are prepared using automated apparatus to create different concentrations and phases using novel protocols. We are able to characterise each stabilised nanoparticle dispersion using a range of methodologies including small angle X-ray scattering, particle sizing and drug partitioning. With this information we are able to assess which drug delivery vehicle is preferred for each drug and at which concentration the drug should be loaded to ensure maximum payload and to retain particle integrity.

Real time evolution of liquid crystalline nanostructure during the digestion of formulation lipids using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering.

The role of the digestion of lipids in facilitating absorption of poorly water-soluble compounds, such as vitamins, is not only an important nutritional issue but is increasingly being recognized as an important determinant in the effectiveness of lipid-based drug formulations. It has been known for some time that lipids often form complex liquid crystalline structures during digestion and that this may impact drug solubilization and absorption. However, until recently we have been unable to detect and characterize those structures in real time and have been limited in establishing the interplay between composition, digestion, and nanostructure. Here, we establish the use of an in vitro lipid digestion model used in conjunction with synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering by first confirming its validity using known, nondigestible liquid crystalline systems, and then extend the model to study the real time evolution of nanostructure during the digestion of common formulation lipids. The formation of liquid crystalline structures from unstructured liquid formulations is discovered, and the kinetics of formation and dependence on composition is investigated.

Formation of Highly Organized Nanostructures during the Digestion of Milk

Natures own emulsion, milk, consists of nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, salts, and milk fat with primarily triglycerides. The digestion of milk fats is the key to the survival of mammal species, yet it is surprising how little we understand this process. The lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dietary fats into fatty acids and monoglyceride is essential for efficient absorption of the fat by the enterocytes. Here we report the discovery of highly ordered geometric nanostructures during the digestion of dairy milk. Transitions from normal emulsion through a variety of differently ordered nanostructures were observed using time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering on a high-intensity synchrotron source and visualized by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Water and hydrophilic molecules are transferred into the lipid phase of the milk particle, turning the lipid core gradually into a more hydrophilic environment. The formation of highly ordered lipid particles with substantial internal surface area, particularly in low-bile conditions, may indicate a compensating mechanism for maintenance of lipid absorption under compromised lipolysis conditions.

Nanostructure and cytotoxicity of self-assembled monoolein–capric acid lyotropic liquid crystalline nanoparticles

Monoolein forms self-assembled nanoparticles with various internally ordered nanostructures, including the lyotropic liquid crystalline inverse hexagonal and inverse bicontinuous cubic phases. This study investigated the influence of a saturated fatty acid, capric acid (decanoic acid), on the formation of different lyotropic liquid crystalline phases in monoolein-based systems. The nanoparticles were characterized by synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. The addition of capric acid to monoolein triggered concentration dependent phase changes with the sequence evolving from an inverse primitive cubic phase to inverse double-diamond cubic, inverse hexagonal (HII), and emulsified microemulsions. SAXS and cryo-TEM revealed the formation of both single phase and mixed phases within a nanoparticle. To understand the cytotoxicity effects of the different nanoparticles, cellular cytotoxicity and hemolysis assays were performed. Nanoparticles in emulsion and hexagonal phases were found to be less toxic than cubic phase nanoparticles. The hemolysis assays followed the same trend with cubic phase dispersions causing the highest level of hemoglobin release. In summary, this study showed that the internal lyotropic liquid crystal mesophase structure of self-assembled nanoparticles needs careful consideration in the design of drug delivery vehicles.

High-Throughput Production and Structural Characterization of Libraries of Self-Assembly Lipidic Cubic Phase Materials

A protocol is presented for the high-throughput (HT) production of lyotropic liquid crystalline phases from libraries of lipids and lipid mixtures using standard liquid dispensing robotics, implementing methods that circumvent the problems traditionally associated with handling the highly viscous cubic phase. In addition, the ability to structurally characterize lipidic phases and assess functionality for membrane proteins contained within cubic phases, in a HT manner, is demonstrated. The techniques are combined and exemplified using the application of membrane protein crystallization within lipidic cubic phases.

Structural aspects of digestion of medium chain triglycerides studied in real time using sSAXS and Cryo-TEM.

ABSTRACTPurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the colloidal structures formed on digestion of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) with a specific objective of identifying and characterizing a previously reported vesicular phase, which has been linked to supersaturation and anomalous digestion kinetics, and to evaluate the influence of lipid mass and enzyme inhibition on self assembled structure.MethodsMCT was digested in vitro and nanostructure was monitored in real time using synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (sSAXS), and morphology was studied using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM).ResultsFormation of the putative vesicular phase formed on digestion of MCT was confirmed and its structural attributes were determined. Vesicle formation was dependent on lipid mass and bile salt concentration. The use of enzyme inhibitor for offline analysis of lipolysis samples did influence structural aspects of the digestion medium when compared to real time evaluation.ConclusionsThe formation of a vesicular phase was directly linked to the kinetics of lipid digestion. Vesicle formation is linked to lipid mass, or more specifically the ratio of lipid to bile salts present in the digestion mixture. Inhibition of lipase to halt digestion during sampling for offline analysis must be done with caution as structural aspects were shown to differ for the MCT digests with and without inhibitor present.

Effect of drying and rewetting of wood on cellulose molecular packing.

Abstract Drying and rewetting of Pinus radiata sapwood latewood was studied by synchrotron wide angle X-ray scattering in transmission mode. Scattering from cellulose was interpreted in terms of chains distributed on a monoclinic lattice. Drying wood material to below the fibre saturation point resulted in decreased spacing between adjacent cellulose polymers within the hydrogen-bonded sheets of chains, and also decreased the monoclinic angle. The changes were partly reversed when the dried wood was rewet, but accumulated through multiple cycles of oven-drying and rewetting. No changes were observed in the fibre repeat distance, thus the distortion of the crystal lattice was not attributed to mechanical stresses associated with drying. Instead, the changes were attributed to formation of intrachain hydrogen bonds at dehydrated crystallite surfaces, causing conformational changes within the cellulose chains and increasing the density of packing. The results help account for the hysteresis observed in moisture desorption-adsorption isotherms during wood material drying and rehydration.

Collagen Fibril Diameter and Leather Strength

The main structural component of leather and skin is type I collagen in the form of strong fibrils. Strength is an important property of leather, and the way in which collagen contributes to the strength is not fully understood. Synchrotron-based small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is used to measure the collagen fibril diameter of leather from a range of animals, including sheep and cattle, that had a range of tear strengths. SAXS data were fit to a cylinder model. The collagen fibril diameter and tear strength were found to be correlated in bovine leather (r(2) = 0.59; P = 0.009), with stronger leather having thicker fibrils. There was no correlation between orientation index, i.e., fibril alignment, and fibril diameter for this data set. Ovine leather showed no correlation between tear strength and fibril diameter, nor was there a correlation across a selection of other animal leathers. The findings presented here suggest that there may be a different structural motif in skin compared with tendon, particularly ovine skin or leather, in which the diameter of the individual fibrils contributes less to strength than fibril alignment does.

Self-Assembly Structure Formation during the Digestion of Human Breast Milk†

An infants complete diet, human breast milk, is the basis for its survival and development. It contains water-soluble and poorly water-soluble bioactive components, metabolic messages, and energy, all of which are made bioavailable during the digestion process in the infants gastrointestinal tract. Reported is the first discovery of highly geometrically organized structures formed during the digestion of human breast milk under simulated in vivo conditions using small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Time of digestion, pH, and bile salt concentration were found to have symbiotic effects gradually tuning the oil-based environment inside the breast milk globules to more water-like structures with high internal surface area. The structure formation is necessarily linked to its function as carriers for poorly water-soluble molecules in the digestive tract of the infant.