Deborah G. Evans

The targeted delivery of multicomponent cargos to cancer cells by nanoporous particle-supported lipid bilayers

Encapsulation of drugs within nanocarriers that selectively target malignant cells promises to mitigate side effects of conventional chemotherapy and to enable delivery of the unique drug combinations needed for personalized medicine. To realize this potential, however, targeted nanocarriers must simultaneously overcome multiple challenges, including specificity, stability, and a high capacity for disparate cargos. Here we report porous nanoparticle-supported lipid bilayers (protocells) that synergistically combine properties of liposomes and nanoporous particles. Protocells modified with a targeting peptide that binds to human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibit a 10,000-fold greater affinity for HCC than for hepatocytes, endothelial cells, and immune cells. Furthermore, protocells can be loaded with combinations of therapeutic (drugs, siRNA, and toxins) and diagnostic (quantum dots) agents and modified to promote endosomal escape and nuclear accumulation of selected cargos. The enormous capacity of the high-surface-area nanoporous core combined with the enhanced targeting efficacy enabled by the fluid supported lipid bilayer allow a single protocell loaded with a drug cocktail to kill a drug-resistant HCC cell, representing a 106-fold improvement over comparable liposomes.

Photoinduced electron transfer in mixed-valence compounds: Beyond the golden rule regime

The short-time charge transfer evolution following photoexcitation in mixed valence compounds is studied using path integral calculations. Due to the large nonadiabatic coupling, path integral calculations using direct path summation techniques are inadequate, and charge transfer dynamics can only be computed using a transfer matrix technique developed by Makri and Makarov. The resulting relaxation is considerably slower than that predicted by low-order perturbation theory. The effects of the solvent on the decay process, and the validity of the golden rule to predict the dynamics of the decay process are investigated. The effects of preparing an initial state that is not a rovibrational state of the acceptor potential energy surface is also examined. These exact calculations show that the large electronic mixing gives rise to very fast oscillations in the electronic state population as the wave function oscillates coherently between the donor and acceptor. This is followed by a slower relaxation induced ...

Molecular dynamics simulation study of the interaction of cationic biocides with lipid bilayers: aggregation effects and bilayer damage.

A novel class of phenylene ethynylene polyelectrolyte oligomers (OPEs) has been found to be effective biocidal agents against a variety of pathogens. The mechanism of attack is not yet fully understood. Recent studies have shown that OPEs cause catastrophic damage to large unilamellar vesicles. This study uses classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to understand how OPEs interact with model lipid bilayers. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations show that aggregates of OPEs inserted into the membrane cause significant structural damage and create a channel, or pore, that allows significant leakage of water through the membrane on the 0.1 μs time scale.

Metal binding sites of human H-chain ferritin and iron transport mechanism to the ferroxidase sites: A molecular dynamics simulation study

We study via all atom classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation the process of uptake of ferrous ions (Fe2+) into the human ferritin protein and the catalytic ferroxidase sites via pores (“channels”) in the interior of the protein. We observe that the three‐fold hydrophilic channels serve as the main entrance pathway for the Fe2+ ions. The binding sites along the ion pathway are investigated. Two strong binding sites, at the Asp131 and Glu134 residues and two weak binding sites, at the His118 and Cys130 are observed inside the three‐fold channel. We also identify an explicit pathway for an ion exiting the channel into the central core of the protein as it moves to the ferroxidase site. The diffusion of an Fe2+ ion from the inner opening of the channel to a ferroxidase site located in the interior region of the protein coat is assisted by Thr135, His136 and Tyr137. The Fe2+ ion binds preferentially to site A of the ferroxidase site.

Structural Basis for Aggregation Mode of oligo-p-Phenylene Ethynylenes with Ionic Surfactants

In this letter, the aggregation modes of two classes of ionic p-phenylene ethynylene oligomers with oppositely charged surfactants are studied. The location of the ionic side chains was found to influence the type of aggregate formed when an equivalent number of surfactant molecules are added to solution. When the charged groups were located at the terminal ends of the molecule, strong H-aggregates were observed to form. Alternatively, when the ionic groups were both located on opposite sides of the central phenyl ring, the formation of J-aggregates was observed. Interestingly, as the surfactant concentration approaches the critical micelle concentration, the weakly bound aggregates are dissociated and the absorbance spectrum returns to what is observed in water. This study reveals the structural basis for aggregation effects between molecules based on the p-phenylene ethynylene backbone, and gives an understanding of how to influence the aggregation mode of similar compounds.

Electron transmission through band structure in organized organic thin films

Direct evidence for the electronic band structure of thin organized organic layers is presented. The experimental results indicate that the electron-organic film system has to be described in quantum mechanical terms and that classical concepts fail. Quantum mechanical simulations on a generic system are also presented. They indicate that this type of simulation provides insight into the system studied experimentally.

Computational Study of Bacterial Membrane Disruption by Cationic Biocides: Structural Basis for Water Pore Formation

The development of biocides as disinfectants that do not induce bacterial resistance is crucial to health care since hospital-acquired infections afflict millions of patients every year. Recent experimental studies of a class of cationic biocides based on the phenylene ethynylene backbone, known as OPEs, have revealed that their biocidal activity is accompanied by strong morphology changes to bacterial cell membranes. In vitro studies of bacterial membrane mimics have shown changes to the lipid phase that are dependent on the length and orientation of the cationic moieties on the backbone. This study uses classical molecular dynamics to conduct a comprehensive survey of how oligomers with different chemical structures interact with each other and with a bacterial cell membrane mimic. In particular, the ability of OPEs to disrupt membrane structure is studied as a function of the length of the biocides and the orientation of their cationic moieties along the backbone of the molecule. The simulation results show that the structure of OPEs radically affects their interactions with a lipid bilayer. Biocides with branched cationic groups form trans-membrane water pores regardless of their backbone length, while only 1-1.5 nm of membrane thinning is observed with biocides with cationic groups on their terminal ends. The molecular dynamics simulations provide mechanistic details at the molecular level of the interaction of these biocidal oligomers and the lipid bilayer and corroborate experimental findings regarding observed differences in membrane disruption by OPEs with different chemical structures.

Anharmonic effects on photo-induced electron transfer: A Redfield approach

Photo-induced electron transfer experiments examine intrinsically nonequilibrium processes. A theoretical description of photoinduced processes should take into account the fact that the approximations and assumptions made for equilibrium electron transfer need not be appropriate. Under nonequilibrium conditions, anharmonic distortions in the potential energy surfaces of nuclear motion coupled to the electron transfer may effect the dynamics. This work is a study of the effects of anharmonicity on photo-induced electron transfer reactions for condensed phase systems where one vibrational mode is strongly coupled to the electron transfer and a stochastic bath. For this vibrational mode, both harmonic and anharmonic potential energy surfaces for the excited states are considered and the electron transfer dynamics is monitored in a range of system–bath coupling regimes. The study focuses on two effects due to anharmonic distortions of the intramolecular modes: changes to the system Hamiltonian, and differenc...

Anharmonic effects in photoinduced electron transfer

Electron transfer in condensed phase media is typically studied within the standard spin-boson model. The electron transfer is described between two coupled electronic states that are coupled linearly to a bath of displaced harmonic oscillators (bosonic degrees of freedom). The dynamics of this dissipative two level system is rich and well studied as a function of the extent of the coupling to the harmonic bath. Many recent experimental studies have focused on systems where the electron transfer is coupled to a set of high frequency intramolecular modes and lower frequency solvent modes. From semiclassical modeling and experimental studies, it is found that these modes can show anharmonic distortions. This work is a study of the effects of anharmonicities in the nuclear degrees of freedom on the electron transfer process. An approximation method, the Gaussian wave packet dynamics-path integral approach, developed by Coalson [J. Phys. Chem. 100, 7896 (1996)], is adapted to study condensed phase electron tr...

Cationic oligo-p-phenylene ethynylenes form complexes with surfactants for long-term light-activated biocidal applications

Cationic oligo-p-phenylene ethynylenes are highly effective light-activated biocides that deal broad-spectrum damage to a variety of pathogens, including bacteria. A potential problem arising in the long-term usage of these compounds is photochemical breakdown, which nullifies their biocidal activity. Recent work has shown that these molecules complex with oppositely-charged surfactants, and that the resulting complexes are protected from photodegradation. In this manuscript, we determine the biocidal activity of an oligomer and a complex formed between it and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The complexes are able to withstand prolonged periods of irradiation, continuing to effectively kill both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, while the oligomer by itself loses its biocidal effectiveness quickly in the presence of light. In addition, damage and stress responses induced by these biocides in both E. coli and S. aureus are discussed. This work shows that complexation with surfactants is a viable method for long-term light-activated biocidal applications.