Jan Nygren

Absorption and fluorescence properties of fluorescein

We have characterized the protolytic equilibria of fluorescein and determined the spectroscopic properties of its protolytic forms. The protolytic constants relating the chemical activities (which at low ionic strength equal concentrations) of the cation, neutral form, anion and dianion are pK1 = 2.08, pK2 = 4.31, and pK3 = 6.43. All forms have rather high molar absorptivities being e437FH31 = 53 000, e434FH2 = 11 000, e453FH− = 29 000 (e472FH = 29 000) and e490F2 = 76 900 M−1 cm−1 for the cation, neutral form, anion and dianion, respectively. The dianion has the most intense fluorescence with a quantum yield of 0.93 but also the anion shows considerable fluorescence with a quantum yield of 0.37. The neutral and cationic species are upon excitation converted into the anion and fluoresce with quantum yields of about 0.30 and 0.18, respectively.

The interactions between the fluorescent dye thiazole orange and DNA

The interaction of the fluorescent dye thiazole orange (TO) with nucleic acids is characterized. It is found that TO binds with highest affinity to double-stranded (ds) DNA [log (K) approximately 5.5 at 100 mM salt], about 5-10 times weaker to single-stranded polypurines, and further 10-1000 times weaker to single-stranded polypyrimidines. TO binds as a monomer to dsDNAs and poly(dA), both as a monomer and as a dimer to poly(dG) and mainly as a dimer to poly(dC) and poly(dT). The fluorescence quantum yield of TO free in solution is about 2 x 10(-4), and it increases to about 0.1 when bound to dsDNA or to poly(dA), and to about 0.4 when bound to poly(dG). Estimated quantum yields of TO bound to poly(dC) and poly(dT) are about 0.06 and 0.01, respectively. The quantum yield of bound TO depends on temperature and decreases about threefold between 5 and 50 degrees C.

UV-Vis spectroscopic and chemometric study on the aggregation of ionic dyes in water

The monomer-dimer equilibrium in several ionic dyes (Methylene Blue, Acridine Orange, Nile Blue A, Neutral Red, Rhodamine 6G and Safranine O) has been investigated by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy. The data have been processed by a recently developed method for quantitative analysis of undefined mixtures, based on simultaneous resolution of the overlapping bands in the whole set of absorption spectra. In the cases of Acridine Orange a second chemometric approach has been used as a reference. It is based on a decomposition of the recorded spectra into a product of target and projection matrices using non iterative partial least squares (NIPALS). The matrices are then rotated to give the correct concentrations, spectral profiles of the components and the equilibrium constant. The dimeric constants determined by the two methods were in excellent agreement, evidencing the accuracy of the analysis. From the calculated dimeric constant and monomer and dimer spectra, the structures of the dimeric forms of the studied dyes are estimated.

An automated procedure to predict the number of components in spectroscopic data

We have compared various statistical methods to estimate the number of components that contribute to a set of spectra. The methods are tested both on simulated and on experimental data. No assumptions are made about noise level, since this in most experimental situations is unknown. For tests that formally require such information we have devised novel criteria for their predictions. The criteria have been integrated with the NIPALS algorithm to create a routine that in an automated way predicts the number of components. We find that the methods almost always predict the correct number of components when the quality of data is high. Also for multi-component samples and at high-noise levels most of these methods make satisfactory predictions. Those that gave the overall best results were the factor indicator function (IND) and the imbedded error function (IE). The F-test also worked well, but it has the disadvantage that a significance level must be chosen rather arbitrarily. The residual standard deviation (RSD), the root mean square (RMS), the -squared and the residual percentage variance (RPV) tests also gave satisfactory results. Less good were the eigenvalue (EV) and the reduced eigenvalue (REV). The ability of all indicators to predict the number of components was significantly improved when the degree of digitalization of the spectra was increased. # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of fluorescein-oligonucleotide conjugates and measurement of local electrostatic potential.

The properties of fluorescein are substantially altered upon conjugation to nucleic acids, affecting not only the molar absorptivities and fluorescence quantum yields but also the protolytic equilibrium constant and fluorescence lifetimes. Around neutral pH, the fluorescein moiety is present as both mono- and dianion, and the pKa relating them is increased from 6.43 for free fluorescein to about 6.90 for fluorescein attached to both single- and double-stranded oligonucleotides of at least 12 bases/base pairs. This difference reflects the local electrostatic potential around the nucleic acid, which is calculated to -28 mV. The molar absorptivities and spectral responses of the conjugated fluorescein protolytic species are also determined, from which the concentrations of fluorescein-oligonucleotide conjugates can be calculated by assuming: epsilon 494 = 62000/[1 + 10-(pH-6.90)] + 12000/[1 + 10(pH-6.90)] (M-1 cm-1). The fluorescence quantum yield of the conjugates depends, in a complex way, on temperature, environment and oligonucleotide length, sequence and conformation, and must be determined for each experimental situation.

Quantitative spectral analysis of multicomponent equilibria

Abstract A generalization is presented of a method for the determination of equilibrium constants for binary mixtures. It is shown that titrations involving several components can be quantitatively characterized in terms of component concentrations and spectral responses, even when none of the component spectra is known and the components cannot be obtained in pure form. The method is efficient even if the component spectra overlap extensively. It is applicable to all spectroscopic techniques that provide a linear response, opening up new possibilities to analyze complex chemical systems. The approach is illustrated by determining the absorption spectra and protolytic constants for the fluorescein protolytic equilibria.

MAKING REFERENCE SAMPLES REDUNDANT

Chemometric methods to analyze spectroscopic data without using reference spectra are discussed. The data are first decomposed into principal components, and the number of contributing species is determined by statistical tests. The principal components are then rotated to produce spectroscopic responses and concentration profiles of the chemical species present. Samples that vary in a physical property like pH, total concentration, temperature, or ionic strength, are analyzed by regular 1-dimensional spectroscopy assuming that the components are in chemical equilibrium. Samples containing noninteracting compounds are analyzed by multidimensional spectroscopy, and the principal components are calculated by Procrustes rotation. Several applications of the two approaches on absorption and fluorescence data are presented.

Significantly accelerated wound healing of full-thickness skin using a novel composite gel of porcine acellular dermal matrix and human peripheral blood cells.

Here we report the fabrication of a novel composite gel from decellularized gal-gal-knockout porcine skin and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs) for full-thickness skin wound healing. Decellularized skin extracellular matrix (ECM) powder was prepared via chemical treatment, freeze drying, and homogenization. The powder was mixed with culture medium containing hyaluronic acid to generate a pig skin gel (PSG). The effect of the gel in regeneration of full-thickness wounds was studied in nude mice. We found significantly accelerated wound closure already on day 15 in animals treated with PSG only or PSG + hPBMCs compared to untreated and hyaluronic acid-treated controls (p < 0.05). Addition of the hPBMCs to the gel resulted in marked increase of host blood vessels as well as the presence of human blood vessels. At day 25, histologically, the wounds in animals treated with PSG only or PSG + hPBMCs were completely closed compared to those of controls. Thus, the gel facilitated generation of new skin with well-arranged epidermal cells and restored bilayer structure of the epidermis and dermis. These results suggest that porcine skin ECM gel together with human cells may be a novel and promising biomaterial for medical applications especially for patients with acute and chronic skin wounds.