Nawfel Sakly

Characterization of a sensitive and selective copper optode based on β-ketoimine modified calix[4]arene derivative.

In this paper, an optical sensor was proposed for sensitive determination of copper (II) ions in aqueous solution. The sensing membrane was prepared by coating β-ketoimine calix[4]arene derivative as ionophore on a glass plate surface. Thin β-ketoimine calix[4]arene layer was characterized by contact angle measurements showing a good surface coverage. Besides, a smooth and homogeneous morphology of the calixarene membrane was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The response of the optode is based on the decrease in the absorbance signal at 309 nm upon exposure to buffer solutions containing Cu(2+) ions. At a pH 6.8, the proposed sensor displays a calibration response for copper over a wide concentration range of 1.0×10(-7) M to 1.0×10(-4) M with a detection limit of 2.0×10(-8) M and response time of 7-10 min. This optode exhibits good selectivity toward copper ions in comparison with common ions including Hg(2+) and Ag(+) ions. The copper sensing film can be regenerated using 0.01M HNO3 solution. In addition to its high stability, repeatability and reproducibility, the sensor shows operational life time of 4 weeks.

Electrochemical monitoring of Chlorhexidine Digluconate effect on polyelectrolyte immobilized bacteria and kinetic cell adhesion

The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique has been used as a sensitive method to explore the effect of antibacterial molecules on immobilized bacteria and biofilm formation. In this work, we describe the electrochemical spectroscopy as a powerful method to monitor the effect of chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX-Dg) on polyelectrolyte immobilized Escherichia coli K12 MG1655 and the kinetics of cell adhesion on gold electrodes. The experimental impedance data were modeled with a Zview program to find the best equivalent electrical circuit and analyse its parameters properties. Polyelectrolyte multilayer formation on the electrode surface and bacteria immobilization greatly increased the electron-transfer resistance (R(et)) and reduced the constant phase element (CPE(dl)). The effect of CHX-Dg was studied in a 0.5 x 10⁻⁴ mmol l⁻¹ to 0.5 mmol l⁻¹ range. The relation between the evolution of R(et) and CHX-Dg concentration was found to be negatively correlated. When CHX-Dg was added, the electrochemical monitoring of the bacterial kinetic adhesion showed that the electrodes capacity (C(P)) variation remained stable, demonstrating that the addition of CHX-Dg in the broth inhibited bacterial adhesion.

Influence of the uronic acid composition on the gastroprotective activity of alginates from three different genus of Tunisian brown algae

Alginates from three genus of Tunisian brown algae were isolated and characterized by size exclusion chromatography and Solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Alginate from Padina pavonica (APP) had the highest molecular weight (Mw) with 147,000g/mol while it was 85,000g/mol for alginate from Cystoseira compressa (ACC) and 58,000g/mol for alginate from Dictyopteris membranaceae (ADM). The mannuronate (M) to guluronate (G) ratios were estimated from spectral deconvolution of the 13C CP/MAS spectra and the results has shown that all the extracts are mannuronic acid-rich alginates with M/G ratio increased in the order ADM - ACC - APP. An interesting gastroprotective effect was observed for the extracts; ADM and ACC exhibited the highest inhibition of gastric lesions, at 50mg/kg, with 83.41% and 75.39% respectively. Otherwise, it has been shown that the gastroprotective effect of alginates depends mainly on their uronic acid composition.