Yoshiaki Yuguchi

Primary structure, conformation in aqueous solution, and intestinal immunomodulating activity of fucoidan from two brown seaweed species Sargassum crassifolium and Padina australis.

We studied the structure of fucoidans extracted from two brown seaweed species, Sargassum crassifolium and Padina australis, and their intestinal immunomodulating activity via Peyers patch cells of C3H/HeJ mice. ESI-MS analysis indicated that the dominant structure of both fucoidans has a backbone of α-(1→4)-linked and α-(1→3)-linked l-fucose residues and sulfate groups are attached at the C-2 and C-4 positions; branches of fucoidan from S. crassifolium are galactose residues with (1→4)- linkage and branching points are at C-4 of fucose, while fucoidan from P. australis, branches are sulfated galactose-fucose disaccharides and sulfated galactose monosaccharides attached to the main chain through (1→3)- or (1→4)- linkages. According to small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements, the two fucoidans have a branched structure. We simulated them with molecular models based on our proposed primary structure. These fucoidan samples have the ability to stimulate intestinal immunological activity via Peyers patch cells.

Conformation and physical properties of cycloisomaltooligosaccharides in aqueous solution.

We studied the conformation and physical properties of cyclic and linear isomaltooligosaccharides in aqueous solution by intrinsic viscosity measurement, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and molecular modeling. We used four cycloisomaltooligosaccharide samples (CIs) with degree of polymerization (DP) 7-10 (CI-7-CI-10) and five linear isomaltooligosaccharide samples (LIs) with DP 7-11 (LI-7-LI-11). The values of α in the Mark-Houwink-Sakurada equation [η]=KM(w)(α) for the CI and LI were determined to be 0.50 and 0.78, respectively. The radii of gyration (R(G)) of CI-7, CI-8, CI-9 and CI-10 determined from SAXS data were 6.7, 6.9, 7.5 and 8.3Å, respectively. The scattering profile of CI-9 compared with those obtained for molecular models indicated that CI molecular chains are less flexible than those for LIs and adopt a rather compact circular conformation.

Gamma-Crosslinked Collagen Gel without Fibrils : Analysis of Structure and Heat Stability

This paper reports an analysis of the structure and heat stability of two different collagen gels: conventional collagen gel (neutral gel) and gel without collagen fibrils (acidic gel), previously reported. We performed differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), observations by scanning electron microscope (SEM), observations by atomic force microscope (AFM), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Collagen fibrils were clearly observed in the neutral gel but not in the acidic gel by both SEM and AFM. A clear endothermic peak was observed at 53–55 °C, representing disassembly of collagens in collagen fibrils in the neutral gel but not in the acidic gel. Only a small broad endothermic peak, at 35–43 °C, representing the deformation of the triple helical structure of collagen, was observed in the acidic gel. The SAXS pattern also suggested that the neutral gel had a more heterogeneous structure than the acidic gel. The experimental results described here are compatible with the model proposed in a previous paper, and indicate more clearly that the acidic gel has no collagen fibrils and has a different molecular assembly state of Type I collagen than the neutral gel.

Local structure of Ca2+ induced hydrogels of alginate–oligoguluronate blends determined by small-angle-X-ray scattering

Short oligoguluronates, oligoGs, are reported to affect the ionotropic gelation of alginates both with respect to altered gelation kinetics and elastic properties of the resulting gels. The local structure of Ca(2+) induced changes in oligoguluronates and blends of oligoguluronates and alginates was determined by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Calcium was introduced in the aqueous polysaccharide solutions by in situ release of Ca(2+) from Ca-EGTA. The scattering profiles of the Ca(2+)-induced structures in the alginate-oligoG blends were accounted for by a two-component broken rod-like model, also with an additional term representing structural inhomogeneity by a Debye-Bueche term. Adding oligoG to the alginate yields an increase in the largest cross-sectional radius in the region of fractional Ca(2+) saturation of α-l-GulA units from 0.5 to 1. The time-lapse characterization during the Ca-induced changes in the alginate-oligoG blends shows that oligoG delays the emergence of the more extensive laterally aggregated junction zones.

Structure of cellulose/direct dye complex regenerated from supercritical water

The regeneration of cellulose from supercritical water in the presence of direct dyes was studied by small- and wide-angle synchrotron X-ray scattering and cryo-transmission electron microscopy to understand the effects of dyes on the structure formation of cellulose. In addition, the interactions between cellulose and the direct dyes were characterized using molecular dynamics simulations. Peaks corresponding to cellulose II crystals were observed in the wide-angle X-ray diffraction pattern of cellulose regenerated from supercritical water without dyes, whereas these peaks were not observed in the diffraction patterns of samples with direct dye (Direct Red 28 or Direct Blue 1). This result indicated that the direct dyes prevented the crystallization of regenerated cellulose. The results of the molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the planes of glucose rings interacted with the aromatic moieties of the dyes and that the sulfonate groups of the dye molecules interacted with the hydroxyl groups of cellulose. In addition, the CH groups of the glucose rings and aromatic moieties of the dyes (e.g., naphthalene and biphenyl moieties) interacted weekly. When cellulose regenerates from solution, cellulose sheet structures formed via hydrophobic interactions appear as the initial structure. The direct dyes were found to affect the formation of this cellulose sheet structure because cellulose molecularly dissolved in supercritical water. In the Kratky plots for small-angle X-ray scattering, a peak was clearly observed for the cellulose and cellulose/DR28 samples in the region of smaller q (<0.5), indicating that the nanoscale assembly structures dispersed in these systems. Bundled sheet-like and twisted ribbon-like structures were observed in the supernatants of the cellulose and cellulose/DR28 samples. These dispersed structures were considered to be intermediates in the structural formation of cellulose.

Structure, conformation in aqueous solution and antimicrobial activity of ulvan extracted from green seaweed Ulva reticulata

Abstract The aim of this study is to elucidate the structure and investigate the antimicrobial activity of an ulvan obtained by water extraction from green seaweed Ulva reticulata collected at Nha Trang sea of Vietnam by using IR, NMR, SEC-MALLS and SAXS methods. The ulvan is composed of rhamnose, galactose, xylose, manose and glucose (mole ratio Rha: Gal: Xyl: Man: Glu = 1:0.12:0.1:0.06:0.03), uronic acid (22.5%) and sulphate groups (17.6%). Chemically structural determination showed that the ulvan mainly composed of disaccharide [→4)β-D-GlcA(1→4)α-L-Rha3S-(1→]. The results from SAXS indicated that ulvan under study has a rod-like bulky chain conformation. Ulvan from U. reticulata showed high antimicrobial activity, with inhibition zone diameter of 20 mm against Enterobacter cloace and 18 mm against Escherichia coli.

Structural characterization of enzymatically synthesized glucan dendrimers

Glucan dendrimers (GDs) were synthesized by using a branching enzyme. Spherical GDs of different molecular weights were obtained and had a narrow particle size distribution. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements showed that the radius of gyration of the GDs was 4.2-14.6 nm in aqueous solution. The SAXS profiles of GDs with small molecular weights exhibited scattering behavior similar to that described by the hyperbranched polymer model, and tended to resemble that of a sphere as the molecular weight increased.