Miscibility of Poly(hydroxybutyrate)/Poly(vinyl alcohol)Melt Blends Plasticized With Glycerol

Poly(hydroxybutyrate)/poly(vinyl alcohol)(PHB/PVA)blends plasticized with glycerol were prepared by melt blending of PHB and glycerol plasticized PVA.The PHB/PVA-glycerol compositions were 90:10,75:25 and 50:50 w/w,being the concentration of glycerol in the PVA mixture of 10 wt%.The blends were characterized by infrared spectroscopy,dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis,and scanning electron microscope of the fragile fractured surface.The results showed one single phase blend,indicating miscibility corroborated by the presence of a single glass transition temperature.The blending method proved to be an efficient way to tune PHB properties keeping its biodegradable nature since both PVA and glycerol are fully biodegradable materials.

Biosynthesis of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate with a high molecular weight by methanotroph from methane and methanol

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate （PHB） can be produced by various species of bacteria. Among the possible carbon sources, both methane and methanol could be a suitable substrate for the production of PHB. Methane is cheap and plentiful not only as natural gas, but also as biogas. Methanol can also maintain methanotrophic activity in some conditions. The methanotrophic strain Methylosinus trichosporium IMV3011 can accumulate PHB with methane and methanol in a brief nonsterile process. Liquid methanol （0.1%） was added to improve the oxidization of methane. The studies were carried out using shake flasks. Cultivation was performed in two stages： a continuous growth phase and a PHB accumulation phase under the conditions short of essential nutrients （ammonium, nitrate, phosphorus, copper, iron （Ⅲ）, magnesium or ethylenediamine tetraacetate （EDTA）） in batch culture. It was found that the most suitable growth time for the cell is 144 h. Then an optimized culture condition for second stage was determined, in which the PHB concentration could be much increased to 0.6 g/L. In order to increase PHB content, citric acid was added as an inhibitor of tricarboxylic acid cycle （TCA）. It was found that citric acid is favorable for the PHB accumulation, and the PHB yield was increased to 40% （w/w） from the initial yield of 12% （w/w） after nutrient deficiency cultivation. The PHB produced is of very high quality with molecular weight up to 1.5 × 10^6Da.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) supports adhesion and migration of mesenchymal stem cells and tenocytes

AIM: To establish the potential of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) as a material for tendon repair. METHODS: The biocompatibility of PHBHHx with both rat tenocytes (rT) and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) was explored by monitoring adhesive characteristics on films of varying weight/volume ratios coupled to a culture atmosphere of either 21% O2 (air) or 2% O2 (physiological normoxia). The diameter and stiffness of PHBHHx films was established using optical coherence tomography and mechanical testing, respectively. RESULTS: Film thickness correlated directly with weight/volume PHBHHx (r2 = 0.9473) ranging from 0.1 mm (0.8% weight/volume) to 0.19 mm (2.4% weight/volume). Film stiffness on the other hand displayed a biphasic response which increased rapidly at values > 1.6% weight/volume. Optimal cell attachment of rT required films of ≥ 1.6% and ≥ 2.0% weight/volume PHBHHx in 2% O2 and 21% O2 respectively. A qualitative adhesion increase was noted for hMSC in films ≥ 1.2% weight/volume, becoming significant at 2% weight/volume in 2% O2. An increase in cell adhesion was also noted with ≥ 2% weight/volume PHBHHx in 21% O2. Cell migration into films was not observed. CONCLUSION: This evaluation demonstrates that PHBHHx is a suitable polymer for future cell/polymer replacement strategies in tendon repair.

γ-hydroxybutyrate protects the liver from warm ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat

BACKGROUND: Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) syndrome remains an important clinical consideration in hepatic sur- gery, hemorrhagic shock, and liver transplantation, -y-hy- droxybutyrate (GHB) has been reported to exert protective effects against ischemia-reperfusion injury to various or- gans. To investigate whether GHB protects the liver from warm ischemia-reperfusion injury, we performed this study in rats. METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, a control group, and three I/R groups pretreated with GHB, GHB plus naloxone or naloxone. After 30 minutes of partial ischemia, followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion in the liver, histomorphological and enzymological changes, lipid peroxidation, apoptosis, and the plasma level of endothelin-1 were observed. RESULTS: I/R increased the serum levels of alanine ami- notransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehy- drogenase and the plasma level of endothelin-1 significantly (P<0.01), in addition to increase of apoptotic index (AI) from 0.28%±0.25% to 17.68%±1.91%. The levels of he- patic malondialdehyde were markedly increased, whereas the activities of superoxide dismutase were markedly de- creased. GHB pretreatment prevented the liver from warm ischemia-reperfusion injury significantly, but naloxone par- tially blocked this effect. CONCLUSION: GHB may significantly protect the liver from hepatic warm ischemia-reperfusion injury via several different mechanisms.

Effects of Exogenous Na-DL-3-Hydroxybutyrate and Insulin on Skeletal Muscle Protein Metabolism in Rats after Early Severe Burn Injury

the effects of exogenous Na -DL- 3 - hydroxybutyratc (3- HOBNa) and insulin (I)on skeletal muscle protein metabolism in rats infected with 37% TBSA full thickness scald werestudied. It was found that the serum acetoacetatc (AcAc) of the burned animals showed nosignificant difference from the control on the 4th day postburn. but the free fatty acid (FFA) de-ereased markedly and the urinary 3 - methylhistidine (3 - MH ) excretion and the protein degrada-tion rate of the soleus muscle of the injured hind limb increased markedly. Infusion of3 - HOBNa for 3 consecutive days following bums could lower the urinary 3 - MH excretion andthe protein degradation rate of the soleus muscle with no significant influence on the skeletal muscleprotein anabolism. Moreover, investigations revealed that there was no synergistic effect ofinsulin -ketonc body combination on the anti- catabolic capacity in burned rats.

Weavability of β-Hydroxybutyrate and β-Hydroxyvalerate Copolymers( PHBV ) /PLA Used in Artificial Blood Vessels

The β-hydroxybutyrate and β-hydroxyvalerate copolymers( PHBV) /polylactic acid( PLA) is a new biocompatible material,which is developed through bacterial fermentation in vivo systems.The PHBV / PLA material could be used to make continuous filaments.However,features of artificial blood vessels,especially small diameter vascular grafts made of PHVB / PLA materials are not known.This research are to evaluate and improve weavability of the PHBV / PLA material, and to explore feasibility of using it in artificial blood vessels.Preliminary results showed that weavability of PHBV / PLV was not good,but its weavability could be improved by using methods of weak chemical,such as sizing.In this research,scanning electron microscope( SEM) was adopted to evaluate weavability of PHBV / PLV after sizing and observe surfaces of yarns and fabrics.Also,in order to set proper parameters in heat settings,differential scanning calorimetry( DSC) was used to identify glass transition temperature.

MISCIBILITY AND CRYSTALLIZATION BEHAVIOR OF BIODEGRADABLE BLEND OF POLY(β—HYDROXYBUTYRATE)AND POLY(D,L—LACTIDE)—CO—POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL)

Studies on the miscibility of PHB/PELA blends showed that PHB and PELA were miscible in amorphous state.The crystallization behavior of PHB in the blend was strongly de- pendent on the addition of PELA component.

MISCIBILITY AND MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF BIODEGRADABLE BLEND OF POLY(β—HYDROXYBUTYRATE)AND POLY(D,L—LACTIDE)

The poly(β-hydroxybutyrate)/poly(d,1-lactide)(PHB/PLA)blend was found to be immiscible,the melting point and the phase crystallinity of PHB were independent of the blend composition.Comparing with plain PHB,the blend exhibited the crystallization change and a certain improvement of the mechanical property.

Study on Kinetics of Dissolving Biomass Using Sodium Hypochlorite in the Recovery of Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate

1 INTRODUCTIONSodium hypochlorite has been widely used to separate poly-β-hydroxybutyrate(PHB)becauseit can digest nearly all components of the cell.But sodium hypochlorite also attacks thePHB granu1es and thus reduces the relative molecular mass of the PHB.A new process using adispersion of sodium hypochlorite solution and chloroform for the recovery of PHB was developedby Hahn et al.In this process,sodium hypochlorite digested the cell wall and released the

Disposable Electrochemical Biosensor for Amperometric Measurement of β-hydroxybutyrate and Total Cholesterol

A new type of disposable thin-film amperometric biosensor has been developed for measurement ofβ-hydroxybutyrate and total cholesterol in serum.The biosensor consists of two plain gold electrodes mounted on a Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate.The reagent solution contains bienzymes (cholesterol oxidase and cholesterol esterase for total cholesterol,β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and diaphorase forβ-hydroxybutyrate respectively) with mediator (ferricyanide) were absorption at the surface of electrodes coated by electrodepositing platinum black.The presence of the mediator lowers the applied potential and eliminates the interference from other oxidizable species enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of the biosensor without modifying the dynamic parameters of the response.The enzymes stably retains in the matrices of platinum black film improving the performance of the mediated sensor.The linearity is observed in the concentration range from 1.0×10^(-4) to 1.0×10^(-2) mM and 1.0×10^(-4) mM to 4.99×10^(-3) mM with sensitivity of 1.958μA/mM and 2.447μA/mM respectively.The optimized biosensor exhibits excellent reproducibility and stability retaining more than 90% of its original activity over a period of one month.The simple operation of the biosensor mass-produced at low cost is expected to find clinical application and homecare.

Production of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate)by Fed-Batch Culture of Alcaligenes Eutrophus at Phosphorus Limitation in 50 L fermenter

1 INTRODUCTIONPoly(3-hydroxybutyrate)(PHB)is an intracellular carbon and energy storage material accumu-lated by many kinds of microorganism under unfavorable growth conditions such as limitation of(NH_4)_2SO_4,PO_3^(2-),Mg^(2+) and /or oxygen^(1-3).PHB is a biodegradable thermoplastic polyesterwhich can be used as similar as the conventional nondegradable plastics in various ways.Al-caligenes eutrophus has been widely used for the production of PHB because it is easy to grow,

BIOSYNTHESIS AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF POLY(3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE-co-3-HYDROXYVALERATE)WITH LARGE VARIETY OF HYDROXYVALERATE CONTENTS BY BACILLUS CEREUS

Biosynthesis and thermal properties of poly（3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate） （PHBV） with different HV （hydrovalerate） content produced by a Bacillus cereus strain were investigated. A large variety of HV contents （up to about 90 mol%） of PHBV could be produced by this strain. Combined nitrogen sources containing both yeast extract and ammonium sulphate were better for cell growth and polyhydroxyalkanoates （PHA） production than either yeast extract or ammonium sulphate alone. Propionic acid is more favorable for the production of HV content than that of valeric acid. Finally, thermal properties of PHBV produced by this strain are found close to the results of other groups.

Effect of Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate on Reproductive Performance and Larval Development of Fenneropenaeus chinensis

In the present study, Fenneropenaeus chinensis individuals were assigned into six groups, and fed with a diet supplemented with 0 （Control）, 0.5% （Group Eos）, 1.0% （Group E1.0）, 2.0% （Group E2.0）, 3.0% （Group E3.0） or 5.0% （Group E5.0） of poly-13-hydroxybutyrate （PHB） during their growth and spawning periods, to explore the effect of PHB on the reproductive performance of parents and the development of larvae. The experi- ment was lasted for 192 d to measure the mortality rate, relative percentage of survival（RPS）, weight gain rate（WGR）, specific growth rate （SGR） and cycle of gonadal development of parental shrimps, number of eggs, number of nauplii, stages of larval development and metamorphosis. The results indicated that PHB had an obvious effect on the fecundity of parental shrimps and growth performance of larva. Compared with control group, the mortality rate of broodstock in experimental groups decreased initially and increased subsequently with the increase of PHB concentration, while RPS showed an opposite pattern. The mortality rate of group E2.0 was the lowest among all groups, showing significant difference from that of other groups（P 〈 0.05） except group E1.0 （P 〉 0.05）. WGR of all experimental groups was higher than that of the control group, among which, group E2.0 and group E5.0 had significantly higher WGR than the control （P〈0.05）. However, there was no significant difference in the cycle of gonadal development between the experimental groups and the control group （P 〉 0.05）. The numbers of eggs and nauplii in the experimental groups were higher than those of the control group. And the numbers of eggs and nauplii in group E2.0 were significantly higher than those of the control （P 〈 0.05）, bud showed no significant difference from those of other groups （P 〉 0.05）. However, there was no significant difference in the duration of larval development and metamorphosis among all the groups. In summary, PHB is capable of improving the reproductive performance of parents and the survival and development of larva in F. chinensis, and 2.0% is the optimal concentration of PHB supplemented to the diet.

Effect of Poly-β-Hydroxybutyrate on the Activity of Nonspecific Immunity Related Enzymes in Fenne rope naeus chinensis

[Objective] This study was carried out to explore the effect of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate（PHB） on the performance of the nonspecific immune system in Fenneropenaeus chinensis. [Method] F. chinensis individuals were assigned into six groups, and each group was fed with a diet containing 0（Control）, 0.5%（Group E0.5）, 1.0%（Group E1.0）, 2.5%（Group E2.5）, 5.0%（Group E5.0） or 10.0% PHB（Group E10.0）. The mortality rate and relative percent of survival（RPS） of each group were calculated after 6 weeks. Meanwhile, the total antioxidant capacity（T-AOC）, the activity of acid phosphatase（ACP）, peroxidase（POD） and catalase（CAT）, and the content of malondialdehyde（MDA） in hepatopancreas and serum were measured,and their correlation with PHB concentration was analyzed. [Result] The RPS in PHB treated shrimps increased initially and decreased subsequently with increasing PHB concentration. RPS of Group E1.0 was the highest, showing significant difference from that of other groups（ P 〈0.05）.With the increase in PHB concentration, the activity of immunity related enzymes changed in a similar pattern with RPS： increasing at first and decreasing subsequently. In addition, the activity of the enzymes was elevated in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of PHB administration. Among them, T-AOC in serum of groups E1.0 and E2.5, T-AOC in hepatopancreas of Group E1.0, ACP activity in serum of groups E1.0 and E2.5, ACP activity in hepatopancreas of Group E1.0, CAT activity in groups E0.5, E1.0 and E2.5, CAT activity in hepatopancreas of groups E0.5, E1.0 and E10.0, POD activity in both serum and hepatopancreas of groups E0.5, E1.0 and E2.5, SOD activity in both serum and hepatopancreas of Group E1.0, MDA content in serum of Group E1.0 and MDA content in hepatopancreas of groups E0.5 and E1.0 showed significant difference from those of other groups（P〈0.05）. [Conclusion] PHB can improve the immunity of F. chinensis, 1.0% in feed has the best effect, and the total enzyme activity reaches the highest level in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of PHB administration.

Production of Poly-b-hydroxybutyrate by Activated Sludge in Sequencing Batch Reactor under Aerobic Conditions

In order to improve poly-β-hydroxybutyrate（PHB） production in activated sludge, the anaerobic/aerobic alternative operating sequencing batch reactor（SBR） process was applied in this paper to accumulate PHB. Effects of nutritional conditions and carbon concentration on PHB accumulation were studied. Results indicated that PHB accumulation reached the highest level and accounted for 11.2 % under anaerobic condition for phosphate limitation and 20.84 % under aerobic condition for nitrogen and phosphate limitation of mixed liquor suspended solid（MLSS）, respectively. In addition, 4 g/L was proved to be the optimum carbon concentration in both anaerobic and aerobic experiments, and the PHB accumulation reached 17.1 %（anaerobic, phosphorus limitation） and 60.4 %（aerobic, nitrogen and phosphorus limitation） of MLSS, respectively. PHB could be successfully extracted with sodium hypochlorite and chloroform method from the activated sludge. In addition, the infrared spectrum showed that the PHB sample extracted was of high purity.

D-β-hydroxybutyrate inhibits microglial activation in a cell activation model in vitro

Microglial activation plays an important role in a panel of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis(MS) and Parkinson's disease(PD),and is a key target for developing therapeutic strategies for these diseases.Ketogenic diet (KD),which is able to inhibit microglial activation in substantia nigra pars compacta of mice,has been shown effective in a mouse model of PD,possibly through increasing D-β-hydroxybutyrate(D-β-HB),a major component of ketone bodies.To verify this,we developed an in vitro model of microglia activation with a microglia line,BV-2,and investigated how D-β-HB have an effect on the LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells.We found D-β-HB is able to recover the cell viability,and inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines such as ROS,nitrite,IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6,which otherwise were increased in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells.We conclude that the LPS induced BV-2 cells activation is a valid in vitro model of microglia activation.D-β-HB is able to suppress the activation of BV-2 cells, which might account for one of the possible reasons of KD therapy on the PD model.