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Microfluidic Production of Lysolipid-Containing Temperature-Sensitive Liposomes
Published on: March 3, 2020
Cloud-point temperature and liquid-liquid phase separation of supersaturated lysozyme solution
Jie Lu1, Keith Carpenter, Rui-Jiang Li
1Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, Ayer Rajah Crescent 28, #02-08, Singapore 139959, Singapore. lujie@ices.a-star.edu.sg
Abstract:
The detailed understanding of the structure of biological macromolecules reveals their functions, and is thus important in the design of new medicines and for engineering molecules with improved properties for industrial applications. Although techniques used for protein crystallization have been progressing greatly, protein crystallization may still be considered an art rather than a science, and successful crystallization remains largely empirical and operator-dependent. In this work, a microcalorimetric technique has been utilized to investigate liquid-liquid phase separation through measuring cloud-point temperature T(cloud) for supersaturated lysozyme solution. The effects of ionic strength and glycerol on the cloud-point temperature are studied in detail. Over the entire range of salt concentrations studied, the cloud-point temperature increases monotonically with the concentration of sodium chloride. When glycerol is added as additive, the solubility of lysozyme is increased, whereas the cloud-point temperature is decreased.
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The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
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