Molecular modeling of ionic aggregates at several concentrations of SDS in aqueous solution

Unveiling the Molecular Dynamics, Anticancer Activity, and Stability of Spearmint Oil Nanoemulsions with Triglycerides

Although spearmint oil (SMO) has various pharmacological properties, especially for cancer treatment, its low water solubility results in poor bioavailability. This limits its application as a medicine. One possible solution is to the use of SMO in the form of nanoemulsion, which has already been shown to have anticancer effects. However, the mechanism of SMO nanoemulsion formation remains unclear. The objective of this study was to use molecular dynamics (MD) for clarifying the formation of SMO nanoemulsion with triglycerides (trilaurin, tripalmitin, and triolein) and Cremophor RH40 (PCO40). Nanoemulsions with different SMO:triglyceride ratios and triglyceride types were prepared and analyzed for anticancer activity, droplet size, droplet morphology, and stability. Despite switching the type of carrier oil, SMO nanoemulsions retained strong anticancer effects. A ratio of 80SMO:20triglycerides produced the smallest droplets (<100 nm) and exhibited excellent physical stability after a temperature cycling test. MD simulations showed that polyoxyethylenes of PCO40 are located at the water interface, stabilizing the emulsion structure in an egglike layer. Droplet size correlated with triglyceride concentration, which was consistent with the experimental findings. Decreasing triglyceride content, except for the 90SMO:10triglyceride ratio, led to a decrease in droplet sizes. Hydrogen bond analysis identified interactions between triglyceride-PCO40 and carvone-PCO40. Geometry analysis showed PCO40 had an "L-like" shape, which maximizes the hydrophilic interfaces. These findings highlight the value of MD simulations in understanding the formation mechanism of SMO and triglyceride nanoemulsions. In addition, it might also be beneficial to use MD simulations before the experiment to select the potential composition for nanoemulsions, especially essential oil nanoemulsions.

Properties of aqueous 1,4-dioxane solution via molecular dynamics

Polyethers are promising compounds for the creation of electrochemical energy storage systems. The molecular dynamics method can facilitate the search of compounds that have the most potential. However, the application of this method requires verification of the force fields. We perform molecular dynamics calculations of the physical properties of the aqueous 1,4-dioxane solution (density, enthalpy of mixing, and viscosity) and compare them to the available experimental data. In addition, we confirm the idea that the solution structure depends on the dioxane molar fraction, proposed in the experiment of Takamuku et al. [J. Mol. Liq. 83(1-3), 163-177 (1999)]. The hydrogen bonds between dioxane and water are analyzed. The correlation between the excess viscosity and enthalpy of mixing is demonstrated.

Reduction of Au3+ to distinctive Au-based materials by amphiphilic sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate

Au³⁺ is reduced by amphiphilic sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate to produce distinctive Au-based materials including size-controllable AuNPs, AuNCs and AuNPs/graphene composite.

The effect of a finite number of monomers available for aggregation at nucleation and micellization in a fixed volume

The expressions for the minimal work of aggregate formation as a function of the aggregation number and monomer concentration for a system with a limited number of monomers and a fixed volume have additional terms in comparison with a bulk metastable phase. The role of these terms has been analyzed in the case of droplet homogeneous nucleation and micellization in a nonionic surfactant solution. The appearance of the potential well and direct and reversal aggregation barriers in such systems and their dependence on the system parameters and monomer concentration have been considered and compared.