Fucoidans, sulfated polysaccharides found in cell walls of brown algae, are considered as a promising antimicrobial component for various applications in medicine and the food industry. In this study, we compare the antibacterial properties of two fractions of fucoidan from the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus gathered in the littoral of the Barents Sea and sampled at different stages of purification. The crude fraction of fucoidan was isolated from algae by extraction with aqueous ethanol and sonication. The purified fraction was obtained by additional treatment of the crude fraction with a solution of calcium chloride. The structural features of both fractions were characterized in detail and their antibacterial effects against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were compared by photometry, acridine orange staining assay, and atomic force microscopy. Fucoidan inhibited growth in all of the above microorganisms, showing a bacteriostatic effect with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in the range between 4 and 6 mg/mL, with E. coli being the most sensitive to both fractions. Changes in the chemical composition after treatment of the crude fraction with a solution of calcium chloride led to a decrease in the content of sulfates and uronic acids and diminished antibacterial activity.

Arrangement of chromatin in intact chicken erythrocyte nuclei was investigated by small angle neutron scattering. The scattering spectra have revealed that on the scales between 15 nm and 1.5 μm the ...

The chromatin organization in chicken erythrocyte nuclei was studied by small-angle neutron scattering in the scattering-vector range from 1.5 × 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁴ Å⁻¹ with the use of the contrast-variation technique. This scattering-vector range corresponds to linear dimensions from 4 nm to 6 μm and covers the whole hierarchy of chromatin structures, from the nucleosomal structure to the entire nucleus. The results of the present study allowed the following conclusions to be drawn: (1) both the chromatin-protein structure and the structure of the nucleic acid component in chicken erythrocyte nuclei have mass-fractal properties, (2) the structure of the protein component of chromatin exhibits a fractal behavior on scales extending over two orders of magnitude, from the nucleosomal size to the size of an entire nucleus, and (3) the structure of the nucleic acid component of chromatin in chicken erythrocyte nuclei is likewise of a fractal nature and has two levels of organization or two phases with the crossover point at about 300–400 nm.

1. The effects of hypoosmotic stress on cell volume and amino acid efflux were evaluated in the human neuroblastoma cell line CHP-100 with the Coulter Counter Multisizer and radiolabeled amino acid efflux, respectively. 2. CHP-100 cells swelled by approximately 35 +/- 5% (means +/- SE) when the osmolarity of the solution was decreased from 290 to 190 mOsm/kg H2O. The rapid swelling was followed by a biphasic regulatory volume decrease (RVD). 3. In cells loaded with 14C-taurine, hypoosmotic stress induced a 300 +/- 22% (n = 23, P < 0.05) increase in taurine efflux compared with controls. This efflux was inhibited by the chloride channel blockers 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB), 4,4'-diisothio-cyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS), niflumic acid and by the volume-activated anion channel blocker tamoxifen. In addition, the swelling-activated taurine efflux was dependent upon extracellular calcium. 4. Similarly, in cells loaded with 14C-glycine, hypoosmotic stress significantly increased glycine efflux, which was also sensitive to NPPB. In contrast, efflux of 3H-glutamate was not significantly altered after hypoosmotic stress. 5. With the use of patch clamp recording techniques, Cl- channels were activated in cell attached patches after exposure to hypoosmotic solutions. 6. In nystatin perforated patches, permeability of the hypoosmotically activated anion channel was observed to be SCN- > I- > Br- > Cl- >> Glutamate. 7. It is concluded that in CHP-100 cells, anion channels are activated during hypoosmotic stress and these channels represent a pathway for efflux of amino acids.