Hypergravity as a crystallization tool.
The centrifugal increase of concentration is nondestructive, rapid, and simple technology. Therefore it is used to create a higher supersaturation that is required for crystal nucleation, as the one that is appropriate for the subsequent growth. Crystal nucleation is evoked in glass capillary tubes filled with protein solutions. The couple ferritin/ apoferritin is used as model proteins in the present article. Although differing in their masses the two (quasi) spherical molecules have exactly the same size and surface properties. Together with the temperature-independent solubility this makes them very convenient for our investigations. Decoupling nucleation and growth, for example, by means of hypergravity makes it possible to grow quasi-equidimensional crystals. The use of monodisperse crystalline forms of therapeutic agents can ensure constant time-release of protein-based medications.
Nanev
Christo N
CN
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria. nanev@ipchp.ipc.bas.bg
Dimitrov
I
I
Hodjaoglu
F
F
D000818:Animals; D001052:Apoferritins / Q000737:chemistry; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D005293:Ferritins / Q000737:chemistry; D005898:Glass; D006736:Horses; D018471:Hypergravity; D008433:Mathematics; D008121:Nephropidae; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012996:Solutions; C018494:crustacyanins; D005293:Ferritins; D001052:Apoferritins