title: Synthesis of fluorosurfactants for emulsion-based biological applications.
abstract: Microemulsion represents an attractive platform for fundamental and applied biomedical research because the emulsified droplets can serve as millions of compartmentalized micrometer-sized reactors amenable to high-throughput screening or online monitoring. However, establishing stable emulsions with surfactants that are compatible with biological applications remains a significant challenge. Motivated by the lack of commercially available surfactants suitable for microemulsion-based biological assays, this study describes the facile synthesis of a biocompatible fluorosurfactant with nonionic tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl (Tris) polar head groups. We have further demonstrated compatibility of the developed surfactant with diverse emulsion-based applications, including DNA polymeric nanoparticle synthesis, enzymatic activity assay, and bacterial or mammalian cell culture, in the setup of both double- and multiphases of emulsions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University , North Carolina 27708, United States.
authors.forename: Ya-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Hon Fai
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Kyle K L
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Phua
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Sissel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Juul
authors.forename: Birgitta R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.forename: Yi-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Kam W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Leong
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D060326:Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D004655:Emulsions; D057075:Enzyme Assays; D004987:Ethers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D054879:Halogenation; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004655:Emulsions; D004987:Ethers; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C078113:perfluoropolyether; D004247:DNA; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I