Casein is the collective name for a family of milk proteins. In bovine milk, casein comprises four peptides: αS1, αS2, β, and κ, differing in their amino acid, phosphorus and carbohydrate content but similar in their amphiphilic character. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions of casein show block distribution in the protein chain. Casein peptides carry negative charge on their surface as a result of phosphorylation and tend to bind nanoclusters of amorphous calcium phosphate. Due to these properties, in suitable conditions, casein molecules agglomerate into spherical micelles. The high content of casein in milk (2.75 %) has made it one of the most popular proteins. Novel research techniques have improved understanding of its properties, opening up new applications. However, casein is not just a dietary protein. Its properties promise new and unexpected applications in science and the pharmaceutical and functional food industries. One example is an encapsulation of health-related substances in casein matrices. This review discusses gelation, coacervation, self-assembly and reassembly of casein peptides as means of encapsulation. We highlight information on encapsulation of health-related substances such as drugs and dietary supplements inside casein micro- and nanoparticles.

In furtherance of our SAR study on the chemistry and antitumor activity of fused nitrogen heteroaromatic compounds, a series of linear, methyl-substituted derivatives of 5H- and 6H-indolo[2,3-b]quinolines were synthesized according to the modified Graebe-Ullmann reaction. To establish the relationship between the physicochemical and biological activities of indolo[2,3-b]quinolines, their lipophilic properties, cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity, and ability to induce topoisomerase II dependent pSP65 DNA cleavage in vitro were investigated. We found that the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of indolo[2,3-b]quinolines was strongly influenced by the position, and the number of methyl substituents and the presence of methyl group at pyridine nitrogen was essential for the cytotoxicity of these compounds. All indolo[2,3-b]quinolines belonging to the 5H series, i.e., bearing a methyl group on the pyridine nitrogen, showed significant activity against procaryotic and eucaryotic organisms. They inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria and pathogenic fungi at MIC range 3 x 10(-2) to 2.5 x 10(-1) mumol/mL, displayed cytotoxicity against KB cells ID50 in the range 2 x 10(-3) to 9 x 10(-3) mumol/mL, and stimulated the formation of calf thymus topoisomerase II mediated DNA cleavage at concentration between 0.4 and 10 microM. None of the indolo[2,3-b]quinolines belonging to the 6H series, i.e., lacking a methyl group on the pyridine nitrogen, was active in analogous tests. Of the investigated compounds, the most active was 2,5,9,11-tetramethyl-5H-indolo[2,3-b]quinoline, a compound bearing the highest number of symmetrically distributed methyl groups. The interaction of indolo[2,3-b]quinolines with DNA was studied by measuring the increase of calf thymus DNA denaturating temperature (Tm). The delta Tm values for the 5H series were found to be about 10 times as high as those for the 6H compounds. Indolo[2,3-b]quinolines with the highest number of methyl groups had the greatest contribution to the increase in the Tm of calf thymus DNA. The values of delta Tm reached 19 degrees C and 1.6 degrees C for the most substituted compounds of both series.

Boron clusters are polyhedral boron hydrides with unique properties, and they are becoming increasingly widely used in biology and medicine, including for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of cancers and in the design of novel bioactive molecules and potential drugs. Among boron cluster types, icosahedral boranes, carboranes, and metallacarboranes are particularly interesting, and there is a need for basic studies on their interaction with biologically important molecules, such as proteins. Herein, we report studies on the interaction of selected boron clusters and their derivatives with serum albumin, the most abundant protein in mammalian blood. The interaction of boron clusters with albumin was examined by fluorescence quenching, circular dichroism, dynamic and static light scattering measurements and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Our results showed that metallacarboranes have the strongest interaction with albumin among the tested clusters. The observed strength of boron cluster interactions with albumin decreases in order: metallacarboranes [M(C2B9H11)2]− > carboranes (C2B10H12) >> dodecaborate anion [B12H12]2−. Metallacarboranes first specifically interact with the binding cavity of albumin and then, with increasing compound concentrations, interact non-specifically with the protein surface. These findings can be of importance and are useful in the development of new bioactive compounds that contain boron clusters.