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7th International conference “NANOBIOPHYSICS: Fundamental and Applied Aspects” (NBP-2021) took place on October 4-8, 2021 at B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Ukraine). Previous six conferences, starting from 2009, were organized due to joint efforts of B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of the NAS of Ukraine and Institute of Physics of the NAS of Ukraine on biennial basis in Kharkiv and Kyiv alternatively. Among 80 registered participants from 16 countries about 40 scientists have presented their lectures and posters offline and other participants were joining the sessions online. 16 keynote lectures and 18 oral presentations were made and 51 posters were discussed offline and online. The goal of the conference was achieved: urgent problems, advances and perspectives of the topical scientific direction of nanobiophysics which embraces achievements of modern molecular biophysics and nanotechnology were discussed. The subjects of physical aspects of biomolecular nanosystems, properties of biomolecules on nanoparticles and nanostructured surfaces, nanobiohybrids formation by 1-D or 2-D nanomaterials with bioobjects, theoretical calculations and computer modeling of nanobiosystems, and applied aspects of nanobiophysics were highlighted at the related sessions. Several additional accompanying events were organized in the framework of the conference, including a Round Table “How biophysics and nanosciences meet modern challenges: the case of COVID-19”, a special session of the Ukrainian Biophysical Society, and SPIE (The International Society of Optics and Photonics) and OSA (The Optical Society) Workshop “Career development opportunities for young scientist and students”. Book of abstract based on NBP-2021 materials was published.

6th International conference “NANOBIOPHYSICS: Fundamental and Applied Aspects” (NBP-2019) took place on October 1-4, 2019 at the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine). Previous five conferences, starting from 2009, were organized due to joint efforts of B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of the NAS of Ukraine and Institute of Physics of the NAS of Ukraine on biennial basis in Kyiv and Kharkiv alternatively.63 leading scientists from 14 countries took part in the conference, Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Poland, Check Republics, Canada, Denmark, USA and ARE were represented. 36 scientific lectures, including 17 invited, and 27 poster presentations were made. The goal of the conference was in exchange of information concerning recent achievements in the field of nanobiophysics, aimed at the inspiration of further advancement of basic investigations as well as innovations in the related areas of nanotechnology. Friendly format of the scientific meeting provided the exchange of ideas in such urgent topics as physical properties of biomolecular nanosystems, interactions of biomolecules with nanoparticles and nanostructured surfaces, enhancement of optical processes in biomolecules by nanostructured metal surfaces, formation of nanohybrids of biomolecules with carbon nanostructures, theory and computer modeling of nanoscopic biological systems, applications of bionanomaterials and bionanocomposites. In the framework of the conference special sessions for communications between the participants of the current international projects HORIZON 2020 and NATO Workshop were organized. Book of abstract based on NBP-2019 materials was published.

Background: While antiviral and interferon-inducing agent tilorone is used as a reactant of a number of popular pharmacological preparations, the molecular mechanisms of its biological antiviral activity are under discussions among the specialists. That is why the molecular level model studies of interactions of tilorone with targeting biomolecules and their components are considered to be urgent and useful for understanding the molecular mechanisms of the agent biological activity. Objectives: The current model study is devoted to mechanistic examining of the intermolecular interactions of tilorone with its possible biomolecular targets which are believed to be nucleic acids and such their components as nucleosides containing purine or pyrimidine nitrogen bases. Materials and methods: The objects of the study are model systems composed of tilorone dihydrochloride (Til•2HCl) and its potential targeting biomolecules: single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) obtained from Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast or nucleosides - adenosine (Ado), thymidine (Thd), or uridine (Urd). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements aimed at observation of drug-biomolecules aggregation is applied to the system (tilorone+ssRNA) (1:10 molar ratio) in RNA-free phosphate buffered saline solution (with 10% fetal bovine serum). Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry is used to examine the intermolecular interactions in the binary (tilorone + nucleoside) (Ado, or Thd, or Urd in 1:10 molar ratio) and triple (tilorone + Ado + Urd) (1:10:10 molar ratio) systems dissolved in polar solvent methanol. Results: The obtained DSL data demonstrate that under conditions similar to the physiological ones, introduction of tilorone into the ssRNA solution results in formation of tilorone+ssRNA aggregates which more than 10 times exceed in size the particles observed in the ssRNA solution itself. The ESI mass spectrometry experiments reveal that while the mass spectra of all studied (tilorone + nucleoside) model systems contain ions characteristic of the individual components of the mixtures, in the spectra of (tilorone + Urd) system the ions of stable ion-molecular clusters of uridine with tilorone dication Urd•Til•2H2+ are recorded. The examining of the three-component model system (tilorone + Ado + Urd) testifies to the selectivity of tilorone binding: while the peak of noncovalent complex of Urd•Til•2H2+ is detected, any peaks of the complexes of Ado with tilorone are not found in the mass spectrum. Conclusions: Formation of large-scale molecular aggregates of tilorone with ssRNA in the solutions which are similar to the physiological solution in physical and chemical characteristics is revealed in the performed DLS investigation. Creation of stable Urd•Til•2H2+ noncovalent complexes in (tilorone + nucleoside) model systems was demonstrated by ESI mass spectrometry, while the complexes of tilorone with Ado and Thd are not detected in the experiments. It testifies to the possibility of formation of stable noncovalent complexes of tilorone with ssRNA and their components in biological systems, and pointed at Urd as one of the potential centers of specific binding of RNA molecules with tilorone.

Synthesized polyurethane with isocyanurate fragments (PU) based on polyoxypropylene glycol (POPG 1000), TDI (2,4; 2,6: toluene diisocyanate) and 2,4,6-triisocyanate (trishexamethylene) socyanurate (ICC, Tolonate ™ HDT-LV, MM 1200) with a ratio of NCO: OH = 1: 1 in N,N'-dimethylacetamide (DMAA). The tensile strength (σ) of the synthesized PU was 2.6 ± 0.2 MPa; elongation at break (ε) - 58.0 ± 5.5%. The immobilization of Ifosfamide (IFO) on isocyanurate-containing polyurethane was carried out by introducing a solution of IFO in DMAA into the reaction mixture at the rate of 1 mg of IFO per 1 cm2 of PU fi lm. The synthesized polymer (PU+IFO) is characterized by σ = (3.4 ± 0.3) MPa; ε = (53.0 ± 6.6)%. It was found that the modification of PU synthesized at a molar ratio of POPG: ICC = 3: 2, Iphosphamide does not lead to significant changes in physical and mechanical properties. According to IR spectroscopy, an IFO is immobilized on a polymer matrix due to intermolecular hydrogen interactions. The biodegradability of isocyanurate-containing polyurethane compositions with IFO was studied by changing the structure and properties under the influence of biological medium 199 (BM 199) for 1 and 6 months. It was found that during incubation in BM 199, samples of PU and PU+IFO are not subject to signifi cant structural changes. The biodegradation of PU+IFO samples aft er 6 months of incubation is accompanied by a slight increase in the microsegregation of fl exible (polyester) and rigid (urethane, isocyanurate) blocks, which leads to an increase in the mobility of the fl exible block, respectively, to an increase in the number of hydrogen bonds and, as a result, to an increase in the glass transition temperature. A study of tissue cytotoxicity of isocyanurate-containing polyurethanes with Iphosphamide by tissue culture allows us to conclude that there is no histotoxic eff ect of IFO in the composition of PU on the growth and development of tissue culture. According to the express toxicology assessment method, composite materials with ifosfamide are biocompatible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyurethanes on the basis of copper bishydroxypentylphthalate, 1,5-pentadiol and their equimolecular mixture used as extender of diisocyanate precursor have been synthesized. Polyurethane with equimolecular mixture of extenders was shown to possess the increased strength properties. The influence of copper bis(hydroxypentylphthalate) on the intermolecular interactions, strength and physical properties of polyurethane films has been studied. Model study of the influence of metabolites of mould fungi indicates their structuring effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]