Preface

Chapter 8 **Improving Tribological Behavior of Porous Anodic Film by Electrophoretic Impregnation by a Tio2 Synthesized**

Koubaa Anouar and Bargui Mansour

**Nanoparticle 125**

**VI** Contents

Electrophoresis is a widely used method in the field of life sciences, having multiple practi‐ cal applications both in physical, chemical, biochemical, and molecular biology research and in industrial production.

Electrophoresis is defined as a physicochemical technique by which charged particles migrate and separate on a certain physical support under the influence of an electric field. An electro‐ phoresis system is composed of two electrodes with the opposite chargecathode and anode connected through a medium called electrolyte. The mobility of an ionic particle is deter‐ mined by its shape, size, electrical charge, and chemical-physical factors of electrophoresis temperature, electrical parameters, pH, viscosity, or pore size of the electrophoretic support.

Although the electrokinetic phenomenon was observed for the first time in the early 1800s, the method was developed in the 1930s, and since then, separation processes and chemical analy‐ sis techniques based on electrophoresis have continued to be developed, providing relevant data in the process of discovery of new non-bio-materials and research of biomolecules and their involvement in various biochemical processes that are studied, as well as to the clinical constant parameters already chosen as indicators of the health state of an organism.

This book contains 8 chapters describing various applications of this technique in biochemis‐ try, molecular biology, and physical chemistry. The chapters describe the link between the exposed method and its applications in a very explicit manner and offer a wide range of practical examples. At the same time, the book aims to provide a vision of how future meth‐ ods will evolve and their further development and the improvements that are needed to be made to the exposed techniques; therefore, a particular attention has been given to the de‐ scribed techniques as true guidelines in the fields where electrophoresis is recommended to be used, making it useful for not only the researchers but also the laboratory technicians.

#### **Prof. Dr. Eng. Oana-Maria Boldura**

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Department of Chemistry Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine "King Michael I of Romania" Timisoara, Romania

> **Dr. DVM Cornel Baltă** "Vasile Goldis" Western University of Arad Institute of Life Sciences Arad, Romania

**Chapter 1**

**Provisional chapter**

**Spontaneous Unexplained Preterm Labor with Intact**

**Spontaneous Unexplained Preterm Labor with Intact** 

Spontaneous unexplained preterm labor with intact membrane (sPTL-IM) remains as an unresolved challenge in obstetrics due to the complex syndromes involved during preterm birth. Two dimensional-gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) coupled with matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight/time of flight (MALDI TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry has become an alternative in screening for potential novel protein-based biomarkers and revealing the pathophysiology of sPTL-IM. To achieve this objective, protein extracted from fetal and maternal sides of the placenta obtained from sPTL-IM (*n* = 5) and the respective control (*n* = 10) groups were separated and compared using 2D-gel electrophoresis. MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry was utilized to identify the differentially expressed proteins between both groups, and the molecular functions of these proteins were studied. A total of 12 proteins were significantly differentiated in sPTL-IM over the control. Differentially expressed proteins were identified to have involved in structural/cytoskeletal components, immune responses, fetal and placenta development, and anticoagulation cascade. More proteins were found to be differentially expressed in the fetal side compared to the maternal side of the placenta. This postulates that the influence of sPTL-IM from fetus is greater than that of the mother. Ultimately, these results might lead to further investigations in elucidating the potential of these

> © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution,

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

**Keywords:** comparative placenta proteomics, 2D-gel electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF/TOF,

placenta tissues, proteomics, spontaneous unexplained preterm labor

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74925

**Membrane: Finding Protein Biomarkers through**

**Membrane: Finding Protein Biomarkers through** 

**Placenta Proteome**

**Placenta Proteome**

Norhafizah Mohtarrudin and

Niu J. Tan, Leona D.J. Daim,

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74925

Karuppiah Thilakavathy

Karuppiah Thilakavathy

**Abstract**

Niu J. Tan, Leona D.J. Daim, Amilia A.M. Jamil,

Amilia A.M. Jamil, Norhafizah Mohtarrudin and

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

proteins as biomarkers and/or drug targets.

#### **Spontaneous Unexplained Preterm Labor with Intact Membrane: Finding Protein Biomarkers through Placenta Proteome Spontaneous Unexplained Preterm Labor with Intact Membrane: Finding Protein Biomarkers through Placenta Proteome**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74925

Niu J. Tan, Leona D.J. Daim, Amilia A.M. Jamil, Norhafizah Mohtarrudin and Karuppiah Thilakavathy Niu J. Tan, Leona D.J. Daim, Amilia A.M. Jamil, Norhafizah Mohtarrudin and Karuppiah Thilakavathy

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74925

#### **Abstract**

Spontaneous unexplained preterm labor with intact membrane (sPTL-IM) remains as an unresolved challenge in obstetrics due to the complex syndromes involved during preterm birth. Two dimensional-gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) coupled with matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight/time of flight (MALDI TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry has become an alternative in screening for potential novel protein-based biomarkers and revealing the pathophysiology of sPTL-IM. To achieve this objective, protein extracted from fetal and maternal sides of the placenta obtained from sPTL-IM (*n* = 5) and the respective control (*n* = 10) groups were separated and compared using 2D-gel electrophoresis. MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry was utilized to identify the differentially expressed proteins between both groups, and the molecular functions of these proteins were studied. A total of 12 proteins were significantly differentiated in sPTL-IM over the control. Differentially expressed proteins were identified to have involved in structural/cytoskeletal components, immune responses, fetal and placenta development, and anticoagulation cascade. More proteins were found to be differentially expressed in the fetal side compared to the maternal side of the placenta. This postulates that the influence of sPTL-IM from fetus is greater than that of the mother. Ultimately, these results might lead to further investigations in elucidating the potential of these proteins as biomarkers and/or drug targets.

**Keywords:** comparative placenta proteomics, 2D-gel electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF/TOF, placenta tissues, proteomics, spontaneous unexplained preterm labor

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
