Liquid crystals with reduced toxicity and applications thereof

• US 7,303,694 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin System)
• Original Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin System)
• Inventors: Abbott, Nicholas L., Jang, Chang-Hyun, Murphy, Christopher John, Campbell, Sean Francis, Cheng, Li-Lin, Luk, Yan-Yeung
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, SHEAN CHIU
• Application Number:
  US10/892,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20050079487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 252/299.01, 252/299.63, 252/299.5
• US Class Current: 252/299.01
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 311/24 with carbon atoms having three bonds to hetero atoms with at the most one bond to halogen, e.g. ester or nitrile radicals, directly attached in position 2
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/3003 Compounds containing at least two rings in which the different rings are directly linked (covalent bond)
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/42 Mixtures of liquid crystal compounds covered by two or more of the preceding groups C09K19/06 - C09K19/40
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2019/0407 containing a carbocyclic ring, e.g. dicyano-benzene, chlorofluoro-benzene or cyclohexanone
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2019/301 Cy-Cy-Ph

Abstract

Liquid crystal compositions that exhibit little or no toxicity with respect to cells include liquid crystals with chemical functional groups such as fluorine atoms, fluorophenyl groups, or difluorophenyl groups. Liquid crystals with little or no toxicity to cell lines may be added to cell culture media or added to components used in cell culture media. Cells may be grown in cell culture media that includes liquid crystals that exhibit little or no toxicity to cells.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal composition, comprising:

at least one cell culture medium component selected from a vitamin, an amino acid, a growth factor, or combinations of these, and

at least two different liquid crystal compounds, wherein the first liquid crystal and the second liquid crystal both comprise at least one fluorine group, and at least one of the first liquid crystal and the second liquid crystal comprises a fluorinated phenyl group.

2. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein the fluorinated phenyl group is a difluorinated phenyl group.

3. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first liquid crystal or the second liquid crystal is a compound of the following formula wherein Z is a methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, undecyl, dodecyl, tridecyl, tetradecyl, pentadecyl, or hexadecyl group

4. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein both the first liquid crystal and the second liquid crystal are compounds of the following formula, wherein Z is a propyl group in the first liquid crystal and Z is a pentyl group in the second liquid crystal

5. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein the first liquid crystal is 4′

-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-4-propylbicyclohexyl and the second liquid crystal is 4′

-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-4-pentylbicyclohexyl and the molar ratio of the first liquid crystal to the second liquid crystal ranges from 10;

90 to 90;

10.

6. The liquid crystal composition of claim 5, wherein the molar ratio of the first liquid crystal to the second liquid crystal ranges from 45:

55 to 55;

45.

7. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one cell culture medium component further comprises at least one vitamin and at least one amino acid.

8. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, further comprising a cell.

9. The liquid crystal composition of claim 8, wherein the cell is a stem cell, a 3T3 fibroblast, or a SV-40 transformed human corneal epithelial cell.

10. The liquid crystal composition of claim 8, wherein the cell is eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell.

11. The liquid crystal composition of claim 9, wherein the cell is selected from a vertebrate cell, or an invertebrate cell.

12. The liquid crystal composition of claim 11, wherein the vertebrate cell is selected from a fish cell, an amphibian cell, a reptile cell, a bird cell, or a mammal cell, and the invertebrate cell is selected from an annelid cell, a mollusk cell, or an insect cell.

13. The liquid crystal composition of claim 8, wherein the cell is a human cell.

14. The liquid crystal composition of claim 8, wherein the cell is a mouse, rat, hamster, guinea pig, monkey, ape, cat, dog, horse, pig, cow, plant, bacteria, or mycoplasmal cell.

15. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein the amino acid is selected from the group consisting of L-alanine, L-arginine, L-asparagine, L-aspartic acid, L-cystine, L-glutamic acid, L-glutamine, glycine, L-histidine, hydroxy-L-proline, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-lysine, L-methionine, L-ornithine, L-phenylalanine, L-proline, L-serine, L-taurine, L-threonine, L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, L-valine, salts, and combinations thereof.

16. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein the vitamin is selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, D-biotin, choline, choline chloride, choline bitartrate, folic acid, myo-inositol, inositol, niacin, niacinamide, nicotinamide, p-aminobenzoic acid, D-pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, pyridoxal, riboflavin, DL-thioctic acid, thiamine, vitamin B12, vitamin A alcohol, vitamin D-2, vitamin E, menadione, nicotinic acid, alpha-tocopherol, salts, and combinations thereof.

17. The liquid crystal composition of claim 1, wherein the growth factor is selected from the group consisting of epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, nerve growth factor, keratinocyte growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, insulin-like growth factor 2, transforming growth factor-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta, endothelial cell growth factor, erythropoietin, interleukin 1 a, interleukin 1b, interleukin 2, interleukin 3, interleukin 4, interleukin 5, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor.