Sugar alcohol-modified polyester nanoparticles for gene delivery via selective caveolae-mediated endocytosis.

Nucleic acid-based drugs are changing the scope of emerging medicine in preventing and treating diseases. Nanoparticle systems based on lipids and polymers developed to navigate tissue-level and cellular-level barriers are now emerging as vector systems that can be translated to clinical settings. A class of polymers, poly(ß-amino esters) (PBAEs) known for their chemical flexibility and biodegradability, has been explored for gene delivery. These polymers are sensitive to changes in the monomer composition affecting transfection efficiency. Hence to add functionality to these polymers, we partially substituted ligands to an identified effective polymer chemistry. We report here a new series of statistical copolymers based on PBAEs where the backbone is modified with sugar alcohols to selectively facilitate the caveolae-mediated endocytosis pathway of cellular transport. These ligands are grafted at the polymer's backbone, thereby establishing a new strategy of modification in PBAEs. We demonstrate that these polymers form nanoparticles with DNA, show effective complexation and cargo release, enter the cell via selective caveolae-mediated endocytosis, exhibit low cytotoxicity, and increase transfection in neuronal cells.

A Combination of Synthetic Molecules Acts as Antifreeze for the Protection of Skin against Cold-Induced Injuries.

Seasonal and occupational exposure of the human body to extreme cold temperatures can result in cell death in the exposed area due to the formation of ice crystals. This leads to superficial or deep burn injury and compromised functionality. Currently available therapeutics can be ineffective in extreme cases, and thus, it is necessary to develop prophylactic strategies. In this study, we have devised a combination of known synthetic cryopreservative agents (termed SynAFP) and evaluated their potential antifreeze applications on skin. The prophylactic activity of SynAFP in vitro is indicated by improved cellular revival and cell viability, retention of the cytoskeleton, and normal cell cycle progression even after cold stress. A comprehensive whole-cell proteomic approach revealed that in the presence of SynAFP, cold-induced downregulation of proteins involved in cell-cell adhesion and upregulation of those related to mitochondrial stress were ameliorated. Pre-application of SynAFP in mice facing a frostbite challenge prevents their skin from incurring significant injury as confirmed through macroscopic and histological examination. Moreover, multiple applications of SynAFP on mouse skin at room temperature did not compromise skin integrity. SynAFP was also formulated in anAloe vera-based cream (referred to as fSynAFP), which offered similar protection under cold stress conditions. Thus, SynAFP can be considered as a potential candidate for formulating a topical intervention for protection from cold-induced injuries to skin.

Role of processing parameters in CVD grown crystalline monolayer MoSe2.

The quality of as-synthesized monolayers plays a significant role in atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) to determine the electronic and optical properties. For designing optoelectronic devices, exploring the effect of processing parameters on optical properties is a prerequisite. In this view, we present the influence of processing parameters on the lattice and quasiparticle dynamics of monolayer MoSe2. The lab-built chemical vapour deposition (CVD) setup is used to synthesize monolayer MoSe2 flakes with varying shapes, including sharp triangle (ST), truncated triangle (TT), hexagon, and rough edge circle (REC). In particular, the features of as-synthesized monolayer MoSe2 flakes are examined using Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Raman spectra reveal that the frequency difference between the A1g and E1 2g peaks is >45 cm-1 in all the monolayer samples. PL spectroscopy also shows that the synthesized MoSe2 flakes are monolayer in nature with a direct band gap in the range of 1.50-1.58 eV. Furthermore, the variation in the direct band gap is analyzed using the spectral weight of quasiparticles in PL emission, where the intensity ratio {I(A0)/I(A-)} and trion binding energy are found to be ∼1.1-5.0 and ∼23.1-47.5 meV in different monolayer MoSe2 samples. Hence, these observations manifest that the processing parameters make a substantial contribution in tuning the vibrational and excitonic properties.

Topical Application of Peptide-Chondroitin Sulfate Nanoparticles Allows Efficient Photoprotection in Skin.

In this article, we describe a method of delivery of chondroitin sulfate to skin as nanoparticles and demonstrate its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant role using UV irradiation as a model condition. These nanoparticles, formed through electrostatic interactions of chondroitin sulfate with a skin-penetrating peptide, were found to be homogenous with positive surface charges and stable at physiological and acidic pH under certain conditions. They were able to enter into the human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT), artificial skin membrane (mimicking the human skin), and mouse skin tissue unlike free chondroitin sulfate. The preapplication of nanoparticles also exhibited reduced levels of oxidative stress, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation, TNF-α, and so on in UV-B-irradiated HaCaT cells. In an acute UV-B irradiation mouse model, their topical application resulted in reduced epidermal thickness and sunburn cells, unlike in the case of free chondroitin sulfate. Thus, a completely noninvasive method was used to deliver a bio-macromolecule into the skin without using injections or abrasive procedures.

High throughput detection and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 using COVIDSeq next-generation sequencing.

The rapid emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic affecting millions of individuals globally has necessitated sensitive and high-throughput approaches for the diagnosis, surveillance, and determining the genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we used the COVIDSeq protocol, which involves multiplex-PCR, barcoding, and sequencing of samples for high-throughput detection and deciphering the genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. We used the approach on 752 clinical samples in duplicates, amounting to a total of 1536 samples which could be sequenced on a single S4 sequencing flow cell on NovaSeq 6000. Our analysis suggests a high concordance between technical duplicates and a high concordance of detection of SARS-CoV-2 between the COVIDSeq as well as RT-PCR approaches. An in-depth analysis revealed a total of six samples in which COVIDSeq detected SARS-CoV-2 in high confidence which were negative in RT-PCR. Additionally, the assay could detect SARS-CoV-2 in 21 samples and 16 samples which were classified inconclusive and pan-sarbeco positive respectively suggesting that COVIDSeq could be used as a confirmatory test. The sequencing approach also enabled insights into the evolution and genetic epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 samples. The samples were classified into a total of 3 clades. This study reports two lineages B.1.112 and B.1.99 for the first time in India. This study also revealed 1,143 unique single nucleotide variants and added a total of 73 novel variants identified for the first time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the COVIDSeq approach for detection and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. Our analysis suggests that COVIDSeq could be a potential high sensitivity assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, with an additional advantage of enabling the genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2.