Preliminary Study of MR and Fluorescence Dual-mode Imaging: Combined Macrophage-Targeted and Superparamagnetic Polymeric Micelles.

Purpose: To establish small-sized superparamagnetic polymeric micelles for magnetic resonance and fluorescent dual-modal imaging, we investigated the feasibility of MR imaging (MRI) and macrophage-targeted in vitro. Methods: A new class of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and Nile red-co-loaded mPEG-Lys3-CA4-NR/SPION polymeric micelles was synthesized to label Raw264.7 cells. The physical characteristics of the polymeric micelles were assessed, the T2 relaxation rate was calculated, and the effect of labeling on the cell viability and cytotoxicity was also determined in vitro. In addition, further evaluation of the application potential of the micelles was conducted via in vitro MRI. Results: The diameter of the mPEG-Lys3-CA4-NR/SPION polymeric micelles was 33.8 ± 5.8 nm on average. Compared with the hydrophilic SPIO, mPEG-Lys3-CA4-NR/SPION micelles increased transversely (r2), leading to a notably high r2 from 1.908 µg/mL-1S-1 up to 5.032 µg/mL-1S-1, making the mPEG-Lys3-CA4-NR/SPION micelles a highly sensitive MRI T2 contrast agent, as further demonstrated by in vitro MRI. The results of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) and Prussian blue staining of Raw264.7 after incubation with micelle-containing medium indicated that the cellular uptake efficiency is high. Conclusion: We successfully synthesized dual-modal MR and fluorescence imaging mPEG-Lys3-CA4-NR/SPION polymeric micelles with an ultra-small size and high MRI sensitivity, which were effectively and quickly uptaken into Raw 264.7 cells. mPEG-Lys3-CA4-NR/SPION polymeric micelles might become a new MR lymphography contrast agent, with high effectiveness and high MRI sensitivity.

Detection of Pb²âº at attomole levels by using dynamic light scattering and unmodified gold nanoparticles.

Lead ion (Pb²âº) accumulation in nature can affect the environment and human health severely. Thus, rapid and sensitive detection is of great importance. One-step detection of Pb²âº at attomole levels was realized by using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique coupled with unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Pb²âº-dependent DNAzyme was double-stranded and could not adsorb on the surface of AuNPs, while the substrate strand could be cleaved into ssDNA fragments on addition of Pb²âº. The ssDNA fragments could adsorb on the surface of AuNPs and prevent them from aggregating in the presence of NaCl. Therefore, the disperse state of AuNPs changed on addition of Pb²âº in the presence of DNAzyme and NaCl, which was estimated with an average hydrodynamic diameter by using DLS. Under optimum conditions, the average diameter of the solution decreased linearly with the concentration of Pb²âº over the range from 10 to 300 pM, with a detection limit of 6.2 pM. Moreover, satisfactory results were obtained when the proposed method was applied in the detection of Pb²âº in water samples.

Controllable labelling of stem cells with a novel superparamagnetic iron oxide-loaded cationic nanovesicle for MR imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of highly efficient and controllable stem cell labelling for cellular MRI. METHODS: A new class of cationic, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION)-loaded nanovesicles was synthesised to label rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells without secondary transfection agents. The optimal labelling conditions and controllability were assessed, and the effect of labelling on cell viability, proliferation activity and multilineage differentiation was determined. In 18 rats, focal ischaemic cerebral injury was induced and the rats randomly injected with 1 × 10(6) cells labelled with 0-, 8- or 20-mV nanovesicles (n = 6 each). In vivo MRI was performed to follow grafted cells in contralateral striata, and results were correlated with histology. RESULTS: Optimal cell labelling conditions involved a concentration of 3.15 µg Fe/mL nanovesicles with 20-mV positive charge and 1-h incubation time. Labelling efficiency showed linear change with an increase in the electric potentials of nanovesicles. Labelling did not affect cell viability, proliferation activity or multilineage differentiation capacity. The distribution and migration of labelled cells could be detected by MRI. Histology confirmed that grafted cells retained the label and remained viable. CONCLUSION: Stem cells can be effectively and safely labelled with cationic, SPION-loaded nanovesicles in a controllable way for cellular MRI. KEY POINTS: • Stem cells can be effectively labelled with cationic, SPION-loaded nanovesicles. • Labelling did not affect cell viability, proliferation or differentiation. • Cellular uptake of SPION could be controlled using cationic nanovesicles. • Labelled cells could migrate along the corpus callosum towards cerebral infarction. • The grafted, labelled cells retained the label and remained viable.

Nanodrug regulates lactic acid metabolism to reprogram the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment for enhanced cancer immunotherapy.

A majority of cancers fail to respond to immunotherapy due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), and metabolic regulation of the TME has been a promising strategy to improve immunotherapy. Lactate is a key metabolic player in tumor immune response since its excess secretion aggravates tumor immune escape by favoring the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to an immunosuppressive phenotype meanwhile impeding the tumor infiltration of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte. Here, we proposed a metabolic reprogramming mechanism to ameliorate tumor immunosuppression by using lonidamine and syrosingopine incorporated liposomes (L@S/L) to regulate lactate production and efflux. Concretely, lonidamine reduced lactate production by affecting the glycolytic metabolic pathway while syrosingopine decreased lactate efflux by inhibiting the key protein expression of the lactate transporter MCT-4. Consequently, both the drugs synergistically normalize the pH of the TME to overcome the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. In vivo studies demonstrated that the decreased extracellular lactate preferentially polarized TAMs to the M1 phenotype, simultaneously increased the proportion of NK cells and reduced the number of Treg cells. These results validated an efficient tumor immunotherapy in the breast cancer model. This new strategy of lactic acid metabolism regulation is proposed to operate in concert with immune modulation in the TME, which shows great potential for immunotherapy of immunologically "cold" tumors.

Dynamic-light-scattering-based sequence-specific recognition of double-stranded DNA with oligonucleotide-functionalized gold nanoparticles.

An ultrasensitive and simple dynamic-light-scattering (DLS) assay for the sequence-specific recognition of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) was developed based on detection of the average diameter change of Au nanoparticle (AuNP) probes modified with oligonucleotides 5'-TTTCTCTTCCTT- CTCTTC-(T)(12)-SH-3' (Oligo 1) and 5'-TTCTTTCTTTTCTTTTTC-(T)(12)- SH-3' (Oligo 2). The target dsDNA was composed of two complementary oligonucleotides: 5'-AAAGAGAAGGAAGAGAAGAAGAAAGAAAAGAAAAAG-3' (Oligo 3) and 3'-TTTCTCTTCCTTCTCTTCTTCTTTCTTTTCTTTTTC-5' (Oligo 4). Hybridization of the two AuNPs-Oligo probes with the target dsDNA induced aggregation of the target dsDNA by forming triplex DNA, which accordingly increased the average diameter. This diameter change could then be detected by DLS. The average diameter was proportional to the target dsDNA concentration over the range from 593 fM to 40 pM, with a detection limit of 593 fM. Moreover, the assay had good sequence specificity for the target dsDNA.

Synthesis and characterization of folate-PEG-grafted-hyperbranched-PEI for tumor-targeted gene delivery.

A great challenge for gene therapy is to develop a high efficient gene delivery system with low toxicity. Nonviral vectors are still attractive although the current agents displayed some disadvantages (i.e., low transfection efficiency, high toxicity). To overcome the high toxicity of poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) and low transfection efficiency of PEGylated PEI (PEG-PEI), we linked a cell specific target molecule folate (FA) on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and then grafted the FA-PEG onto hyperbranched PEI 25kDa. The FA-PEG- grafted-hyperbranched-PEI (FA-PEG-PEI) effectively condensed plasmid DNA (pDNA) into nanoparticles with positive surface charge under a suitable N/P ratio. Tested in deferent cell lines (i.e., HEK 293T, glioma C6 and hepatoma HepG2 cells), no significant cytotoxicity of FA-PEG-PEI was added to PEG-PEI. More importantly, significant transfection efficiency was exhibited in FA-targeted cells. Reporter assay showed that FA-PEG-PEI/pDNA complexes had significantly higher transgene activity than that of PEI/pDNA in folate-receptor (FR) positive (HEK 293T and C6) cells but not FR-negative (HepG2) cells. These results indicated that FA-PEG-PEI might be a promising candidate for gene delivery with the characteristics of good biocompatibility, potential biodegradability, and relatively high gene transfection efficiency.

[Investigation into the controlled release behavior of gemcitabine-loaded nanovesicles].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare gemcitabine-loaded nanovesicles and to observe its morphology, structure, particle size, and drug-release performance in vitro. METHODS: Diemulsion technique was used to prepare nanovesicles as carrier from amphiphilic block copolymer of poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (D, L-lactide), and gemcitabine was used as the model drug. The morphology of vesicles was determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and its drug loading (DL), encapsulation ratio (ER), and drug-release curve in vitro were detected by UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer. RESULTS: The Gemcitabine-loaded nanovesicles is a kind of hollow nanosphere with the mean size of 200.6 nm, DL of 4.14% and ER of 20.54%. The nanovesicles showed its excellent controlled-release characteristic in the experiment of drug release in vitro. CONCLUSION: The nanovesicles prepared from PEG-PDLLA can be served as one of carriers for Gemcitabine with good performance of drug controlled-release. It will provide a reliable experimental base for the further researches in vivo.

Highly uniform and stable cerasomal microcapsule with good biocompatibility for drug delivery.

Efforts to improve the stability of liposomes have recently led to the development of organic-inorganic liposomal cerasomes. However, the uncontrollable size of cerasomes has greatly limited their biomedical applications. In this study, a novel strategy was introduced to fabricate hybrid liposomal cerasomes with high stability and uniform size. The hybrid lipids were first deposited onto CaCO3 microspheres through electrostatic interactions and self-assembly, and then the CaCO3 core was removed to obtain hollow microcapsules, i.e. the cerasomes. The species of the lipid oligomers was detected by MALDI-TOF-MS, which demonstrates the existence of siloxane network on microcapsules' surface. Anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) loaded cerasomal microcapsule (DLCM) exhibited an initial burst release behavior followed by the sustained release and remarkably high stability towards surfactant solubilization and long term storage. The DLCM displayed a pH-dependent and sustained DOX release profile in vitro, which can be well explained using a well established mathematical model. Our results indicate that these novel cerasomal microcapsules have great potential to be applied as drug delivery system in cancer therapy.

Effect of PEG-PDLLA polymeric nanovesicles loaded with doxorubicin and hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cytotoxicity of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PEG-PDLLA) nanovesicles loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and the photosensitizer hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and to investigate potential apoptotic mechanisms. METHODS: PEG-PDLLA nanovesicles were simultaneously loaded with DOX and HMME (PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME), and PEG-PDLLA nanovesicles were loaded with DOX (PEG-PDLLA-DOX), HMME (PEG-PDLLA-HMME), or the PEG-PDLLA nanovesicle alone as controls. The cytotoxicity of PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME, PEG-PDLLA-DOX, PEG-PDLLA-HMME, and PEG-PDLLA against HepG2 cells was measured, and the cellular reactive oxygen species, percentage of cells with mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, and apoptotic rate following treatment were determined. RESULTS: Four nanovesicles (PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME, PEG-PDLLA-DOX, PEG-PDLLA-HMME, and PEG-PDLLA) were synthesized, and mean particle sizes were 175±18 nm, 154±3 nm, 196±2 nm, and 147±15 nm, respectively. PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME was more cytotoxic than PEG-PDLLA-DOX, PEG-PDLLA-HMME, and PEG-PDLLA. PEG-PDLLA-HMME-treated cells had the highest mean fluorescence intensity, followed by PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME-treated cells, whereas PEG-PDLLA-DOX- and PEG-PDLLA-treated cells had a similar fluorescence intensity. Mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization was observed in 54.2%, 59.4%, 13.8%, and 14.8% of the cells treated with PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME, PEG-PDLLA-HMME, PEG-PDLLA-DOX, and PEG-PDLLA, respectively. The apoptotic rate was significantly higher in PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME-treated cells compared with PEG-PDLLA-DOX- and PEG-PDLLA-HMME-treated cells. CONCLUSION: The PEG-PDLLA nanovesicle, a drug delivery carrier, can be simultaneously loaded with two anticancer drugs (hydrophilic DOX and hydrophobic HMME). PEG-PDLLA-DOX-HMME cytotoxicity to HepG2 cells is significantly higher than the PEG-PDLLA nanovesicle loaded with DOX or HMME alone, and DOX and HMME have a synergistic effect against human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells.

Age-related decline in reendothelialization capacity of human endothelial progenitor cells is restored by shear stress.

Aging is associated with dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and shear stress has a beneficial impact on EPC function; however, the effects of aging and shear stress on the endothelial repair capacity of EPCs after arterial injury have not been reported. Here we investigated the influence of aging and shear stress on the reendothelialization capacity of human EPCs and the related molecular mechanism. Compared with EPCs isolated from young subjects, EPCs from the elderly displayed an impaired migration and adhesion in vitro and demonstrated a significantly reduced reendothelialization capacity in vivo after transplantation into nude mice with carotid artery denudation injury. Shear stress pretreatment enhances the migration, adhesion, and reendothelialization capacity in both young and elderly EPCs; however, it was to a greater extent in EPCs from the elderly. Although basal CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression was similar in EPCs from the 2 age groups, the stromal cell derived factor 1-induced CXCR4 and Janus kinase 2 phosphorylations were much lower in the elderly than in young EPCs. Shear stress treatment upregulated CXCR4 expression and phosphorylation and, importantly, restored the stromal cell-derived factor 1/CXCR4-dependent Janus kinase 2 phosphorylation in the elderly EPCs. Furthermore, short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of CXCR4 expression or pretreatment with Janus kinase 2 inhibitor diminished the enhancement in the migration, adhesion, and reendothelialization capacity of the elderly EPCs from shear stress treatments. Thus, our study demonstrates that upregulation of the CXCR4/Janus kinase 2 pathway by shear stress contributes to the enhanced reendothelialization capacity of EPCs from elderly men.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor gene loaded in cRGD-PEG-PEI suppresses colorectal cancer growth by targeting endothelial cells.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) recombinant protein has been investigated in many kinds of solid tumors due to its potent antiangiogenic activity. However, the complexity of protein purification, instability of recombinant protein and requirement of repeated injections are obstacles for the recombinant PEDF therapy for solid tumors. We successfully synthesized polyethyleneglycol-polyetherimide (PEG-PEI) and cRGD-PEG-PEI which was coupled with a cyclic RGD peptide, a special ligand for integrin αvß3 receptor, as the vehicle for PEDF gene therapy in this study. In vitro, the competitive binding assay showed that cRGD contributed to the enhanced gene transfection efficiency of PEG-PEI in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). PEDF gene delivered by cRGD-PEG-PEI apparently suppressed growth of tumor with a 67.4% reduction and decreased microvessel density in nude mice bearing SW620 human colorectal xenografts. Accordingly, SW620 tumors from cRGD-PEG-PEI/PEDF-pcDNA3.1 (+)-treated mice expressed more PEDF than that of the control groups. Our study demonstrated that cRGD-PEG-PEI transported the PEDF gene into endothelia cells more efficiently than PEG-PEI, resulting in more effective inhibitory effects on tumor growth by anti-angiogenesis. Therefore, for the first time, we have explored an effective non-viral vehicle for PEDF gene therapy by targeting endothelial cells.

[Pilot study on MRI of human colon adenocarcinoma cells labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To study the feasibility of MRI of human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (Lovo) labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide(SPIO) nanoparticles in vitro. METHODS: Lovo cells (5 × 10(5) and 1 × 10(6)) were cultured in medium containing different SPIO nanoparticles (50 microl and 500 microl). Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe cellular ultrastructure and to determine the uptake and distribution of particles in Lovo cells at 1-, 3-, 6-hours. MRI of Lovo cells was performed with T1WI, T2WI sequences. Unlabeled cells were used as controls. RESULTS: Uptake of SPIO nanoparticles occurred within 6 hours. On T1 weighted imaging, there was no significant difference in signal intensity between the experimental groups and the control group. On T2 weighted imaging, there was no significant difference in signal intensity between the experimental groups and the control group after culture of 1 h. Signal intensity began to decrease in 1 × 10(6) Lovo cells labeled with 500 microl SPIO nanoparticle after 3 hours culture. Signal intensity decreased in all the experimental groups after 6 hours culture. CONCLUSION: Human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (Lovo) can be labeled with SPIO nanoparticles, and the labeled cells can be imaged with MRI equipment.

Plasmid-encapsulated polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine nanoparticles for gene delivery into rat mesenchymal stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation is a promising method in regenerative medicine. Gene-modified mesenchymal stem cells possess superior characteristics of specific tissue differentiation, resistance to apoptosis, and directional migration. Viral vectors have the disadvantages of potential immunogenicity, carcinogenicity, and complicated synthetic procedures. Polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine (PEG-PEI) holds promise in gene delivery because of easy preparation and potentially targeting modification. METHODS: A PEG8k-PEI25k graft copolymer was synthesized. Agarose gel retardation assay and dynamic light scattering were used to determine the properties of the nanoparticles. MTT reduction, wound and healing, and differentiation assays were used to test the cytobiological characteristics of rat mesenchymal stem cells, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry were used to determine transfection efficiency, and atomic force microscopy was used to evaluate the interaction between PEG-PEI/plasmid nanoparticles and mesenchymal stem cells. RESULTS: After incubation with the copolymer, the bionomics of mesenchymal stem cells showed no significant change. The mesenchymal stem cells still maintained high viability, resettled the wound area, and differentiated into adipocytes and osteoblasts. The PEG-PEI completely packed plasmid and condensed plasmid into stable nanoparticles of 100-150 nm diameter. After optimizing the N/P ratio, the PEG-PEI/plasmid microcapsules delivered plasmid into mesenchymal stem cells and obtained an optimum transfection efficiency of 15%-21%, which was higher than for cationic liposomes. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that PEG-PEI is a valid gene delivery agent and has better transfection efficiency than cationic liposomes in mesenchymal stem cells.

The use of folate-PEG-grafted-hybranched-PEI nonviral vector for the inhibition of glioma growth in the rat.

Combined treatment using nonviral agent-mediated enzyme/prodrug therapy and immunotherapy had been proposed as a powerful alternative method of cancer therapy. The present study was aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity in vitro and the therapeutic efficacy in vivo when the cytosine deaminase/5-fluorocytosine (CD/5-FC) and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) genes were jointly used against rat C6 glioma cells. The potency of the FA-PEG-PEI used as a nonviral vector was tested in the FR-expressed C6 glioma cells and Wistar rats. The C6 glioma cells and animal model were treated by the combined application of FA-PEG-PEI/pCD/5-FC and FA-PEG-PEI/pTRAIL. The antitumor effect was evaluated by survival assays and tumor volume. This study revealed a significant increase of cytotoxicity in vitro following the combined application of FA-PEG-PEI/pCD/5-FC and FA-PEG-PEI/pTRAIL treatments in C6 glioma cells. Animal studies showed a significant growth inhibition of the C6 glioma xenografts using the combined treatment. These results demonstrated that the combined treatment generated additive cytotoxic effect in C6 glioma cells in both in vitro and in vivo conditions, and indicated that such treatment method using both enzyme/prodrug therapy and TRAIL immunotherapy might be a promising therapeutic strategy in treating glioma.

FG020326-loaded nanoparticle with PEG and PDLLA improved pharmacodynamics of reversing multidrug resistance in vitro and in vivo.

AIM: FG020326, a novel imidazole derivative, is a potent multidrug-resistance (MDR) modulator in vitro and in vivo. However, FG020326 is insoluble. PEDLLA-FG020326 is a FG020326-loaded nanoparticle formed with diblock copolymers of poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (D,L-lactic acid) (PEG:PDLLA, PEDLLA) that can solubilize FG020326. This work was intended to evaluate the pharmacodynamics of PEDLLA-FG020326 on reversing MDR in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Cytotoxicity was determined by tetrazolium assay. The intracellular accumulation and efflux of doxorubicin (Dox) were detected by fluorescence spectrophotometry. The function of P-glycoprotein was examined by Rhodamine 123 (Rh123) accumulation detected by flow cytometry. The KBv200 cell xenograft model was established to investigate the effect of PEDLLA-FG020326 on reversing MDR in vivo. RESULTS: PEDLLA-FG020326 and FG020326 exhibited 56.4- and 35.9-fold activity in reversing KBv200 cells to vincristine (VCR) resistance, respectively and 14.98- and 7.64-fold to Dox resistance, respectively. PEDLLA-FG020326 was much stronger than FG020326, resulting in the increase of Dox and Rh123 accumulation and the decrease of intracellular Dox extrusion in KBv200 cells. Importantly, PEDLLA-FG020326 exhibited more powerful activity than FG020326 in enhancing the effect of VCR against KBv200 cell xenografts in nude mice, but did not appear more toxic. CONCLUSION: The pharmacodynamics of FG020326 was improved by incorporating it into a micellar nanoparticle formed with PEG-block-PDLLA copolymers.