Toxic and adjuvant effects of silica nanoparticles on ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation in mice.

BACKGROUND: Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) can easily enter in respiratory system via inhalation because of their low molecular weight and ease of dispersion. Toxicity and adverse effects of SNPs vary according to the physical characteristics of the particle. METHODS: To evaluate the toxic and adjuvant effects of 3 types of SNPs in the airway system, six-week-old female BALB/c mice were intranasally administered 3 types of SNPs (spherical [S-SNP], mesoporous [M-SNP], and polyethylene glycol-conjugated [P-SNP]) alone or SNPs/ovalbumin (OVA), three times weekly for 2 weeks. Airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), cytokine levels, and histology of the lungs were analyzed. RESULTS: The S-SNPs/OVA group and M-SNPs/OVA group showed significant AHR, compared to the control group. Among all SNP-treated groups, the group administered SNPs/OVA showed greater inflammatory cell infiltration in BALF, extensive pathological changes, and higher cytokine levels (IL-5, IL-13, IL-1ß, and IFN-γ) than those administered SNPs alone or saline/OVA. CONCLUSION: Exposure to SNPs alone and SNPs/OVA induced toxicity in the respiratory system. SNPs alone showed significant toxic effects on the airway system. Meanwhile, SNPs/OVA exerted adjuvant effects to OVA of inducing allergic airway inflammation. In particular, M-SNPs showed the most severe airway inflammation in both direct toxicity and adjuvant effect assays. P-SNPs induced less inflammation than the other types of SNPs in both models.

Synthesis and characterization of ethosomal contrast agents containing iodine for computed tomography (CT) imaging applications.

As a first step in the development of novel liver-specific contrast agents using ethosomes for computed tomography (CT) imaging applications, we entrapped iodine within ethosomes, which are phospholipid vesicular carriers containing relatively high alcohol concentrations, synthesized using several types of alcohol, such as methanol, ethanol, and propanol. The iodine containing ethosomes that were prepared using methanol showed the smallest vesicle size (392 nm) and the highest CT density (1107 HU). The incorporation of cholesterol into the ethosomal contrast agents improved the stability of the ethosomes but made the vesicle size large. The ethosomal contrast agents were taken up well by macrophage cells and showed no cellular toxicity. The results demonstrated that ethosomes containing iodine, as prepared in this study, have potential as contrast agents for applications in CT imaging.

Controlled release of lidocaine hydrochloride from the surfactant-doped hybrid xerogels.

We investigate the controlled release of lidocaine hydrochloride from the doped silica-based xerogels. In the xerogel preparation, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTES), and propyltriethoxysilane (PTES) are used as precursors, and a nonionic surfactant Igepal CO 720 is used as a dopant. The experimental results suggest that the release of lidocaine hydrochloride can be easily controlled by partially substituting TEOS with the organosilanes, and/or by adding the dopant. Adding the organosilane precursors lowers the release of both the drug and the surfactant in the order of TEOS, MTES/TEOS, and PTES/TEOS xerogels. The release from the PTES/TEOS xerogels is much lower than that from the other xerogels. The release of lidocaine hydrochloride is obviously suppressed by the addition of Igepal CO 720, while the release of Igepal CO 720 is slightly promoted by the addition of the drug. The overall release process is found to be diffusion-controlled, and the release behaviors can be well explained by considering the effects of the textual properties of the xerogels and the interactions among the drug, the surfactant, and the xerogel matrices.

Acute exposure to silica nanoparticles aggravate airway inflammation: different effects according to surface characteristics.

Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) are widely used in many scientific and industrial fields despite the lack of proper evaluation of their potential toxicity. This study examined the effects of acute exposure to SNPs, either alone or in conjunction with ovalbumin (OVA), by studying the respiratory systems in exposed mouse models. Three types of SNPs were used: spherical SNPs (S-SNPs), mesoporous SNPs (M-SNPs), and PEGylated SNPs (P-SNPs). In the acute SNP exposure model performed, 6-week-old BALB/c female mice were intranasally inoculated with SNPs for 3 consecutive days. In the OVA/SNPs asthma model, the mice were sensitized two times via the peritoneal route with OVA. Additionally, the mice endured OVA with or without SNP challenges intranasally. Acute SNP exposure induced significant airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness, particularly in the S-SNP group. In OVA/SNPs asthma models, OVA with SNP-treated group showed significant airway inflammation, more than those treated with only OVA and without SNPs. In these models, the P-SNP group induced lower levels of inflammation on airways than both the S-SNP or M-SNP groups. Interleukin (IL)-5, IL-13, IL-1ß and interferon-γ levels correlated with airway inflammation in the tested models, without statistical significance. In the mouse models studied, increased airway inflammation was associated with acute SNPs exposure, whether exposed solely to SNPs or SNPs in conjunction with OVA. P-SNPs appear to be relatively safer for clinical use than S-SNPs and M-SNPs, as determined by lower observed toxicity and airway system inflammation.

Distribution of phenanthrene between soil and an aqueous phase in the presence of anionic micelle-like amphiphilic polyurethane particles.

Sorption of micelle-like amphiphilic polyurethane (APU) particles to soil was studied and compared to that of a model anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Three types of APU particles with different hydrophobicity were synthesized from urethane acrylate anionomers (UAA) and used in this study. Due to the chemically cross-linked structure, APU exhibited less sorption to the soil than SDS and a greater reduction in the sorption of phenanthrene, a model soil contaminant, to the soil was observed in the presence of APU than SDS even though the solubility of phenanthrene was higher in the presence of SDS than APU. A mathematical model was developed to describe the phenanthrene distribution between soil and an aqueous phase containing APU particles. The sorption of phenanthrene to the test soil could be well described by Linear isotherm. APU sorption to the soil was successfully described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The partition of phenanthrene between water and APU were successfully explained with a single partition coefficient. The model, which accounts for the limited solubilization of phenanthrene in sorbed APU particles, successfully described the experimental data for the distribution of phenanthrene between the soil and the aqueous phase in the presence of APU.

Colloidal gold nanoparticle conjugates of gefitinib.

Gefitinib (GF) is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor for treating the lung cancers. We fabricated colloidal gold nanoparticle (AuNP) conjugates of the GF anticancer drug by self-assembly to test their potency against A549, NCI-H460, and NCI-H1975 lung cancer cells. GF adsorption on AuNP surfaces was examined by UV-vis absorption spectra and surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Density functional theory calculations were performed to estimate the energetic stabilities of the drug-AuNP composites. The N1 nitrogen atom of the quinazoline ring of GF was calculated to be more stable than the N3 in binding Au cluster atoms. The internalizations of GF-coated AuNPs were examined by transmission electron and dark-field microscopy. A cell viability test of AuNP-GF conjugates with the EGFR antibody exhibited much higher reductions than free GF for A549, NCI-H460, and NCI-H1975 lung cancer cells after treatment for 48.

Fabrication of high quantum yield quantum dot/polymer films by enhancing dispersion of quantum dots using silica particles.

We have fabricated quantum dot (QD)/polymer films of high quantum yield by coating silica particles with quantum dots. When particles were dispersed in tetrahydrofuran, free QD suspension exhibited higher quantum yield than QD-coated silica particles. Scattering is a most likely reason for the drop in quantum yield for the QD-coated silica particles, as supported by results of silica particles with varying morphologies: for example, QD-coated hollow silica particles showed higher quantum yield than filled silica particles, as the hollowness gave rise to reduced scattering. In the QD/polymer films, however, QD-coated filled/hollow silica particles showed significant enhancement in quantum yield (i.e., up to 2.4 times higher than that of free QDs). Confocal microscopy revealed that the enhanced quantum yield likely results from improved dispersion of QD-coated silica particles. In addition, the quantum yield of QD-coated hollow silica particles in films was lower than that of filled particles because of lower structural stability. Introducing silica (either filled or hollow) particles prevents spectral redshift of emission peak when prepared in the form of film, as opposed to QD-only sample. Our findings point to the possibility that QD-coated filled/hollow silica particles exhibit superior stability, quantum efficiency, and color accuracy, which render them potentially useful for the next-generation light-emitting devices and photovoltaics.

Vascular tube formation and angiogenesis induced by polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated silver nanoparticles.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most commonly used nanomaterials due to their antibacterial properties. In this study, we examined the effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated AgNPs (average size 2.3nm) on angiogenesis in both an in vivo model and an in vitro endothelial cell line, SVEC4-10. Increased angiogenesis was detected around the injection site of AgNP-containing Matrigel in vivo. AgNPs also increased the infiltration of endothelial cells and the hemoglobin (Hb) content in AgNP-Matrigel plugs implanted into mice. AgNPs induced endothelial cell tube formation on growth factor-reduced Matrigel, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and production of angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nitric oxide (NO), in SVEC4-10 cells. In addition, AgNPs promoted the activation of FAK, Akt, ERK1/2, and p38, which are all involved in VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-mediated signaling. Finally, AgNP-treated tumors caused angiogenesis around tumors in B16F10 melanomas after they were injected into mice, and the Hb concentration in the tumors increased in a concentration-dependent manner with AgNP treatment. Thus, our study suggests that exposure to AgNPs can cause angiogenesis through the production of angiogenic factors.

Evaluation of cellulose-binding domain fused to a lipase for the lipase immobilization.

A cellulose-binding domain (CBD) fragment of a cellulase gene of Trichoderma hazianum was fused to a lipase gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus L1 to make a gene cluster for CBD-BSL lipase. The specific activity of CBD-BSL lipase for oil hydrolysis increased by 33% after being immobilized on Avicel (microcrystalline cellulose), whereas those of CBD-BSL lipase and BSL lipase decreased by 16% and 54%, respectively, after being immobilized on silica gel. Although the loss of activity of an enzyme immobilized by adsorption has been reported previously, the loss of activity of the CBD-BSL lipase immobilized on Avicel was less than 3% after 12 h due to the irreversible binding of CBD to Avicel.