Preparation and evaluation of reduction-responsive micelles based on disulfide-linked chondroitin sulfate A-tocopherol succinate for controlled antitumour drug release.

OBJECTIVES: The study was to construct reduction-responsive chondroitin sulfate A (CSA)-conjugated TOS (CST) micelles with disulfide bond linkage, which was used for controlled doxorubicin (DOX) release and improved drug efficacy in vivo. METHODS: CST and non-responsive CSA-conjugated TOS (CAT) were synthesized, and the chemical structure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectrophotometer and dynamic light scattering. Antitumour drug DOX was physically encapsulated into CST and CSA by dialysis method. Cell uptake of DOX-based formulations was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In vitro cytotoxicity was studied in A549 and AGS cells. Furthermore, antitumour activity was evaluated in A549-bearing mice. KEY FINDINGS: CST and CAT can form self-assembled micelles, and have low value of critical micelle concentration. Notably, DOX-containing CST (D-CST) micelles demonstrated reduction-triggered drug release in glutathione-containing media. Further, reduction-responsive uptake of D-CST was observed in A549 cells. In addition, D-CST induced stronger cytotoxicity (P < 0.05) than DOX-loaded CAT (D-CAT) against A549 and AGS cells. Moreover, D-CST exhibited significantly stronger antitumour activity in A549-bearing nude mice than doxorubicin hydrochloride and D-CAT. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction-responsive CST micelles enhanced the DOX effect at tumour site and controlled drug release.

Metal Sulfides@Carbon Microfiber Networks for Boosting Lithium Ion/Sodium Ion Storage via a General Metal- Aspergillus niger Bioleaching Strategy.

The fabrication and design of electrodes that transfer more energy at high rates is very crucial for battery technology because of the increasing need for electrical energy storage. Usually, reducing a material's volume expansion and improving its electrical conductivity can promote electron and Li+/Na+ ion transfer in nanostructured electrodes and improve rate capability and stability. Here, we demonstrate a general metal- Aspergillus niger bioleaching approach for preparing novel fungus-inspired electrode materials that may enable high-performance lithium ion/sodium ion batteries with one-dimensional architectures. The fungus functions as a natural template to provide large amounts of nitrogen/carbon sources, which are functionalized with metal sulfide nanoparticles, yielding various metal sulfide nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped carbonaceous fibers (MS/NCF (MS = ZnS, Co9S8, FeS, Cu1.81S)) with high conductivity. In addition, the as-obtained MS/NCF has a uniform fiber architecture and abundant porous structure, which can also enhance the storage ability for LIBs and SIBs. Taking ZnS/NCF as an example, the material exhibits a high specific capacity of up to 715.5 mAh g-1 (100 cycles) and 455 mAh g-1 (50 cycles) at 0.1 A g-1 for LIBs and SIBs, respectively. This versatile approach for employing a fungus as a sustainable template to form high-performance electrodes may provide a systematic platform for implementing advanced battery designs.

IgG antibodies against bovine serum albumin in humans--their prevalence and response to exposure to bovine serum albumin.

Human exposure to bovine serum albumin (BSA) is very common and occurs through dietary and medicinal routes. Although great effort has been made to reduce exposure to BSA in pharmaceuticals to eliminate the threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, less attention has been given to assessing the human immune response after exposure to BSA. A sensitive quantitative radioimmunoassay was therefore developed to measure anti-BSA IgG antibodies in healthy subjects and in cancer patients participating in a randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial where they were exposed to BSA as an intrathoracic surgical sealant during pneumonectomy. Anti-BSA antibodies were detected in 55% of 60 healthy blood donors and 51% of 83 patients before lung cancer resection. The median antibody levels were the same in both cohorts; 0.086 microg/mL (range 0.016-19.5 microg/mL) for health blood donors and 0.062 microg/mL (range 0.009-44 microg/mL) for cancer patients. Six months after exposure of the cancer patients to BSA, the percentage of patients with anti-BSA antibody rose to 96% and the median antibody level rose to 19 microg/mL (range 0.009-258 microg/mL). Placebo-treated cancer patients showed no significant increase in the percentage of patients with anti-BSA antibody (41%) or the median antibody level (0.047 microg/mL; range 0.008-1.58) over 6 months. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of anti-BSA antibody. Elevated levels of anti-BSA antibody were not associated with any detectable clinical events in either the healthy blood donors or the cancer patients.