ABSTRACT
Biocompatible polyesters are widely used in biomedical applications, including sutures, orthopedic devices, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Blending polyesters with proteins is a common method of tuning biomaterial properties. Usually, it improves hydrophilicity, enhances cell adhesion, and accelerates biodegradation. However, inclusion of proteins to a polyester-based material typically reduces its mechanical properties. Here, we describe the physicochemical properties of an electrospun polylactic acid (PLA)-gelatin blend with a 9:1 PLA:gelatin ratio. We found that a small content (10 wt%) of gelatin does not affect the extensibility and strength of wet electrospun PLA mats but significantly accelerates their in vitro and in vivo decomposition. After a month, the thickness of PLA-gelatin mats subcutaneously implanted in C57black mice decreased by 30%, while the thickness of the pure PLA mats remained almost unchanged. Thus, we suggest the inclusion of a small amount of gelatin as a simple tool to tune the biodegradation behavior of PLA mats.
Subject(s)
Gelatin , Nanofibers , Mice , Animals , Gelatin/chemistry , Polyesters/chemistry , Tissue Scaffolds/chemistry , Biocompatible Materials/chemistry , Tissue Engineering/methods , Acceleration , Nanofibers/chemistryABSTRACT
In order to address the upcoming crisis in the treatment of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, caused by an increasing proportion of resistant isolates, new approaches to antimicrobial therapy must be developed. One approach would be to use (bacterio)phages and/or phage derivatives for therapy. In this study, we present a description of the first K. pneumoniae phage from the Zobellviridae family. The vB_KpnP_Klyazma podovirus, which forms translucent halos around the plaques, was isolated from river water. The phage genome is composed of 82 open reading frames, which are divided into two clusters located on opposite strands. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the phage belongs to the Zobellviridae family, although its identity with the closest member of this family was not higher than 5%. The bacteriophage demonstrated lytic activity against all (n = 11) K. pneumoniae strains with the KL20 capsule type, but only the host strain was lysed effectively. The receptor-binding protein of the phage was identified as a polysaccharide depolymerase with a pectate lyase domain. The recombinant depolymerase protein showed concentration-dependent activity against all strains with the KL20 capsule type. The ability of a recombinant depolymerase to cleave bacterial capsular polysaccharides regardless of a phage's ability to successfully infect a particular strain holds promise for the possibility of using depolymerases in antimicrobial therapy, even though they only make bacteria sensitive to environmental factors, rather than killing them directly.
Subject(s)
Bacteriophages , Podoviridae , Bacteriophages/genetics , Klebsiella pneumoniae/genetics , Phylogeny , Genome, Viral , Podoviridae/genetics , Recombinant Proteins/geneticsABSTRACT
Secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain active biomolecules, including miRNAs, composition of which reflects epigenetic changes occurring in cells during pathological processes, in particular, malignant transformation. The accumulated pool of data on the role of EVs in carcinogenesis has stimulated investigations of the EV-derived cancer markers. The most important factor limiting development of this scientific direction is lack of "gold standards" both for methods of EV isolation from biological fluids and for analyzing their molecular content, including composition of miRNAs. Here we first examined efficacy of various methods for small RNA isolation from EVs contained in ascitic fluid for subsequent miRNA analysis. Comparison of different commercial kits showed advantages of the methods based on phenol-chloroform extraction: Total Exosome RNA & Protein Isolation Kit and miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit. Analysis of the small RNA transcriptome showed presence of various classes of molecules in the EVs, among which proportion of miRNAs averaged 6% and reaching 10% with the Total Exosome RNA & Protein Isolation Kit. The PureLink miRNA Isolation Kit demonstrated the lowest efficiency. The miRNeasy Advanced Serum/Plasma Kit showed the highest concentration of the small RNA fraction, miRNA proportion of which, however, did not exceed that obtained with the miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit and Total Exosome RNA & Protein Isolation Kit. Moreover, RT-PCR analysis of the individual molecules showed lower levels of each of investigated miRNAs (miR-1246, miR-200b-5p, miR-200c-3p, and miR-23a-3p) when using the miRNeasy Advanced Serum/Plasma Kit. In conclusion, Total Exosome RNA & Protein Isolation Kit and miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit can be considered as optimal kits in terms of performance based on combination of the studied characteristics, including small RNA concentration, percentage of microRNA according to bioanalyzer and sequencing results, and levels of individual miRNAs detected by RT-PCR.
Subject(s)
Exosomes , Extracellular Vesicles , MicroRNAs , MicroRNAs/metabolism , Ascitic Fluid/metabolism , Extracellular Vesicles/metabolism , Exosomes/metabolismABSTRACT
Proteins involved in the organizing of lipid rafts can be found in exosomes, as shown for caveolin-1, and they could contribute to exosomal cargo sorting, as shown for flotillins. Stomatin belongs to the same stomatin/prohibitin/flotillin/HflK/C family of lipid rafts proteins, but it has never been studied in exosomes except for extracellular vesicles (EVs) originating from blood cells. Here we first show the presence of stomatin in exosomes produced by epithelial cancer cells (non-small cell lung cancer, breast, and ovarian cancer cells) as well as in EVs from biological fluids, including blood plasma, ascitic fluids, and uterine flushings. A high abundance of stomatin in EVs of various origins and its enrichment in exosomes make stomatin a promising exosomal marker. Comparison with other lipid raft proteins and exosomal markers showed that the level of stomatin protein in exosomes from different sources corresponds well to that of CD9, while it differs essentially from flotillin-1 and flotillin-2 homologs, which in turn are present in exosomes in nearly equal proportions. In contrast, the level of vesicular caveolin-1 as well as its EV-to-cellular ratio vary drastically depending on cell type.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Caveolin 1/metabolism , Exosomes/metabolism , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/pathology , Ascitic Fluid/chemistry , Body Fluids/chemistry , Female , Humans , Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/metabolism , Uterus/chemistryABSTRACT
Development of CAR-T therapy led to immediate success in the treatment of B cell leukemia. Manufacturing of therapy-competent functional CAR-T cells needs robust protocols for ex vivo/in vitro expansion of modified T-cells. This step is challenging, especially if non-viral low-efficiency delivery protocols are used to generate CAR-T cells. Modern protocols for CAR-T cell expansion are imperfect since non-specific stimulation results in rapid outgrowth of CAR-negative T cells, and removal of feeder cells from mixed cultures necessitates additional purification steps. To develop a specific and improved protocol for CAR-T cell expansion, cell-derived membrane vesicles are taken advantage of, and the simple structural demands of the CAR-antigen interaction. This novel approach is to make antigenic microcytospheres from common cell lines stably expressing surface-bound CAR antigens, and then use them for stimulation and expansion of CAR-T cells. The data presented in this article clearly demonstrate that this protocol produced antigen-specific vesicles with the capacity to induce stronger stimulation, proliferation, and functional activity of CAR-T cells than is possible with existing protocols. It is predicted that this new methodology will significantly advance the ability to obtain improved populations of functional CAR-T cells for therapy.
Subject(s)
Immunotherapy, Adoptive , T-Lymphocytes , Cell Line, TumorABSTRACT
The morphology and proliferation of eukaryotic cells depend on their microenvironment. When electrospun mats are used as tissue engineering scaffolds, the local alignment of the fibers has a pronounced influence on cells. Here we analyzed the morphology of the patterned mats produced by electrospinning of PLA-gelatin blend onto a conductive grid. We investigated the cellular morphology and proliferation of two cell lines (keratinocytes HaCaT and fibroblasts NIH 3T3) on the patterned mats. The non-patterned mats of the same chemical composition were used as control ones. The HaCaT cells predominantly grew on convex areas of the patterned mats along with increasing their nucleus area and decreasing cell area. The 3T3 cells had a lower proliferative rate when grown on the patterned mats. The results can be valuable for further development of the procedures, which allow the patterned electrospun mats development as well as for the investigation of cell-substrate interactions.
Subject(s)
Gelatin , Tissue Engineering , Animals , Cell Proliferation , Mice , Polyesters , Tissue ScaffoldsABSTRACT
Exosomes are the small vesicles that are secreted by different types of normal and tumour cells and can incorporate and transfer their cargo to the recipient cells. The main goal of the present work was to study the tumour exosomes' ability to accumulate the parent mutant DNA or RNA transcripts with their following transfer to the surrounding cells. The experiments were performed on the MCF7 breast cancer cells that are characterized by the unique coding mutation in the PIK3CA gene. Using two independent methods, Sanger sequencing and allele-specific real-time PCR, we revealed the presence of the fragments of the mutant DNA and RNA transcripts in the exosomes secreted by the MCF7 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated the MCF7 exosomes' ability to incorporate into the heterologous MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells supporting the possible transferring of the exosomal cargo into the recipient cells. Sanger sequencing of the DNA from MDA-MB-231 cells (originally bearing a wild type of PIK3CA) treated with MCF7 exosomes showed no detectable amount of mutant DNA or RNA; however, using allele-specific real-time PCR, we revealed a minor signal from amplification of a mutant allele, showing a slight increase of mutant DNA in the exosome-treated MDA-MB-231 cells. The results demonstrate the exosome-mediated secretion of the fragments of mutant DNA and mRNA by the cancer cells and the exosomes' ability to transfer their cargo into the heterologous cells.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics , DNA, Neoplasm/genetics , Exosomes/genetics , Alleles , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Female , Humans , MCF-7 Cells , Mutation/genetics , RNA, Messenger/geneticsABSTRACT
Exosomes are small vesicles which are produced by the cells and released into the surrounding space. They can transfer biomolecules into recipient cells. The main goal of the work was to study the exosome involvement in the cell transfer of hormonal resistance. The experiments were performed on in vitro cultured estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells and MCF-7 sublines resistant to SERM tamoxifen and/or biguanide metformin, which exerts its anti-proliferative effect, at least in a part, via the suppression of estrogen machinery. The exosomes were purified by differential ultracentrifugation, cell response to tamoxifen was determined by MTT test, and the level and activity of signaling proteins were determined by Western blot and reporter analysis. We found that the treatment of the parent MCF-7 cells with exosomes from the resistant cells within 14 days lead to the partial resistance of the MCF-7 cells to antiestrogen drugs. The primary resistant cells and the cells with the exosome-induced resistance were characterized with these common features: decrease in ERα activity and parallel activation of Akt and AP-1, NF-κB, and SNAIL1 transcriptional factors. In general, we evaluate the established results as the evidence of the possible exosome involvement in the transferring of the hormone/metformin resistance in breast cancer cells.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/pharmacology , Estrogen Antagonists/pharmacology , Estrogen Receptor Modulators/pharmacology , Exosomes/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Cell Survival/drug effects , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics , Humans , MCF-7 Cells , NF-kappa B/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , Snail Family Transcription Factors/metabolismABSTRACT
RADA-16-I is a self-assembling peptide which forms biocompatible fibrils and hydrogels. We used molecular dynamics simulations, atomic-force microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and thioflavin T binding assay to examine size, structure, and morphology of RADA-16-I aggregates. We used the native form of RADA-16-I (H-(ArgAlaAspAla)4 -OH) rather than the acetylated one commonly used in the previous studies. At neutral pH, RADA-16-I is mainly in the fibrillar form, the fibrils consist of an even number of stacked ß-sheets. At acidic pH, RADA-16-I fibrils disassemble into monomers, which form an amorphous monolayer on graphite and monolayer lamellae on mica. RADA-16-I fibrils were compared with the fibrils of a similar peptide RLDL-16-I. Thickness of ß-sheets measured by AFM was in excellent agreement with the molecular dynamics simulations. A pair of RLDL-16-I ß-sheets was thicker (2.3 ± 0.4 nm) than a pair of RADA-16-I ß-sheets (1.9 ± 0.1 nm) due to the volume difference between alanine and leucine residues.
Subject(s)
Microscopy, Atomic Force/methods , Molecular Dynamics Simulation , Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular/methods , Peptides/chemistryABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated (Arc) protein is predominantly expressed in excitatory glutamatergic neurons of vertebrates, where it plays a pivotal role in regulation of synaptic plasticity. Arc protein forms capsid-like particles, which can encapsulate and transfer mRNA in extracellular vesicles (EVs) between hippocampal neurons. Once glioma cell networks actively interact with neurons via paracrine signaling and formation of neurogliomal glutamatergic synapses, we predicted the involvement of Arc in a process of EV-mediated mRNA transfer between glioma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Arc expression in three human glioma cell lines was evaluated by WB and immunocytochemistry. The properties of Arc protein/mRNA-containing EVs produced by glioma cells were analyzed by RT-PCR, TEM, and WB. Flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and fluorescent microscopy were used to show the involvement of Arc in EV-mediated mRNA transfer between glioma cells. RESULTS: It was found that human glioma cells can produce EVs containing Arc/Arg3.1 protein and Arc mRNA (or "Arc EVs"). Arc EVs from U87 glioma cells internalize and deliver Arc mRNA to recipient U87 cells, where it is translated into a protein. Arc overexpression significantly increases EV production, alters EV morphology, and enhances intercellular transfer of highly expressed mRNA in glioma cell culture. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate involvement of Arc EVs into mRNA transfer between glioma cells that could contribute to tumor progression and affect synaptic plasticity in cancer patients.
Subject(s)
Extracellular Vesicles , Glioma , Animals , Humans , Cytoskeletal Proteins/genetics , Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism , RNA, Messenger/genetics , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Gene Products, gag/chemistry , Gene Products, gag/genetics , Extracellular Vesicles/metabolism , Glioma/geneticsABSTRACT
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are of growing interest in the context of screening for highly informative cancer markers. We have previously shown that uterine aspirate EVs (UA EVs) are a promising source of ovarian cancer (OC) diagnostic markers. In this study, we first conducted an integrative analysis of EV-miRNA profiles from UA, malignant ascitic fluid (AF), and a conditioned medium of cultured ascites cells (ACs). Using three software packages, we identified 79 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) in UA EVs from OC patients and healthy individuals. To narrow down this panel and select miRNAs most involved in OC pathogenesis, we aligned these molecules with the DE-miRNA sets obtained by comparing the EV-miRNA profiles from OC-related biofluids with the same control. We found that 76% of the DE-miRNAs from the identified panel are similarly altered (differentially co-expressed) in AF EVs, as are 58% in AC EVs. Interestingly, the set of miRNAs differentially co-expressed in AF and AC EVs strongly overlaps (40 out of 44 miRNAs). Finally, the application of more rigorous criteria for DE assessment, combined with the selection of miRNAs that are differentially co-expressed in all biofluids, resulted in the identification of a panel of 29 miRNAs for ovarian cancer screening.
ABSTRACT
Proteasome inhibitor bortezomib is an anticancer agent approved for treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. However, its application in other types of cancer, primarily in solid tumors, is limited due to poor pharmacokinetics, inefficient tissue penetration, low stability and frequent adverse effects. In the present study, a novel micellar nano-scaled delivery system was manufactured, composed of amphiphilic poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) nanoparticles loaded with bortezomib. Similar nanoparticles loaded with prothionamide, a drug without anticancer effect, were used as control. The size and zeta potential of the obtained polymeric micelles were measured by dynamic light scattering. Bortezomib-loaded micelles exhibited significant cytotoxic activity in vitro in monolayer tumor cell cultures (IC50 ~6.5 µg/ml) and in 3D multicellular tumor spheroids (IC50 ~8.5 µg/ml) of human glioblastoma cell lines U87 and T98G. Additionally, the toxic effects in vivo were studied in zebrafish Danio rerio embryos, with an estimated 50% lethal concentration of 0.1 mg/ml. Considering that bortezomib and other molecules from the class of proteasome inhibitors are potent antitumor agents, nanodelivery approach can help reduce adverse effects and expand the range of its applications for treatment of various oncological diseases.
ABSTRACT
So far, only a few articles have demonstrated the possibility of correlated AFM-TEM imaging - sequential imaging of the same individual objects using atomic-force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The current work contributes to the development of this approach by giving a step-by-step procedure, which yields pairs of correlated AFM-TEM images. We describe the application of correlation AFM-TEM microscopy to lipid nanoparticles (small extracellular vesicles and liposomes). The sizes of individual particles measured by the two methods were in good agreement, taking the tip broadening into account. The correlated AFM-TEM imaging can be valuable for single-particle analysis and nanometrology.
Subject(s)
Liposomes , Nanoparticles , Microscopy, Atomic Force/methods , Microscopy, Electron, TransmissionABSTRACT
Curcumin attracts huge attention because of its biological properties: it is antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and so on. However, its usage has been limited by poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Herein, to solve these problems, we developed curcumin-loaded nanoparticles based on end-capped amphiphilic poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone). Nanoparticles were obtained using the solvent evaporation method and were characterized by dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, transmission electron (TEM) and atomic force (AFM) microscopy. The average particle size was 200 nm, and the ζ-potential was -4 mV. Curcumin-release studies showed that nanoparticles are stable in aqueous solutions. An in vitro release study showed prolonged action in gastric, intestinal and colonic fluids, consistently, and in PBS. In vitro studies on epidermoid carcinoma and human embryonic kidney cells showed that the cells absorbed more curcumin in nanoparticles compared to free curcumin. Nanoparticles are safe for healthy cells and show high cytotoxicity for glioblastoma cells in cytotoxicity studies in vitro. The median lethal dose was determined in an acute toxicity assay on zebrafish and was 23 µM. Overall, the curcumin-loaded nanoparticles seem promising for cancer treatment.
ABSTRACT
Microorganisms and their hosts communicate with each other by secreting numerous components. This cross-kingdom cell-to-cell signaling involves proteins and small molecules, such as metabolites. These compounds can be secreted across the membrane via numerous transporters and may also be packaged in outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Among the secreted components, volatile compounds (VOCs) are of particular interest, including butyrate and propionate, which have proven effects on intestinal, immune, and stem cells. Besides short fatty acids, other groups of volatile compounds can be either freely secreted or contained in OMVs. As vesicles might extend their activity far beyond the gastrointestinal tract, study of their cargo, including VOCs, is even more pertinent. This paper is devoted to the VOCs secretome of the Bacteroides genus. Although these bacteria are highly presented in the intestinal microbiota and are known to influence human physiology, their volatile secretome has been studied relatively poorly. The 16 most well-represented Bacteroides species were cultivated; their OMVs were isolated and characterized by NTA and TEM to determine particle morphology and their concentration. In order to analyze the VOCs secretome, we propose a headspace extraction with GC-MS analysis as a new tool for sample preparation and analysis of volatile compounds in culture media and isolated bacterial OMVs. A wide range of released VOCs, both previously characterized and newly described, have been revealed in media after cultivation. We identified more than 60 components of the volatile metabolome in bacterial media, including fatty acids, amino acids, and phenol derivatives, aldehydes and other components. We found active butyrate and indol producers among the analyzed Bacteroides species. For a number of Bacteroides species, OMVs have been isolated and characterized here for the first time as well as volatile compounds analysis in OMVs. We observed a completely different distribution of VOC in vesicles compared to the bacterial media for all analyzed Bacteroides species, including almost complete absence of fatty acids in vesicles. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the VOCs secreted by Bacteroides species and explores new perspectives in the study of bacterial secretomes in relation the intercellular communication.
ABSTRACT
Modification of the cell surface with artificial nano- and microparticles (also termed "cellular backpacks") containing biologically active payloads usually enables drug targeting via harnessing intrinsic cell tropism to the sites of injury. In some cases, using cells as delivery vehicles leads to improved pharmacokinetics due to extended circulation time of cell-immobilized formulations. Another rationale for particle attachment to cells is augmentation of desirable cellular functions and cell proliferation in response to release of the particle contents. In this study, we conjugated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles loaded with multifunctional antioxidant enzyme peroxiredoxin-1 (Prx1) to the surface of fibroblasts. The obtained microparticles were uniform in size and demonstrated sustained protein release. We found that the released Prx1 maintains its signaling activity resulting in macrophage activation, as indicated by TNFα upregulation and increase in ROS generation. Functionalization of fibroblasts with PLGA/Prx1 microparticles via EDC/sulfo-NHS coupling reaction did not affect cell viability but increased cell migratory properties and collagen I production. Moreover, PLGA/Prx1 backpacks increased resistance of fibroblasts to oxidative stress and attenuated cell senescence. In summary, we have developed a novel approach of fibroblast modification to augment their biological properties, which can be desirable for wound repair, cosmetic dermatology, and tissue engineering.
Subject(s)
Lactic Acid , Polyglycolic Acid , Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer/metabolism , Lactic Acid/metabolism , Fibroblasts/metabolism , Collagen Type I/metabolism , Oxidative Stress , Particle SizeABSTRACT
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an enveloped RNA virus, a member of the genus Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae). Here, we provide a detailed analysis of the size and structure of the inactivated TBEV vaccine strain Sofjin-Chumakov. Four analytical methods were used to analyze individual TBEV particles-negative staining TEM, cryo-EM, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). All methods confirmed that the particles were monodisperse and that their mean size was ~50 nm. Cryo-EM data allowed us to obtain a 3D electron density model of the virus with clearly distinguishable E protein molecules. STEM-EELS analysis detected phosphorus in the particles, which was interpreted as an indicator of RNA presence. Altogether, the described analytical procedures can be valuable for the characterization of inactivated vaccine virus samples.
ABSTRACT
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, are key factors of intercellular communication, performing both local and distant transfers of bioactive molecules. The increasingly obvious role of EVs in carcinogenesis, similarity of molecular signatures with parental cells, precise selection and high stability of cargo molecules make exosomes a promising source of liquid biopsy markers for cancer diagnosis. The uterine cavity fluid, unlike blood, urine and other body fluids commonly used to study EVs, is of local origin and therefore enriched in EVs secreted by cells of the female reproductive tract. Here, we show that EVs, including those corresponding to exosomes, could be isolated from individual samples of uterine aspirates (UA) obtained from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients and healthy donors using the ultracentrifugation technique. First, the conducted profiling of small RNAs (small RNA-seq) from UA-derived EVs demonstrated the presence of non-coding RNA molecules belonging to various classes. The analysis of the miRNA content in EVs from UA performed on a pilot sample revealed significant differences in the expression levels of a number of miRNAs in EVs obtained from EOC patients compared to healthy individuals. The results open up prospects for using UA-derived EVs as a source of markers for the diagnostics of gynecological cancers, including EOC.
Subject(s)
Exosomes , Extracellular Vesicles , MicroRNAs , Neoplasms , Biomarkers/metabolism , Early Detection of Cancer , Exosomes/metabolism , Extracellular Vesicles/metabolism , Female , Humans , MicroRNAs/metabolism , Neoplasms/metabolism , Uterus/metabolismABSTRACT
Application of nanocarriers for drug delivery brings numerous advantages, allowing both minimization of side effects common in systemic drug delivery and improvement in targeting, which has made it the focal point of nanoscience for a number of years. While most of the studies are focused on encapsulation of hydrophobic drugs, delivery of hydrophilic compounds is typically performed via covalent attachment, which often requires chemical modification of the drug and limits the release kinetics. In this paper, we report synthesis of biphilic copolymers of various compositions capable of self-assembly in water with the formation of nanoparticles and suitable for ionic binding of the common anticancer drug doxorubicin. The copolymers are synthesized by radical copolymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and acrylic acid using n-octadecyl-mercaptan as a chain transfer agent. With an increase of the carboxyl group's share in the chain, the role of the electrostatic stabilization factor of the nanoparticles increased as well as the ability of doxorubicin as an ion binder. A mathematical description of the kinetics of doxorubicin binding and release is given and thermodynamic functions for the equilibrium ionic binding of doxorubicin are calculated.
ABSTRACT
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising agents for liquid biopsy-a non-invasive approach for the diagnosis of cancer and evaluation of therapy response. However, EV potential is limited by the lack of sufficiently sensitive, time-, and cost-efficient methods for their registration. This research aimed at developing a highly sensitive and easy-to-use immunochromatographic tool based on magnetic nanoparticles for EV quantification. The tool is demonstrated by detection of EVs isolated from cell culture supernatants and various body fluids using characteristic biomarkers, CD9 and CD81, and a tumor-associated marker-epithelial cell adhesion molecules. The detection limit of 3.7 × 105 EV/µL is one to two orders better than the most sensitive traditional lateral flow system and commercial ELISA kits. The detection specificity is ensured by an isotype control line on the test strip. The tool's advantages are due to the spatial quantification of EV-bound magnetic nanolabels within the strip volume by an original electronic technique. The inexpensive tool, promising for liquid biopsy in daily clinical routines, can be extended to other relevant biomarkers.