Guided cell adhesion, orientation, morphology and differentiation on silicon substrates photolithographically micropatterned with a cell-repellent cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) film.

In this work, silicon substrates with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) patterns created by a simple, low-cost and high-fidelity photolithographic procedure were evaluated with respect to cell adhesion and alignment, viability, metabolic activity, proliferation and cell cycle progression using the human glioblastoma cell-line U87MG and human skin fibroblasts. In addition, rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cells (PC-12) were employed to evaluate a modified photolithographic protocol appropriate for adhesion of cells requiring extracellular matrix components to adhere on the surface and to demonstrate that the proposed patterned substrates could provide unhindered cell differentiation. Regarding U87MG cells and skin fibroblasts, it was found that as the stripes width increased from 10 to 50 µm, the percentage of cells attached to Si versus the total area (Si + PVA) increased from 78% and 72% to 98.5% and 94.5% (p < 0.05), for U87MG cells and skin fibroblasts, respectively, with optimum cell alignment (≥95% of adherent cells with fidelity between 0.90 and 1.0; p < 0.05) for stripes width ranging between 20 and 22.5 µm. Concerning the viability, metabolic activity and proliferation of adherent cells, no statistically significant differences were observed compared to cells cultured onto non-patterned surfaces. Regarding PC-12 cells, a modification of the patterning procedure was followed involving coating of the substrate with type IV collagen prior to the photolithographic procedure, since they could not adhere on plain Si substrates. It was found that PC-12 cells adhere selectively (>95%) to collagen-coated Si stripes when the pattern width was equal to or wider than 10 µm. Following treatment with nerve growth factor, approximately 80% (p < 0.05) of the adherent cells differentiated to neuron-like cells extending neurites exclusively within the pattern. Given that the proposed patterning procedure allows highly selective cell adhesion without affecting cell proliferation, metabolic activity, and differentiation it could serve as a useful tool in various fields including tissue engineering, cell-based sensors and analytical microsystems.

Selective aggregation of PAMAM dendrimer nanocarriers and PAMAM/ZnPc nanodrugs on human atheromatous carotid tissues: a photodynamic therapy for atherosclerosis.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the action of photons on photosensitive molecules, where atomic oxygen or OH(-) molecular species are locally released on pathogenic human cells, which are mainly carcinogenic, thus causing cell necrosis. The efficacy of PDT depends on the local nanothermodynamic conditions near the cell/nanodrug system that control both the level of intracellular translocation of nanoparticles in the pathogenic cell and their agglomeration on the cell membrane. Dendrimers are considered one of the most effective and promising drug carriers because of their relatively low toxicity and negligible activation of complementary reactions. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrite delivery of PDT agents has been investigated in the last few years for tumour selectivity, retention, pharmacokinetics and water solubility. Nevertheless, their use as drug carriers of photosensitizing molecules in PDT for cardiovascular disease, targeting the selective necrosis of macrophage cells responsible for atheromatous plaque growth, has never been investigated. Furthermore, the level of aggregation, translocation and nanodrug delivery efficacy of PAMAM dendrimers or PAMAM/zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) conjugates on human atheromatous tissue and endothelial cells is still unknown. In this work, the aggregation of PAMAM zero generation dendrimers (G0) acting as drug delivery carriers, as well as conjugated G0 PAMAM dendrimers with a ZnPc photosensitizer, to symptomatic and asymptomatic human carotid tissues was investigated by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). For the evaluation of the texture characteristics of the AFM images, statistical surface morphological and fractal analytical methodologies and Minkowski functionals were used. All statistical quantities showed that the deposition of nanodrug carriers on healthy tissue has an inverse impact when comparing to the deposition on atheromatous tissue with different aggregation features between G0 and G0/ZnPc nanoparticles and with considerably larger G0/ZnPc aggregations on the atheromatous plaque. The results highlight the importance of using PAMAM dendrimer carriers as a novel and promising PDT platform for atherosclerosis therapies.

Nanothermodynamics mediates drug delivery.

The efficiency of penetration of nanodrugs through cell membranes imposes further complexity due to nanothermodynamic and entropic potentials at interfaces. Action of nanodrugs is effective after cell membrane penetration. Contrary to diffusion of water diluted common molecular drugs, nanosize imposes an increasing transport complexity at boundaries and interfaces (e.g., cell membrane). Indeed, tiny dimensional systems brought the concept of "nanothermodynamic potential," which is proportional to the number of nanoentities in a macroscopic system, from either the presence of surface and edge effects at the boundaries of nanoentities or the restriction of the translational and rotational degrees of freedom of molecules within them. The core element of nanothermodynamic theory is based on the assumption that the contribution of a nanosize ensemble to the free energy of a macroscopic system has its origin at the excess interaction energy between the nanostructured entities. As the size of a system is increasing, the contribution of the nanothermodynamic potential to the free energy of the system becomes negligible. Furthermore, concentration gradients at boundaries, morphological distribution of nanoentities, and restriction of the translational motion from trapping sites are the source of strong entropic potentials at the interfaces. It is evident therefore that nanothermodynamic and entropic potentials either prevent or allow enhanced concentration very close to interfaces and thus strongly modulate nanoparticle penetration within the intracellular region. In this work, it is shown that nano-sized polynuclear iron (III)-hydroxide in sucrose nanoparticles have a nonuniform concentration around the cell membrane of macrophages in vivo, compared to uniform concentration at hydrophobic prototype surfaces. The difference is attributed to the presence of entropic and nanothermodynamic potentials at interfaces.

Monolithically integrated Mach-Zehnder biosensors for real-time label-free monitoring of biomolecular reactions.

Arrays of monolithically integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometers were fabricated by standard silicon technology and applied to the label-free real-time monitoring of biomolecular interactions. Chips accommodating 10 MZIs were functionalized with recognition biomolecules and encapsulated in wafer scale. Detection is based on Frequency-Resolved Mach-Zehnder Interferometry, a new concept that takes advantage of the broad-band input spectrum by monitoring the changes for every input frequency. The sensitivity of the device in terms of refractive index changes (Δn) was calculated using isopropanol/water solutions. A detection limit of Δn = 4 × 10(-6) was calculated. The bioanalytical capabilities of the device there demonstrated through model binding assays (biotin/streptavidin) as well as the detection of total prostate specific antigen in serum samples using devices coated with antigen-specific monoclonal antibody. Detection limits at the pM range were determined.

Synthesis and characterization of rhenium and technetium-99m tricarbonyl complexes bearing the 4-[3-bromophenyl]quinazoline moiety as a biomarker for EGFR-TK imaging.

Aiming at the development of technetium-99m ((99m)Tc) complexes for early detection and staging of EGFR positive tumors, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor 6-amino-4-[(3-bromophenyl)amino]quinazoline was derivatized with pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde to generate the imine 6-(pyridine-2-methylimine)-4-[(3-bromophenyl)amino]quinazoline suitable for reacting with the fac-[(99m)Tc(CO)(3)](+) core as an N,N bidentate ligand. The labelling was performed in high yield (>90%) by ligand exchange reaction using fac-[(99m)Tc(OH(2))(3)(CO)(3)](+) as precursor. The (99m)Tc complex was characterized by comparative HPLC analysis using the analogous rhenium (Re) complex as reference. The Re complex was prepared by ligand exchange reaction using the fac-[ReBr(3)(CO)(3)](2-) as precursor and was fully characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopies and elemental analysis. In vitro studies indicate that both the ligand and its Re complex inhibit the EGFR autophosphorylation (IC(50): 17+/-3.7 and 114+/-23 nM respectively) in intact A431 cells, bind the receptor in a reversible mode, and inhibit A431 cell growth (IC(50): 5.2+/-1.1 and 2.0+/-0.98 microM respectively). Biodistribution of the (99m)Tc complex in healthy animals showed a rather fast blood and soft tissue clearance between 1 and 15 min p.i. with excretion occurring mainly via the hepatobiliary system.

Rhenium and technetium complexes bearing quinazoline derivatives: progress towards a 99mTc biomarker for EGFR-TK imaging.

The quinazoline derivatives (3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)quinazoline-4,6-diamine (2) and (3-bromophenyl)quinazoline-4,6-diamine (3) were labelled with (99m)Tc using the "4 + 1" mixed-ligand system [Tc(NS3)(CN-R)] and the tricarbonyl moiety fac-[Tc(CO)3]+. In the "4 + 1" approach the technetium(iii) is stabilized by a monodentate isocyanide bearing a quinazoline fragment (L1,L2 ) and by the tetradentate tripodal ligand tris(2-mercaptoethyl)-amine (NS3). In the "4 + 1" approach, 99mTc-labelling was performed in a two-step procedure, the complexes [Tc(NS3)(L1)] (7a) and [Tc(NS3)(L2)] (8a) being obtained in about 50-70% yield. In the tricarbonyl approach, the fac-[Tc(CO)3]+ unit is anchored by two different monoanionic chelators bearing the quinazoline derivatives (3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)quinazoline-4,6-diamine (2) and (3-bromophenyl)quinazoline-4,6-diamine (3). Both chelators have a N2O donor atom set, but one contains a pyrazolyl ring (L5H) and the other contains a pyridine unit (L6H). In both cases the conjugation of the quinazoline to the chelator was done through the secondary amine of the potentially tridentate and monoanionic chelators, the corresponding 99mTc-complexes (10a, 11a) being obtained in quantitative yield. The identities of the 99mTc-labelled quinazolines (7a, 8a, 10a, 11a) were confirmed by comparison with the HPLC profiles of the analogous Re compounds (7, 8, 10, 11). All these Re complexes were characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and in some cases by MS and X-ray diffraction analysis. In vitro studies indicate that the quinazoline fragments, after conjugation to the cyano group (L1, L2) or to the pyrazolyl containing chelator (L5H), as well as the corresponding Re complexes (7, 8, 10) inhibit significantly the EGFR autophosphorylation and also inhibit A431 cell growth. These two effects were also found for the pyridine-containing chelator (L6H) and corresponding Re complex (11), although to a lesser extent.

Radioiodination of new EGFR inhibitors as potential SPECT agents for molecular imaging of breast cancer.

In our search for the development of novel SPECT radioligands for EGFR positive tumours, new potentially irreversible tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors are being explored. The radioiodination of N-{4-[(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl) amino]quinazoline-6-yl}-3-bromopropionamide, a novel EGFR-TK inhibitor synthesised in our laboratory, was accomplished via halogen exchange. Purification by RP-HPLC gave [125I]-N-{4-[(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)amino]quinazoline-6-yl}-3-iodopropionamide with a radiochemical purity higher than 95% and a high specific activity. In vitro studies indicate that both iodinated quinazoline and its bromo precursor inhibit A431 cell growth and also possess higher potency than the parent quinazoline to inhibit the EGFR autophosphorylation. In vivo stability studies suggest metabolization of the radioiodinated quinazoline indicating a short biological half-life. The in vitro results point out that these quinazoline derivatives could be promising candidates for SPECT imaging of EGFR positive tumours provided that they are selectively modified in order to achieve better in vivo radiochemical stability.