Design and Evaluation of Nanoscale Materials with Programmed Responsivity towards Epigenetic Enzymes.

Self-assembled materials capable of modulating their assembly properties in response to specific enzymes play a pivotal role in advancing 'intelligent' encapsulation platforms for biotechnological applications. Here, we introduce a previously unreported class of synthetic nanomaterials that programmatically interact with histone deacetylase (HDAC) as the triggering stimulus for disassembly. These nanomaterials consist of co-polypeptides comprising poly (acetyl L-lysine) and poly(ethylene glycol) blocks. Under neutral pH conditions, they self-assemble into particles. However, their stability is compromised upon exposure to HDACs, depending on enzyme concentration and exposure time. Our investigation, utilizing HDAC8 as the model enzyme, revealed that the primary mechanism behind disassembly involves a decrease in amphiphilicity within the block copolymer due to the deacetylation of lysine residues within the particles' hydrophobic domains. To elucidate the response mechanism, we encapsulated a fluorescent dye within these nanoparticles. Upon incubation with HDAC, the nanoparticle structure collapsed, leading to controlled release of the dye over time. Notably, this release was not triggered by denatured HDAC8, other proteolytic enzymes like trypsin, or the co-presence of HDAC8 and its inhibitor. We further demonstrated the biocompatibility and cellular effects of these materials and conducted a comprehensive computational study to unveil the possible interaction mechanism between enzymes and particles. By drawing parallels to the mechanism of naturally occurring histone proteins, this research represents a pioneering step toward developing functional materials capable of harnessing the activity of epigenetic enzymes such as HDACs.

Fabricating self-powered microfluidic devices via 3D printing for manipulating fluid flow.

Advances in 3D printing technologies allow fabrication of complex structures at micron resolution. Here, we describe two approaches of fabricating self-powered microfluidic devices utilizing 3D printing: PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic devices with a built-in vacuum pocket fabricated by soft lithography using a 3D-printed mold, and non-PDMS microfluidic devices operating by a removable vacuum battery fabricated by 3D-printed materials. These microfluidic devices can be used for controlling blood flow and separating blood plasma. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Woo et al. (2021).

Acquired αSMA Expression in Pericytes Coincides with Aberrant Vascular Structure and Function in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

The subpopulations of tumor pericytes undergo pathological phenotype switching, affecting their normal function in upholding structural stability and cross-communication with other cells. In the case of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a significant portion of blood vessels are covered by an α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA)-expressing pericyte, which is normally absent from capillary pericytes. The DesminlowαSMAhigh phenotype was significantly correlated with intratumoral hypoxia and vascular leakiness. Using an in vitro co-culture system, we demonstrated that cancer cell-derived exosomes could induce ectopic αSMA expression in pericytes. Exosome-treated αSMA+ pericytes presented altered pericyte markers and an acquired immune-modulatory feature. αSMA+ pericytes were also linked to morphological and biomechanical changes in the pericyte. The PDAC exosome was sufficient to induce αSMA expression by normal pericytes of the healthy pancreas in vivo, and the vessels with αSMA+ pericytes were leaky. This study demonstrated that tumor pericyte heterogeneity could be dictated by cancer cells, and a subpopulation of these pericytes confers a pathological feature.

Modified Bovine Milk Exosomes for Doxorubicin Delivery to Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Biological nanoparticles, such as exosomes, offer an approach to drug delivery because of their innate ability to transport biomolecules. Exosomes are derived from cells and an integral component of cellular communication. However, the cellular cargo of human exosomes could negatively impact their use as a safe drug carrier. Additionally, exosomes have the intrinsic yet enigmatic, targeting characteristics of complex cellular communication. Hence, harnessing the natural transport abilities of exosomes for drug delivery requires predictably targeting these biological nanoparticles. This manuscript describes the use of two chemical modifications, incorporating a neuropilin receptor agonist peptide (iRGD) and a hypoxia-responsive lipid for targeting and release of an encapsulated drug from bovine milk exosomes to triple-negative breast cancer cells. Triple-negative breast cancer is a very aggressive and deadly form of malignancy with limited treatment options. Incorporation of both the iRGD peptide and hypoxia-responsive lipid into the lipid bilayer of bovine milk exosomes and encapsulation of the anticancer drug, doxorubicin, created the peptide targeted, hypoxia-responsive bovine milk exosomes, iDHRX. Initial studies confirmed the presence of iRGD peptide and the exosomes' ability to target the αvß3 integrin, overexpressed on triple-negative breast cancer cells' surface. These modified exosomes were stable under normoxic conditions but fragmented in the reducing microenvironment created by 10 mM glutathione. In vitro cellular internalization studies in monolayer and three-dimensional (3D) spheroids of triple-negative breast cancer cells confirmed the cell-killing ability of iDHRX. Cell viability of 50% was reached at 10 µM iDHRX in the 3D spheroid models using four different triple-negative breast cancer cell lines. Overall, the tumor penetrating, hypoxia-responsive exosomes encapsulating doxorubicin would be effective in reducing triple-negative breast cancer cells' survival.

Single-Molecule Force Probing of RGD-Binding Integrins on Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

Integrin-targeting arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-based nanocarriers have been widely used for tumor imaging, monitoring of tumor development, and delivery of anticancer drugs. However, the thermodynamics of an RGD-integrin formation and dissociation associated with binding dynamics, affinity, and stability remains unclear. Here, we probed the binding strength of the binary complex to live pancreatic cancer cells using single-molecule binding force spectroscopy methods, in which RGD peptides were functionalized on a force probe tip through poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based bifunctional linker molecules. While the density of integrin αV receptors on the cell surface varies more than twofold from cell line to cell line, the individual RGD-integrin complexes exhibited a cell type-independent, monovalent bond strength. The load-dependent bond strength of multivalent RGD-integrin interactions scaled sublinearly with increasing bond number, consistent with the noncooperative, parallel bond model. Furthermore, the multivalent bonds ruptured sequentially either by one or in multiples, and the force strength was comparable to the synchronous rupture force. Comparison of energy landscapes of the bond number revealed a substantial decrease of kinetic off-rates for multivalent bonds, along with the increased width of the potential well and the increased potential barrier height between bound and unbound states, enhancing the stability of the multivalent bonds between them.

Targeting Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Microtumors with Endoxifen-Conjugated, Hypoxia-Sensitive Polymersomes.

Endoxifen is the primary active metabolite of tamoxifen, a nonsteroidal-selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) and widely used medication to treat estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. In this study, endoxifen was conjugated to the surface of polymeric nanoparticles (polymersomes) for targeted delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) to estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells (MCF7). Rapid cell growth and insufficient blood supply result in low oxygen concentration (hypoxia) within the solid breast tumors. The polymersomes developed here are prepared from amphiphilic copolymers of polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) containing diazobenzene as the hypoxia-responsive linker. We prepared two nanoparticle formulations: DOX-encapsulated hypoxia-responsive polymersomes (DOX-HRPs) and endoxifen-conjugated, DOX-encapsulated hypoxia-responsive polymersomes (END-DOX-HRPs). Cellular internalization studies demonstrated eight times higher cytosolic and nuclear localization after incubating breast cancer cells with END-DOX-HRPs (targeted polymersomes) in contrast to DOX-HRPs (nontargeted polymersomes). Cytotoxicity studies on monolayer cell cultures exhibited that END-DOX-HRPs were three times more toxic to ER+ MCF7 cells than DOX-HRPs and free DOX in hypoxia. The cell viability studies on three-dimensional hypoxic cultures also demonstrated twice as much toxicity when the spheroids were treated with targeted polymersomes instead of nontargeted counterparts. This is the first report of surface-decorated polymeric nanoparticles with endoxifen ligands for targeted drug delivery to ER+ breast cancer microtumors. The newly designed endoxifen-conjugated, hypoxia-responsive polymersomes might have translational potential for ER+ breast cancer treatment.

Molecular diffusion analysis of dynamic blood flow and plasma separation driven by self-powered microfluidic devices.

Integration of microfluidic devices with pressure-driven, self-powered fluid flow propulsion methods has provided a very effective solution for on-chip, droplet blood testing applications. However, precise understanding of the physical process governing fluid dynamics in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic devices remains unclear. Here, we propose a pressure-driven diffusion model using Fick's law and the ideal gas law, the results of which agree well with the experimental fluid dynamics observed in our vacuum pocket-assisted, self-powered microfluidic devices. Notably, this model enables us to precisely tune the flow rate by adjusting two geometrical parameters of the vacuum pocket. By linking the self-powered fluid flow propulsion method to the sedimentation, we also show that direct plasma separation from a drop of whole blood can be achieved using only a simple construction without the need for external power sources, connectors, or a complex operational procedure. Finally, the potential of the vacuum pocket, along with a removable vacuum battery to be integrated with non-PDMS microfluidic devices to drive and control the fluid flow, is demonstrated.

Dynamic cellular biomechanics in responses to chemotherapeutic drug in hypoxia probed by atomic force spectroscopy.

The changes in cellular structure play an important role in cancer cell development, progression, and metastasis. By exploiting single-cell, force spectroscopy methods, we probed biophysical and biomechanical kinetics (stiffness, morphology, roughness, adhesion) of brain, breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancer cells with standard chemotherapeutic drugs in normoxia and hypoxia over 12-24 hours. After exposure to the drugs, we found that brain, breast, and pancreatic cancer cells became approximately 55-75% less stiff, while prostate cancer cells became more stiff, due to either drug-induced disruption or reinforcement of cytoskeletal structure. However, the rate of the stiffness change decreased up to 2-folds in hypoxia, suggesting a correlation between cellular stiffness and drug resistance of cancer cells in hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Also, we observed significant changes in the cell body height, surface roughness, and cytoadhesion of cancer cells after exposure to drugs, which followed the trend of stiffness. Our results show that a degree of chemotherapeutic drug effects on biomechanical and biophysical properties of cancer cells is distinguishable in normoxia and hypoxia, which are correlated with alteration of cytoskeletal structure and integrity during drug-induced apoptotic process.

Targeted polymeric nanoparticles for drug delivery to hypoxic, triple-negative breast tumors.

High recurrence and metastasis to vital organs are the major characteristics of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Low vascular oxygen tension promotes resistance to chemo- and radiation therapy. Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) receptor is highly expressed on TNBC cells. The tumor-penetrating iRGD peptide interacts with the NRP-1 receptor, triggers endocytosis and transcytosis, and facilitates penetration. Herein, we synthesized a hypoxia-responsive diblock PLA-diazobenzene-PEG copolymer and prepared self-assembled hypoxia-responsive polymersomes (Ps) in an aqueous buffer. The iRGD peptide was incorporated into the polymersome structure to make hypoxia-responsive iRGD-conjugated polymersomes (iPs). Doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated in the polymersomes to prepare both targeted and non-targeted hypoxia-responsive polymersomes (DOX-iPs and DOX-Ps, respectively). The polymeric nanoparticles released less than 30% of their encapsulated DOX within 12 hours under normoxic conditions (21% oxygen), whereas under hypoxia (2% Oxygen), doxorubicin release remarkably increased to over 95%. The targeted polymersomes significantly decreased TNBC cells' viability in monolayer and spheroid cultures under hypoxia compared to normoxia. Animal studies displayed that targeted polymersomes significantly diminished tumor growth in xenograft nude mice. Overall, the targeted polymersomes exhibited potent anti-tumor activity in monolayer, spheroid, and animal models of TNBC. With further developments, the targeted nanocarriers discussed here might have the translational potential as drug carriers for the treatment of TNBC.

Different Single-Enzyme Conformational Dynamics upon Binding Hydrolyzable or Nonhydrolyzable Ligands.

Single-molecule measurements of protein dynamics help unveil the complex conformational changes and transitions that occur during ligand binding and catalytic processes. Using high-resolution single-molecule nanocircuit techniques, we have investigated differences in the conformational dynamics and transitions of lysozyme interacting with three ligands: peptidoglycan substrate, substrate-based chitin analogue, and indole derivative inhibitors. While processing peptidoglycan, lysozyme followed one of the two mechanistic pathways for the hydrolysis of the glycosidic bonds: a concerted mechanism inducing direct conformational changes from open to fully closed conformations or a nonconcerted mechanism involving transient pauses in intermediate conformations between the open and closed conformations. In the presence of either chitin or an indole inhibitor, lysozyme was unable to access the fully closed conformation where catalysis occurs. Instead, lysozymes' conformational closures terminated at slightly closed, "excited" conformations that were approximately one-quarter of the full hinge-bending range. With the indole inhibitor, lysozyme reached this excited conformation in a single step without any evidence of rate-liming intermediates, but the same conformational motions with chitin involved three hidden, intermediate processes and features similar to the nonconcerted peptidoglycan mechanism. The similarities suggest that these hidden processes involve attempts to accommodate imperfectly aligned polysaccharides in the active site. The results provide a detailed glimpse of the enzyme-ligand interplay at the crux of molecular recognition, enzyme specificity, and catalysis.

Hypoxia-Responsive, Polymeric Nanocarriers for Targeted Drug Delivery to Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Cell Spheroids.

Uncontrolled cell growth, division, and lack of enough blood supply causes low oxygen content or hypoxia in cancerous tumor microenvironments. 17ß-Estradiol (E2), an estrogen receptor (ER) ligand, can be incorporated on the surface of nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery to breast cancer cells overexpressing ER. In the present study, we synthesized estradiol-conjugated hypoxia-responsive polymeric nanoparticles (polymersomes) encapsulating the anticancer drug doxorubicin (E2-Dox-HRPs) for targeted delivery into the hypoxic niches of estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer microtumors. Estradiol-conjugated polymersomes released over 90% of their encapsulated Dox in a sustained manner within hypoxia (2% oxygen) after 12 h. However, they released about 30% of Dox in normal oxygen partial pressure (21% oxygen, normoxia) during this time. Fluorescence microscopic studies demonstrated higher cytosolic and nuclear internalization of E2-Dox-HRPs (targeted polymersomes) compared to those of Dox-HRPs (nontargeted polymersomes). Monolayer cell viability studies on ER-positive MCF7 cells showed higher cytotoxicity of targeted polymersomes in hypoxia compared to in normoxia. Cytotoxicity studies with hypoxic three-dimensional spheroid cultures of MCF7 cells treated with targeted polymersomes indicated significant differences compared to those of normoxic spheroids. The novel estradiol-conjugated hypoxia-responsive polymersomes described here have the potential for targeted drug delivery in estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer therapy.

Size-Tunable Metal-Organic Framework-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles for Enzyme Encapsulation and Large-Substrate Biocatalysis.

Immobilizing enzymes on nanoparticles (NPs) enhances the cost-efficiency of biocatalysis; however, when the substrates are large, it becomes difficult to separate the enzyme@NP from the products while avoiding leaching or damage of enzymes in the reaction medium. Metal-organic framework (MOF)-coated magnetic NPs (MNPs) offer efficient magnetic separation and enhanced enzyme protection; however, the involved enzymes/substrates have to be smaller than the MOF apertures. A potential solution to these challenges is coprecipitating metal/ligand with enzymes on the MNP surface, which can partially bury (protect) the enzyme below the composite surface while exposing the rest of the enzyme to the reaction medium for catalysis of larger substrates. Here, to prove this concept, we show that using Ca2+ and terephthalic acid (BDC), large-substrate enzymes can be encapsulated in CaBDC-MOF layers coated on MNPs via an enzyme-friendly, aqueous-phase one-pot synthesis. Interestingly, we found that using MNPs as the nuclei of crystallization, the composite size can be tuned so that nanoscale composites were formed under low Ca2+/BDC concentrations, while microscale composites were formed under high Ca2+/BDC concentrations. While the microscale composites showed significantly enhanced reusability against a non-structured large substrate, the nanoscale composites displayed enhanced catalytic efficiency against a rigid, crystalline-like large substrate, starch, likely due to the improved diffusivity of the nanoscale composites. To our best knowledge, this is the first report on aqueous-phase one-pot synthesis of size-tunable enzyme@MOF/MNP composites for large-substrate biocatalysis. Our platform can be applied to immobilize other large-substrate enzymes with enhanced reusability and tunable sizes.

Protein Detection using Quadratic Fit Analysis Near Dirac Point of Graphene Field Effect Biosensors.

Although graphene-based biosensors provid extreme sensitivity for the detection of atoms, gases, and biomolecules, the specificity of graphene biosensors to the target molecules requires surface decoration of graphene with bifunctional linkers such pyrene derivatives. Here, we demonstrate that the pyrene functionalization influences graphene's electrical properties by yielding partial formation of bilayer graphene which was confirmed by Raman 2D spectrum. Based on this observation, we introduce quadratic fit analysis of the nonlinear electrical behavior of pyrene-functionalized graphene near the Dirac point. Compared to the conventional linear fit analysis of the transconductance at a distance from the Dirac point, the quadratic fit analysis of the nonlinear transconductance near the Dirac point increased the overall protein detection sensitivity by a factor of 5. Furthermore, we show that both pyrene linkers and gating voltage near the Dirac point play critical roles in sensitive and reliable detection of proteins' biological activities with the graphene biosensors.

Targeting the Tumor Core: Hypoxia-Responsive Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Chemotherapy to Pancreatic Tumors.

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), early onset of hypoxia triggers remodeling of the extracellular matrix, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, increased cell survival, the formation of cancer stem cells, and drug resistance. Hypoxia in PDAC is also associated with the development of collagen-rich, fibrous extracellular stroma (desmoplasia), resulting in severely impaired drug penetration. To overcome these daunting challenges, we created polymer nanoparticles (polymersomes) that target and penetrate pancreatic tumors, reach the hypoxic niches, undergo rapid structural destabilization, and release the encapsulated drugs. In vitro studies indicated a high cellular uptake of the polymersomes and increased cytotoxicity of the drugs under hypoxia compared to unencapsulated drugs. The polymersomes decreased tumor growth by nearly 250% and significantly increased necrosis within the tumors by 60% in mice compared to untreated controls. We anticipate that these polymer nanoparticles possess a considerable translational potential for delivering drugs to solid hypoxic tumors.

Selective Manipulation of Biomolecules with Insulator-Based Dielectrophoretic Tweezers.

Insulator-based dielectrophoretic (iDEP) trapping, separating, and concentrating nanoscale objects is carried out using a non-metal, unbiased, mobile tip acing as a tweezers. The spatial control and manipulation of fluorescently-labeled polystyrene particles and DNA were performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the iDEP tweezers. Frequency-dependent iDEP tweezers' strength and polarity were quantitatively determined using two theoretical approaches to DNA, which resulted in a factor of 2 ~ 40 differences between them. In either approach, the strength of iDEP was at least 4-order of magnitude stronger than the thermal force, indicating iDEP was a dominant force for trapping, holding, and separating DNA. The trapping strength and volume of the iDEP tweezers were also determined, which further supports direct capture and manipulation of DNA at the tip end.

Enzyme Immobilization on Graphite Oxide (GO) Surface via One-Pot Synthesis of GO/Metal-Organic Framework Composites for Large-Substrate Biocatalysis.

Although enzyme immobilization has improved many areas, biocatalysis involving large-size substrates is still challenging for immobilization platform design because of the protein damage under the often "harsh" reaction conditions required for these reactions. Our recent efforts indicate the potential of using Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) to partially confine enzymes on the surface of MOF-based composites while offering sufficient substrate contact. Still, improvements are required to expand the feasible pH range and the efficiency of contacting substrates. In this contribution, we discovered that Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework (ZIF) and a new calcium-carboxylate based MOF (CaBDC) can both be coprecipitated with a model large-substrate enzyme, lysozyme (lys), to anchor the enzyme on the surface of graphite oxide (GO). We observed lys activity against its native substrate, bacterial cell walls, indicating lys was confined on composite surface. Remarkably, lys@GO/CaBDC displayed a stronger catalytic efficiency at pH 6.2 as compared to pH 7.4, indicating CaBDC is a good candidate for biocatalysis under acidic conditions as compared to ZIFs which disassemble under pH < 7. Furthermore, to understand the regions of lys being exposed to the reaction medium, we carried out a site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy study. Our data showed a preferential orientation of lys in GO/ZIF composite, whereas a random orientation in GO/CaBDC. This is the first report on immobilizing solution-state large-substrate enzymes on GO surface using two different MOFs via one-pot synthesis. These platforms can be generalized to other large-substrate enzymes to carry out catalysis under the optimal buffer/pH conditions. The orientation of enzyme at the molecular level on composite surfaces is critical for guiding the rational design of new composites.

Echogenic Exosomes as ultrasound contrast agents.

Exosomes are naturally secreted extracellular bilayer vesicles (diameter 40-130 nm), which have recently been found to play a critical role in cell-to-cell communication and biomolecule delivery. Their unique characteristics-stability, permeability, biocompatibility and low immunogenicity-have made them a prime candidate for use in delivering cancer therapeutics and other natural products. Here we present the first ever report of echogenic exosomes, which combine the benefits of the acoustic responsiveness of traditional microbubbles with the non-immunogenic and small-size morphology of exosomes. Microbubbles, although effective as ultrasound contrast agents, are restricted to intravascular usage due to their large size. In the current study, we have rendered bovine milk-derived exosomes echogenic by freeze drying them in the presence of mannitol. Ultrasound imaging and direct measurement of linear and nonlinear scattered responses were used to investigate the echogenicity and stability of the prepared exosomes. A commercial scanner registered enhancement (28.9% at 40 MHz) in the brightness of ultrasound images in presence of echogenic exosomes at 5 mg/mL. The exosomes also showed significant linear and nonlinear scattered responses-11 dB enhancement in fundamental, 8.5 dB in subharmonic and 3.5 dB in second harmonic all at 40 µg/mL concentration. Echogenic exosomes injected into the tail vein of mice and the synovial fluid of rats resulted in significantly higher brightness-as much as 300%-of the ultrasound images, showing their promise in a variety of in vivo applications. The echogenic exosomes, with their large-scale extractability from bovine milk, lack of toxicity and minimal immunogenic response, successfully served as ultrasound contrast agents in this study and offer an exciting possibility to act as an effective ultrasound responsive drug delivery system.

Electronic structure and properties of lithium-rich complex oxides.

Lithium-rich complex transition-metal oxides Li2MoO3, Li2RuO3, Li3RuO4, Li3NbO4, Li5FeO4, Li5MnO4 and their derivatives are of interest for high-capacity battery electrodes. Here, we report a first-principles density-functional theory study of the atomic and electronic structure of these materials using the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) screened hybrid functional which treats all orbitals in the materials on equal footing. Dimerization of the transition-metal ions is found to occur in layered Li2MoO3, in both fully lithiated and partially delithiated compounds. The Ru-Ru dimerization does not occur in fully lithiated Li2RuO3, in contrast to what is commonly believed; Ru-Ru dimers are, however, found to occur in the presence of neutral lithium vacancies caused by lithium loss during synthesis and/or lithium removal during use. We also analyze the electronic structure of the complex oxides and discuss the delithiation mechanism in these battery electrode materials.

Size-Transformable, Multifunctional Nanoparticles from Hyperbranched Polymers for Environment-Specific Therapeutic Delivery.

Hyperbranched polymer-derived drug nanocarriers have been synthesized that can change sizes selectively in response to pH. These constructs were composed of tertiary amine-conjugated polycarbonate blocks "grafted from" a hyperbranched polyester polyol core. At neutral pH, unprotonated polycarbonate arms stabilized the copolymer aggregates in the form of nanoparticles with hydrodynamic diameters ranging from 150 to 190 nm. Upon lowering of pH, these larger aggregates disassembled into smaller nanoparticles with diameters of 3-5 nm as directed by protonation of tertiary amine side-chains. The pH-dependent reduction of particle sizes was evident by titrimetric, spectroscopic, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron, and atomic force microscopy-based experiments. We observed that these copolymeric nanoparticles could be loaded with dye and drug molecules either by noncovalent encapsulation or by covalent conjugation. A pH-induced disassembly of the aggregates initiated rapid release of the encapsulated payload, but not of the conjugated ones, thus establishing a controlled rate of therapeutic delivery from the nanostructures over an extended period. We envision that such systems can be used for drug delivery applications where nanoparticle sizes critically govern therapeutic efficiency in a vasculature-poor disease microenvironment such as desmoplasia in pancreatic cancer. Hence, we tested the cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and chemotherapeutic potential of the size-modifiable nanoaggregates using gemcitabine as a model drug in pancreatic cancer setting. We observed that assembled nanoparticles were biocompatible to noncancerous cells, showed pH-dependent effects on cellular uptake as well as promoted accumulation within cancer cells cultured as 3D spheroids. We also found that when conjugated with gemcitabine, the resulting drug-loaded nanoparticles suppressed proliferation of cancer cells. Collectively, the studies suggested that these synthesized, pH-disassembling nanoscale platform will find applications as biomaterials for constructing a size-transformable drug nanocarriers where reduction of size takes effect near localized disease targets in response to microenvironmental triggers.

Nucleus-Targeted, Echogenic Polymersomes for Delivering a Cancer Stemness Inhibitor to Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

Chemotherapeutic agents for treating cancers show considerable side effects, toxicity, and drug resistance. To mitigate the problems, we designed nucleus-targeted, echogenic, stimuli-responsive polymeric vesicles (polymersomes) to transport and subsequently release the encapsulated anticancer drugs within the nuclei of pancreatic cancer cells. We synthesized an alkyne-dexamethasone derivative and conjugated it to N3-polyethylene glycol (PEG)-polylactic acid (PLA) copolymer employing the Cu2+ catalyzed "Click" reaction. We prepared polymersomes from the dexamethasone-PEG-PLA conjugate along with a synthesized stimuli-responsive polymer PEG-S-S-PLA. The dexamethasone group dilates the nuclear pore complexes and transports the vesicles to the nuclei. We designed the polymersomes to release the encapsulated drugs in the presence of a high concentration of reducing agents in the nuclei of pancreatic cancer cells. We observed that the nucleus-targeted, stimuli-responsive polymersomes released 70% of encapsulated contents in the nucleus-mimicking environment in 80 min. We encapsulated the cancer stemness inhibitor BBI608 in the vesicles and observed that the BBI608 encapsulated polymersomes reduced the viability of the BxPC3 cells to 43% in three-dimensional spheroid cultures. The polymersomes were prepared following a special protocol so that they scatter ultrasound, allowing imaging by a medical ultrasound scanner. Therefore, these echogenic, targeted, stimuli-responsive, and drug-encapsulated polymersomes have the potential for trackable, targeted carrier of chemotherapeutic drugs to cancer cell nuclei.