Integrated dynamic wet spinning of core-sheath hydrogel fibers for optical-to-brain/tissue communications.

Hydrogel optical light-guides have received substantial interest for applications such as deep-tissue biosensors, optogenetic stimulation and photomedicine due to their biocompatibility, (micro)structure control and tissue-like Young's modulus. However, despite recent developments, large-scale fabrication with a continuous synthetic methodology, which could produce core-sheath hydrogel fibers with the desired optical and mechanical properties suitable for deep-tissue applications, has yet to be achieved. In this study, we report a versatile concept of integrated light-triggered dynamic wet spinning capable of continuously producing core-sheath hydrogel optical fibers with tunable fiber diameters, and mechanical and optical propagation properties. Furthermore, this concept also exhibited versatility for various kinds of core-sheath functional fibers. The wet spinning synthetic procedure and fabrication process were optimized with the rational design of the core/sheath material interface compatibility [core = poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate-co-acrylamide); sheath = Ca-alginate], optical transparency, refractive index and spinning solution viscosity. The resulting hydrogel optical fibers exhibited desirable low optical attenuation (0.18 ± 0.01 dB cm-1 with 650 nm laser light), excellent biocompatibility and tissue-like Young's modulus (<2.60 MPa). The optical waveguide hydrogel fibers were successfully employed for deep-tissue cancer therapy and brain optogenetic stimulation, confirming that they could serve as an efficient versatile tool for diverse deep-tissue therapy and brain optogenetic applications.

Tracking Eye Movements During Sleep in Mice.

Eye movement is not only for adjusting the visual field and maintaining the stability of visual information on the retina, but also provides an external manifestation of the cognitive status of the brain. Recent studies showed similarity in eye movement patterns between wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, indicating that the brain status of REM sleep likely resembles that of awake status. REM sleep in humans could be divided into phasic REM and tonic REM sleep according to the difference in eye movement frequencies. Mice are the most commonly used animal model for studying neuronal and molecular mechanisms underlying sleep. However, there was a lack of details for eye movement patterns during REM sleep, hence it remains unknown whether REM sleep can be further divided into different stages in mice. Here we developed a device combining electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) as well as eye movements recording in mice to study the eye movement patterns during sleep. We implanted a magnet beneath the conjunctiva of eye and tracked eye movements using a magnetic sensor. The magnetic signals showed strong correlation with video-oculography in head-fixed mice, indicating that the magnetic signals reflect the direction and magnitude of eye movement. We also found that the magnet implanted beneath the conjunctiva exhibited good biocompatibility. Finally, we examined eye movement in sleep-wake cycle, and discriminated tonic REM and phasic REM according to the frequency of eye movements, finding that compared to tonic REM, phasic REM exhibited higher oscillation power at 0.50 Hz, and lower oscillation power at 1.50-7.25 Hz and 9.50-12.00 Hz. Our device allowed to simultaneously record EEG, EMG, and eye movements during sleep and wakefulness, providing a convenient and high temporal-spatial resolution tool for studying eye movements in sleep and other researches in mice.

Erratum: Enhanced Blood Suspensibility and Laser-Activated Tumor-specific Drug Release of Theranostic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles by Functionalizing with Erythrocyte Membranes: Erratum.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/thno.17259.].

Prediction of ARA/PPI Drug-Drug Interactions at the Drug Discovery and Development Interface.

Advances in understanding of human disease have prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to classify certain molecules as "break-through therapies," providing an accelerated review that may potentially enhance the quality of patient lives. With this designation come compressed timelines to develop drug products, which are not only suitable for clinic trials but can also be approved and brought to the market rapidly. Early risk identification for decreased oral absorption due to drug-drug interactions with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or acid-reducing agents (ARAs) is paramount to an effective drug product development strategy. An early ARA/PPI drug-drug interaction (DDI) risk identification strategy has been developed using physiologically based absorption modeling that readily integrates ADMET predictor generated in silico estimates or measured in vitro solubility, permeability, and ionization constants. Observed or predicted pH-solubility profile data along with pKas and drug dosing parameters were used to calculate a fraction of drug absorbed ratio in absence and presence of ARAs/PPIs. An integrated physiologically based pharmacokinetic absorption model using GastroPlus™ with pKa values fitted to measured pH-solubility profile data along with measured permeability data correctly identified the observed ARA/PPI DDI for 78% (16/22) of the clinical studies. Formulation strategies for compounds with an anticipated pH-mediated DDI risk are presented.

Light-Activated Core-Shell Nanoparticles for Spatiotemporally Specific Treatment of Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tumors are heterogeneous, with mesenchymal-like cells at their core and fast proliferating cells on the periphery. It is desirable and beneficial to treat TNBC cells of different phenotypes with the most appropriate drugs. Here, we report a 78 nm, chlorin e6-, docetaxel-, and anti-Twist siRNA-containing polymeric nanoparticle (CDTN) with spatiotemporally specific activity when irradiated by light. Under conditions mimicking superficial tumor tissue with sufficient light input, TNBC cells are mainly killed by the photodynamic therapy (PDT) function of CDTNs. In contrast, under conditions mimicking deep tumor tissue with weak light input, PDT potentiates chemotherapy (CT) and gene therapy (GT) by facilitating the endolysosomal escape of CDTNs. Compared with free drugs, CDTNs improve the intratumoral exposure of docetaxel and anti-Twist siRNA by 2.5- and 2-fold, respectively. When combined with laser irradiation applied at the time of maximal intratumoral accumulation, the CDTNs significantly inhibit the growth of primary tumors and their lung metastasis (both >80%) by killing the peripheral cells, mainly through PDT and prohibiting the growth and metastasis of deep cells through PDT as enhanced CT and GT. On the contrary, dual-modality nanomedicine lacking CT, GT, or PDT showed fast primary tumor growth, poor metastasis control, or both, respectively. This study reveals the spatiotemporally specific mechanism of CDTNs in treating metastatic TNBC and highlights the importance of combined therapy in treating TNBC.

Intra-amniotic Injection of Mouse Embryos.

Recent outbreaks of infectious neuro-developmental diseases such as congenital Zika syndrome - have led to a demand for prognosis data from animal models. We developed an intra-amniotic injection mice model that allows Zika virus (ZIKV) infected mice to grow to puberty. In this system, ZIKV is injected into the amniotic fluid of pregnant mice and infected embryos thereafter. ZIKV-infected mice show several symptoms of clinical 'congenital Zika syndrome', including decreased brain volume and mis-laminated retina. We also evaluated several behavioral functions of these ZIKV-infected mice, for example, after the mice reach puberty, they have visual and motor defects. This technique can be used to screen and evaluate drug candidates and may help evaluate the prognosis of infectious neuro-developmental diseases.

Chemical antagonism between photodynamic agents and chemotherapeutics: mechanism and avoidance.

We report a photochemical reaction-induced antagonism between the photodynamic agent (PS) and anti-cancer drugs during combined therapy. The annihilation of singlet oxygen and alkene-containing drugs into inactive drug hydroperoxides is responsible for the antagonism, and results in decreased efficacy against several cancer cell lines. Experimental and simulation results reveal that the annihilation abates with increasing distance between the PS and drugs via confining the PS and drugs into separated vehicles. As a result, antagonism can be switched to synergism in treating both drug sensitive and resistant cancer cells.

Enhanced Blood Suspensibility and Laser-Activated Tumor-specific Drug Release of Theranostic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles by Functionalizing with Erythrocyte Membranes.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), with their large surface area and tunable pore sizes, have been widely applied for anticancer therapeutic cargos delivery with a high loading capacity. However, easy aggregation in saline buffers and limited blood circulation lifetime hinder their delivery efficiency and the anticancer efficacy. Here, new multifunctional MSNs-supported red-blood-cell (RBC)-mimetic theranostic nanoparticles with long blood circulation, deep-red light-activated tumor imaging and drug release were reported. High loading capacities were achieved by camouflaging MSNs with RBC membrane to co-load an anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) (39.1 wt%) and a near-infrared photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) (21.1 wt%). The RBC membrane-coating protected drugs from leakage, and greatly improved the colloidal stability of MSNs, with negligible particle size change over two weeks. Upon an external laser stimuli, the RBC membrane could be destroyed, resulting in 10 times enhancement of Dox release. In a 4T1 breast cancer mouse model, the RBC-mimetic MSNs could realize in vivo tumor imaging with elongated tumor accumulation lifetime for over 24 h, and laser-activated tumor-specific Dox accumulation. The RBC-mimetic MSNs could integrate the Ce6-based photodynamic therapy and Dox-based chemotherapy, completely suppress the primary tumor growth and inhibit metastasis of breast cancer, which could provide a new strategy for optimization of MSNs and efficient anticancer drug delivery.

Dual pH-sensitive micelles with charge-switch for controlling cellular uptake and drug release to treat metastatic breast cancer.

For successful chemotherapy against metastatic breast cancer, the great efforts are still required for designing drug delivery systems that can be selectively internalized by tumor cells and release the cargo in a controlled manner. In this work, the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel (PTX) was loaded with the dual-pH sensitive micelle (DPM), which consisted of a pH-sensitive core, an acid-cleavable anionic shell, and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) corona. In the slightly acidic environment of tumor tissues, the anionic shell was taken off, inducing the conversion of the surface charge of DPM from negative to positive, which resulted in more efficient cellular uptake, stronger cytotoxicity and higher intra-tumor accumulation of PTX in the murine breast cancer 4T1 tumor-bearing mice models compared to the micelles with irremovable anionic or non-ionic shell. Meanwhile, the pH-sensitive core endowed DPM with rapid drug release in endo/lysosomes. The inhibitory rates of DPM against tumor growth and lung metastasis achieved 77.7% and 88.3%, respectively, without significant toxicity. Therefore, DPM is a promising nanocarrier for effective therapy of metastatic breast cancer due to satisfying the requirements of both selective uptake by tumor cells and sufficient and fast intracellular drug release.

Cancer-Cell-Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Targeted Therapy of Homotypic Tumors.

A unique biomimetic drug-delivery system composed of 4T1-breast-cancer-cell membranes and paclitaxel-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (PPNs) (cell-membrane-coated PPNs), demonstrates superior interactions to its source tumor cells and elongated blood circulation, and displays highly cell-specific targeting of the homotypic primary tumor and metastases, with successful inhibition of the growth and lung metastasis of the breast cancer cells.

Silibinin and indocyanine green-loaded nanoparticles inhibit the growth and metastasis of mammalian breast cancer cells in vitro.

AIM: To improve the therapeutic efficacy of cancer treatments, combinational therapies based on nanosized drug delivery system (NDDS) has been developed recently. In this study we designed a new NDDS loaded with an anti-metastatic drug silibinin and a photothermal agent indocyanine green (ICG), and investigated its effects on the growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells in vitro. METHODS: Silibinin and ICG were self-assembled into PCL lipid nanoparticles (SIPNs). Their physical characteristics including the particle size, zeta potential, morphology and in vitro drug release were examined. 4T1 mammalian breast cancer cells were used to evaluate their cellular internalization, cytotoxicity, and their influences on wound healing, in vitro cell migration and invasion. RESULTS: SIPNs showed a well-defined spherical shape with averaged size of 126.3±0.4 nm and zeta potential of -10.3±0.2 mV. NIR laser irradiation substantially increased the in vitro release of silibinin from the SIPNs (58.3% at the first 8 h, and 97.8% for the total release). Furthermore, NIR laser irradiation markedly increased the uptake of SIPNs into 4T1 cells. Under the NIR laser irradiation, both SIPNs and IPNs (PCL lipid nanoparticles loaded with ICG alone) caused dose-dependent ablation of 4T1 cells. The wound healing, migration and invasion experiments showed that SIPNs exposed to NIR laser irradiation exhibited dramatic in vitro anti-metastasis effects. CONCLUSION: SIPNs show temperature-sensitive drug release following NIR laser irradiation, which can inhibit the growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells in vitro.

Cisplatin Prodrug-Conjugated Gold Nanocluster for Fluorescence Imaging and Targeted Therapy of the Breast Cancer.

Theranostic nanomedicine has emerged as a promising modality for cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we report the fabrication of fluorescence gold nanoclusters (GNC) conjugated with a cisplatin prodrug and folic acid (FA) (FA-GNC-Pt) for fluorescence imaging and targeted chemotherapy of breast cancer. The physio-chemical properties of FA-GNC-Pt nanoparticles are thoroughly characterized by fluorescence/UV-Vis spectroscopic measurement, particle size and zeta-potential examination. We find that FA-modification significantly accelerated the cellular uptake and increased the cytotoxicity of GNC-Pt nanoparticles in murine 4T1 breast cancer cells. Fluorescence imaging in vivo using 4T1 tumor bearing nude mouse model shows that FA-GNC-Pt nanoparticles selectively accumulate in the orthotopic 4T1 tumor and generate strong fluorescence signal due to the tumor targeting effect of FA. Moreover, we demonstrate that FA-GNC-Pt nanoparticles significantly inhibit the growth and lung metastasis of the orthotopically implanted 4T1 breast tumors. All these data imply a good potential of the GNC-based theranostic nanoplatform for fluorescence tumor imaging and cancer therapy.

Large Pore-Sized Hollow Mesoporous Organosilica for Redox-Responsive Gene Delivery and Synergistic Cancer Chemotherapy.

A stability-difference-selective bond-breakage strategy for the fabrication of largepore-sized hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (HMONs) is successfully developed. Moreover, surfacefunctionalized HMONs are successfully constructed to simultaneously deliver P-gp modulator siRNA and anticancer drug doxorubicin to reverse the multidrug resistance of cancer cells.

Inhibition of Breast Cancer Metastasis by Pluronic Copolymers with Moderate Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance.

Metastasis is the primary cause resulting in the high mortality of breast cancer. The inherent antimetastasis bioactivity of Pluronic copolymers with a wide range of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) including Pluronic L61, P85, P123, F127, F68, and F108 was first explored on metastatic 4T1 breast cancer cells. The results indicated that P85 and P123 could strongly inhibit the migration and invasion of 4T1 cells. The effects of the polymers on cell healing, migration, and invasion exhibited bell-shaped dependencies on HLB of Pluronic copolymers, and the better antimetastasis effects of Pluronic copolymers could be achieved with the HLB between 8 and 16. P85 and P123 themselves could significantly inhibit pulmonary metastasis in 4T1 mammary tumor metastasis model in situ. In addition, a synergetic antimetastasis effect could be achieved during drug combination of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and P85 or P123 intravenously. The metastasis effects of P85 and P123 both in vitro and in vivo were partially attributed to the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Therefore, Pluronic copolymers with moderate HLB 8-16 such as P85 and P123 could be promising excipients with therapeutics in drug delivery systems to inhibit breast cancer metastasis.

Shrapnel nanoparticles loading docetaxel inhibit metastasis and growth of breast cancer.

Metastasis is one of the major obstacles for the successful therapy of breast cancer. To inhibit the metastasis and growth of breast cancer simultaneously, a new docetaxel (DTX) loaded shrapnel nano delivery system with the reduction- and enzyme-sensitive properties was designed and developed. Firstly, methoxy polyethylene glycol-peptide-vitamin E succinate (PPV), a matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-sensitive copolymer, was synthesized by conjugating mPEG and vitamin E succinate (VES) using an enzyme-sensitive peptide. Then, DTX loaded methoxy polyethylene glycol-s-s-vitamin E succinate (PSV) micelles (DPM) @ PPV-based liposomes (DPM@PL) were prepared by the incorporation of DPM into the PPV-based liposomes. DPM@PL showed a shrapnel structure with average particle size 113.3 ± 2.7 nm. The drug loading and encapsulation efficiency of DPM@PL were 1.93% and 99.02%, respectively. An obvious burst release (>90%) of drug was observed in the simulated tumor microenvironment with MMPs and reductive glutathione. The cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of DPM@PL in 4T1 cells were significantly enhanced after the pre-treatment of activated MMP-9. Compared with Taxotere(®), DPM@PL remarkably increased the distribution of DTX in lung and tumor of 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, and inhibited the in situ tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis formation effectively through the enhanced DTX-induced apoptosis and the reduced metastasis-promoting proteins expression. Compared with saline group, the inhibitory rates of DPM@PL against tumor volume and lung metastasis were about 81% and 92%, respectively, and it didn't produce the significant systemic toxicity. As a result, DPM@PL could be a promising nano delivery system for the successful therapy of breast cancer.

Inhibition of metastasis and growth of breast cancer by pH-sensitive poly (ß-amino ester) nanoparticles co-delivering two siRNA and paclitaxel.

Breast cancer is the most vicious killer for women's health, while metastasis is the main culprit, which leads to failure of treatment by increasing relapse rate. In this work, a new complexes nanoparticles loading two siRNA (Snail siRNA (siSna) and Twist siRNA (siTwi)) and paclitaxel (PTX) were designed and constructed using two new amphiphilic polymer, polyethyleneimine-block-poly[(1,4-butanediol)-diacrylate-ß-5-hydroxyamylamine] (PEI-PDHA) and polyethylene glycol-block-poly[(1,4-butanediol)-diacrylate-ß-5-hydroxyamylamine] (PEG-PDHA) by self-assembly. The experimental results showed that in the 4T1 tumor-bearing mice models, PEI-PDHA/PEG-PDHA/PTX/siSna/siTwi) complex nanoparticles (PPSTs) raised the accumulation and retention of both PTX and siRNA in tumor after administrated intravenously, resulted in the strong inhibition of the tumor growth and metastasis simultaneously. It was found that co-delivery of siSna and siTwi had more significant anti-metastasis effect than delivering a single siRNA, as a result of simultaneously inhibiting the motility of cancer cells and degradation of ECM. Therefore, PPSTs could be a promising co-delivery vector for effective therapy of metastatic breast cancer.

Large-pore ultrasmall mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles: micelle/precursor co-templating assembly and nuclear-targeted gene delivery.

A novel micelle/precursor co-templating assembly strategy is successfully developed to synthesize large-pore ultrasmall mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (MONs). Furthermore, elaborately designed MONs with a cell-penetrating peptide (TAT) (MONs-PTAT) are constructed for highly efficient intranuclear gene delivery. They exhibit a high loading capacity, improved protection for the loaded gene, and enhanced transfection efficiencies of EGFP plasmid (pEGFP).

Hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles: a generic intelligent framework-hybridization approach for biomedicine.

Chemical construction of molecularly organic-inorganic hybrid hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (HMONs) with silsesquioxane framework is expected to substantially improve their therapeutic performance and enhance the biological effects beneficial for biomedicine. In this work, we report on a simple, controllable, and versatile chemical homology principle to synthesize multiple-hybridized HMONs with varied functional organic groups homogeneously incorporated into the framework (up to quintuple hybridizations). As a paradigm, the hybridization of physiologically active thioether groups with triple distinctive disulfide bonds can endow HMONs with unique intrinsic reducing/acidic- and external high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)-responsive drug-releasing performances, improved biological effects (e.g., lowered hemolytic effect and improved histocompatibility), and enhanced ultrasonography behavior. The doxorubicin-loaded HMONs with concurrent thioether and phenylene hybridization exhibit drastically enhanced therapeutic efficiency against cancer growth and metastasis, as demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.

Hydrogen-bonded and reduction-responsive micelles loading atorvastatin for therapy of breast cancer metastasis.

Metastasis is one of the major obstacles for the successful therapy of breast cancer. Although increased candidate drugs targeting cancer metastasis are tested, their clinical translation is limited by either serve toxicity or low efficacy. In present work, a nano-drug delivery system loading atorvastatin calcium (Ator) was developed for the efficient suppression of the metastasis of breast cancer. The nano-drug delivery system was constructed by a amphiphilic copolymer of methoxy polyethylene glycol-s-s-vitamin E succinate (mPEG-s-s-VES, PSV), which was consisted of a hydrophilic mPEG1k segment and a hydrophobic VES head, which were conjugated with a linker bearing amide and disulfide groups simultaneously. Self-assembly of PSV and Ator formed Ator-loaded PSV micelles (ASM) with good colloidal stability, high drug loading content (up to 50%) and great encapsulation efficiency (99.09 ± 0.28%). In cellular level, it was found that the ASM could efficiently release the Ator payload into cytosol due to detachment of PEG shell at high intracellular glutathione condition. ASM could significantly inhibit the migration and invasion of 4T1 breast cancer cells with inhibitory rates of 79.2% and 88.5%, respectively. In a 4T1 orthotropic mammary tumor metastatic cancer model, it was demonstrated that ASM could completely blocked the lung and liver metastasis of breast cancer with minimal toxicity owing to enhanced Ator accumulation in tumor and lung as compared with that of free Ator. The down-regulations of metastasis-promoting MMP-9, Twist and uPA proteins were demonstrated as the main underlying mechanism. As a result, ASM could be a promising drug delivery system for the efficient therapy of breast cancer metastasis.