Nanographene oxide as a switch for CW/pulsed NIR laser triggered drug release from liposomes.

The application of pulsed and continuous wave (CW) lasers in nanomedicine has increased significantly over the last decade. Near infrared (NIR) lasers can be used for the precise control of drug release at the target site in a non-invasive manner. In this study, we have prepared nanographene oxide (nGO, size ~40nm) integrated liposomes (size ~900nm). The nGOs were not simply adsorbed onto the liposome surface but was embedded inside the liposomes as characterized by cryo-TEM, selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and fluorescence quenching studies. The embedded nGOs could act as a molecular switch for NIR light controlled drug release from the liposomes. Calcein was encapsulated into the liposome as a model drug to evaluate the efficiency of light controlled release. An on-demand pulsatile drug release was achieved by irradiation of CW/pulsed NIR lasers into the nGO-liposome suspension. Triggering with a pulsed laser resulted in larger release of calcein with a minimal temperature increase (~2°C) of the liposome solution, compared to lower release rate and a significant temperature increase (~8°C) by a CW laser with the same light energy, suggesting two separate mechanisms and different potential applications depending on the laser type.

One-Dimensional Supramolecular Nanoplatforms for Theranostics Based on Co-Assembly of Peptide Amphiphiles.

We report a simple and facile strategy for the preparation of multifunctional nanoparticles with programmable properties using self-assembly of precisely designed block amphiphiles in an aqueous solution-state. Versatile, supramolecular nanoplatform for personalized needs, particularly-theranostics, was fabricated by coassembly of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) in aqueous solution, replacing time-consuming and inaccessible chemical synthesis. Fibrils, driven by the assembly of hydrophobic ß-sheet-forming peptide block, were utilized as a nanotemplate for drug loading within their robust core. PAs were tagged with octreotide [somatostatin (SST) analogue] for tumor-targeting or were conjugated with paramagnetic metal ion (Gd3+)-chelating 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The two PA types were coassembled to integrate each PA function into original fibrillar nanotemplates. The adoption of a bulky target-specific cyclic octreotide and ß-sheet-forming peptide with enhanced hydrophobicity led to a morphological transition from conventional fibrils to helical fibrils. The resulting one-dimensional nanoaggregates allowed the successful intracellular delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) to MCF-7 cancer cells overexpressing SST receptor (SSTR) and MR imaging by enabling high longitudinal (T1) relaxivity of water protons. Correlation between the structural nature of fibrils formed by PA coassembly and contrast efficacy was elucidated. The coassembly of PAs with desirable functions may thus be a useful strategy for the generation of tailor-made biocompatible nanomaterials.

Coordinative Amphiphiles as Tunable siRNA Transporters.

In this study, we developed coordinative amphiphiles for use as novel siRNA transporters. As a modification of a conventional cationic lipid structure, we replaced the cationic head with zinc(II)-dipicolylamine complex (Zn/DPA) as a phosphate-directing group, and used various membrane-directing groups in the place of the hydrophobic tails. These simple amphiphiles are readily synthesized and easy to modify. The Zn/DPA head groups bind to the phosphate backbones of siRNAs, and to our surprise, they prevented the enzymatic degradation of siRNAs by RNase A. Interestingly, the Zn/DPA head itself exhibited moderate transfection efficiency, and its combination with a membrane-directing group-oleoyl (CA1), pyrenebutyryl (CA2), or biotin (CA3)-enhanced the delivery efficiency without imparting significant cytotoxicity. Notably, the uptake pathway was tunable depending on the nature of the membrane-directing group. CA1 delivered siRNAs mainly through caveolae-mediated endocytosis, and CA2 through clathrin- and caveolin-independent endocytosis; CA3 recruited siRNAs specifically into biotin receptor-positive HepG2 cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Thus, it appears possible to develop tunable siRNA transporters simply by changing the membrane-directing parts. These are the first examples of amphiphilic siRNA transporters accompanying coordinative interactions between the amphiphiles and siRNAs.