1
|
Abdellatif AAH, Younis MA, Alsharidah M, Al Rugaie O, Tawfeek HM. Biomedical Applications of Quantum Dots: Overview, Challenges, and Clinical Potential. Int J Nanomedicine 2022; 17:1951-1970. [PMID: 35530976 PMCID: PMC9076002 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s357980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the massive advancements in the nanomedicines and their associated research, their translation into clinically-applicable products is still below promises. The latter fact necessitates an in-depth evaluation of the current nanomedicines from a clinical perspective to cope with the challenges hampering their clinical potential. Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductors-based nanomaterials with numerous biomedical applications such as drug delivery, live imaging, and medical diagnosis, in addition to other applications beyond medicine such as in solar cells. Nevertheless, the power of QDs is still underestimated in clinics. In the current article, we review the status of QDs in literature, their preparation, characterization, and biomedical applications. In addition, the market status and the ongoing clinical trials recruiting QDs are highlighted, with a special focus on the challenges limiting the clinical translation of QDs. Moreover, QDs are technically compared to other commercially-available substitutes. Eventually, we inspire the technical aspects that should be considered to improve the clinical fate of QDs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A H Abdellatif
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, 71524, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud A Younis
- Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Mansour Alsharidah
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Osamah Al Rugaie
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unaizah, Al Qassim, 51911, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hesham M Tawfeek
- Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jayaram DT, Pustulka SM, Mannino RG, Lam WA, Payne CK. Protein Corona in Response to Flow: Effect on Protein Concentration and Structure. Biophys J 2018; 115:209-216. [PMID: 29650368 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanoparticles used in cellular applications encounter free serum proteins that adsorb onto the surface of the nanoparticle, forming a protein corona. This protein layer controls the interaction of nanoparticles with cells. For nanomedicine applications, it is important to consider how intravenous injection and the subsequent shear flow will affect the protein corona. Our goal was to determine if shear flow changed the composition of the protein corona and if these changes affected cellular binding. Colorimetric assays of protein concentration and gel electrophoresis demonstrate that polystyrene nanoparticles subjected to flow have a greater concentration of serum proteins adsorbed on the surface, especially plasminogen. Plasminogen, in the absence of nanoparticles, undergoes changes in structure in response to flow, characterized by fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The protein-nanoparticle complexes formed from fetal bovine serum after flow had decreased cellular binding, as measured with flow cytometry. In addition to the relevance for nanomedicine, these results also highlight the technical challenges of protein corona studies. The composition of the protein corona was highly dependent on the initial mixing step: rocking, vortexing, or flow. Overall, these results reaffirm the importance of the protein corona in nanoparticle-cell interactions and point toward the challenges of predicting corona composition based on nanoparticle properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dhanya T Jayaram
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Samantha M Pustulka
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Robert G Mannino
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Atlanta, Georgia; Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Christine K Payne
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia; Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tavernaro I, Cavelius C, Peuschel H, Kraegeloh A. Bright fluorescent silica-nanoparticle probes for high-resolution STED and confocal microscopy. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 8:1283-1296. [PMID: 28690964 PMCID: PMC5496580 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.8.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, fluorescent nanomaterials have gained high relevance in biological applications as probes for various fluorescence-based spectroscopy and imaging techniques. Among these materials, dye-doped silica nanoparticles have demonstrated a high potential to overcome the limitations presented by conventional organic dyes such as high photobleaching, low stability and limited fluorescence intensity. In the present work we describe an effective approach for the preparation of fluorescent silica nanoparticles in the size range between 15 and 80 nm based on L-arginine-controlled hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane in a biphasic cyclohexane-water system. Commercially available far-red fluorescent dyes (Atto647N, Abberior STAR 635, Dy-647, Dy-648 and Dy-649) were embedded covalently into the particle matrix, which was achieved by aminosilane coupling. The physical particle attributes (particle size, dispersion, degree of agglomeration and stability) and the fluorescence properties of the obtained particles were compared to particles from commonly known synthesis methods. As a result, the spectroscopic characteristics of the presented monodisperse dye-doped silica nanoparticles were similar to those of the free uncoupled dyes, but indicate a much higher photostability and brightness. As revealed by dynamic light scattering and ζ-potential measurements, all particle suspensions were stable in water and cell culture medium. In addition, uptake studies on A549 cells were performed, using confocal and stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. Our approach allows for a step-by-step formation of dye-doped silica nanoparticles in the form of dye-incorporated spheres, which can be used as versatile fluorescent probes in confocal and STED imaging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Tavernaro
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Nano Cell Interactions Group, Campus D2 2, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | | | - Henrike Peuschel
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Nano Cell Interactions Group, Campus D2 2, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Annette Kraegeloh
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Nano Cell Interactions Group, Campus D2 2, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Warren EA, Payne CK. Cellular binding of nanoparticles disrupts the membrane potential. RSC Adv 2015; 5:13660-13666. [PMID: 25685328 PMCID: PMC4326017 DOI: 10.1039/c4ra15727c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
All cells generate an electrical potential across their plasma membrane driven by a concentration gradient of charged ions. A typical resting membrane potential ranges from -40 to -70 mV, with a net negative charge on the cytosolic side of the membrane. Maintenance of the resting membrane potential depends on the presence of two-pore-domain potassium "leak" channels, which allow for outward diffusion of potassium ions along their concentration gradient. Disruption of the ion gradient causes the membrane potential to become more positive or more negative relative to the resting state, referred to as "depolarization" or "hyperpolarization," respectively. Changes in membrane potential have proven to be pivotal, not only in normal cell cycle progression but also in malignant transformation and tissue regeneration. Using polystyrene nanoparticles as a model system, we use flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy to measure changes in membrane potential in response to nanoparticle binding to the plasma membrane. We find that nanoparticles with amine-modified surfaces lead to significant depolarization of both CHO and HeLa cells. In comparison, carboxylate-modified nanoparticles do not cause depolarization. Mechanistic studies suggest that this nanoparticle-induced depolarization is the result of a physical blockage of the ion channels. These experiments show that nanoparticles can alter the biological system of interest in subtle, yet important, ways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emilie A.K. Warren
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332; Tel: 404-385-3125
| | - Christine K. Payne
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332; Tel: 404-385-3125
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hill A, Payne CK. Impact of Serum Proteins on MRI Contrast Agents: Cellular Binding and T 2 relaxation. RSC Adv 2014; 4:31735-31744. [PMID: 25485101 DOI: 10.1039/c4ra04246h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) used as MRI contrast agents or for theranostic applications encounter a complex mixture of extracellular proteins that adsorb on the SPION surface forming a protein corona. Our goal was to understand how cellular binding and T2 relaxation times are affected by this protein corona. Our studies focused on carboxymethyl dextran-modified SPIONs, chosen for their similarity to Resovist SPIONs used to detect liver lesions. Using a combination of fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, we find that the cellular binding of SPIONs to both macrophages and epithelial cells is significantly inhibited by serum proteins. To determine if this decreased binding is due to the iron oxide core or the carboxymethyl dextran surface coating, we functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles with a similar carboxymethyl dextran coating. We find a comparable decrease in cellular binding for the carboxymethyl dextran-polystyrene nanoparticles indicating that the carbohydrate surface modification is the key factor in SPION-cell interactions. NMR measurements showed that T2 relaxation times are not affected by corona formation. These results indicate that SPIONs have a decreased binding to cells under physiological conditions, possibly limiting their use in theranostic applications. We expect these results will be useful in the design of SPIONs for future diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Hill
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, United States
| | - Christine K Payne
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, United States
| |
Collapse
|