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Xu J, Liu W, Fan F, Zhang B, Sun C, Hu Y. Advances in nano-immunotherapy for hematological malignancies. Exp Hematol Oncol 2024; 13:57. [PMID: 38796455 PMCID: PMC11128130 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-024-00525-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hematological malignancies (HMs) encompass a diverse group of blood neoplasms with significant morbidity and mortality. Immunotherapy has emerged as a validated and crucial treatment modality for patients with HMs. Despite notable advancements having been made in understanding and implementing immunotherapy for HMs over the past decade, several challenges persist. These challenges include immune-related adverse effects, the precise biodistribution and elimination of therapeutic antigens in vivo, immune tolerance of tumors, and immune evasion by tumor cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Nanotechnology, with its capacity to manipulate material properties at the nanometer scale, has the potential to tackle these obstacles and revolutionize treatment outcomes by improving various aspects such as drug targeting and stability. The convergence of nanotechnology and immunotherapy has given rise to nano-immunotherapy, a specialized branch of anti-tumor therapy. Nanotechnology has found applications in chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and other immunotherapeutic strategies for HMs. In this review, we delineate recent developments and discuss current challenges in the field of nano-immunotherapy for HMs, offering novel insights into the potential of nanotechnology-based therapeutic approaches for these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Xu
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Wenqi Liu
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, China
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China
| | - Fengjuan Fan
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Chunyan Sun
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, China.
| | - Yu Hu
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, China.
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Li HZ, Zhu J, Weng GJ, Li JJ, Li L, Zhao JW. Application of nanotechnology in bladder cancer diagnosis and therapeutic drug delivery. J Mater Chem B 2023; 11:8368-8386. [PMID: 37580958 DOI: 10.1039/d3tb01323e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the urinary system, and its high recurrence rate is a great economic burden to patients. Traditional diagnosis and treatment methods have the disadvantages of insufficient targeting, obvious side effects and low sensitivity, which seriously limit the accurate diagnosis and efficient treatment of BC. Due to their small size, easy surface modification, optical properties such as plasmon resonance, and surface enhanced Raman scattering, good electrical conductivity and photothermal conversion properties, nanomaterials have great potential application value in the realization of specific diagnosis and targeted therapy of BC. At present, the application of nanomaterials in the diagnosis and treatment of BC is attracting great attention and achieving rich research results. Therefore, this paper summarizes the recent research on nanomaterials in the diagnosis and treatment of BC, clarifies the existing advantages and disadvantages, and provides theoretical guidance for promoting the accurate diagnosis and efficient treatment of BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang-Zhuo Li
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
| | - Jian Zhu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
| | - Guo-Jun Weng
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
| | - Jian-Jun Li
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Jun-Wu Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
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Li M, Ma Y, Lian X, Lu Y, Li Y, Xi Y, Sun X. Study on the biological effects of ZnO nanosheets on EBL cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:915749. [PMID: 36267453 PMCID: PMC9577197 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.915749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, the biological effects of ZnO nanosheets were initially investigated using embryonic bovine lung (EBL) cells cultured in vitro as a model. ZnO nanosheets were prepared by a hydrothermal method, and their structure and morphology were characterized, and their effects on EBL cell viability, oxidative stress, cell proliferation, and apoptosis were investigated. The results showed that 12.5 μg ml−1 ZnO nanosheets can cause morphological changes in EBL cells. The toxic effects of ZnO nanosheets on EBL cells were time-dependent. Caspase-3 activity in EBL cells changed under certain conditions with the introduction of 25 μg ml−1 ZnO nanomaterials, and EBL cell apoptosis was promoted. Under different concentration and time effects, ZnO nanosheets induced an increase in ROS levels in EBL cells, indicating that they have an oxidative damage effect on cells. The toxic effects of ZnO nanosheets on EBL cells were discussed, including concentration effect, time effect, and cytotoxic effect, which eventually led to cell oxidative damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yonghua Ma
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yonghua Ma,
| | - Xiaodi Lian
- Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Limited Liability Company, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yan Lu
- Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yao Xi
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaolin Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
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Zhu W, Wei Z, Han C, Weng X. Nanomaterials as Promising Theranostic Tools in Nanomedicine and Their Applications in Clinical Disease Diagnosis and Treatment. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:3346. [PMID: 34947695 PMCID: PMC8707825 DOI: 10.3390/nano11123346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In recent decades, with the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials have been widely used in the medical field, showing great potential due to their unique physical and chemical properties including minimal size and functionalized surface characteristics. Nanomaterials such as metal nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles have been extensively studied in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases that seriously threaten human life and health, and are regarded to significantly improve the disadvantages of traditional diagnosis and treatment platforms, such as poor effectiveness, low sensitivity, weak security and low economy. In this review, we report and discuss the development and application of nanomaterials in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases based mainly on published research in the last five years. We first briefly introduce the improvement of several nanomaterials in imaging diagnosis and genomic sequencing. We then focus on the application of nanomaterials in the treatment of diseases, and select three diseases that people are most concerned about and that do the most harm: tumor, COVID-19 and cardiovascular diseases. First, we introduce the characteristics of nanoparticles according to the excellent effect of nanoparticles as delivery carriers of anti-tumor drugs. We then review the application of various nanoparticles in tumor therapy according to the classification of nanoparticles, and emphasize the importance of functionalization of nanomaterials. Second, COVID-19 has been the hottest issue in the health field in the past two years, and nanomaterials have also appeared in the relevant treatment. We enumerate the application of nanomaterials in various stages of viral pathogenesis according to the molecular mechanism of the complete pathway of viral infection, pathogenesis and transmission, and predict the application prospect of nanomaterials in the treatment of COVID-19. Third, aiming at the most important causes of human death, we focus on atherosclerosis, aneurysms and myocardial infarction, three of the most common and most harmful cardiovascular diseases, and prove that nanomaterials could be involved in a variety of therapeutic approaches and significantly improve the therapeutic effect in cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we believe nanotechnology will become more widely involved in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the future, potentially helping to overcome bottlenecks under existing medical methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (W.Z.); (Z.W.); (C.H.)
| | - Zhanqi Wei
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (W.Z.); (Z.W.); (C.H.)
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Chang Han
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (W.Z.); (Z.W.); (C.H.)
| | - Xisheng Weng
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; (W.Z.); (Z.W.); (C.H.)
- Department of State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
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Cui W, Fu W, Lin Y, Zhang T. Application of Nanomaterials in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 16:83-94. [PMID: 32213159 DOI: 10.2174/1574888x15666200326093410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease are very harmful brain lesions. Due to the difficulty in obtaining therapeutic drugs, the best treatment for neurodegenerative diseases is often not available. In addition, the bloodbrain barrier can effectively prevent the transfer of cells, particles and macromolecules (such as drugs) in the brain, resulting in the failure of the traditional drug delivery system to provide adequate cellular structure repair and connection modes, which are crucial for the functional recovery of neurodegenerative diseases. Nanomaterials are designed to carry drugs across the blood-brain barrier for targets. Nanotechnology uses engineering materials or equipment to interact with biological systems at the molecular level to induce physiological responses through stimulation, response and target site interactions, while minimizing the side effects, thus revolutionizing the treatment and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Some magnetic nanomaterials play a role as imaging agents or nanoprobes for Magnetic Resonance Imaging to assist in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Although the current research on nanomaterials is not as useful as expected in clinical applications, it achieves a major breakthrough and guides the future development direction of nanotechnology in the application of neurodegenerative diseases. This review briefly discusses the application and advantages of nanomaterials in neurodegenerative diseases. Data for this review were identified by searches of PubMed, and references from relevant articles published in English between 2015 and 2019 using the search terms "nanomaterials", "neurodegenerative diseases" and "blood-brain barrier".
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Affiliation(s)
- Weitong Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Fu
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yunfeng Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Tianxu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Yi S, Feng C, Hu X. Gemcitabine Nanoparticles Improve the Activity of Ovarian Cancer Cells by Inhibiting CA-125 and Apoptosis-Related Proteins. J BIOMATER TISS ENG 2021. [DOI: 10.1166/jbt.2021.2750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the risk of ovarian cancer (OC) has become increasingly prevalent. Gemcitabine (GE) provides excellent inhibitory action on some solid tumors, but how it affects OC remains elusive. In the present research, we prepared GE nanoparticles (GEN) and analyzed OC cell viability
under its intervention, hoping to conceive novel ideas for future clinical treatment of OC. Through experiments, we observed that the encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of GEN were observably higher than those of GE alone, and the release rate presented a stable slow release state.
Under GEN intervention, the viability of OC cells was decreased, the apoptosis rate was elevated, and the apoptosis-related proteins were activated, while CA-125 was suppressed. Therefore, we can see that GEN exert favorable inhibitory action on OC cell viability, whose mechanism may be achieved
through activating apoptosis-related proteins and inhibiting CA-125, which may be a new scheme for OC treatment in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Yi
- Department of Microbiology, Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530004, Guangxi, PR China
| | - Chen Feng
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530001, Guangxi, PR China
| | - Xiaohua Hu
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530001, Guangxi, PR China
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Wang P, Yuan Y, Xu K, Zhong H, Yang Y, Jin S, Yang K, Qi X. Biological applications of copper-containing materials. Bioact Mater 2021; 6:916-927. [PMID: 33210018 PMCID: PMC7647998 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Copper is an indispensable trace metal element in the human body, which is mainly absorbed in the stomach and small intestine and excreted into the bile. Copper is an important component and catalytic agent of many enzymes and proteins in the body, so it can influence human health through multiple mechanisms. Based on the biological functions and benefits of copper, an increasing number of researchers in the field of biomaterials have focused on developing novel copper-containing biomaterials, which exhibit unique properties in protecting the cardiovascular system, promoting bone fracture healing, and exerting antibacterial effects. Copper can also be used in promoting incisional wounds healing, killing cancer cells, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging, radioimmunological tracing and radiotherapy of cancer. In the present review, the biological functions of copper in the human body are presented, along with an overview of recent progress in our understanding of the biological applications and development of copper-containing materials. Furthermore, this review also provides the prospective on the challenges of those novel biomaterials for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology of Liaoning Province, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China
| | - Yonghui Yuan
- Clinical Research Center for Malignant Tumor of Liaoning Province, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110042, China
| | - Ke Xu
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology of Liaoning Province, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China
| | - Hongshan Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology of Liaoning Province, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China
| | - Yinghui Yang
- Suzhou Silvan Medical Co., Ltd, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Shiyu Jin
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology of Liaoning Province, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China
| | - Ke Yang
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Xun Qi
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology of Liaoning Province, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China
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Kumarasamy M, Sosnik A. Heterocellular spheroids of the neurovascular blood-brain barrier as a platform for personalized nanoneuromedicine. iScience 2021; 24:102183. [PMID: 33718835 PMCID: PMC7921813 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanoneuromedicine investigates nanotechnology to target the brain and treat neurological diseases. In this work, we biofabricated heterocellular spheroids comprising human brain microvascular endothelial cells, brain vascular pericytes and astrocytes combined with primary cortical neurons and microglia isolated from neonate rats. The structure and function are characterized by confocal laser scanning and light sheet fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy, western blotting, and RNA sequencing. The spheroid bulk is formed by neural cells and microglia and the surface by endothelial cells and they upregulate key structural and functional proteins of the blood-brain barrier. These cellular constructs are utilized to preliminary screen the permeability of polymeric, metallic, and ceramic nanoparticles (NPs). Findings reveal that penetration and distribution patterns depend on the NP type and that microglia would play a key role in this pathway, highlighting the promise of this platform to investigate the interaction of different nanomaterials with the central nervous system in nanomedicine, nanosafety and nanotoxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murali Kumarasamy
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Nanomaterials Science, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, De-Jur Bldg. Office 607, Technion City, 3200003 Haifa, Israel
| | - Alejandro Sosnik
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Nanomaterials Science, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, De-Jur Bldg. Office 607, Technion City, 3200003 Haifa, Israel
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Jindal A, Sarkar S, Alam A. Nanomaterials-Mediated Immunomodulation for Cancer Therapeutics. Front Chem 2021; 9:629635. [PMID: 33708759 PMCID: PMC7940769 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.629635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy holds great promise in overcoming the limitations of conventional regimens for cancer therapeutics. There is growing interest among researchers and clinicians to develop novel immune-strategies for cancer diagnosis and treatment with better specificity and lesser adversity. Immunomodulation-based cancer therapies are rapidly emerging as an alternative approach that employs the host's own defense mechanisms to recognize and selectively eliminate cancerous cells. Recent advances in nanotechnology have pioneered a revolution in the field of cancer therapy. Several nanomaterials (NMs) have been utilized to surmount the challenges of conventional anti-cancer treatments like cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. NMs offer a plethora of exceptional features such as a large surface area to volume ratio, effective loading, and controlled release of active drugs, tunable dimensions, and high stability. Moreover, they also possess the inherent property of interacting with living cells and altering the immune responses. However, the interaction between NMs and the immune system can give rise to unanticipated adverse reactions such as inflammation, necrosis, and hypersensitivity. Therefore, to ensure a successful and safe clinical application of immunomodulatory nanomaterials, it is imperative to acquire in-depth knowledge and a clear understanding of the complex nature of the interactions between NMs and the immune system. This review is aimed at providing an overview of the recent developments, achievements, and challenges in the application of immunomodulatory nanomaterials (iNMs) for cancer therapeutics with a focus on elucidating the mechanisms involved in the interplay between NMs and the host's immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajita Jindal
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Sounik Sarkar
- Flowcytometry Facility, Modern Biology Department, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Aftab Alam
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Charles River Laboratories, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Filippi M, Nguyen DV, Garello F, Perton F, Bégin-Colin S, Felder-Flesch D, Power L, Scherberich A. Metronidazole-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles for molecular detection of hypoxic tissues. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:22559-22574. [PMID: 31746914 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr08436c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Being crucial under several pathological conditions, tumors, and tissue engineering, the MRI tracing of hypoxia within cells and tissues would be improved by the use of nanosystems allowing for direct recognition of low oxygenation and further treatment-oriented development. In the present study, we functionalized dendron-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (dendronized IONPs) with a bioreductive compound, a metronidazole-based ligand, to specifically detect the hypoxic tissues. Spherical IONPs with an average size of 10 nm were obtained and then decorated with the new metronidazole-conjugated dendron. The resulting nanoparticles (metro-NPs) displayed negligible effects on cell viability, proliferation, and metabolism, in both monolayer and 3D cell culture models, and a good colloidal stability in bio-mimicking media, as shown by DLS. Overtime quantitative monitoring of the IONP cell content revealed an enhanced intracellular retention of metro-NPs under anoxic conditions, confirmed by the in vitro MRI of cell pellets where a stronger negative contrast generation was observed in hypoxic primary stem cells and tumor cells after labeling with metro-NPs. Overall, these results suggest desirable properties in terms of interactions with the biological environment and capability of selective accumulation into the hypoxic tissue, and indicate that metro-NPs have considerable potential for the development of new nano-platforms especially in the field of anoxia-related diseases and tissue engineered models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Filippi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123, Allschwil, Basel, Switzerland.
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