Cationic β-Cyclodextrin–Chitosan Conjugates as Potential Carrier for pmCherry-C1 Gene Delivery

Evaluating the effects of curcumin nano-chitosan on miR-221 and miR-222 expression and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SKBR3 cell lines

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases worldwide that affects women of reproductive age. miR-221 and miR-222 are two highly homogeneous microRNAs that play pivotal roles in many cellular processes and regulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Curcumin (CUR), a yellow polyphenolic compound, targets numerous signaling pathways relevant to cancer therapy. The main aim of this study was to compare the ability of chitosan curcumin nanoparticle (CC-CUR) formulation with the curcumin in modulating miR-221 and miR-222 expression through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell lines.

METHOD

Chitosan-cyclodextrin-tripolyphosphate containing curcumin nanoparticles (CC-CUR) were prepared. Cytotoxicity of the CUR and CC-CUR was evaluated. Experimental groups including CC-CUR, CUR and negative control were designed. The expression of miR-221 and miR-222 and Wnt/β-catenin pathway genes was measured.

RESULTS

The level of miR-221 and miR-222 and β-catenin genes decreased in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells and WIF1 gene increased in all cells in CC-CUR group. However, the results in SK-BR-3 cell line were unexpected; since miRs and WIF1 gene expressions were increased following CC-CUR administration and β-catenin decreased by administration of CUR.

CONCLUSION

Although the composite form of curcumin decreased the expression of miR-221 and miR-222 in MCF-7 and MDA cells, with significant decreasing of β-catenin and increasing of WIF1 gene in almost all three cell lines, we can conclude than this formulation exerts its effect mainly through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These preliminary findings may pave the way for the use of curcumin nanoparticles in the treatment of some known cancers.

A Predictive and an Optimization Mathematical Model for Device Design in Cardiac Pulsed Field Ablation Using Design of Experiments

Cardiac catheter ablation (CCA) is a common method used to correct cardiac arrhythmia. Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) is a recently-adapted CCA technology whose ablation is dependent on electrode and waveform parameters (factors). In this work, the use of the Design of Experiments (DoE) methodology is investigated for the design and optimization of a PFA device. The effects of the four factors (input voltage, electrode spacing, electrode width, and on-time) and their interactions are analyzed. An empirical model is formed to predict and optimize the ablation size responses. Based on the ranges tested, the significant factors were the input voltage, the electrode spacing, and the on time, which is in line with the literature. Two-factor interactions were found to be significant and need to be considered in the model. The resulting empirical model was found to predict ablation sizes with less than 2.1% error in the measured area and was used for optimization. The findings and the strong predictive model developed highlight that the DoE approach can be used to help determine PFA device design, to optimize for certain ablation zone sizes, and to help inform device design to tackle specific cardiac arrhythmias.

Synthesis, Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity, Induce Apoptosis Investigation and Docking Study of New Halogenated Dihydropyrano[3,2-b]Chromene-3-Carbonitrile Derivatives on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line

Background

Chromene derivatives showed numerous biological activities. In the current study, the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis properties of halogenated dihydropyrano[3,2-b]chromene-3-carbonitrile derivatives (HDCCD) on MCF-7 cell line have been examined.

Objectives

This study's principal point was synthesizing new halogenated pyranochromene derivatives and assessing their cytotoxic effects and apoptosis potential on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line by flow cytometry.

Methods

Initially, 6-chloro- and 6-bromo-3-hydroxychromone compounds were prepared. In the next step, a series of HDCCD were synthesized by a one-pot three-component reaction of these two compounds, aromatic aldehydes, and malononitrile, in the presence of triethylamine in EtOH at reflux conditions. These compounds were fully characterized by standard spectroscopic techniques (IR, 1H, and 13C NMR) and elemental analyses. The potential of the antioxidant activity was determined by using ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were used to evaluate metabolic activity. The nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) biomarkers of the exposed cells were evaluated on the cells and their supernatant. To quantify apoptotic death of MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated by the compounds at their IC50 concentrations, Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit was utilized. Molecular docking of compounds (6a-j) into the Cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (PDB code: 4EZ5) was carried out, and the probable binding mode of compounds 6e and 6j was determined.

Results

A dose-response relationship was seen in all the compounds. Most of them induced cytotoxic effects on the cells. Nitrite concentration of the culture media of the cells was decreased compared to the control. Malondialdehyde levels of the cells were below the range of the control by the addition of 6b, 6d, 6e, 6f, and 6g compounds on the cells, while the addition of the 6a, 6c, 6h, 6i, and 6j compounds increased the MDA level compared to the control. Flow cytometric analysis showed that most of the exposed cells were in the early and late apoptotic stage, and a few of them were in the necrotic stage.

Conclusions

It could be concluded that HDCCD (6a-j) was toxic and caused death in the cells by apoptosis. The compounds have lipophilic characteristics, so they can easily pass the cell membrane. As confirmed by LDH results, it can be concluded that the cytotoxicity is connected with apoptosis rather than necrosis, endorsed by flowcytometry analysis afterward.

Effect of Experimental Electrical and Biological Parameters on Gene Transfer by Electroporation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The exact mechanisms of nucleic acid (NA) delivery with gene electrotransfer (GET) are still unknown, which represents a limitation for its broader use. Further, not knowing the effects that different experimental electrical and biological parameters have on GET additionally hinders GET optimization, resulting in the majority of research being performed using a trial-and-error approach. To explore the current state of knowledge, we conducted a systematic literature review of GET papers in in vitro conditions and performed meta-analyses of the reported GET efficiency. For now, there is no universal GET strategy that would be appropriate for all experimental aims. Apart from the availability of the required electroporation device and electrodes, the choice of an optimal GET approach depends on parameters such as the electroporation medium; type and origin of cells; and the size, concentration, promoter, and type of the NA to be transfected. Equally important are appropriate controls and the measurement or evaluation of the output pulses to allow a fair and unbiased evaluation of the experimental results. Since many experimental electrical and biological parameters can affect GET, it is important that all used parameters are adequately reported to enable the comparison of results, as well as potentially faster and more efficient experiment planning and optimization.

Lethal in vitro effects of optimized chitosan nanoparticles against protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. Exploring safe and effective scolicidal agents for the surgery is an urgent need for the successful treatment of CE. This study aimed to determine scolicidal activity of the synthesized chitosan nanoparticles. Physicochemical properties of synthesized nanoparticles were determined by using DLS, FTIR, and SEM. Different concentrations of chitosan nanoparticles from 125 to 1000 μg/ml were examined at different incubation times (10, 60, 120, and 180 min). Scolicidal and cytotoxic activity of chitosan nanoparticles were confirmed by eosin exclusion and hemolysis activity tests. FTIR spectra, zeta potential (+42 ± 2.08) and PDI (0.388 ± 0.034) value revealed that the chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized. Significant differences among the scolicidal effects of chitosan nanoparticles were observed in comparison to the control treatments and highest scolicidal activity was observed at 1000 μg/ml after 180 min exposure time. Hemolytic activity was not significant at all concentrations of chitosan nanoparticles. Our findings support the hypothesis that Chitosan nanoparticles have the potential to be a safe and efficient scolicidal agent candidate at very low concentrations and in a wide range of exposure time. Further in vivo studies are recommended to evaluate chitosan nanoparticle efficacy before clinical application.

Cytotoxicity Effects of Curcumin Loaded on Chitosan Alginate Nanospheres on the KMBC-10 Spheroids Cell Line

Purpose

Breast cancer is one of the most lethal types of cancer in women. Curcumin showed therapeutic potential against breast cancer, but applying that by itself does not lead to the associated health benefits due to its poor bioavailability, which appears to be primarily due to poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination. Moreover, poor water solubility of curcumin causes accumulation of a high concentration of curcumin and so decrease its permeability to the cell. Many strategies are employed to reduce curcumin metabolism such as adjuvants and designing novel delivery systems. Therefore, in this study sodium alginate and chitosan were used to synthesize the hydrogels that are known as biocompatible, hydrophilic and low toxic drug delivery systems. Also, folic acid was used to link to chitosan in order to actively targetfolate receptors on the cells.

Methods

Chitosan-β-cyclodextrin-TPP-Folic acid/alginate nanoparticles were synthesized and then curcumin was loaded on them. Interaction between the constituents of the particles was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. Morphological structures of samples were studied by FE-SEM. Release profile of curcumin was determined by dialysis membrane. The cytotoxic test was done on the Kerman male breast cancer (KMBC-10) cell line by using MTT assay. The viability of cells was detected by fluorescent staining. Gene expression was investigated by real-time PCR.

Results

The encapsulation of curcumin into nano-particles showed an almost spherical shape and an average particle size of 155 nm. In vitro cytotoxicity investigation was indicated as dose-respond reaction against cancer breast cells after 24 h incubation. On the other hand, in vitro cell uptake study revealed active targeting of CUR-NPs into spheroids. Besides, CXCR₄ expression was detected about 30-fold less than curcumin alone. The CUR-NPs inhibited proliferation and increased apoptosis in spheroid human breast cancer cells.

Conclusion

Our results showed the potential of NPs as an effective candidate for curcumin delivery to the target tumor spheroids that confirmed the creatable role of folate receptors.

The effective removal of phenol from aqueous solution via adsorption on CS/β-CD/CTA multicomponent adsorbent and its application for COD degradation of drilling wastewater

The 3-chloro-2 hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride was successfully introduced into the β-cyclodextrin-modified chitosan to create the multicomponent adsorbent O-HTACC-g-CD. The structure of sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The adsorption capacity of O-HTACC-g-CD toward phenol was investigated as a function of pH, temperature, contact time as well as adsorbent dosage. The Box-Behnken response surface methodology was employed to optimize the effects of experimental parameters including adsorbent dose, pH, and time on the adsorption of phenol at 298.15 K. The obtained optimal values for adsorbent dose, pH, and time were 0.06 g, 6, and 200 min, respectively. The obtained experimental data follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir model. The thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change, enthalpy change, and entropy change were calculated, revealing that adsorption of phenol on O-HTACC-g-CD is a spontaneous and exothermic process. The prepared O-HTACC-g-CD displayed high adsorption capacity (39.98 mg g-1) and excellent removal rate (96%) for phenol from the aqueous solution at 288.15 K. The gained removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) were in the range of 60.6-61.2%. Considerable results of sorption could be attributed to the multicomponent structure of the adsorbent with more active sites including the cavities, amino, and carboxyl functional groups which provided better sites for the phenolic pollutant to adsorb on the adsorbent via Van der Waals force, hydrogen bond, and the inclusion effect. Therefore, the results obtained strongly suggest that O-HTACC-g-CD could be an effective adsorbent for the removal of phenol and CODcr from drilling wastewater.

Nano-Graphene Oxide-supported APTES-Spermine, as Gene Delivery System, for Transfection of pEGFP-p53 into Breast Cancer Cell Lines

PURPOSE

Genetic diseases can be the result of genetic dysfunctions that happen due to some inhibitory and/or environmental risk factors, which are mostly called mutations. One of the most promising treatments for these diseases is correcting the faulty gene. Gene delivery systems are an important issue in improving the gene therapy efficiency. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was modifying graphene oxide nanoparticles by spermine in order to optimize the gene delivery system.

METHODS

Graphene oxide/APTES was modified by spermine (GOAS) and characterized by FT-IR, DLS, SEM and AFM techniques. Then pEGFP-p53 was loaded on GOAS, transfected into cells and evaluated by fluorescent microscopy and gene expression techniques.

RESULTS

FT-IR data approved the GOAS sheet formation. Ninety percent of the particles were less than 56 nm based on DLS analysis. SEM analysis indicated that the sheets were dispersed with no aggregation. AFM results confirmed the dispersed structures with thickness of 1.25±0.87 nm. STA analysis showed that GOAS started to decompose from 400°C and was very unstable during the heating process. The first weight loss up to 200°C was due to the evaporation of absorbed water, the second one observed in the range of 200-550°C was assigned to the decomposition of labile oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups, and the third one above 550°C was attributed to the removal of oxygen functionalities. In vitro release of DNA demonstrated the efficient activity of the new synthesized system. Ninety percent of the cells were transfected and showed the GFP under fluorescence microscopy, and TP53 gene was expressed 51-fold in BT-20 cells compared to β-actin as the reference gene. Flow cytometry analysis confirmed the apoptosis of the cells rather than necrosis.

CONCLUSION

It could be concluded that the new synthesized structure could transfer a high amount of the therapeutic agent into cells with best activity.

Potential Use of Microbial Surfactant in Microemulsion Drug Delivery System: A Systematic Review

Background

Microemulsions drug delivery systems (MDDS) have been known to increase the bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. The main challenge of the MDDS is the development of an effective and safe system for drug carriage and delivery. Biosurfactants are preferred surface-active molecules because of their lower toxicity and safe characteristics when compared to synthetic surfactants. Glycolipid and lipopeptide are the most common biosurfactants that were tested for MDDS. The main goal of the present systematic review was to estimate the available evidence on the role of biosurfactant in the development of MDDS.

Search Strategy

Literature searches involved the main scientific databases and were focused on the period from 2005 until 2017. The Search filter composed of two items: “Biosurfactant” and/or “Microemulsion.”

Inclusion Criteria

Twenty-four studies evaluating the use of biosurfactant in MDDS were eligible for inclusion. Among these 14 were related to the use of glycolipid biosurfactants in the MDDS formulations, while four reported using lipopeptide biosurfactants and six other related review articles.

Results

According to the output study parameters, biosurfactants acted as active stabilizers, hydrophilic or hydrophobic linkers and safety carriers in MDDS, and among them glycolipid biosurfactants had the most application in MDDS formulations.

Conclusion

Synthetic surfactants could be replaced by biosurfactants as an effective bio-source for MDDS due to their excellent self-assembling and emulsifying activity properties.

Magnetogel Nanospheres Composed of Cisplatin-Loaded Alginate/B-Cyclodextrin as Controlled Release Drug Delivery

Purpose: The main aim of the present study was to design, fabrication and physicochemical characteristics of the magnetogel nanospheres as carriers for Cisplatin in the in vitro environment.

Methods: Magnetic nanospheres were synthesized by using a chemical co-precipitation method and coated by sodium alginate through double emulsion method. Then cisplatin was encapsulated into β-cyclodextrin -sodium alginate grafted magnetic nanospheres. The physicochemical properties of the sodium alginate grafted magnetic nanospheres were characterized by using FTIR, particle size analyzing, vibrating sample magnetometry, thermogravimetric and SEM analysis. Also the drug entrapment efficiency, content and in vitro release profile were investigated.

Results: Size distribution results revealed that the particles size was distributed in the range of 50± nm. Also morphological properties showed that particles are separated and spherical with the grafted layers of the polymer. The release profile data were in the acceptable range compared to the blank (cisplatin solution).

Conclusion: It could be concluded that the sodium alginate grafted magnetic nanospheres could act as a slow and controlled release system to deliver cisplatin.

Therapeutic Potential of DNAzyme Loaded on Chitosan/Cyclodextrin Nanoparticle to Recovery of Chemosensitivity in the MCF-7 Cell Line

Commonly, acquired resistances to anticancer drug are mediated by overexpression of a membrane-associated protein that encode via multi-drug resistance gene-1 (MDR1). Herein, the mRNA-cleaving DNAzyme that targets the mRNA of MDR1 gene in doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cell line (MCF-7/DR) loaded on the chitosan β-cyclodextrin complexes was used as a tropical agent. Chitosan/β-cyclodextrin complexes were used to deliver DNAzymes into cancer cells. Determination of the physicochemical characteristics of the particles was done by photon correlation spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The encapsulation efficiency of the complexes was tested by using gel retardation assay. Positively charged nanoparticles interacted with DNAzyme that could perform as an efficient DNAzyme transfection system. The rationale usage of this platform is to sensitize MCF-7/DR to doxorubicin by downregulating the drug-resistance gene MDR1. Results demonstrated a downregulation of MDR1 mRNAs in MCF-7/DR/DNZ by real-time PCR, compared to the MCF-7/DR as control. WST1 assay showed the 22-fold decrease in drug resistance on treated cells 24 h after transfection. Results showed the intracellular accumulation of Rh123 increased in the treated cells with DNAzyme. Results suggested a potential platform in association with chemotherapy drug for cancer therapy and indicated extremely efficient at delivery of DNAzyme in restoring chemosensitivity.

Investigation of the structural, physicochemical properties, and aggregation behavior of lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by Acinetobacter junii B6

In the present study the produced biosurfactant of Acinetobacter junii B6 (recently isolated from Iranian oil excavation site) were partially purified and identified by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR). Elemental analysis of the biosurfactant by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that the biosurfactant was anionic in nature. The physiochemical properties of the lipopeptide biosurfactant were evaluated by determination of its critical micelle concentration (CMC) and hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB). The produced biosurfactant decreased the surface tension of water to 36mNm^-1 with the CMC of approximately 300mg/l. Furthermore, the solubility properties of the biosurfactant (dissolved in phosphate-buffer saline solution, pH7.4) were investigated by turbidity examination, dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) inspection. It could be concluded that the biosurfactant showed the spherical-shaped vesicles at a concentration higher than its CMC and the circular dichroism (CD) spectra showed that the secondary structure of the biosurfactant vesicles is dominated by the β sheet.

Biomacromolecules as carriers in drug delivery and tissue engineering

Natural biomacromolecules have attracted increased attention as carriers in biomedicine in recent years because of their inherent biochemical and biophysical properties including renewability, nontoxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, long blood circulation time and targeting ability. Recent advances in our understanding of the biological functions of natural-origin biomacromolecules and the progress in the study of biological drug carriers indicate that such carriers may have advantages over synthetic material-based carriers in terms of half-life, stability, safety and ease of manufacture. In this review, we give a brief introduction to the biochemical properties of the widely used biomacromolecule-based carriers such as albumin, lipoproteins and polysaccharides. Then examples from the clinic and in recent laboratory development are summarized. Finally the current challenges and future prospects of present biological carriers are discussed.

Ternary complex of plasmid DNA with NLS-Mu-Mu protein and cationic niosome for biocompatible and efficient gene delivery: a comparative study with protamine and lipofectamine

Non-viral gene delivery methods are considered due to safety and simplicity in human gene therapy. Since the use of cationic peptide and niosome represent a promising approach for gene delivery purposes we used recombinant fusion protein and cationic niosome as a gene carrier. A multi-domain fusion protein including nuclear localization motif (NLS) and two DNA-binding (Mu) domains, namely NLS-Mu-Mu (NMM) has been designed, cloned and expressed in E. coli DE3 strain. Afterward, the interested protein was purified by affinity chromatography. Binary vectors based on protein/DNA and ternary vectors based on protein/DNA/niosome were prepared. Protamine was used as a control. DNA condensing properties of NMM and protamine were evaluated by various experiments. Furthermore, we examined cytotoxicity, hemolysis and transfection potential of the binary and ternary complexes in HEK293T and MCF-7 cell lines. Protamine and Lipofectamine™2000 were used as positive controls, correspondingly. The recombinant NMM was expressed and purified successfully and DNA was condensed efficiently at charge ratios that were not harmful to cells. Peptidoplexes showed transfection efficiency (TE) but ternary complexes had higher TE. Additionally, NMM ternary complex was more efficient compared to protamine ternary vectors. Our results showed that niosomal ternary vector of NMM is a promising non-viral gene carrier to achieve an effective and safe carrier system for gene therapy.

[Effects of microRNA-140 gene transfection with nucleus localization signal linked nucleic kinase substrate short peptide conjugated chitosan on rabbit articular chondrocytes]

Objective

To investigate the effects of nucleus localization signal linked nucleic kinase substrate short peptide (NNS) conjugated chitosan (CS) ( NNSCS) mediated the transfection of microRNA-140 (miR-140) in rabbit articular chondrocytes in vitro.

Methods

Recombinant plasmid GV268-miR-140 and empty plasmid GV268 were combined with NNSCS to form NNSCS/pDNA complexes, respectively. Chondrocytes were isolated and cultured through trypsin and collagenase digestion from articular cartilage of newborn New Zealand white rabbits. The second generation chondrocytes were divided into 3 intervention groups: normal cell control group (group A), NNSCS/GV268 empty plasmid transfection group (group B), and NNSCS/GV268-miR-140 transfection group (group C). NNSCS/GV268 and NNSCS/GV268-miR- 140 complexes were transiently transfected into cells of groups B and C. After transfection, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expressions of exogenous miR-140; Annexin Ⅴ-FITC/PI double staining and MTT assay were used to detect the effect of exogenous miR-140 on apoptosis and proliferation of transfected chondrocytes; the expressions of Sox9, Aggrecan, and histone deacetylase 4 (Hdac4) were detected by RT-qPCR.

Results

RT-qPCR showed that the expression of miR-140 in group C was significantly higher than that in groups A and B ( P<0.05). Compared with groups A and B, the apoptosis rate in group C was decreased and the proliferation activity was improved, Sox9 and Aggrecan gene expressions were significantly up-regulated, and Hdac4 gene expression was significantly down-regulated ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in above indexes between groups A and B ( P>0.05).

Conclusion

Exogenous gene can be carried into the chondrocytes by NNSCS and expressed efficiently, the high expression of miR-140 can improve the biological activity of chondrocytes cultured in vitro, which provides important experimental basis for the treatment of cartilage damage diseases.

Design of Poly-l-Glutamate-Based Complexes for pDNA Delivery

Due to the polyanionic nature of DNA, typically cationic or neutral delivery vehicles have been used for gene delivery. As a new approach, this study focuses on the design, development, and validation of nonviral polypeptide-based carriers for oligonucleotide delivery based on a negatively charged poly-l-glutamic acid (PGA) backbone partly derivatized with oligoaminoamide residues. To this end, PGA-derivatives modified with different pentameric succinyl tetraethylene pentamines (Stp₅ ) are designed. Optionally, histidines for modulation of endosomal buffer capacity and cysteines for pDNA complex stabilization are included, followed by characterization of biophysical properties and gene transfer efficiency in N2a neuroblastoma or 4T1 breast cancer cells.