Investigating bolalipids as solubilizing agents for poorly soluble drugs: Effects of alkyl chain length on solubilization and cytotoxicity

Recent Advances in Engineering Carriers for siRNA Delivery

RNA interference (RNAi) technology has been a promising treatment strategy for combating intractable diseases. However, the applications of RNAi in clinical are hampered by extracellular and intracellular barriers. To overcome these barriers, various siRNA delivery systems have been developed in the past two decades. The first approved RNAi therapeutic, Patisiran (ONPATTRO) using lipids as the carrier, for the treatment of amyloidosis is one of the most important milestones. This has greatly encouraged researchers to work on creating new functional siRNA carriers. In this review, the recent advances in siRNA carriers consisting of lipids, polymers, and polymer-modified inorganic particles for cancer therapy are summarized. Representative examples are presented to show the structural design of the carriers in order to overcome the delivery hurdles associated with RNAi therapies. Finally, the existing challenges and future perspective for developing RNAi as a clinical modality will be discussed and proposed. It is believed that the addressed contributions in this review will promote the development of siRNA delivery systems for future clinical applications.

Role of Alkyl Chain Length in Surfactant-Induced Precipitation of Reactive Brilliant Blue KN-R

To develop a cost-effective method for the effective removal of reactive brilliant blue KN-R (RBB KN-R) from wastewater, we investigated the interactions between RBB KN-R and three cationic surfactants with different alkyl chain lengths, namely dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB), and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Employing a conductivity analysis, surface tension analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, and molecular dynamics simulation, we ascertained that RBB KN-R formed a 1:1 molar ratio dye-surfactant complex with each surfactant through electrostatic attraction. Notably, an augmentation in alkyl chain length correlated with increased binding strength between RBB KN-R and the surfactant. The resulting dye-surfactant complex exhibited heightened surface activity, enabling interactions through hydrophobic forces to generate dye-surfactant aggregates when the molar ratio was below 1:1. Within these mixed aggregates, self-assembly of RBB KN-R molecules occurred, leading to the formation of dye aggregates. Due to the improved hydrophobicity with increased alkyl chain length, TTAB and CTAB could encapsulate dye aggregates within the mixed aggregates, but DTAB could not. The RBB KN-R aggregates tended to distribute on the surface of the RBB KN-R-DTAB mixed aggregates, resulting in low stability. Thus, at a DTAB concentration lower than CMC, insoluble particles readily formed and separated from surfactant aggregates at an RBB KN-R and DTAB molar ratio of 1:4. Analyzing the RBB KN-R precipitate through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and measuring the DTAB concentration in the supernate revealed that, at this molar ratio, all RBB KN-R precipitated from the dye-surfactant mixed solution, with only 7.5 ± 0.5% of DTAB present in the precipitate. Furthermore, the removal ratio of RBB KN-R reached nearly 100% within a pH range of 1.0 to 9.0 and standing time of 6 h. The salt type and concentration did not significantly affect the precipitation process. Therefore, this simultaneous achievement of successful RBB KN-R removal and effective separation from DTAB underscores the efficacy of the proposed approach.

Revealing the Dynamics of Mitochondrial Microenvironment during Apoptosis under Two-photon Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy by a Cyclic Iridium (III) Complex

Mitochondria-mediated apoptosis is a major mode of cell death and is inextricably linked to various pathological processes such as tumorigenesis. However, there is still a paucity of non-toxic tools that...