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Khamaysi I, Firman R, Martin P, Vasilyev G, Boyko E, Zussman E. Mechanical Perspective on Increasing Brush Cytology Yield. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:1743-1752. [PMID: 38373217 PMCID: PMC10934267 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Brush cytology is a sampling technique extensively used for mucosal surfaces, particularly to identify malignancies. A sample is obtained by rubbing the brush bristles over the stricture or lesion several times until cells are trapped. Brush cytology detection rate varies, with malignancy confirmed in 15-65% of cases of adenocarcinoma-associated biliary strictures and 44-80% of cases of cholangiocarcinoma. Despite the widespread use of brush cytology, there is no consensus to date defining the optimal biliary brushing parameters for the collection of suspicious lesions, such as the number of passes, brushing rate, and force applied. The aim of this work is to increase the brush cytology diagnostic yield by elucidating the underlying mechanical phenomena. First, the mechanical interactions between the brush bristles and sampled tissue are analyzed. During brushing, mucus and detached cells are transferred to the space between the bristles through the capillary rise and flow eddies. These mass transfer mechanisms and their dependence on mucus rheology as a function of pH, brush displacement rate, and bristle geometry and configuration are examined. Lastly, results from ex vivo brushing experiments performed on porcine stomachs are presented. Clinical practitioners from a variety of disciplines can apply the findings of this study to outline clear procedures for cytological brushing to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the brushings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iyad Khamaysi
- Department
of Gastroenterology, The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3525433, Israel
- Gastroenterology
Institute, Rambam Health
Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel
| | - Ronen Firman
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Patrick Martin
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Gleb Vasilyev
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Evgeniy Boyko
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Eyal Zussman
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
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2
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Abrami M, Biasin A, Tescione F, Tierno D, Dapas B, Carbone A, Grassi G, Conese M, Di Gioia S, Larobina D, Grassi M. Mucus Structure, Viscoelastic Properties, and Composition in Chronic Respiratory Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1933. [PMID: 38339210 PMCID: PMC10856136 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The respiratory mucus, a viscoelastic gel, effectuates a primary line of the airway defense when operated by the mucociliary clearance. In chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis (CF), the mucus is overproduced and its solid content augments, changing its structure and viscoelastic properties and determining a derangement of essential defense mechanisms against opportunistic microbial (virus and bacteria) pathogens. This ensues in damaging of the airways, leading to a vicious cycle of obstruction and infection responsible for the harsh clinical evolution of these CRDs. Here, we review the essential features of normal and pathological mucus (i.e., sputum in CF, COPD, and asthma), i.e., mucin content, structure (mesh size), micro/macro-rheology, pH, and osmotic pressure, ending with the awareness that sputum biomarkers (mucins, inflammatory proteins and peptides, and metabolites) might serve to indicate acute exacerbation and response to therapies. There are some indications that old and novel treatments may change the structure, viscoelastic properties, and biomarker content of sputum; however, a wealth of work is still needed to embrace these measures as correlates of disease severity in association with (or even as substitutes of) pulmonary functional tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Abrami
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via Valerio 6/A, I-34127 Trieste, Italy; (M.A.); (A.B.); (M.G.)
| | - Alice Biasin
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via Valerio 6/A, I-34127 Trieste, Italy; (M.A.); (A.B.); (M.G.)
| | - Fabiana Tescione
- Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, P.le E. Fermi 1, I-80055 Portici, Italy; (F.T.); (D.L.)
| | - Domenico Tierno
- Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Cattinara University Hospital, University of Trieste, Strada di Fiume 447, I-34149 Trieste, Italy; (D.T.); (G.G.)
| | - Barbara Dapas
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, I-34127 Trieste, Italy;
| | - Annalucia Carbone
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 121, I-71122 Foggia, Italy; (A.C.); (S.D.G.)
| | - Gabriele Grassi
- Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Cattinara University Hospital, University of Trieste, Strada di Fiume 447, I-34149 Trieste, Italy; (D.T.); (G.G.)
| | - Massimo Conese
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 121, I-71122 Foggia, Italy; (A.C.); (S.D.G.)
| | - Sante Di Gioia
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 121, I-71122 Foggia, Italy; (A.C.); (S.D.G.)
| | - Domenico Larobina
- Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, P.le E. Fermi 1, I-80055 Portici, Italy; (F.T.); (D.L.)
| | - Mario Grassi
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via Valerio 6/A, I-34127 Trieste, Italy; (M.A.); (A.B.); (M.G.)
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3
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Kavishvar D, Ramachandran A. The yielding behaviour of human mucus. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 322:103049. [PMID: 38039907 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2023.103049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Mucus is a viscoelastic material with non-linear rheological properties such as a yield stress of the order of a few hundreds of millipascals to a few tens of pascals, due to a complex network of mucins in water along with non-mucin proteins, DNA and cell debris. In this review, we discuss the origin of the yield stress in human mucus, the changes in the rheology of mucus with the occurrence of diseases, and possible clinical applications in disease detection as well as cure. We delve into the domain of mucus rheology, examining both macro- and microrheology. Macrorheology involves investigations conducted at larger length scales (∼ a few hundreds of μm or higher) using traditional rheometers, which probe properties on a bulk scale. It is significant in elucidating various mucosal functions within the human body. This includes rejecting unwanted irritants out of lungs through mucociliary and cough clearance, protecting the stomach wall from the acidic environment as well as biological entities, safeguarding cervical canal from infections and providing a swimming medium for sperms. Additionally, we explore microrheology, which encompasses studies performed at length scales ranging from a few tens of nm to a μm. These microscale studies find various applications, including the context of drug delivery. Finally, we employ scaling analysis to elucidate a few examples in lung, cervical, and gastric mucus, including settling of irritants in lung mucus, yielding of lung mucus in cough clearance and cilial beating, spreading of exogenous surfactants over yielding mucus, swimming of Helicobacter pylori through gastric mucus, and lining of protective mucus in the stomach. The scaling analyses employed on the applications mentioned above provide us with a deeper understanding of the link between the rheology and the physiology of mucus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Durgesh Kavishvar
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Arun Ramachandran
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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4
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Guo Y, Ma Y, Chen X, Li M, Ma X, Cheng G, Xue C, Zuo YY, Sun B. Mucus Penetration of Surface-Engineered Nanoparticles in Various pH Microenvironments. ACS NANO 2023; 17:2813-2828. [PMID: 36719858 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c11147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The penetration behavior of nanoparticles in mucous depends on physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles and the mucus microenvironment, due to particle-mucin interactions and the presence of the mucin mesh space filtration effect. To date, it is still unclear how the surface properties of nanoparticles influence their mucus penetration behaviors in various physiological and pathophysiological conditions. In this study, we have prepared a comprehensive library of amine-, carboxyl-, and PEG-modified silica nanoparticles (SNPs) with controlled surface ligand densities. Using multiple particle tracking, we have studied the mechanism responsible for the mucus penetration behaviors of these SNPs. It was found that PEG- and amine-modified SNPs exhibited pH-independent immobilization under iso-density conditions, while carboxyl-modified SNPs exhibited enhanced movement only in weakly alkaline mucus. Biophysical characterizations demonstrated that amine- and carboxyl-modified SNPs were trapped in mucus due to electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding with mucin. In contrast, high-density PEGylated surface formed a brush conformation that shields particle-mucin interactions. We have further investigated the surface property-dependent mucus penetration behavior using a murine airway distribution model. This study provides insights for designing efficient transmucosal nanocarriers for prevention and treatment of pulmonary diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
| | - Yubin Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
| | - Xin Chen
- School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
| | - Min Li
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
| | - Xuehu Ma
- School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
| | - Gang Cheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois60607, United States
| | - Changying Xue
- School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
| | - Yi Y Zuo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii96822, United States
| | - Bingbing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
- School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2 Linggong Road, 116024, Dalian, China
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5
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Mortensen JS, Bohr SSR, Harloff-Helleberg S, Hatzakis NS, Saaby L, Nielsen HM. Physical and barrier changes in gastrointestinal mucus induced by the permeation enhancer sodium 8-[(2-hydroxybenzoyl)amino]octanoate (SNAC). J Control Release 2022; 352:163-178. [PMID: 36314534 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Drug delivery systems (DDS) for oral delivery of peptide drugs contain excipients that facilitate and enhance absorption. However, little knowledge exists on how DDS excipients such as permeation enhancers interact with the gastrointestinal mucus barrier. This study aimed to investigate interactions of the permeation enhancer sodium 8-[(2-hydroxybenzoyl)amino]octanoate (SNAC) with ex vivo porcine intestinal mucus (PIM), ex vivo porcine gastric mucus (PGM), as well as with in vitro biosimilar mucus (BM) by profiling their physical and barrier properties upon exposure to SNAC. Bulk mucus permeability studies using the peptides cyclosporine A and vancomycin, ovalbumin as a model protein, as well as fluorescein-isothiocyanate dextrans (FDs) of different molecular weights and different surface charges were conducted in parallel to mucus retention force studies using a texture analyzer, rheological studies, cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM), and single particle tracking of fluorescence-labelled nanoparticles to investigate the effects of the SNAC-mucus interaction. The exposure of SNAC to PIM increased the mucus retention force, storage modulus, viscosity, increased nanoparticle confinement within PIM as well as decreased the permeation of cyclosporine A and ovalbumin through PIM. Surprisingly, the viscosity of PGM and the permeation of cyclosporine A and ovalbumin through PGM was unaffected by the presence of SNAC, thus the effect of SNAC depended on the regional site that mucus was collected from. In the absence of SNAC, the permeation of different molecular weight and differently charged FDs through PIM was comparable to that through BM. However, while bulk permeation of neither of the FDs through PIM was affected by SNAC, the presence of SNAC decreased the permeation of FD4 and increased the permeation of FD150 kDa through BM. Additionally, and in contrast to observations in PIM, nanoparticle confinement within BM remained unaffected by the presence of SNAC. In conclusion, the present study showed that SNAC altered the physical and barrier properties of PIM, but not of PGM. The effects of SNAC in PIM were not observed in the BM in vitro model. Altogether, the study highlights the need for further understanding how permeation enhancers influence the mucus barrier and illustrates that the selected mucus model for such studies should be chosen with care.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Mortensen
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Biobarriers in Drug Delivery, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - S S-R Bohr
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Biobarriers in Drug Delivery, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Chemistry, Nano-Science Center, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Bülowsvej 17, DK-1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - S Harloff-Helleberg
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Biobarriers in Drug Delivery, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; LEO Foundation Center for Cutaneous Drug Delivery, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - N S Hatzakis
- Department of Chemistry, Nano-Science Center, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Bülowsvej 17, DK-1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark; Novo Nordisk Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L Saaby
- CNS Drug Delivery and Barrier Modelling, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Bioneer A/S, Kogle Alle 2, DK-2970 Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - H M Nielsen
- Center for Biopharmaceuticals and Biobarriers in Drug Delivery, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Ruiz-Pulido G, Medina DI. An overview of gastrointestinal mucus rheology under different pH conditions and introduction to pH-dependent rheological interactions with PLGA and chitosan nanoparticles. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2020; 159:123-136. [PMID: 33387633 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2020.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This review discusses the physicochemical and mechanical properties of porcine gastrointestinal mucus from a rheological point of view. Considering mucus as a viscoelastic gel that functions as a biological barrier by limiting particles passage, lubricating the gastrointestinal tract, and protecting the stomach from gastric acids. The viscoelastic and protective properties of mucus are mainly produced by its mucin network, which is stabilized through electrostatic, hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions. Otherwise, mucus rheology is determined by its polyanionic nature at physiological pH. At neutral pH, mucus presents a viscous behavior produced by chains crosslinking. While, at acidic pH, mucus exhibits an elastic behavior related with the extended conformation that produces mucus gelation at the stomach. Additionally, rheology studies the degree of adhesion between a polymer-mucus mixture through rheological synergism, and how it varies at different pH conditions. Finally, mucoadhesion phenomenon is exemplified with chitosan (cationic) and poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (anionic) polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Ruiz-Pulido
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Atizapan de Zaragoza, Estado de Mexico 52926, Mexico
| | - Dora I Medina
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Atizapan de Zaragoza, Estado de Mexico 52926, Mexico.
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