Optical fiber-based setup for in vivo measurement of the delayed fluorescence lifetime of oxygen sensors

The Chicken Embryo Chorioallantoic Membrane as an In Vivo Model for Photodynamic Therapy

For many decades the chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) has been used for research as an in vivo model in a large number of different fields, including toxicology, bioengineering, and cancer research. More specifically, the CAM is also a suitable and convenient model system in the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT), mainly due to the easy access of its membrane and the possibility of grafting or growing tumors on the membrane and, interestingly, to study the PDT effects on its dense vascular network. In addition, the CAM is simple to handle and cheap. Since the CAM is not innervated until later stages of the embryo development, its use in research is simplified compared to other in vivo models as far as ethical and regulatory issues are concerned. In this review different incubation and drug administration protocols of relevance for PDT are presented. Moreover, data regarding the propagation of light at different wavelengths and CAM development stages are provided. Finally, the effects induced by photobiomodulation on the CAM angiogenesis and its impact on PDT treatment outcome are discussed.

A New Strategy to Preserve and Assess Oxygen Consumption in Murine Tissues

Mitochondrial dysfunctions are implicated in several pathologies, such as metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological diseases, as well as in cancer and aging. These metabolic alterations are usually assessed in human or murine samples by mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymatic assays, by measuring the oxygen consumption of intact mitochondria isolated from tissues, or from cells obtained after physical or enzymatic disruption of the tissues. However, these methodologies do not maintain tissue multicellular organization and cell-cell interactions, known to influence mitochondrial metabolism. Here, we develop an optimal model to measure mitochondrial oxygen consumption in heart and lung tissue samples using the XF24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer (Seahorse) and discuss the advantages and limitations of this technological approach. Our results demonstrate that tissue organization, as well as mitochondrial ultrastructure and respiratory function, are preserved in heart and lung tissues freshly processed or after overnight conservation at 4 °C. Using this method, we confirmed the repeatedly reported obesity-associated mitochondrial dysfunction in the heart and extended it to the lungs. We set up and validated a new strategy to optimally assess mitochondrial function in murine tissues. As such, this method is of great potential interest for monitoring mitochondrial function in cohort samples.

Influence of Oxidative Stress on Time-Resolved Oxygen Detection by [Ru(Phen)3]2+ In Vivo and In Vitro

Detection of tissue and cell oxygenation is of high importance in fundamental biological and in many medical applications, particularly for monitoring dysfunction in the early stages of cancer. Measurements of the luminescence lifetimes of molecular probes offer a very promising and non-invasive approach to estimate tissue and cell oxygenation in vivo and in vitro. We optimized the evaluation of oxygen detection in vivo by [Ru(Phen)₃]²⁺ in the chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane model. Its luminescence lifetimes measured in the CAM were analyzed through hierarchical clustering. The detection of the tissue oxygenation at the oxidative stress conditions is still challenging. We applied simultaneous time-resolved recording of the mitochondrial probe MitoTracker^TM OrangeCMTMRos fluorescence and [Ru(Phen)₃]²⁺ phosphorescence imaging in the intact cell without affecting the sensitivities of these molecular probes. [Ru(Phen)₃]²⁺ was demonstrated to be suitable for in vitro detection of oxygen under various stress factors that mimic oxidative stress: other molecular sensors, H₂O₂, and curcumin-mediated photodynamic therapy in glioma cancer cells. Low phototoxicities of the molecular probes were finally observed. Our study offers a high potential for the application and generalization of tissue oxygenation as an innovative approach based on the similarities between interdependent biological influences. It is particularly suitable for therapeutic approaches targeting metabolic alterations as well as oxygen, glucose, or lipid deprivation.

Synthesis and effect of pegylation on citric acid dendritic nano architectures anchored with cefotaxime sodium

In recent years dendrimers have fascinated the investigators towards targeted drug delivery because of their versatile framework and exhibit immense potentiality in entrapping drug moieties through host-guest interactions and serve as a promising vector in biological applications. The current investigation is focused on developing pegylated citric acid cefotaxime dendrimers through the divergent method and its characterization through spectroscopic, microscopic, thermal and microscopic techniques. Among the spectroscopic techniques, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR elucidated the key functional groups at various chemical shifts while ESI-MS pointed out the molecular weight of cefotaxime sodium in various generations. Similarly, FTIR, DSC, and AFM investigations detailed that the generations are devoid of incompatibilities, structural deformities and can be opted for targeted drug delivery. The drug entrapment studies and in-vitro drug release studies highlight CFTX G5 containing 92.4% entrapment efficacy and 83.8% drug release in 48 h and specifies a sustain release characteristics. In connection to the above, the in-vivo studies reveal a potent antibacterial activity against various gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms with a decreased hemolysis and cytotoxicity effects and reflect a high margin of safety regarding pegylated CFTX dendrimers. Further, the antibacterial activities are supported through confocal microscopy that clarified the cellular uptake of dendritic molecules and their internalization.

Novel Methods for Efficacy Testing of Disinfectants – Part II

The control of infections and maintenance of hygienic conditions are of central importance and the insights gained through several investigations have practical significance today. In contrast, the maintenance of environment and surface disinfection is still controversial and demands novel disinfectants to meet the required criteria. The healthcare centers are fraught with various microorganisms and serve as a point source for multidrug resistance in patients which is more critical to treat. Therefore, it has begun a comprehensive plan in hospitals to focus on disinfection and maintenance of hygiene which is not always appreciated. The urgency to determine the effectiveness of disinfectants is often questioned. The review article shows how the existing problems could be solved by a systematic approach and reports on effective evaluation studies that meet the requirements.

Novel Methods for Efficacy Testing of Disinfectants – Part I

The pathogens which are the effective transmitters of various infections pose a serious problem in restraining their interference in maintaining a sterile environment. The practical applicability of traditional methods of disinfection is restricted due to their cumbersomeness, toxic product generation, and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the objective of the current review is to elaborate the efficacies and limitations of various novel disinfectants that can show their activity in a few minutes of treatment. The expected outcome would be feasibility for selection of a favorable disinfectant through various technologies that can generate uniform results and form a basis for the true estimation required parameters. Hence, the current paper ends with the consideration of unique new techniques that distinguishes their simplicity, safety, and efficacy in generating a sterile environment.

Sensitive, Real-Time, and In-Vivo Oxygen Monitoring for Photodynamic Therapy by Multifunctional Mesoporous Nanosensors

Real-time monitoring of oxygen consumption is beneficial to predict treatment responses and optimize therapeutic protocols for photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this work, we first demonstrate that deformable hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (HMONs) can be used to load [(Ru(dpp)₃)]Cl₂ for detecting oxygen (denoted as HMON-[(Ru(dpp)₃)]Cl₂). This nanoprobe shows significantly improved biocompatibility and high cellular uptake. In-vitro experiments demonstrate that the HMON-[(Ru(dpp)₃)]Cl₂ can sensitively detect oxygen changes between 1% and 20%. On this basis, photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) and [(Ru(dpp)₃)]Cl₂ are simultaneously loaded in the HMONs (denoted as HMON-Ce6-[(Ru(dpp)₃)]Cl₂) for real-time oxygen monitoring during photodynamic therapy. The HMON-Ce6-[(Ru(dpp)₃)]Cl₂ can reflects oxygen consumption in solution and cells in photodynamic therapy. Furthermore, the ability of the HMON-Ce6-[(Ru(dpp)₃)]Cl₂ nanosensor to monitor oxygen changes is demonstrated in tumor-bearing nude mice.

Perspectives on dendritic architectures and their biological applications: From core to cell

The challenges of medicine today include the increasing stipulation for sensitive and effective systems that can improve the pathological responses with a simultaneous reduction in accumulation and drug side effects. The demand can be fulfilled through the advancements in nanomedicine that includes nanostructures and nanodevices for diagnosing, treating, and prevention of various diseases. In this respect, the nanoscience provides various novel techniques with carriers such as micelles, dendrimers, particles and vesicles for the transportation of active moieties. Further, an efficient way to improve these systems is through stimuli a responsive system that utilizes supramolecular hyperbranched structures to meet the above criteria. The stimuli-responsive dendritic architectures exhibit spatial, temporal, convenient, effective, safety and controlled drug release in response to specific trigger through electrostatic interactions plus π stacking. The stimuli-responsive systems are capable of sequestering the drug molecules underneath a predefined set of conditions and discharge them in a different environment through either exogenous or endogenous stimulus. The incorporation of photoresponsive moieties at various components of dendrimer such as core, branches or at the peripheral end exaggerates its significance in various allied fields of nanotechnology which includes sensors, photoswitch, electronic widgets and in drug delivery systems. This is due to the light instigated geometrical modifications at the core or at the surface molecules which generates huge conformational changes throughout the hyperbranched structure. Further, numerous synthetic methodologies have been investigated for utilization of dendrimers in therapeutic drug delivery and its applicability towards stimuli responsive systems such as photo-instigated, thermal-instigated, and pH-instigated hyperbranched structures and their advancement in the field of nanomedicine. This paper highlights the fascinating theoretical advances and principal mechanisms of dendrimer synthesis and their ability to capture light that strengthens its applicability from radiant energy to medical photonics.

Biofilm inhibition formation of clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutans, photocatalytic activity of azo dye and GC-MS analysis of leaves of Lagerstroemia speciosa

The investigation was conducted to analyse the bioactive compounds from the leaf extracts of L. speciosa by GC-MS. The extracts were screened for antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against potential clinical strains. The bioactive compounds from the leaves of L. speciosa were extracted by soxhlet continuous extraction method and their chemical composition was analysed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity was evaluated against clinical strain like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi by well diffusion technique. We also screened for antibacterial property against common food borne pathogens namely Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus at varied concentration 250μml^-1 to 1000μml^-1. Thereafter antibiofilm assay was carried out at from 250 to 1000μg/ml against P. aeruginosa (high biofilm forming pathogen) clinical strain by cover slip technique and the morphology of the pathogen was observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy-(SEM). It was observed that diverse class of secondary metabolites were found by GC-MS analysis for all the extracts upon the continuous extraction. It was found that only minimum inhibition was seen in alcoholic extract for antibacterial activity, whereas all other extracts showed negligible activity. P. aeruginosa biofilm inhibited to 93.0±2% and 91±2% at higher concentration (1000μg/ml) for methanolic and ethanolic extract respectively. Absence of extracellular matrix structure and the surface cracking of biofilm were viewed by SEM, which confirmed the antibiofilm activity. Hence this study reveals that L. speciosa showed significant antibiofilm activity against P. aeruginosa due to the phytoconstituents present in the leaf extracts which was well documented in the alcoholic extracts by GC-MS analysis. The methanolic and ethanolic extract showed good photocatalytic activity of 77.44% and 96.66% against azo dye degradation respectively. Further, isolating the novel phyto-compounds would yield better promising biological activities.

Photocatalytic activity against azo dye and cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cell lines of zirconium oxide nanoparticle mediated using leaves of Lagerstroemia speciosa

Metal oxide nanoparticles are gaining interest in recent years. The present paper explains about the green synthesis of zirconium oxide nanoparticles (ZrO NPs) mediated from the leaves of Lagerstroemia speciosa. The prepared ZrO NPs were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The photocatalytic activity of ZrO NPs was studied for azo dye by exposing to sunlight. The azo dye was degraded up to 94.58%. Also the ZrO NPs were studied for in vitro cytotoxicity activity against breast cancer cell lines-MCF-7 and evaluated by MTT assay. The cell morphological changes were recorded by light microscope. The cells viability was seen at 500μg/mL when compared against control. Hence the research highlights, that the method was simple, eco-friendly towards environment by phytoremediation activity of the azo dye and cytotoxicity activity against MCF-7 cell lines. Hence the present paper may help to further explore the metal nanoparticle for its potential applications.

Cutaneous Respirometry as Novel Technique to Monitor Mitochondrial Function: A Feasibility Study in Healthy Volunteers

Background

The protoporphyrin IX-triplet state lifetime technique (PpIX-TSLT) is proposed as a potential clinical non-invasive tool to monitor mitochondrial function. This technique has been evaluated in several animal studies. Mitochondrial respirometry allows measurement in vivo of mitochondrial oxygen tension (mitoPO₂) and mitochondrial oxygen consumption (mitoVO₂) in skin. This study describes the first use of a clinical prototype in skin of humans.

Methods

The clinical prototype was tested in 30 healthy volunteers. A self-adhesive patch containing 2 mg 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was applied on the skin of the anterior chest wall (sternal) for induction of mitochondrial protoporphyrin IX and was protected from light for 5 h. MitoPO₂ was measured by means of oxygen-dependent delayed fluorescence of protoporphyrin IX. MitoVO₂ was determined by dynamic mitoPO₂ measurements on the primed skin, while locally blocking oxygen supply by applying local pressure with the measurement probe. MitoPO₂ was recorded before and during a 60-s period of compression of the microcirculation, at an interval of 1 Hz. Oxygen consumption (i.e. the local oxygen disappearance rate) was calculated from the decay of the mitoPO₂ slope.

Results

Oxygen-dependent delayed fluorescence measurements were successfully performed in the skin of 27 volunteers. The average value (± SD) of mitoPO₂ was 44 ± 17 mmHg and mean mitoVO₂ values were 5.8 ± 2.3 and 6.1 ± 1.6 mmHg s^-1 at a skin temperature of 34°C and 40°C, respectively. No major discomfort during measurement and no long-term dermatological abnormalities were reported in a survey performed 1 month after measurements.

Conclusion

These results show that the clinical prototype allows measurement of mitochondrial oxygenation and oxygen consumption in humans. The development of this clinically applicable device offers opportunities for further evaluation of the technique in humans and the start of first clinical studies.

The singlet-oxygen-sensitized delayed fluorescence in mammalian cells: a time-resolved microscopy approach

Microsecond kinetics of singlet-oxygen-sensitized delayed fluorescence (SOSDF) have been detected from individual living fibroblast cells as a proof-of-concept. These provide valuable information about excited state lifetimes and their changes during PDT-like treatment.

Endosomes: guardians against [Ru(Phen)3]2+ photo-action in endothelial cells during in vivo pO2 detection?

Phototoxicity is a side-effect of in vitro and in vivo oxygen partial pressure (pO2) detection by luminescence lifetime measurement methods. Dichlorotris(1,10-phenanthroline)-ruthenium(ii) hydrate ([Ru(Phen)3]2+) is a water soluble pO2 probe associated with low phototoxicity, which we investigated in vivo in the chick's chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) after intravenous or topical administration and in vitro in normal human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC). In vivo, the level of intravenously injected [Ru(Phen)3]2+ decreases within several minutes, whereas the maximum of its biodistribution is observed during the first 2 h after topical application. Both routes are followed by convergence to almost identical "intra/extra-vascular" levels of [Ru(Phen)3]2+. In vitro, we observed that [Ru(Phen)3]2+ enters cells via endocytosis and is then redistributed. None of the studied conditions induced modification of lysosomal or mitochondrial membranes without illumination. No nuclear accumulation was observed. Without illumination [Ru(Phen)3]2+ induces changes in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport. The phototoxic effect of [Ru(Phen)3]2+ leads to more marked ultrastructural changes than administration of [Ru(Phen)3]2+ only (in the dark). These could lead to disruption of Ca2+ homeostasis accompanied by mitochondrial changes or to changes in secretory pathways. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the intravenous injection of [Ru(Phen)3]2+ into the CAM model mostly leads to extracellular localization of [Ru(Phen)3]2+, while its topical application induces intracellular localization. We have shown in vivo that [Ru(Phen)3]2+ induces minimal photo-damage after illumination with light doses larger by two orders of magnitude than those used for pO2 measurements. This low phototoxicity is due to the fact that [Ru(Phen)3]2+ enters endothelial cells via endocytosis and is then redistributed towards peroxisomes and other endosomal and secretory vesicles before it is eliminated via exocytosis. Cellular response to [Ru(Phen)3]2+, survival or death, depends on its intracellular concentration and oxidation-reduction properties.

Monitoring oxygen concentration during photodynamic therapy using prompt photosensitizer fluorescence

A novel technique is described that uses either time-resolved or steady state prompt photosensitizer fluorescence to measure local oxygen concentration. Solution experiments conducted with Al(III) phthalocyanine chloride tetrasulfonic acid confirmed that the steady state fluorescence signal is dependent on the oxygen concentration and fluence rate. A relationship between prompt sensitizer fluorescence and sensitizer triplet quenching efficiency is derived which does not require knowledge of the Stern-Volmer constant. Similar relationships are also derived for sensitizer delayed fluorescence and phosphorescence. An explicit photodynamic therapy (PDT) dose metric that incorporates light dosimetry, sensitizer dosimetry, and triplet quenching efficiency is introduced. All components of this metric can be determined by optical measurements.

Oxygen-dependent delayed fluorescence measured in skin after topical application of 5-aminolevulinic acid

Mitochondrial oxygen tension can be measured in vivo by means of oxygen-dependent quenching of delayed fluorescence of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). Here we demonstrate that delayed fluorescence is readily observed from skin in rat and man after topical application of the PpIX precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). Delayed fluorescence lifetimes respond to changes in inspired oxygen fraction and blood supply. The signals contain lifetime distributions and the fitting of rectangular distributions to the data appears more adequate than mono-exponential fitting. The use of topically applied ALA for delayed fluorescence lifetime measurements might pave the way for clinical use of this technique.