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Mahaling B, Low SWY, Ch S, Addi UR, Ahmad B, Connor TB, Mohan RR, Biswas S, Chaurasia SS. Next-Generation Nanomedicine Approaches for the Management of Retinal Diseases. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2005. [PMID: 37514191 PMCID: PMC10383092 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15072005] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinal diseases are one of the leading causes of blindness globally. The mainstay treatments for these blinding diseases are laser photocoagulation, vitrectomy, and repeated intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or steroids. Unfortunately, these therapies are associated with ocular complications like inflammation, elevated intraocular pressure, retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, and vitreous hemorrhage. Recent advances in nanomedicine seek to curtail these limitations, overcoming ocular barriers by developing non-invasive or minimally invasive delivery modalities. These modalities include delivering therapeutics to specific cellular targets in the retina, providing sustained delivery of drugs to avoid repeated intravitreal injections, and acting as a scaffold for neural tissue regeneration. These next-generation nanomedicine approaches could potentially revolutionize the treatment landscape of retinal diseases. This review describes the availability and limitations of current treatment strategies and highlights insights into the advancement of future approaches using next-generation nanomedicines to manage retinal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binapani Mahaling
- Ocular Immunology and Angiogenesis Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Shermaine W Y Low
- Ocular Immunology and Angiogenesis Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Sanjay Ch
- Nanomedicine Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology & Science-Pilani, Hyderabad 500078, India
| | - Utkarsh R Addi
- Ocular Immunology and Angiogenesis Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Baseer Ahmad
- Ocular Immunology and Angiogenesis Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Thomas B Connor
- Ocular Immunology and Angiogenesis Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Rajiv R Mohan
- One-Health One-Medicine Ophthalmology and Vision Research Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Swati Biswas
- Nanomedicine Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology & Science-Pilani, Hyderabad 500078, India
| | - Shyam S Chaurasia
- Ocular Immunology and Angiogenesis Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
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Hintzen KW, Simons C, Schaffrath K, Roessler G, Johnen S, Jakob F, Walter P, Schwaneberg U, Lohmann T. BioAdhere: tailor-made bioadhesives for epiretinal visual prostheses. Biomater Sci 2022; 10:3282-3295. [PMID: 35583519 DOI: 10.1039/d1bm01946e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Visual prostheses, i.e. epiretinal stimulating arrays, are a promising therapy in treating retinal dystrophies and degenerations. In the wake of a new generation of devices, an innovative method for epiretinal fixation of stimulator arrays is required. We present the development of tailor-made bioadhesive peptides (peptesives) for fixating epiretinal stimulating arrays omitting the use of traumatic retinal tacks. Materials and methods: Binding motifs on the stimulating array (poly[chloro-p-xylylene] (Parylene C)) and in the extracellular matrix of the retinal surface (collagens I and IV, laminin, fibronectin) were identified. The anchor peptides cecropin A (CecA), KH1, KH2 (author's initials) and osteopontin (OPN) were genetically fused to reporter proteins to assess their binding behavior to coated microtiter plates via fluorescence-based assays. Domain Z (DZ) of staphylococcal protein A was used as a separator to generate a bioadhesive peptide. Following ISO 10993 "biological evaluation of medical materials", direct and non-direct cytotoxicity testing (L-929 and R28 retinal progenitor cells) was performed. Lastly, the fixating capabilities of the peptesives were tested in proof-of-principle experiments. Results: The generation of the bioadhesive peptide required evaluation of the N- and C-anchoring of investigated APs. The YmPh-CecA construct showed the highest activity on Parylene C in comparison with the wildtype phytase without the anchor peptide. eGFP-OPN was binding to all four investigated ECM proteins (collagen I, laminin > collagen IV, fibronectin). The strongest binding to collagen I was observed for eGFP-KH1, while the strongest binding to fibronectin was observed for eGFP-KH2. The selectivity of binding was checked by incubating eGFP-CecA and eGFP-OPN on ECM proteins and on Parylene C, respectively. Direct and non-direct cytotoxicity testing of the peptide cecropin-A-DZ-OPN using L-929 and R28 cells showed good biocompatibility properties. Proof-of-concept experiments in post-mortem rabbit eyes suggested an increased adhesion of CecA-DZ-OPN-coated stimulating arrays. Conclusion: This is the first study to prove the applicability and biocompatibility of peptesives for the fixation of macroscopic objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Wolfgang Hintzen
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Simons
- DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany
| | - Kim Schaffrath
- Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Gernot Roessler
- Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Sandra Johnen
- Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Felix Jakob
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany
| | - Peter Walter
- Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Schwaneberg
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany
| | - Tibor Lohmann
- Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
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Kohls A, Maurer Ditty M, Dehghandehnavi F, Zheng SY. Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes as a Unique Material for Biomedical Applications. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:6287-6306. [PMID: 35090107 PMCID: PMC9254017 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c20423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs), a unique classification of CNT, highly oriented and normal to the respective substrate, have been heavily researched over the last two decades. Unlike randomly oriented CNT, VACNTs have demonstrated numerous advantages making it an extremely desirable nanomaterial for many biomedical applications. These advantages include better spatial uniformity, increased surface area, greater susceptibility to functionalization, improved electrocatalytic activity, faster electron transfer, higher resolution in sensing, and more. This Review discusses VACNT and its utilization in biomedical applications particularly for sensing, biomolecule filtration systems, cell stimulation, regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and bacteria inhibition. Furthermore, comparisons are made between VACNT and its traditionally nonaligned, randomly oriented counterpart. Thus, we aim to provide a better understanding of VACNT and its potential applications within the community and encourage its utilization in the future.
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Thiruvengadam M, Rajakumar G, Swetha V, Ansari MA, Alghamdi S, Almehmadi M, Halawi M, Kungumadevi L, Raja V, Sabura Sarbudeen S, Madhavan S, Rebezov M, Ali Shariati M, Sviderskiy A, Bogonosov K. Recent Insights and Multifactorial Applications of Carbon Nanotubes. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:1502. [PMID: 34945354 PMCID: PMC8708822 DOI: 10.3390/mi12121502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Nanotechnology has undergone significant development in recent years, particularly in the fabrication of sensors with a wide range of applications. The backbone of nanotechnology is nanostructures, which are determined on a nanoscale. Nanoparticles are abundant throughout the universe and are thought to be essential building components in the process of planet creation. Nanotechnology is generally concerned with structures that are between 1 and 100 nm in at least one dimension and involves the production of materials or electronics that are that small. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are carbon-based nanomaterials that have the structure of tubes. Carbon nanotubes are often referred to as the kings of nanomaterials. The diameter of carbon is determined in nanometers. They are formed from graphite sheets and are available in a variety of colors. Carbon nanotubes have a number of characteristics, including high flexibility, good thermal conductivity, low density, and chemical stability. Carbon nanotubes have played an important part in nanotechnology, semiconductors, optical and other branches of materials engineering owing to their remarkable features. Several of the applications addressed in this review have already been developed and used to benefit people worldwide. CNTs have been discussed in several domains, including industry, construction, adsorption, sensors, silicon chips, water purifiers, and biomedical uses, to show many treatments such as injecting CNTs into kidney cancers in rats, drug delivery, and directing a near-infrared laser at the cancers. With the orderly development of research in this field, additional therapeutic modalities will be identified, mainly for dispersion and densification techniques and targeted drug delivery systems for managing and curing posterior cortical atrophy. This review discusses the characteristics of carbon nanotubes as well as therapeutic applications such as medical diagnostics and drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muthu Thiruvengadam
- Department of Crop Science, College of Sanghuh Life Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea;
| | - Govindasamy Rajakumar
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials Co-Constructed by the Province and Ministry, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China;
| | - Venkata Swetha
- Annamacharya Institute of Technology & Sciences, Tirupati 517520, India;
| | - Mohammad Azam Ansari
- Department of Epidemic Disease Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Saad Alghamdi
- Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mazen Almehmadi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mustafa Halawi
- Medical Laboratory Technology, Applied Medical Sciences College, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Lakshmanan Kungumadevi
- Department of Physics, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal 624101, India; (L.K.); (V.R.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Vaishnavi Raja
- Department of Physics, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal 624101, India; (L.K.); (V.R.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Sulthana Sabura Sarbudeen
- Department of Physics, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal 624101, India; (L.K.); (V.R.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Saranya Madhavan
- Department of Chemistry, D.K.M. College for Women, Vellore 632001, India;
| | - Maksim Rebezov
- Research Department, K.G. Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management (The First Cossack University), 73, Zemlyanoy Val St., 109004 Moscow, Russia; (M.R.); (K.B.)
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, 38 Vavilova Str., 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Mohammad Ali Shariati
- Research Department, K.G. Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management (The First Cossack University), 73, Zemlyanoy Val St., 109004 Moscow, Russia; (M.R.); (K.B.)
| | - Alexandr Sviderskiy
- Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Innovative University of Eurasia, 45 Lomov St., Pavlodar 140000, Kazakhstan;
| | - Konstantin Bogonosov
- Research Department, K.G. Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management (The First Cossack University), 73, Zemlyanoy Val St., 109004 Moscow, Russia; (M.R.); (K.B.)
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Schaffrath K, Lohmann T, Seifert J, Ingensiep C, Raffelberg P, Waschkowski F, Viga R, Kokozinski R, Mokwa W, Johnen S, Walter P. New epiretinal implant with integrated sensor chips for optical capturing shows a good biocompatibility profile in vitro and in vivo. Biomed Eng Online 2021; 20:102. [PMID: 34641889 PMCID: PMC8507367 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-021-00938-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Retinal degenerative diseases, e.g., retinitis pigmentosa, cause a severe decline of the visual function up to blindness. Treatment still remains difficult; however, implantation of retinal prostheses can help restoring vision. In this study, the biocompatibility and surgical feasibility of a newly developed epiretinal stimulator (OPTO-EPIRET) was investigated. The previously developed implant was extended by an integrated circuit-based optical capturing, which will enable the immediate conversion of the visual field into stimulation patterns to stimulate retinal ganglion cells. RESULTS The biocompatibility of the OPTO-EPIRET was investigated in vitro using the two different cell lines L-929 and R28. Direct and indirect contact were analyzed in terms of cell proliferation, cell viability, and gene expression. The surgical feasibility was initially tested by implanting the OPTO-EPIRET in cadaveric rabbit eyes. Afterwards, inactive devices were implanted in six rabbits for feasibility and biocompatibility testings in vivo. In follow-up controls (1-12 weeks post-surgery), the eyes were examined using fundoscopy and optical coherence tomography. After finalization, histological examination was performed to analyze the retinal structure. Regarding the in vitro biocompatibility, no significant influence on cell viability was detected (L929: < 1.3% dead cells; R-28: < 0.8% dead cells). The surgery, which comprised phacoemulsification, vitrectomy, and implantation of the OPTO-EPIRET through a 9-10 mm corneal incision, was successfully established. The implant was fixated with a retinal tack. Vitreal hemorrhage or retinal tearing occurred as main adverse effects. Transitional corneal edema caused difficulties in post-surgical imaging. CONCLUSIONS The OPTO-EPIRET stimulator showed a good biocompatibility profile in vitro. Furthermore, the implantation surgery was shown to be feasible. However, further design optimization steps are necessary to avoid intra- and postoperative complications. Overall, the OPTO-EPIRET will allow for a wide visual field and good visual acuity due to a high density of electrodes in the central retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Schaffrath
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Tibor Lohmann
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jan Seifert
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Claudia Ingensiep
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Pascal Raffelberg
- Department of Electronic Components and Circuits, University Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Florian Waschkowski
- Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Reinhard Viga
- Department of Electronic Components and Circuits, University Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Kokozinski
- Department of Electronic Components and Circuits, University Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany.,Fraunhofer Institute of Microelectronic Circuits and Systems, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Wilfried Mokwa
- Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sandra Johnen
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Peter Walter
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
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Chemla Y, Avraham ES, Markus A, Teblum E, Slotky A, Kostikov Y, Farah N, Telkhozhayeva M, Shoval I, Nessim GD, Mandel Y. Carbon nanostructures as a scaffold for human embryonic stem cell differentiation toward photoreceptor precursors. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:18918-18930. [PMID: 32910131 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr02256j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Carbon nanomaterials have been introduced as a scaffold for various biological applications due to their unique physical and electrical properties. Here we studied carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as scaffold materials for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) towards photoreceptor precursor cells (PRPs). We report on their cytoxicity, their effect on cell morphology, cell-surface interface and the differentiation process. To this end, hESCs were differentiated into PRPs on carbon nanofibers (CNFs), long horizontal CNTs (LHCNTs), vertically aligned CNTs (VACNTs) or glass (control) surfaces. The differentiated cells were investigated by immunohistochemistry, fluorescence imaging and electron microscopy. Our results revealed that the investigated nanomaterials were not cytotoxic to the cells during the differentiation process. The surface interface effect on the cells was apparent, affecting cell directionality, migration and morphology. Interestingly, cell fate was not dependent on the substrate type, as inferred from the similar dynamics of the loss of pluripotency and the comparable expression levels of the photoreceptor marker Crx for all investigated substrates. These results are important for better understanding the effect of nanomaterial surface interaction with differentiating neural cells in general, and for future use of these materials as scaffolds for differentiating photoreceptors for vision restoration in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoav Chemla
- Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Optometry and Vision Science, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel.
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The Roles of an Aluminum Underlayer in the Biocompatibility and Mechanical Integrity of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes for Interfacing with Retinal Neurons. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:mi11060546. [PMID: 32481670 PMCID: PMC7345717 DOI: 10.3390/mi11060546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Retinal implant devices are becoming an increasingly realizable way to improve the vision of patients blinded by photoreceptor degeneration. As an electrode material that can improve restored visual acuity, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) excel due to their nanoscale topography, flexibility, surface chemistry, and double-layer capacitance. If vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) are biocompatible with retinal neurons and mechanically robust, they can further improve visual acuity-most notably in subretinal implants-because they can be patterned into high-aspect-ratio, micrometer-size electrodes. We investigated the role of an aluminum (Al) underlayer beneath an iron (Fe) catalyst layer used in the growth of VACNTs by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In particular, we cultured dissociated retinal cells for three days in vitro (DIV) on unfunctionalized and oxygen plasma functionalized VACNTs grown from a Fe catalyst (Fe and Fe + Pl preparations, where Pl signifies the plasma functionalization) and an Fe catalyst with an Al underlayer (Al/Fe and Al/Fe + Pl preparations). The addition of the Al layer increased the mechanical integrity of the VACNT interface and enhanced retinal neurite outgrowth over the Fe preparation. Unexpectedly, the extent of neurite outgrowth was significantly greater in the Al/Fe than in the Al/Fe+Pl preparation, suggesting plasma functionalization can negatively impact biocompatibility for some VACNT preparations. Additionally, we show our VACNT growth process for the Al/Fe preparation can support neurite outgrowth for up to 7 DIV. By demonstrating the retinal neuron biocompatibility, mechanical integrity, and pattern control of our VACNTs, this work offers VACNT electrodes as a solution for improving the restored visual acuity provided by modern retinal implants.
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