Efficient Self-Assembly of mPEG End-Capped Porous Silica as a Redox-Sensitive Nanocarrier for Controlled Doxorubicin Delivery

Functionalized Mesoporous Silica as Doxorubicin Carriers and Cytotoxicity Boosters

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) bearing methyl, thiol or glucose groups were synthesized, and their encapsulation and release behaviors for the anticancer drug Doxorubicin (Dox) were investigated in comparison with nonporous homologous materials. The chemical modification of thiol-functional silica with a double bond glucoside was completed for the first time, by green thiol-ene photoaddition. The MSNs were characterized in terms of structure (FT-IR, Raman), morphology (TEM), porosity (nitrogen sorption–desorption) and Zeta potential measurements. The physical interactions responsible for the Dox encapsulation were investigated by analytic methods and MD simulations, and were correlated with the high loading efficiency of MSNs with thiol and glucose groups. High release at pH 5 was observed in most cases, with thiol-MSN exhibiting 98.25% cumulative release in sustained profile. At pH 7.4, the glucose-MSN showed 75.4% cumulative release, while the methyl-MSN exhibited a sustained release trend. The in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated on NDHF, MeWo and HeLa cell lines by CellTiter-Glo assay, revealing strong cytotoxic effects in all of the loaded silica at low equivalent Dox concentration and selectivity for cancer cells. Atypical applications of each MSN as intravaginal, topical or oral Dox administration route could be proposed.

To PEGylate or not to PEGylate: Immunological properties of nanomedicine's most popular component, polyethylene glycol and its alternatives

Polyethylene glycol or PEG has a long history of use in medicine. Many conventional formulations utilize PEG as either an active ingredient or an excipient. PEG found its use in biotechnology therapeutics as a tool to slow down drug clearance and shield protein therapeutics from undesirable immunogenicity. Nanotechnology field applies PEG to create stealth drug carriers with prolonged circulation time and decreased recognition and clearance by the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). Most nanomedicines approved for clinical use and experimental nanotherapeutics contain PEG. Among the most recent successful examples are two mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines that are delivered by PEGylated lipid nanoparticles. The breadth of PEG use in a wide variety of over the counter (OTC) medications as well as in drug products and vaccines stimulated research which uncovered that PEG is not as immunologically inert as it was initially expected. Herein, we review the current understanding of PEG's immunological properties and discuss them in the context of synthesis, biodistribution, safety, efficacy, and characterization of PEGylated nanomedicines. We also review the current knowledge about immunological compatibility of other polymers that are being actively investigated as PEG alternatives.

The Engineering of Porous Silica and Hollow Silica Nanoparticles to Enhance Drug-loading Capacity

As a promising candidate for expanding the capacity of drug loading in silica nanoplatforms, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) are gaining increasing attention. In this study, porous nanosilica (PNS) and HMSNs were prepared by the sol-gel method and template assisted method, then further used for Rhodamine (RhB) loading. To characterize the as-synthesized nanocarriers, a number of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen absorption-desorption isotherms, dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed. The size of HMSN nanoparticles in aqueous solution averaged 134.0 ± 0.3 nm, which could be adjusted by minor changes during synthesis, whereas that of PNS nanoparticles was 63.4 ± 0.6 nm. In addition, the encapsulation of RhB into HMSN nanoparticles to form RhB-loaded nanocarriers (RhB/HMSN) was successful, achieving high loading efficiency (51.67% ± 0.11%). This was significantly higher than that of RhB-loaded PNS (RhB/PNS) (12.24% ± 0.24%). Similarly, RhB/HMSN also possessed a higher RhB loading content (10.44% ± 0.02%) compared to RhB/PNS (2.90% ± 0.05%). From those results, it is suggested that prepared HMSN nanocarriers may act as high-capacity carriers in drug delivery applications.

Soy Lecithin-Derived Liposomal Delivery Systems: Surface Modification and Current Applications

The development of natural phospholipids for nanostructured drug delivery systems has attracted much attention in the past decades. Lecithin that was derived from naturally occurring in soybeans (SL) has introduced some auspicious accomplishments to the drug carrying aspect, like effectual encapsulation, controlled release, and successful delivery of the curative factors to intracellular regions in which they procure these properties from their flexible physicochemical and biophysical properties, such as large aqueous center and biocompatible lipid, self-assembly, tunable properties, and high loading capacity. Despite the almost perfect properties as a drug carrier, liposome is known to be quite quickly eliminated from the body systems. The surface modification of liposomes has been investigated in many studies to overcome this drawback. In this review, we intensively discussed the surface-modified liposomes that enhancing the targeting, cellular uptake, and therapeutic response. Moreover, the recent applications of soy lecithin-derived liposome, focusing on cancer treatment, brain targeting, and vaccinology, are also summarized.

Partial Surface Modification of Low Generation Polyamidoamine Dendrimers: Gaining Insight into their Potential for Improved Carboplatin Delivery

Carboplatin (CAR) is a second generation platinum-based compound emerging as one of the most widely used anticancer drugs to treat a variety of tumors. In an attempt to address its dose-limiting toxicity and fast renal clearance, several delivery systems (DDSs) have been developed for CAR. However, unsuitable size range and low loading capacity may limit their potential applications. In this study, PAMAM G3.0 dendrimer was prepared and partially surface modified with methoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG) for the delivery of CAR. The CAR/PAMAM G3.0@mPEG was successfully obtained with a desirable size range and high entrapment efficiency, improving the limitations of previous CAR-loaded DDSs. Cytocompatibility of PAMAM G3.0@mPEG was also examined, indicating that the system could be safely used. Notably, an in vitro release test and cell viability assays against HeLa, A549, and MCF7 cell lines indicated that CAR/PAMAM G3.0@mPEG could provide a sustained release of CAR while fully retaining its bioactivity to suppress the proliferation of cancer cells. These obtained results provide insights into the potential of PAMAM G3.0@mPEG dendrimer as an efficient delivery system for the delivery of a drug that has strong side effects and fast renal clearance like CAR, which could be a promising approach for cancer treatment.

Evaluation of Factors Affecting Antimicrobial Activity of Bacteriocin from Lactobacillus plantarum Microencapsulated in Alginate-Gelatin Capsules and Its Application on Pork Meat as a Bio-Preservative

Antimicrobial compounds from traditional fermented foods have shown activity against a wide range of pathogen and spoilage microorganisms for several years. In this study, a Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), isolated from Vietnamese traditional fermented yogurt (Lactobacillus plantarum SC01), was encapsulated in alginate-gelatin (ALG-GEL) and the effect of incubation temperature, medium pH and surfactants were assessed. The aims of this research were to evaluate antimicrobial activity of bacteriocin produced by L. plantarum SC01. Another aim the research was to study the quality of pork meat treated with its Bacteriocin in 2 h as a bio-preservative at different storage times (0 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h) in room temperature, compared to control (treated with salt 40.0%). The antimicrobial activity of L. plantarum SC01 was identified through the inhibition rate of five indicator organisms, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus subtilis by co-culture method. The results showed that L. plantarum SC01 microencapsulated in ALG-GEL (2.5% alginate and 6.0% gelatin, w/v) and 3.0% bacteria supplied into modified MRS medium (MRSOPTSC01) produced highly active compound inhibited the growth of indicator organisms at a density of 10⁴⁻10⁸ CFU/mL. Antibacterial compounds were highly active in a treatment at 80 °C; not to be affected by pH; affected by surfactant as Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and Tween. Moreover, LAB obtained from this study show the potent Bacteriocin in its usage as a preservative in food.

Metal-Organic Framework MIL-53(Fe) as an Adsorbent for Ibuprofen Drug Removal from Aqueous Solutions: Response Surface Modeling and Optimization

Ibuprofen contamination from water sources has been increasingly alarming due to its environmentally accumulative retention; however, the strategies for ibuprofen-containing water treatment are still an enormous challenge. Herein, we described the utilization of metal-organic frameworks MIL-53(Fe) (MIL = Materials of Institute Lavoisier) for the adsorption of ibuprofen in synthetic solution. Firstly, the MIL-53(Fe) was solvothemally synthesized and then characterized using the X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. The optimization of ibuprofen adsorption over MIL-53(Fe) was performed with three independent variables including ibuprofen concentration (1.6–18.4 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (0.16–1.84 g/L), and pH (2.6–9.4) according to the experimental design from response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions, more than 80% of ibuprofen could be eliminated from water, indicating the promising potential of the MIL-53(Fe) material for treatment of this drug. Kinetic and isotherm models also were used to elucidate the chemisorption and monolayer behavior mechanisms of ibuprofen over MIL-53(Fe).