Targeted and Controlled Drug Delivery to a Rat Model of Heart Failure Through a Magnetic Nanocomposite.

As a novel cardiac myosin activator, Omecamtive Mecarbil (OM) has shown promising results in the management of systolic heart failure in clinical examinations. However, the need for repeated administration along with dose-dependent side effects made its use elusive as a standard treatment for heart failure (HF). We hypothesized that improved cardiac function in systolic HF models would be achieved in lower doses by targeted delivery of OM to the heart. To test this hypothesis, a nanocomposite system was developed by composing chitosan and a magnetic core (Fe3O4), loaded with OM, and directed toward the rats' heart via a 0.3 T magnet. HF-induced rats were injected with saline, OM, and OM-loaded nanocomposite (n = 8 in each group) and compared with a group of healthy animals (saline injected, n = 8). Knowing the ejection fraction (EF) of healthy (93.68 ± 1.37%) and HF (71.7 ± 1.41%) rats, injection of nanocomposites was associated with improved EF (EF = 89.6 ± 1.40%). Due to increased heart targeting of nanocomposite (2.5 folds), improved cardiac function was seen with only 4% of the OM dose required for infusion, while injecting the same dose of OM without targeting was unable to stop HF progression (EF = 55.33 ± 3.16%) during 7 days. In conclusion, heart nanocomposites targeting improves the EF by up to 18% by only using 4% of the doses traditionally used in treating the HF.

Dual-functionalized graphene oxide for enhanced siRNA delivery to breast cancer cells.

The aim of this study is to improve hydrocolloid stability and siRNA transfection ability of a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) based nano-carrier using a phospholipid-based amphiphilic polymer (PL-PEG) and cell penetrating peptide (CPPs). The dual functionalized nano-carrier is comprehensively characterized for its chemical structure, size, surface charge and morphology as well as thermal stability. The nano-carrier cytocompatibility, siRNA condensation ability both in the presence and absence of enzyme, endosomal buffering capacity, cellular uptake and intracellular localization are also assessed. The siRNA loaded nano-carrier is used for internalization to MCF-7 cells and its gene silencing ability is compared with AllStars Hs Cell Death siRNA as a model gene. The nano-carrier remains stable in biological solution, exhibits excellent cytocompatibility, retards the siRNA migration and protects it against enzyme degradation. The buffering capacity analysis shows that incorporation of the peptide in nano-carrier structure would increase the resistance to endo/lysosomal like acidic condition (pH 6-4) The functionalized nano-carrier which is loaded with siRNA in an optimal N:P ratio presents superior internalization efficiency (82±5.1% compared to HiPerFect(®)), endosomal escape quality and capable of inducing cell death in MCF-7 cancer cells (51±3.1% compared to non-treated cells). The success of siRNA-based therapy is largely dependent on the safe and efficient delivery system, therefore; the dual functionalized rGO introduced here could have a great potential to be used as a carrier for siRNA delivery with relevancy in therapeutics and clinical applications.

Enhanced osteogenic differentiation of stem cells via microfluidics synthesized nanoparticles.

Advancement of bone tissue engineering as an alternative for bone regeneration has attracted significant interest due to its potential in reducing the costs and surgical trauma affiliated with the effective treatment of bone defects. We have improved the conventional approach of producing polymeric nanoparticles, as one of the most promising choices for drug delivery systems, using a microfluidics platform, thus further improving our control over osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out for theoretical understanding of our experiments in order to get a more detailed molecular-scale insight into the drug-carrier interactions. In this work, with the sustained intracellular delivery of dexamethasone from microfluidics-synthesized nanoparticles, we explored the effects of particle design on controlling stem cell fates. We believe that the insights learned from this work will lead to the discovery of new strategies to tune differentiation for in situ differentiation or stem cell therapeutics. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: The use of mesenchymal stem cells has been described by many researchers as a novel therapy for bone regeneration. One major hurdle in this approach is the control of osteogenic differentiation. In this article, the authors described elegantly their microfluidic system in which dexamethasone loaded nanoparticles were produced. This system would allow precise fabrication of nanoparticles and consequently higher efficiency in cellular differentiation.

Synthesis and characterization of an octaarginine functionalized graphene oxide nano-carrier for gene delivery applications.

The success of gene therapy is largely dependent on the development of a gene carrier. Recently cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been employed for enhancing the gene and drug delivery efficacy of nano-particles. The feasibility of octaarginine (R8) functionalized graphene oxide (GO) as a novel nano-carrier for gene delivery is investigated. A DNA plasmid expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (pEGFP) is used as a model gene to study the R8-GO transfection ability into mammalian cells. R8 peptide is conjugated in different ratios (0.1-1.5 µmol per mg of GO) to carboxylated graphene oxide by a two step amidation process. The process of peptide conjugation is analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-vis spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In order to obtain the highest transfection of pEGFP into the cells, the amount of peptide bound to GO is optimized which is evidenced by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, TNBS and gel retardation assays. The cytotoxicity of R8-functionalized GO is also tested by MTT assay. The results confirm the successful attachment of R8 peptide to GO. The AFM and XRD results show a significant increase in the thickness of nano graphene oxide sheets (NGOS) from 0.8 to 2-7 nm as well as an increase in the GO interlying space after the R8-functionalization process. A reduction in nano-carrier stability in both aqueous solution and cell culture media is observed when the amount of peptide is increased to more than 1 µmol mg(-1). Gel electrophoresis analysis shows the highest DNA loading on the peptide functionalized GO at the ratios of 0.5 and 1 µmol mg(-1). As a result, the conjugated peptide sample with a peptide molar ratio of 1 µmol per mg of GO shows the highest conjugational efficiency and EGFP gene expression along with improved dispersibility and biocompatibility. Overall, the findings reveal the importance of peptide density on the surface of NGOS in order to obtain the most efficient cell transfection. It is concluded that the R8-conjugated GO could be a promising nano-carrier for gene delivery with relevance in biotechnology therapeutics and clinical applications.

Biological evaluation of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel crosslinked by polyurethane chain for cartilage tissue engineering in rabbit model.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel chains were crosslinked by urethane pre-polymer (PPU) in order to fabricate a new substitute for cartilage lesions. The microscopy images showed that the cultured chondrocytes had spherical morphology on PVA-PPU sample after 4 weeks of isolation in vitro. The alcian blue and safranin O staining proved the presence of proteoglycan on the surface of PVA-PPU sample secreted by cultured chondrocytes. This was confirmed by the detection of sulfate ions in the wavelength dispersive X-ray (WDX) analysis. In addition, the expression of collagen type II and aggrecan were observed in chondrocytes cultured on PVA-PPU by RT-PCR. Moreover, the implantation of the PVA-PPU sample with autologous cultured chondrocytes revealed the formation of neocartilage tissue in a rabbit model during 12 weeks follow up. In conclusion, the results verified that isolated chondrocytes cultured on PVA-PPU retain their original phenotype and this composition can be considered as promising substrate for cartilage tissue engineering.

Synthesis and characterization of glutaraldehyde-based crosslinked gelatin as a local hemostat sponge in surgery: an in vitro study.

In this study, preparation and characterization of soft crosslinked gelatin sponge for blood hemostasis application was considered. The effects of gelatin and crosslinker concentrations and altering freeze-drying temperature on sponges' density and structure, water absorption ability and biodegradation, cytotoxicity, mechanical properties and hemostatic effect were investigated. The density measurement indicated that the density of freeze-dried sponges increased when the freezing temperature was lowered. Scanning electron microscope and optical microscope images showed that gelatin sponges had uniform small pores (60 µm) after freezing at liquid nitrogen (-196°C). Biodegradation study demonstrated that the crosslinked sponges containing 1% and 2% gelatin lost respectively nearly 40 to 70% of their weight during 24 h. Prepared sponges showed desired water absorption ability (30-40 times of own dry weight) improved by lowering glutaraldehyde concentration. Cell toxicity was not detected in any of the samples. Compression modulus of sponges decreased four times (160 to 40 kPa) as the gelatin content varied from 2 to 1% w/v. Hemostasis study confirmed that the hemolytic ability of sponges increased through raising gelatin content and porosity of sponge. We suggest using gelatin sponges containing 1% w/v gelatin, 0.5% w/v glutaraldehyde frozen in liquid nitrogen, as a potential substitution for local hemostat absorbable sponge.

Microfluidic assisted self-assembly of chitosan based nanoparticles as drug delivery agents.

We present a microfluidic platform for the synthesis of monodisperse chitosan based nanoparticles via self-assembly at physiological pH. The resultant nanoparticles are shown to encapsulate hydrophobic anticancer drugs while providing a sustainable release profile with high tunability.

Microfluidic synthesis of chitosan-based nanoparticles for fuel cell applications.

A microfluidic platform is developed for the synthesis of monodisperse, 100 nm, chitosan based nanoparticles using nanogelation with ATP. The resulting nanoparticles tuned and enhanced transport and electrochemical properties of Nafion based nanocomposite membranes, which is highly favorable for fuel cell applications.

Electrospun chitosan-gelatin nanofiberous scaffold: fabrication and in vitro evaluation.

In this study, chitosan and gelatin solutions were blended at five different ratios. Samples were fed into electrospinning apparatus to produce non-woven nanofibrous mats. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the low-viscosity sample with 30% chitosan and 70% gelatin (sample 30/70) formed the least amount of beads and droplets and yielded fibers with the highest morphological uniformity. To examine the effect of processing parameters on fibers morphology and nanofibers diameter, flow rate, voltage and distance between needle to the collector were changed in the sample 30/70. SEM revealed that high voltages (25 kV) and flow rates (1.5 ml·h⁻¹) decrease the uniformity of fibers and lead to bead and droplet formation. It has also shown that the distance between the tip and the collector have no significant effect on fibers' structure. The values of 15 kV (voltage), 0.2 ml·h⁻¹ (flow rate) and the fixed distance of 15 cm were identified as the optimal electrospinning conditions, which produce fibers with a mean diameter of 180±20 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) experiment revealed an increase in N-H bending and decrease in C-O stretching vibration in both chitosan and gelatin at 1060 and 1148 cm⁻¹. The in vitro biocompatibility tests performed with human skin fibroblasts showed excellent cell proliferation (MTT assay) and attachment (SEM) on these scaffolds confirming its highly acceptable biological properties.

Influence of poly (lactide-co-glycolide) type and gamma irradiation on the betamethasone acetate release from the in situ forming systems.

In situ forming biodegradable polymeric systems were prepared from Poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide), RG504H (50:50, lactide:glycolide), RG756 (75:25) and mixture of them. They were dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (33% w/w) and mixed with betamethasone acetate (BTMA, 5 and 10% w/w) and ethyl heptanoate (5% w/w, as an additive). The effects of gamma irradiation, drug loading, type of polymers and solvent removal were evaluated on release profiles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of RG756 samples loaded by BTMA did not show any degradation until two weeks. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) experiments confirmed insignificant decrease in T(g), and consequently release rate. Declining T(g) of RG504H and RG756 after gamma irradiation was about 0.4 and 1.46 degrees C, respectively. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed that BTMA release is more rapid from the formulations prepared using the RG504H with lower molecular weight. The formulations prepared by RG756 had lower burst release (2.5-41%) than the samples based on RG504H (60-67%) and mixture of them (30-33%). Regarding this research three different kinds of steriled in situ forming systems were developed which can release BTMA for 24, 90 and 60 days.