Biodegradable calcium phosphate nanoparticles for cancer therapy.

Calcium phosphate is the inorganic mineral of hard tissues such as bone and teeth. Due to their similarities to the natural bone, calcium phosphates are highly biocompatible and biodegradable materials that have found numerous applications in dental and orthopedic implants and bone tissue engineering. In the form of nanoparticles, calcium phosphate nanoparticles (CaP's) can also be used as effective delivery vehicles to transfer therapeutic agents such as nucleic acids, drugs, proteins and enzymes into tumor cells. In addition, facile preparation and functionalization of CaP's, together with their inherent properties such as pH-dependent solubility provide advantages in delivery and release of these bioactive agents using CaP's as nanocarriers. In this review, the challenges and achievements in the intracellular delivery of these agents to tumor cells are discussed. Also, the most important issues in the design and potential applications of CaP-based biominerals are addressed with more focus on their biodegradability in tumor microenvironment.

The CpG molecular structure controls the mineralization of calcium phosphate nanoparticles and their immunostimulation efficacy as vaccine adjuvants.

The co-precipitation of calcium phosphate nanoparticles (CaPs) in the presence of nucleotide chains such as polynucleotides (i.e., plasmid DNA and siRNA) and oligonucleotides has been extensively used for pre-clinical gene or drug delivery and immunotherapy studies. However, the exact role of these molecules in mineralization and tuning the physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized CaPs is still not entirely clear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of three different CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) and two representative nucleic acids (siRNA and DNA), when used as templates for the formation of CaPs. We examined the influence of CpGs with naturally-occurring phosphodiester or modified phosphorothioate backbones on the homogeneous formation of CaPs from a modified simulated body fluid solution. The hydrodynamic size, size polydispersity, morphology and surface charge of the CaPs were used as the most critical checkpoints to unravel the involved mechanisms. Our results show that the characteristics of CaPs are highly dependent on the composition, backbone, sequence and concentrations of the CpGs. The CpG type and concentration control the size distribution of the mineralized CaPs and their immunostimulation performance as verified by the activation of dendritic cells and secretion of the pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine, type I interferon-α (IFN-α) and co-stimulatory CD80, CD86 and CD40 markers. This study paves the way for better design of more efficient CaPs loaded with different types of CpGs for immunostimulation applications as vaccine adjuvants.

DNA-Templated Strontium-Doped Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery in Bone Cells.

Calcium phosphates (CaPs), constituents of the inorganic phase of natural bone, are highly biocompatible and biodegradable. Strontium (Sr) regulates the formation and resorption of bone. Incorporation of Sr into CaPs may target genes of interest to bone cells while regulating their function. In this work, we developed a single-step synthesis method to prepare Sr-doped CaP nanoparticles (SrCaP-DNA NPs) by using DNA as a template for controlling the mineralization and the stability of the colloidal solution. The resulting nanoparticles were monodispersed with well-controlled size, morphology, and composition. By using this method, we were able to fabricate CaP NPs with varying contents of Sr2+. We demonstrated that the stability of CaP NPs in extracellular environments increased when Sr2+ partially replaced Ca2+ in CaP NPs. We showed that the cellular uptake of SrCaP-DNA NPs and the efficiency of gene transfer and alkaline phosphatase activity in human fetal osteoblastic cell line (hFOB1.19) were dependent on the content of Sr2+ in NPs. Together with other studies, our results suggest SrCaP-DNA NPs can be optimized for targeted gene transfer to regulate function of bone cells, enabling applications such as bone tissue engineering and treating bone diseases.

Trifluoromethyl-functionalized poly(lactic acid): a fluoropolyester designed for blood contact applications.

Fluorinated polymers are strong candidates for development of new cardiovascular medical devices, due to their lower thrombogenicity as compared to other polymers used for cardiovascular implants. Few studies have reported the development of fluorinated polyesters and their potential in blood contact applications has never been examined. In this study, we developed a versatile method for preparing trifluoromethyl-functionalized poly(lactic acid) that can be potentially extended to prepare a new class of polyesters with various halogen or halocarbon substitutions. The resulting fluorinated polymer was hydrophobic relative to poly(lactic acid) and extracts from this polymer showed no in vitro cytotoxicity to NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. A preliminary consideration of the blood interactions of the CF3-functionalized polyester was evaluated by measuring the amount of the adsorbed albumin and fibrinogen from human blood plasma. The fluorinated polyester adsorbed and retained higher amounts of albumin and fibrinogen with a higher albumin/fibrinogen ratio as compared to poly(lactic acid), suggesting enhanced hemocompatibility. Plasma protein adsorption is the first event that occurs seconds after device implantation and controlling the adsorbed proteins will dictate the performance of medical implants.

Surface fluorination of polylactide as a path to improve platelet associated hemocompatibility.

Surface-induced thrombosis is still a significant clinical concern for many types of blood-contacting medical devices. In particular, protein adsorption and platelet adhesion are important events due to their ability to trigger the coagulation cascade and initiate thrombosis. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has been the predominant polymer used for making bioresorbable stents. Despite long-term advantages, these stents are associated with higher rates of early thrombosis compared with permanent metallic stents. To address this issue, we modified the surface of PLA with a perfluoro compound facilitated by surface activation using radio frequency (RF) plasma. Fluoropolymers have been extensively used in blood contacting materials, such as blood vessel replacements due to their reduced thrombogenicity and reduced platelet reactivity. The compositions of plasma-treated surfaces were determined by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). Also, contact angle measurements, cell cytotoxicity and the degradation profile of the treated polymers are presented. Finally, relevant blood compatibility parameters, including plasma protein adsorption, platelet adhesion and morphology, were evaluated. We hypothesized that tight binding of adsorbed albumin by fluoropolymers enhances its potential for blood-contacting applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Although bioresorbable stents made from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) may have long-term clinical advantages, they have shown higher rates of early thrombosis as compared with permanent metallic stents. To improve the thromboresistance of PLA, we developed a novel method for surface fluorination of this polymer with a perfluoro compound. Fluoropolymers (e.g., expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) have long been used in blood-contacting applications due to their satisfactory clinical performance. This is the first report of PLA surface fluorination which might be applied to the fabrication of a new generation of fluorinated PLA stents with improved platelet interaction, tunable degradability and drug release capabilities. Also, we describe a general strategy for improving the platelet interactions with biomaterials based on albumin retention.