ABSTRACT
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant neoplasm in adults among all CNS gliomas, with the 5-year survival rate being as low as 5%. Among nanocarriers, liposomal nanoformulations are considered as a promising tool for precise drug delivery. The herein presented study demonstrates the possibility of encapsulating four selected natural compounds (curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, acteoside, and orientin) and their mixtures in cationic liposomal nanoformulation composed of two lipid types (DOTAP:POPC). In order to determine the physicochemical properties of the new drug carriers, specific measurements, including particle size, Zeta Potential, and PDI index, were applied. In addition, NMR and EPR studies were carried out for a more in-depth characterization of nanoparticles. Within biological research, the prepared formulations were evaluated on T98G and U-138 MG glioblastoma cell lines in vitro, as well as on a non-cancerous human lung fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) using the MTT test to determine their potential as anticancer agents. The highest activity was exhibited by liposome-entrapped acteoside towards the T98G cell line with IC50 equal 2.9 ± 0.9 µM after 24 hours of incubation. Noteworthy, curcumin and orientin mixture in liposomal formulation exhibited a synergistic effect against GBM. Moreover, the impact on the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins (p53 and Caspase-3) of acteoside as well as curcumin and orientin mixture, as the most potent agents, was assessed, showing nearly 40% increase as compared to control U-138 MG and T98G cells. It should be emphasized that a new and alternative method of extrusion of the studied liposomes was developed.
ABSTRACT
Syringe pumps are routinely used in biomedical imaging laboratories for delivering contrast agents and either infusing or injecting a precise amount of liquids. Commercial syringe pumps that are developed by specialized companies are expensive and only have standard functions, which often do not meet the requirements of individual experiments. In this paper, we demonstrate an open-source single syringe pump with the possibility of adapting to the needs of a researcher. The device that was designed, is controlled by an Arduino Leonardo, along with the stepper motor driver. For sending commands and receiving the current plunger position, a C# software was developed with serial communication via USB. Additionally, the 3D models were made in a universal way, which allows for the use of any syringe size. An example of the application of the syringe pump for biomedical applications was demonstrated using electron resonance imaging (ERI). The single syringe pump tests were demonstrated by simulating the filling of a particular volume inside the resonator. This example reflects the clearance process after an intravascular (I.V) drug administration in the murine model. The experiments were performed on an ERI TM 600 tomograph. The results confirmed that the designed syringe pump allowed for controlling the infusion speed and injected volume. Moreover, we present a user-friendly and open-source graphical interface that is a low-cost alternative for commercial devices.
