Magnetic silica nanoparticle cellular uptake and cytotoxicity regulated by electrostatic polyelectrolytes-DNA loading at their surface.

Magnetic silica nanoparticles show great promise for drug delivery. The major advantages correspond to their magnetic nature and ease of biofunctionalization, which favors their ability to interact with cells and tissues. We have prepared magnetic silica nanoparticles with DNA fragments attached on their previously polyelectrolyte-primed surface. The remarkable feature of these materials is the compromise between the positive charges of the polyelectrolytes and the negative charges of the DNA. This dual-agent formulation dramatically changes the overall cytotoxicity and chemical degradation of the nanoparticles, revealing the key role that surface functionalization plays in regulating the mechanisms involved.

Potential of soluble CD26 as a serum marker for colorectal cancer detection.

Colorectal cancer is characterized by a low survival rate even though the basis for colon cancer development, which involves the evolution of adenomas to carcinoma, is known. Moreover, the mortality rates continue to rise in economically transitioning countries although there is the opportunity to intervene in the natural history of the adenoma-cancer sequence through risk factors, screening, and treatment. Screening in particular accounted for most of the decline in colorectal cancer mortality achieved in the USA during the period 1975-2000. Patients show a better prognosis when the neoplasm is diagnosed early. Among the variety of screening strategies, the methods range from invasive and costly procedures such as colonoscopy to more low-cost and non-invasive tests such as the fecal occult blood test (guaiac and immunochemical). As a non-invasive biological serum marker would be of great benefit because of the performance of the test, several biomarkers, including cytologic assays, DNA and mRNA, and soluble proteins, have been studied. We found that the soluble CD26 (sCD26) concentration is diminished in serum of colorectal cancer patients compared to healthy donors, suggesting the potential utility of a sCD26 immunochemical detection test for early diagnosis. sCD26 originates from plasma membrane CD26 lacking its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. Some 90%-95% of sCD26 has been associated with serum dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) activity. DPP-IV, assigned to the CD26 cluster, is a pleiotropic enzyme expressed mainly on epithelial cells and lymphocytes. Our studies intended to validate this test for population screening to detect colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas are reviewed here.

Cholinesterase activity and enzyme components in healthy and cancerous human colorectal sections.

The effect of cancer on acetyl- (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activities of human gut was investigated. ChE activity was measured in 55 paired samples of healthy and malignant colon, sigmoid colon and rectum. Cancer decreases the mean AChE activity value from 2.17 +/- 1.07 to 1.40 +/- 0.89 mU/mg (p < 0.001), and BuChE activity from 4.16 +/- 2.41 to 1.65 +/- 0.87 mU/mg (p < 0.001). AChE monomers and dimers (light forms), and less asymmetric and tetrameric variants (heavy forms) were identified in gut. The proportions of the heavy species dropped in malignant colon. Since muscarinic stimulation is needed for human colon cancer cell proliferation, the fall of ChE activity in neoplastic colon, with the increased availability of acetylcholine, may increase tumour growth.