Polyphosphazene functionalized polyester fiber matrices for tendon tissue engineering: in vitro evaluation with human mesenchymal stem cells.

Poly[(ethyl alanato)(1)(p-methyl phenoxy)(1)] phosphazene (PNEA-mPh) was used to modify the surface of electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofiber matrices having an average fiber diameter of 3000 ± 1700 nm for the purpose of tendon tissue engineering and augmentation. This study reports the effect of polyphosphazene surface functionalization on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) adhesion, cell-construct infiltration, proliferation and tendon differentiation, as well as long term cellular construct mechanical properties. PCL fiber matrices functionalized with PNEA-mPh acquired a rougher surface morphology and led to enhanced cell adhesion as well as superior cell-construct infiltration when compared to smooth PCL fiber matrices. Long-term in vitro hMSC cultures on both fiber matrices were able to produce clinically relevant moduli. Both fibrous constructs expressed scleraxis, an early tendon differentiation marker, and a bimodal peak in expression of the late tendon differentiation marker tenomodulin, a pattern that was not observed in PCL thin film controls. Functionalized matrices achieved a more prominent tenogenic differentiation, possessing greater tenomodulin expression and superior phenotypic maturity according to the ratio of collagen I to collagen III expression. These findings indicate that PNEA-mPh functionalization is an efficient method for improving cell interactions with electrospun PCL matrices for the purpose of tendon repair.

Design and optimization of polyphosphazene functionalized fiber matrices for soft tissue regeneration.

Electrospun polycaprolactone nanofiber matrices surface functionalized with poly[(ethyl alanato), (p-methyl phenoxy),] phosphazene were fabricated for the purpose of soft skeletal tissue regeneration. This preliminary study reports the effect of fiber diameter and polyphosphazene surface functionalization on significant scaffold properties such as morphology, surface hydrophilicity, porosity, tensile properties, human mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and proliferation. Six fiber matrices comprised of average fiber diameters in the range of 400-500, 900-1000, 1400-1500, 1900-2000, 2900-3000 and 3900-4000 nm were considered for primary evaluation. After achieving the greatest proliferation while maintaining moderate tensile modulus, matrices in the diameter range of 2900-3000 nm were selected to examine the effect of coating with 1%, 2% and 3% (weight/volume) polyphosphazene solutions. Polyphosphazene functionalization resulted in rougher surfaces that correlated with coating solution concentration. Analytical techniques such as energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, water contact angle goniometry and confocal microscopy confirmed the presence of polyphosphazene and its distribution on the functionalized fiber matrices. Functionalization achieved through 2% polymer solutions did not affect average pore diameter, tensile modulus, suture retention strength or cell proliferation compared to PCL controls. Surface polyphosphazene functionalization significantly improved the matrix hydrophilicity evidenced through decreased water contact angle of PCL matrices from 130 degrees to 97 degrees. Further, enhanced total protein synthesis by cells during in vitro culture was seen on 2% PPHOS functionalized matrices over controls. Improving PCL matrix hydrophilicity via proposed surface functionalization may be an efficient method to improve cell-PCL matrix interactions.

Targeted delivery of antibiotics to intracellular chlamydial infections using PLGA nanoparticles.

Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia pneumoniae are intracellular bacterial pathogens that have been shown to cause, or are strongly associated with, diverse chronic diseases. Persistent infections by both organisms are refractory to antibiotic therapy. The lack of therapeutic efficacy results from the attenuated metabolic rate of persistently infecting chlamydiae in combination with the modest intracellular drug concentrations achievable by normal delivery of antibiotics to the inclusions within which chlamydiae reside in the host cell cytoplasm. In this research, we evaluated whether nanoparticles formulated using the biodegradable poly(d-L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer can enhance the delivery of antibiotics to the chlamydial inclusion complexes. We initially studied the trafficking of PLGA nanoparticles in Chlamydia-infected cells. We then evaluated nanoparticles for the delivery of antibiotics to the inclusions. Intracellular trafficking studies show that PLGA nanoparticles efficiently concentrate in inclusions in both acutely and persistently infected cells. Further, encapsulation of rifampin and azithromycin antibiotics in PLGA nanoparticles enhanced the effectiveness of the antibiotics in reducing microbial burden. Combination of rifampin and azithromycin was more effective than the individual drugs. Overall, our studies show that PLGA nanoparticles can be effective carriers for targeted delivery of antibiotics to intracellular chlamydial infections.

Electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for engineering soft connective tissues.

Tissue-engineered medical implants, such as polymeric nanofiber scaffolds, are potential alternatives to autografts and allografts, which are short in supply and carry risks of disease transmission. These scaffolds have been used to engineer various soft connective tissues such as skin, ligament, muscle, and tendon, as well as vascular and neural tissue. Bioactive versions of these materials have been produced by encapsulating molecules such as drugs and growth factors during fabrication. The fibers comprising these scaffolds can be designed to match the structure of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) closely by mimicking the dimensions of the collagen fiber bundles evident in soft connective tissues. These nanostructured implants show improved biological performance over the bulk materials in aspects of cellular infiltration and in vivo integration, and the topography of such scaffolds has been shown to dictate cellular attachment, migration, proliferation, and differentiation, which are critical steps in engineering complex functional tissues and crucial to improved biocompatibility and functional performance. Nanofiber matrices can be fabricated using a variety of techniques, including drawing, molecular self-assembly, freeze-drying, phase separation, and electrospinning. Among these processes, electrospinning has emerged as a simple, elegant, scalable, continuous, and reproducible technique to produce polymeric nanofiber matrices from solutions and their melts. We have shown the ability of this technique to be used to fabricate matrices composed of fibers from a few hundred nanometers to several microns in diameter by simply altering the polymer solution concentration. This chapter will discuss the use of the electrospinning technique in the fabrication of ECM-mimicking scaffolds. Furthermore, selected scaffolds will be seeded with primary adipose-derived stromal cells, imaged using scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy, and evaluated in terms of their capacity toward supporting cellular proliferation over time.

Interfacial activity assisted surface functionalization: a novel approach to incorporate maleimide functional groups and cRGD peptide on polymeric nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery.

Nanoparticles formulated using poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) copolymer have emerged as promising carriers for targeted delivery of a wide variety of payloads. However, an important drawback with PLGA nanoparticles is the limited types of functional groups available on the surface for conjugation to targeting ligands. In the current report, we demonstrate that the interfacial activity assisted surface functionalization (IAASF) technique can be used to incorporate reactive functional groups such as maleimide onto the surface of PLGA nanoparticles. The surface maleimide groups were used to conjugate cRGD peptide to nanoparticles. The cRGD peptide targets alpha(v)beta(3) integrins overexpressed on tumor vasculature and some tumor cells, and was used as model targeting ligand in this study. Incorporation of biologically active cRGD peptide on the surface of nanoparticles was confirmed by in vitro cell uptake studies and in vivo tumor accumulation studies. Functionalization of nanoparticles with cRGD peptide increased the cellular uptake of nanoparticles 2-3-fold, and this enhancement in uptake was substantially reduced by the presence of excess cRGD molecules. In a syngeneic mouse 4T1 tumor model, cRGD functionalization resulted in increased accumulation and retention of nanoparticles in the tumor tissue (nearly 2-fold greater area under the curve), confirming the in vivo activity of cRGD functionalized nanoparticles. In conclusion, the IAASF technique enabled the incorporation of reactive maleimide groups on PLGA nanoparticles, which in turn permitted efficient conjugation of biologically active cRGD peptide to the surface of PLGA nanoparticles.

Single-step surface functionalization of polymeric nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery.

Targeted drug delivery using nanocarriers is achieved by functionalizing the carrier surface with a tissue-recognition ligand. Current surface modification methods require tedious and inefficient synthesis and purification steps, and are not easily amenable to incorporating multiple functionalities on a single surface. In this report, we describe a versatile, single-step surface functionalizing technique for polymeric nanoparticles. The technique utilizes the fact that when a diblock copolymer like polylactide-polyethylene glycol (PLA-PEG) is introduced in the oil/water emulsion used in polymeric nanoparticle formulation, the PLA block partitions into the polymer containing organic phase and PEG block partitions into the aqueous phase. Removal of the organic solvent results in the formation of nanoparticles with PEG on the surface. When a PLA-PEG-ligand conjugate is used instead of PLA-PEG copolymer, this technique permits a 'one-pot' fabrication of ligand-functionalized nanoparticles. In the current study, the IAASF approach facilitated the simultaneous incorporation of biotin and folic acid, known tumor-targeting ligands, on drug-loaded nanoparticles in a single step. Incorporation of the ligands on nanoparticles was confirmed by using NMR, surface plasmon resonance, transmission electron microscopy and tumor cell uptake studies. Simultaneous functionalization with both ligands significantly enhanced nanoparticle accumulation in tumors in vivo, and resulted in greatly improved efficacy of paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles in a mouse xenograft tumor model. This new surface functionalization approach will enable the development of targeting strategies based on the use of multiple ligands on a single surface to target a tissue of interest.

Thermosensitive and biocompatible cyclotriphosphazene micelles.

A new class of thermosensitive micellar cyclotriphosphazenes has been synthesized by stepwise nucleophilic substitutions of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene with a hydrophilic methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) and a hydrophobic oligopeptide selected from tetra- to hexapeptides, and characterized by means of multinuclear ((1)H, (31)P) NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) method. All the amphiphilic trimers were found to form stable micelles by self-assembly in aqueous solution and to exhibit a lower critical solution temperature in the range of 20-48 degrees C in water depending on the hydrophilic to hydrophobic balance of the side groups. The micelles formed from the trimers bearing MPEG350 and a tetra- or pentapeptide were found to have a mean diameter of 13-14 nm, while, surprisingly, the trimers bearing longer MPEG550 and hexapeptides have shown remarkable contraction of their micelle size to a mean diameter of 7-8 nm, probably due to the strong intermolecular hydrophobic interactions among the hexapeptide groups of the trimers. The local tolerance tests using rabbits have shown excellent biocompatibility of the trimers. Also a promising in vitro releasing profile was obtained for local delivery of human growth hormone (hGH) as a model protein drug.

A macromolecular prodrug of doxorubicin conjugated to a biodegradable cyclotriphosphazene bearing a tetrapeptide.

A new biodegradable water-soluble phosphazene trimer-doxorubicin conjugate was synthesized, in which equimolar hydrophilic methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) with a molecular weight of 350 (MPEG350) and a tumor-specific tetrapeptide (Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly) were grafted to cyclotriphosphazene. The present conjugate exhibited cytotoxicity lower than that of free doxorubicin (IC50=0.10 microM) but a reasonably higher in vitro cytotoxicity (IC50=1.1 microM) against the leukemia L1210 cell line probably due to its enzymatically controlled release.

Modified guar gum matrix tablet for controlled release of diltiazem hydrochloride.

Polyacrylamide-grafted-guar gum (pAAm-g-GG) was prepared by taking three different ratios of guar gum to acrylamide (1:2, 1:3.5 and 1:5). Amide groups of these grafted copolymers were converted into carboxylic functional groups. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were used to characterize copolymers. Tablets were prepared by incorporating an antihypertensive drug viz., diltiazem hydrochloride. In-vitro drug release was carried out in simulated gastric and intestinal conditions. Effect of drug loading on release kinetics was evaluated. Release continued up to 8 and 12 h, respectively, for pAAm-g-GG and hydrolyzed pAAm-g-GG copolymers. Nature of drug transport through the polymer matrices was studied by comparing with Higuchi, Hixson-Crowell and Kopcha equations. Drug release was found to be dissolution-controlled in case of unhydrolyzed copolymer. With hydrolyzed copolymers, drug release was swelling-controlled initially (i.e., in 0.1 N HCl), but at later stage, it became dissolution-controlled in pH 7.4. Hydrolyzed pAAm-g-GG matrices are pH sensitive and can be used for intestinal drug delivery.