Carbon-Based Nanostructures as Emerging Materials for Gene Delivery Applications.

Gene therapeutics are promising for treating diseases at the genetic level, with some already validated for clinical use. Recently, nanostructures have emerged for the targeted delivery of genetic material. Nanomaterials, exhibiting advantageous properties such as a high surface-to-volume ratio, biocompatibility, facile functionalization, substantial loading capacity, and tunable physicochemical characteristics, are recognized as non-viral vectors in gene therapy applications. Despite progress, current non-viral vectors exhibit notably low gene delivery efficiency. Progress in nanotechnology is essential to overcome extracellular and intracellular barriers in gene delivery. Specific nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon quantum dots (CQDs), nanodiamonds (NDs), and similar carbon-based structures can accommodate diverse genetic materials such as plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), small interference RNA (siRNA), micro RNA (miRNA), and antisense oligonucleotides (AONs). To address challenges such as high toxicity and low transfection efficiency, advancements in the features of carbon-based nanostructures (CBNs) are imperative. This overview delves into three types of CBNs employed as vectors in drug/gene delivery systems, encompassing their synthesis methods, properties, and biomedical applications. Ultimately, we present insights into the opportunities and challenges within the captivating realm of gene delivery using CBNs.

Comprehensive study of moiré deflectometry based on diffraction order filtering of fringes.

This paper presents a detailed investigation of the theory of moiré deflectometry through a comprehensive analysis of the higher-order diffraction of moiré fringes. We demonstrate the possibility of achieving always-high-resolution moiré fringes regardless of Ronchi grating positions and Talbot distance by filtering out the even diffraction orders of moiré fringes. Our theoretical studies lead to a comprehensive formulation of this technique, revealing the high potential of moiré deflectometry towards more precise measurement.

Design of double functionalized carbon nanotube for amphotericin B and genetic material delivery.

In the present work, single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) were successively functionalized with phospholipid DSPE-PEG carboxylic acid, and then, with ethylenediamine (EDA), to obtain double functionalized single wall carbon nanotube (DFSWCNT). Then, DFSWCNT was applied as a carrier for delivering amphotericin B (Amb) and EGFP plasmid. FSWCNT's concentration obtained via UV-visible analysis was 0.99 mg/mL. The TGA analysis results provided the lost weights of DSPE-PEG-COOH, EDA, Amb and SWCNT impurities. XPS results showed that carbon atoms' percentage decreased during the functionalization processes from 97.2% (SWCNT) to 76.4% (FSWCNT) and 69.9% (DFSWNCT). Additionally, the oxygen atoms' percentage increased from 2.3% (SWCNT) to 21% and 22.5% for FSWCNT and DFSWCNT, respectively. New bonds such as C-N and N-C=O appeared in the synthesized nanocarrier. The IG/ID ratio in Raman analysis decreased from 7.15 (SWCNT) to 4.08 (FSWCNT). The amount of Amb released to phosphate buffer saline medium was about 33% at pH = 5.5 and 75% at pH = 7.4 after 48 h. CCK8 results confirmed that the toxicity of functionalized SWCNT had decreased. In a 2:1 ratio of DFSWCNT/EGFP plasmid, the cell viability (87%) and live transfected cells (56%) were at their maximum values. The results indicate that carbon nanotubes have the potential to be applied as drug/gene delivery systems with outstanding properties such as high loading capacity and easy penetration to cell membrane.

Effects of Co-Solvents on Loading and Release Properties of Self- Assembled Di-Peptide Building Blocks, Towards Drug Delivery Applications.

BACKGROUND: Due to their solid-like porous structure, molecular organogel and microcrystal structures have the capabilities of loading drug molecules, encapsulation, and extended release, all considered as essential properties in drug delivery applications. Phases of these structures, however, depend on the solvent used during the gelation process. OBJECTIVE: Understanding the phase transition between organogel and microcrystal structures through adjusting the mixture ratio of different co-solvents. METHODS: Short peptide Diphenylalanine as the gelation building block was used due to its amino acid sequences that can be exactly selected at its molecular levels. Ethanol as a polar solvent was used in combination with four other co-solvents with different polarity levels, namely Xylene, Toluene, Acetone, and Dimethyl Sulfoxide. The morphology of molecular structures of each co-solvent combination at each ratio level was examined as well as the loading and release properties for a non-polar Flufenamic Acid drug. RESULTS: The resultant structure was affected by the polarity of the co-solvents; in particular, in the sample containing 25 µg/ml of the drug, 94% of the drug amount was loaded inside the organogel. By increasing the drug concentration to 50, 75, and 100 µg/ml, the loading capability decreased to 76%, 47%, and 33%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Molecular organogels have excellent capabilities of loading drug molecules, while microcrystal structures have higher release capacity. The findings of this study reveal how to best design a gelation method to obtain maximum loading or release properties for a particular peptide- based drug delivery application.