Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rujing Wang, Lan Zou, Zhiwen Yi, Zhen Zhang, Mengnan Zhao, Sanjun Shi
Summary: To activate the fluorescence of curcumin (Cur), researchers loaded Cur into poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles, which were embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) emulsifier (Cur@PLGA-NPs). Among various nanoformulations, Cur@PLGA-NPs showed the highest fluorescence intensity due to aggregation-induced emission (AIE), with quantum yields of 23.78% in aqueous solution and 21.52% in the solid state. Cur@PLGA-NPs existed in the amorphous state and had a size of 217.2 +/- 5.2 nm, an encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 69.98%, and a drug loading efficiency (LE) of 1.37%. The intramolecular interactions, such as hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, p-p interactions, and solvatochromic effects, stabilized the chromophore cluster of Cur@PLGA-NPs. Compared to free Cur, Cur@PLGA-NPs sensitized CT26 cells more efficiently and showed strong fluorescence emission, making them suitable for cell bioimaging.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mian Huang, Ji Liu, Yu Fan, Jing Sun, Jiang-Xue Cheng, Xiao-Fei Zhang, Bing-Tao Zhai, Dong-Yan Guo
Summary: The study developed a novel CUR nanocarrier GC@NPs with superior targeting and biocompatibility, which efficiently released CUR for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment and showed promising anti-tumor effects in in vivo experiments.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ankur Sharma, Susan Hawthorne, Saurabh Kumar Jha, Niraj Kumar Jha, Dhruv Kumar, Samuel Girgis, Vineet Kumar Goswami, Gaurav Gupta, Sachin Singh, Harish Dureja, Dinesh Kumar Chellappan, Kamal Dua
Summary: The study demonstrated the significant antitumor effect of curcumin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles on MDA-MB231 human breast cancer cells, showing high encapsulation efficiency and sustained payload release.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Isaac H. Caballero-Floran, Hernan Cortes, Fabiola V. Borbolla-Jimenez, Carla D. Floran-Hernandez, Maria L. Del Prado-Audelo, Jonathan J. Magana, Benjamin Floran, Gerardo Leyva-Gomez
Summary: This study proposes the use of polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG) and trehalose as a surface modification technique to improve PLGA-based nanoparticles as drug carriers for neurons. The combination of PEG and trehalose enhances the hydrophilicity of the nanoparticles and promotes their cellular internalization. Through optimization using central composite design, PLGA nanoparticles with diameters smaller than 200 nm were produced, and the coating process did not significantly increase their size. The nanoparticles showed high curcumin entrapment efficiency and a controlled release profile.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Zhenpeng Li, Quanquan Lin, David Julian McClements, Yuying Fu, Hujun Xie, Teng Li, Guowen Chen
Summary: Core-shell biopolymer nanoparticles were developed for encapsulating and releasing curcumin, and the effects of coating composition on the properties and release characteristics of the nanoparticles were studied. The encapsulated curcumin showed stable physicochemical properties and enhanced DPPH radical scavenging activity, while the gastrointestinal release was prolonged due to the thick layer formed by alginate and NaCas coating.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maolin Li, Yanbo Liu, Yin Liu, Xin Zhang, Dandan Han, Junbo Gong
Summary: This study successfully prepared alcohol-free curcumin-loaded zein-propylene glycol alginate (zein-PGA-Cur) nanoparticles using a pH-driven method, which enhanced the bioavailability and physicochemical stability of curcumin. The prepared nanoparticles exhibited small size, negative zeta-potential, and excellent physical stability. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the nanoparticles significantly increased the plasma concentration of curcumin, leading to a 7.2-fold enhancement in bioavailability compared to pure curcumin crystals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Pengpeng Jia, Yu Zou, Jiang Jiang
Summary: A novel CuS-curcumin hybrid hydrogel with good biocompatibility and NIR-enhanced antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenesis properties has been developed for the treatment of infected wounds.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Indrit Seko, Hayrettin Tonbul, Ece Tavukcuoglu, Adem Sahin, Sedenay Akbas, Hamdullah Yanik, Suleyman Can Ozturk, Gunes Esendagli, Mansoor Khan, Yilmaz Capan
Summary: This study successfully developed and characterized curcumin and docetaxel co-loaded poly lactide-co-glycolide nanoparticles to target glioma through improved brain penetration, showing potential for effective treatment by overcoming the blood brain barrier.
JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tatyana Kovshova, Nadezhda Osipova, Anna Alekseeva, Julia Malinovskaya, Alexey Belov, Andrey Budko, Galina Pavlova, Olga Maksimenko, Shakti Nagpal, Svenja Braner, Harshvardhan Modh, Vadim Balabanyan, Matthias G. Wacker, Svetlana Gelperina
Summary: The study evaluated two colloidal nanocarrier systems loaded with doxorubicin which demonstrated different drug release behaviors, utilizing a specific surface design to attract blood-borne apolipoproteins for targeted delivery. Differences in drug release behavior in aqueous medium and human serum impacted drug distribution in blood. These findings highlight the importance of formulation design in achieving targeted drug delivery.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thejus Baby, Yun Liu, Guangze Yang, Dong Chen, Chun-Xia Zhao
Summary: A new microfluidic nanoprecipitation approach has been developed for making polymer NPs with tunable drug loading up to 50%. The synthesized NPs remain very stable under acidic conditions but release the drug in a sustained manner at neutral pH.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Eva Snejdrova, Jan Loskot, Juraj Martiska, Tomas Soukup, Libor Prokes, Vladislav Frolov, Tomas Kucera
Summary: This study developed a nanosized drug delivery system for the treatment of orthopedic device-related infections. The formulation variables were adjusted to prepare rifampicin-loaded nanoparticles, which demonstrated effective drug release and antimicrobial effects for local treatment.
JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Shiqing Ma, Shendan Xu, Minting Li, Yaqi Du, Guangjie Tian, Jiayin Deng, Wenyi Zhang, Pengfei Wei, Bo Zhao, Xuesong Zhang, Zihao Liu, Yonglan Wang
Summary: Restoring bone homeostasis is crucial for osteoporosis treatment. Short peptides with biological activity have gained attention, but their application is limited due to the lack of a stable and targeted delivery system. This study proposes a novel delivery system using AL-PLGA@P NPs to deliver osteogenic peptides, which has the ability to target bone and regulate bone homeostasis, providing advantages in osteoporosis treatment.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ruohan Huang, Hui Zhang, Lulu Lv, Yuqi Zhang, Jun Li, Huan Wang, Wen Gao
Summary: Lung cancer is a prevalent tumor with poor prognosis, and traditional anti-cancer therapies face challenges such as frequent drug administration and high dosage. Gefitinib-loaded PLGA microspheres generated from microfluidics offer a solution with improved drug loading and sustained release. Animal experiments have shown that these microspheres can achieve or even outperform daily medication with lower frequency.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Chen-Hung Lee, Kuo-Sheng Liu, Julien George Roth, Kuo-Chun Hung, Yen-Wei Liu, Shin-Huei Wang, Chi-Ching Kuo, Shih-Jung Liu
Summary: This study utilized hybrid biodegradable/stent nanofibers to facilitate sustained and local delivery of telmisartan to injured arterial vessels, promoting endothelial function and limiting neointimal hyperplasia. It provides insights into the use of PLGA nanofibers for treating patients with an increased risk of stent restenosis.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Mohd Zulhelmy Ahmad, Akmal Hidyat Bin Sabri, Qonita Kurnia Anjani, Juan Dominguez-Robles, Normala Abdul Latip, Khuriah Abdul Hamid
Summary: Intranasal delivery of levodopa using chitosan nanoparticles showed enhanced drug absorption in a rat model, with C2 formulation demonstrating optimal particle characteristics and encapsulation efficiency. This study suggests that formulating levodopa into chitosan nanoparticles for intranasal delivery could potentially improve drug bioavailability for Parkinson's disease treatment.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Paolo Rainone, Antonella De Palma, Francesco Sudati, Valentina Roffia, Valentina Rigamonti, Lucia Salvioni, Miriam Colombo, Marilena Ripamonti, Antonello Enrico Spinelli, Davide Mazza, Pierluigi Mauri, Rosa Maria Moresco, Davide Prosperi, Sara Belloli
Summary: The study demonstrated the potential of using functionalized silica-based nanocarriers for theranostic treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, showing promising results in terms of diagnostic specificity and treatment efficacy. The data obtained indicated that this system exhibited better tumor uptake and treatment efficacy compared to conventional chemotherapy drugs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura Marongiu, Francesca Mingozzi, Clara Cigni, Roberta Marzi, Marco Di Gioia, Massimiliano Garre, Dario Parazzoli, Laura Sironi, Maddalena Collini, Reiko Sakaguchi, Takashi Morii, Mariacristina Crosti, Monica Moro, Stephane Schurmans, Tiziano Catelani, Rany Rotem, Miriam Colombo, Stephen Shears, Davide Prosperi, Ivan Zanoni, Francesca Granucci
Summary: Recognition of LPS by DCs involves the receptor complex CD14 and TLR4, and subsequent Ca2+ mobilization and NFAT activation require IP3R3 and ITPKB. Targeting ITPKB may offer a promising approach for anti-inflammatory therapies aimed at inhibiting specific DC functions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pamela Floris, Stefania Garbujo, Gabriele Rolla, Marco Giustra, Lucia Salvioni, Tiziano Catelani, Miriam Colombo, Paride Mantecca, Luisa Fiandra
Summary: In this study, the toxicity of gold nanoparticles with different coating polymers on zebrafish embryos was analyzed. It was found that GNP@PEG showed significant toxicity on zebrafish embryos, while GNP@PMA exhibited mild toxicity, showing promise for the safe development of gold-based biomedical nanodevices. This raises concerns about the safety of PEGylated gold nanoparticles and contributes to the ongoing debate in the use of this nanotool in medicine and nano-biotechnologies.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Loredana Amigoni, Lucia Salvioni, Barbara Sciandrone, Marco Giustra, Chiara Pacini, Paolo Tortora, Davide Prosperi, Miriam Colombo, Maria Elena Regonesi
Summary: Assessing toxic effects in living organisms is crucial for the development of safe nanomedicines, and using Caenorhabditis elegans as an alternative model for physiological functionality parameters associated with nanoparticles showed that both cationic and anionic groups in nanoparticles can optimize safety and potential applications in nanooncology.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Raquel Arroyo, Shawn N. Grant, Miriam Colombo, Lucia Salvioni, Fabio Corsi, Marta Truffi, Davide Ottolina, Brett Hurst, Marc Salzberg, Davide Prosperi, Paul S. Kingma
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 infection of host cells is driven by the binding of the virus spike protein to lung cells, and the study aims to measure pulmonary SP-D levels in COVID-19 patients and demonstrate its activity against the virus. Results show that SP-D can bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, initiate aggregation, and inhibit viral replication in cells.
Article
Microbiology
Irene Cassaniti, Federica Bergami, Francesca Arena, Jose Camilla Sammartino, Alessandro Ferrari, Federica Zavaglio, Irene Curti, Elena Percivalle, Federica Meloni, Laura Pandolfi, Carlo Pellegrini, Annalisa Turco, Elena Seminari, Eleonora Francesca Pattonieri, Marilena Gregorini, Teresa Rampino, Antonella Sarasini, Daniele Lilleri, Fausto Baldanti
Summary: The study indicates that only a small proportion of solid organ transplant recipients develop an immune response after complete vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine. The levels of immune response elicited by vaccination are generally lower in transplant recipients, especially in patients treated with mycophenolate. Positive delta-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies levels were detected in almost all SARS-CoV-2 recovered subjects but not in previously uninfected patients.
Article
Cell Biology
Sara Bozzini, Claudia Del Fante, Monica Morosini, Hatice Oya Berezhinskiy, Sophia Auner, Elena Cattaneo, Matteo Della Zoppa, Laura Pandolfi, Rosalia Cacciatore, Cesare Perotti, Konrad Hoetzenecker, Peter Jaksch, Alberto Benazzo, Federica Meloni
Summary: This study found that specific miRNAs, such as miR-155-5p and miR-23b-3p, were significantly regulated in the circulation of BOS patients treated with extracorporeal photopheresis. The upregulation of miR-155 may be correlated with immune system regulation, and SMAD4 may be a potential target for miR-155-5p.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lucia Salvioni, Filippo Testa, Linda Barbieri, Marco Giustra, Jessica Armida Bertolini, Giulia Tomaino, Paolo Tortora, Davide Prosperi, Miriam Colombo
Summary: Ribosome-inactivating proteins, such as Saporin toxin, have been used as potential alternative cancer therapies due to their ability to inhibit protein synthesis. However, their limited cell uptake has hindered their application. In this study, Saporin was successfully immobilized on iron oxide nanoparticles and their cytotoxic effect on cancer cells was demonstrated by promoting their cellular uptake.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicolo Massironi, Miriam Colombo, Cesare Cosentino, Luisa Fiandra, Michele Mauri, Yasmina Kayal, Filippo Testa, Giangiacomo Torri, Elena Urso, Elena Vismara, Israel Vlodavsky
Summary: In this study, a heparin-based nanoparticle system was successfully developed by engineering superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with an organic coating composed of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The system showed promising potential for targeted theranostic applications and demonstrated enhanced antitumor effects when loaded with the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel (PTX). Furthermore, the nanoparticles exhibited effective inhibition on the heparanase enzyme and showed comparable relaxivity values to commercial contrast agents, indicating their potential in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Federico Cerri, Marco Giustra, Yaprak Anadol, Giulia Tomaino, Paolo Galli, Massimo Labra, Luca Campone, Miriam Colombo
Summary: The exploration of natural extracts for pharmaceutical applications, especially plant extracts, is a promising area of medical research. Avicennia marina has been identified as a potential source of natural substances with strong anti-cancer activity. Formulating A. marina extracts into nanoparticles can enhance selectivity towards cancer cells and reduce side effects.
Article
Oncology
Martina Del Nero, Alessandro Colombo, Stefania Garbujo, Chiara Baioni, Linda Barbieri, Metello Innocenti, Davide Prosperi, Miriam Colombo, Luisa Fiandra
Summary: The interaction between tumor cells and activated fibroblasts plays a critical role in the malignant features of desmoplastic carcinomas. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) contribute to the pro-tumorigenic phenotypes in fibroblasts, while Interleukin-6 (IL-6) released by activated fibroblasts enhances tumor-cell invasiveness and chemoresistance. This study validates the use of advanced cell culture models to investigate the interplay between mammary tumor cells and fibroblasts, revealing the role of TGF-beta, PDGF, and IL-6 in breast cancer progression.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Eleonora Colombo, Davide Andrea Coppini, Simone Maculan, Pierfausto Seneci, Benedetta Santini, Filippo Testa, Lucia Salvioni, Giovanni Maria Vanacore, Miriam Colombo, Daniele Passarella
Summary: This study reports the self-assembly of hetero-nanoparticles composed of a conjugate with folic acid as the targeting agent and another conjugate with paclitaxel as the active agent. The hetero-nanoparticles with varying percentages of folic acid conjugates are characterized, and their biological activity is determined.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maura D'Amato, Valentina Vertui, Laura Pandolfi, Sara Bozzini, Tommaso Fossali, Riccardo Colombo, Anna Aliberti, Marco Fumagalli, Paolo Iadarola, Camilla Dido, Simona Viglio, Federica Meloni
Summary: Neutrophils play a pathogenic role in COVID-19 by releasing Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) or human neutrophil elastase (HNE). Despite the high levels of HNE and alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf) samples from COVID-19 patients, the formation of HNE-AAT complex was not observed. Additionally, while binding to histones, AAT does not prevent NET formation or their harmful activity.
CURRENT ISSUES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Immunology
Mihai Valache, Laura Marongiu, Francesca Mingozzi, Clara Cigni, Roberta Marzi, Marco Di Gioia, Massimiliano Garre, Dario Parazzoli, Laura Sironi, Maddalena Collini, Reiko Sakaguchi, Takashi Morii, Mariacristina Crosti, Monica Moro, Stephane Schurmans, Tiziano Catelani, Rany Rotem, Miriam Colombo, Stephen Shears, Davide Prosperi, Ivan Zanoni, Francesca Granucci
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
