Acute systemic exposure to silver-based nanoparticles induces hepatotoxicity and NLRP3-dependent inflammation

Nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly being commercialized for use in biomedicine. NP toxicity following acute or chronic exposure has been described, but mechanistic insight into this process remains incomplete. Recent evidence from in vitro studies suggested a role for NLRP3 in NP cytotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the effect of systemic administration of composite inorganic NP, consisting of Ag:Cu:B (dose range 1–20?mg/kg), on the early acute (4–24?h post-exposure) and late phase response (96?h post-exposure) in normal and NLRP3-deficient mice. Our findings indicate that systemic exposure (≥2?mg/kg) was associated with acute liver injury due to preferential accumulation of NP in this organ and resulted in elevated AST, ALT and LDH levels. Moreover, within 24?h of NP administration, there was a dose-dependent increase in intraperitoneal neutrophil recruitment and upregulation in gene expression of several proinflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-1β and S100A9. Histological analysis of liver tissue revealed evidence of dose-dependent hepatocyte necrosis, increase in sinusoidal Kupffer cells, lobular granulomas and foci of abscess formation which were most pronounced at 24?h following NP administration. NP deposition in the liver led to a significant upregulation in gene expression of S100A9, an endogenous danger signal recognition molecule of phagocytes, IL-1β and IL-6. The extent of proinflammatory cytokine activation and hepatotoxicity was significantly attenuated in mice deficient in the NLRP3 inflammasome, demonstrating the critical role of this innate immune system recognition receptor in the response to NP.     

Insulin-loaded alginic acid nanoparticles for sublingual delivery

Abstract

Alginic acid nanoparticles (NPs) containing insulin, with nicotinamide as permeation enhancer were developed for sublingual delivery. The lower concentration of proteolytic enzymes, lower thickness and enhanced retention due to bioadhesive property, were relied on for enhanced insulin absorption. Insulin-loaded NPs were prepared by mild and aqueous based nanoprecipitation process. NPs were negatively charged and had a mean size of ～200?nm with low dispersity index. Insulin loading capacities of >95% suggested a high association of insulin with alginic acid. Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra and DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) thermogram of insulin-loaded NPs revealed the association of insulin with alginic acid. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra confirmed conformational stability, while HPLC analysis confirmed chemical stability of insulin in the NPs. Sublingually delivered NPs with nicotinamide exhibited high pharmacological availability (>100%) and bioavailability (>80%) at a dose of 5?IU/kg. The high absolute pharmacological availability of 20.2% and bioavailability of 24.1% in comparison with subcutaneous injection at 1?IU/kg, in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model, suggest the insulin-loaded alginic acid NPs as a promising sublingual delivery system of insulin.     

Advances in brain drug targeting and delivery: limitations and challenges of solid lipid nanoparticles

Introduction: With the advancement in the field of medical colloids and interfacial sciences, the life expectancy has been greatly improved. In addition, changes in the human lifestyle resulted in development of various organic and functional disorders. Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are most prevalent and increasing among population worldwide. The neurological disorders are multi-systemic and difficult to treat as portal entry to brain is restricted on account of its anatomical and physiological barrier.

Areas covered: The present review discusses the limitations to CNS drug delivery, and the various approaches to bypass the blood brain barrier (BBB), focusing on the potential use of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) for drug targeting to brain. The methods currently in use for SLN production, physicochemical characterization and critical issues related to the formulation development suitable for targeting brain are also discussed.

Expert opinion: The potential advantages of the use of SLN over polymeric nanoparticles are due to their lower cytotoxicity, higher drug loading capacity and scalability. In addition, their production is cost effective and the systems provide a drug release in a controlled manner up to several weeks. Drug targeting potential of SLN can be enhanced by attaching ligands to their surface.     

Opioid-based micro and nanoparticulate formulations: alternative approach on pain management

Context Opioids have been used as the reference treatment on chronic pain. However, they are related to serious adverse effects which affect the patient compliance to treatment, as well as, his quality of life. Particulate formulations have been investigated as an alternative to improve opioid efficacy and safety. Objective Summarise the available studies concerning micro and nanoencapsulated opioid formulations discussing their biopharmaceutical characteristics, such as composition, size, in vitro release, pharmacokinetic and antinociceptive profile. Methods Papers available in 1995–2015 at Medline, Science Direct and Web of Science databases were collected and assessed. Searches were performed using varied combinations of the keywords of this work. Results Opioid-loaded particles showed prolonged drug release with maintenance of serum therapeutic concentrations and extended analgesia when compared with the free drugs. The side effects incidences were reduced or maintained the same. Conclusion Particulate formulations can significantly increase both potency and safety profiles of opioids.     

Metallic and Metal Oxides Nanoparticles for Sensing Food Pathogens—An Overview of Recent Findings and Future Prospects

Nowadays, special importance is given to quality control and food safety. Food quality currently creates significant problems for the industry and implicitly for consumers and society. The effects materialize in economic losses, alterations of the quality and organoleptic properties of the commercial products, and, last but not least, they constitute risk factors for the consumer’s health. In this context, the development of analytical systems for the rapid determination of the sanitary quality of food products by detecting possible pathogenic microorganisms (such as Escherichia coli or Salmonella due to the important digestive disorders that they can cause in many consumers) is of major importance. Using efficient and environmentally friendly detection systems for identification of various pathogens that modify food matrices and turn them into food waste faster will also improve agri-food quality throughout the food chain. This paper reviews the use of metal nanoparticles used to obtain bio nanosensors for the purpose mentioned above. Metallic nanoparticles (Au, Ag, etc.) and their oxides can be synthesized by several methods, such as chemical, physical, physico-chemical, and biological, each bringing advantages and disadvantages in their use for developing nanosensors. In the “green chemistry” approach, a particular importance is given to the metal nanoparticles obtained by phytosynthesis. This method can lead to the development of good quality nanoparticles, at the same time being able to use secondary metabolites from vegetal wastes, as such providing a circular economy character. Considering these aspects, the use of phytosynthesized nanoparticles in other biosensing applications is also presented as a glimpse of their potential, which should be further explored.     

Germanium Nanoparticles Prepared by Laser Ablation in Low Pressure Helium and Nitrogen Atmosphere for Biophotonic Applications

Due to particular physico-chemical characteristics and prominent optical properties, nanostructured germanium (Ge) appears as a promising material for biomedical applications, but its use in biological systems has been limited so far due to the difficulty of preparation of Ge nanostructures in a pure, uncontaminated state. Here, we explored the fabrication of Ge nanoparticles (NPs) using methods of pulsed laser ablation in ambient gas (He or He-N₂ mixtures) maintained at low residual pressures (1–5 Torr). We show that the ablated material can be deposited on a substrate (silicon wafer in our case) to form a nanostructured thin film, which can then be ground in ethanol by ultrasound to form a stable suspension of Ge NPs. It was found that these formed NPs have a wide size dispersion, with sizes between a few nm and hundreds of nm, while a subsequent centrifugation step renders possible the selection of one or another NP size fraction. Structural characterization of NPs showed that they are composed of aggregations of Ge crystals, covered by an oxide shell. Solutions of the prepared NPs exhibited largely dominating photoluminescence (PL) around 450 nm, attributed to defects in the germanium oxide shell, while a separated fraction of relatively small (5–10 nm) NPs exhibited a red-shifted PL band around 725 nm under 633 nm excitation, which could be attributed to quantum confinement effects. It was also found that the formed NPs exhibit high absorption in the visible and near-IR spectral ranges and can be strongly heated under photoexcitation in the region of relative tissue transparency, which opens access to phototherapy functionality. Combining imaging and therapy functionalities in the biological transparency window, laser-synthesized Ge NPs present a novel promising object for cancer theranostics.     

冬凌草甲素聚乙二醇功能化氧化石墨烯纳米粒的制备及抗结肠癌实验研究

目的制备负载冬凌草甲素(oridonin,ORI)的聚乙二醇功能化氧化石墨烯(PEGylated graphene oxide,GO-PEG)纳米粒(nanoparticles,NPs),并探讨其对结肠癌的抑制作用。方法利用酰胺化反应将端基为氨基的四臂聚乙二醇(PEG)连到氧化石墨烯(GO)上,并通过红外光谱(IR)和差示-热重联用热分析仪(TGA)等对其进行表征;再通过物理共混的方法在GO-PEG上负载抗肿瘤药物ORI,紫外光谱(UV)法测其包封率和载药率,MTT法测定载药体系对人结肠癌细胞SW620和HT29的增殖毒性,并建立荷瘤裸鼠模型考察其体内抗肿瘤活性。结果 IR和TGA测定结果表明PEG已成功偶联到GO上,UV法测得ORI-GO-PEG的包封率和载药率分别为95.81%和48.92%,且在各种生理溶液中具有良好的稳定性。体外细胞毒性实验结果表明,与ORI裸药相比,ORI-GO-PEG-NPs对结肠癌细胞的杀伤能力更强。体内抑瘤实验进一步发现,ORI-GO-PEG-NPs可以更好地抑制体内SW620肿瘤的生长。结论制得的ORI-GO-PEG-NPs具有优良的载药性能和较强的抗结肠癌作用,为今后开发抗肿瘤药物纳米给药系统提供了实验依据。     

碳包铁纳米晶结合表阿霉素对HepG-2细胞的作用及对小鼠急性毒性实验研究

目的 观察单纯碳包铁纳米晶(CCIN)粒子及结合表阿霉素(EADM)的CCIN粒子对肝癌细胞的体外作用,并比较单纯EADM与结合了EADM的CCIN对小鼠的急性毒性反应.方法 MTT法检测单纯CCIN以及载EADM的CCIN对HepG-2细胞的毒性,并在光镜、电镜下观察肿瘤细胞对CCIN的吞噬作用.经尾静脉注入不同浓度药物,比较单纯EADM与EADM-CCIN混悬液对小鼠的急性毒性反应.结果 光镜、电镜下可见HepG-2细胞吞噬大量CCIN粒子人胞浆,细胞结构完整,未见明显结构破坏.各浓度的CCIN悬液(包括空白对照组)作用于HepG-2细胞系,所得的吸光度值各组间无差异.单纯EADM对HepG-2细胞株的抑制率比相应浓度的CCIN-EADM混合物高,且含CCIN量比例较低的药物组对HepG-2细胞株的抑制率要高于含CCIN量比例相对较高的组.小鼠急性毒性实验中.单纯EADM经静脉给药的LD50值为16.9 mg/kg,低于相应的EADM-CCIN混悬液的LD50值(20.7 mg/kg).结论 HepG-2细胞可吞噬CCIN粒子;在一定浓度下单纯CCIN对HepG-2细胞无毒性;载药CCIN对肿瘤细胞的抑制在短时间内较单纯相同浓度EADM的抑制作用弱,且随CCIN比例升高抑制作用相应下降;小鼠急性毒性实验中,EADM-CCIN混悬液的急性毒性相对于同剂量的单纯EADM有所降低.     

金纳米颗粒表面催化发夹组装无酶信号放大快速荧光法检测miRNA-721

目的 构建一种自催化发夹组装（CHA）无酶信号放大的靶标快速荧光法,用于检测靶标miRNA。方法 首先在金纳米颗粒（AuNPs）表面修饰5-羧基荧光素（FAM）标记的DNA发夹探针H1,H1的荧光被金纳米粒子猝灭。加入靶标miRNA会导致AuNPs上的H1标记荧光素远离AuNPs而发射荧光,随后H1和H2之间发生循环自组装,靶标循环被利用,导致荧光信号放大。将20 μL探针AuNPs-H1,50 μL 3 μmol/L探针 H2（退火缓冲液为20 mmol/L Tris-HCl,100 mmol/L NaCl,5 mmol/L MgCl2,pH 7.4）,与50 μL不同浓度的miRNA-721（0.1 ~ 5 μmol/L）在30℃下共反应20 min,最后在480 nm激发波长下测定体系的荧光强度。结果 以急性心肌炎生物标志物miRNA-721为模型靶标,在优化的实验条件下得到520 nm处的相对荧光强度变化值（?F = F – F0）与miRNA-721浓度呈良好的线性关系,拟合线性方程?F = 29232lgC – 52435（R2 = 0.9910）。该荧光法检测限为1.23 nmol/ L。在正常人血清中的加标回收率为92.71% ~ 104.02%。一次完整的miRNA分析可以在20 min内完成。结论 该方法可用于生物样品中miRNA-721的检测,为急性心肌炎的早期诊断提供了一种快速检测手段。     

pH and Redox-Dual Sensitive Chitosan Nanoparticles Having Methyl Ester and Disulfide Linkages for Drug Targeting against Cholangiocarcinoma Cells

The aim of this study is to prepare pH- and redox-sensitive nanoparticles for doxorubicin (DOX) delivery against DOX-resistant HuCC-T1 human cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells. For this purpose, L-histidine methyl ester (HIS) was attached to chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) via dithiodipropionic acid (abbreviated as ChitoHISss). DOX-incorporated nanoparticles of ChitoHISss conjugates were fabricated by a dialysis procedure. DOX-resistant HuCC-T1 cells were prepared by repetitive exposure of HuCC-T1 cells to DOX. ChitoHISss nanoparticles showed spherical morphology with a small diameter of less than 200 nm. The acid pH and glutathione (GSH) addition induced changes in the size distribution pattern of ChitoHISss nanoparticles from a narrow/monomodal distribution pattern to a wide/multimodal pattern and increased the fluorescence intensity of the nanoparticle solution. These results indicate that a physicochemical transition of nanoparticles can occur in an acidic pH or redox state. The more acidic the pH or the higher the GSH concentration the higher the drug release rate was, indicating that an acidic environment or higher redox states accelerated drug release from ChitoHISss nanoparticles. Whereas free DOX showed decreased anticancer activity at DOX-resistant HuCC-T1 cells, DOX-incorporated ChitoHISss nanoparticles showed dose-dependent anticancer activity. Intracellular delivery of DOX-incorporated ChitoHISss nanoparticles was relatively increased at an acidic pH and in the presence of GSH, indicating that DOX-incorporated ChitoHISss nanoparticles have superior acidic pH- and redox-sensitive behavior. In an in vivo tumor xenograft model, DOX-incorporated ChitoHISss nanoparticles were specifically delivered to tumor tissues and then efficiently inhibited tumor growth. We suggest that ChitoHISss nanoparticles are a promising candidate for treatment of CCA.