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In this study, we designed a polymersome system for the controlled release of methotrexate (MTX) as an anticancer drug with the objective of improving the loading efficiency of the drug in polymersomes as well as achievement of an efficient control on the release rate of drug from nanocarriers. We synthesized mono methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(e-caprolactone) (mPEG-PCL) diblock copolymers. The structure of the copolymers was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. MTX was encapsulated within nanoparticles (NPs) through multiple emulsion method. The resulting NPs were characterized further by various techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Next, the various kinetic equations were fitted to the release data of MTX from MTX-loaded mPEG-PCL polymersomes. The results showed that the zeta potential of MTX-loaded mPEG-PCL polymersomes was about -5.49 mV and the average size was 49.18 nm. MTX was encapsulated into polymersomes loading capacity of 12 ± 0.09% and encapsulation efficiency of 45.5 ± 0.41%. The metabolic activity assays of void of MTX, mPEG-PCL polymersomes, and MTX-loaded mPEG-PCL polymersomes were compared to each other by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay of the treated MCF-7 cell lines. It can be concluded that application of NPs is a better and more effective strategy for controlled and slow release of MTX in the treatment of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisinin (ART) is a natural anti-malarial sesquiterpene lactone with anticancer properties, but its application is limited because of its low water solubility. To increase the bioavailability and water solubility of ART, we synthesized three series of poly (ɛ-caprolactone)-poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL-PEG-PCL) tri-block copolymers. The structure of the copolymers was characterized by HNMR, FTIR, DSC and GPC techniques. ART was encapsulated inside micelles by a nanoprecipitation method which leading to the formation of ART/PCL-PEG-PCL micelles. The obtained micelles were characterized by DLS and AFM technique. The results showed that the average size of micelles was about 83.22 nm. ART was encapsulated into PCL-PEG-PCL micelles with encapsulation efficacy of 89.23 ± 1.41%. In vivo results demonstrated that this formulation significantly increased drug accumulation in tumours. Pharmacokinetic study in rats revealed that in vivo drug exposure of ART was significantly increased and prolonged by intravenously administering ART-loaded micelles when compared with the same dose of free ART. The MTT assay showed that bare PCL-PEG-PCL micelles is non-toxic to MCF7 and 4T1 cancer cell lines whereas the ART/PCL-PEG-PCL micelles showed a specific toxicity to both cancer cell lines. Therefore, the polymeric micellar formulation of ART based copolymer could provide a desirable process for ART delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methotrexate (MTX), a stoichiometric inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase enzyme, is a chemotherapeutic agent for treating a diversity of neoplasms. In this study, we design and developed a new formulation of MTX that serves as drug carrier and examined its cytotoxic effect in vitro. This target drug delivery system is dependent on the release of the MTX within the lysosomal compartment. The iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IONPs) were first surface-coated with L-lysine and subsequently conjugated with MTX through amidation between the carboxylic acid end groups on MTX and the amine groups on the IONPs surface. MTX-conjugated L-lysine coated IONPs (F-Lys-MTX NPs) was characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The cytotoxicity of the void of MTX and F-Lys-MTX NPs were compared to each other by MTT assay of the treated MCF-7 cell lines. The results showed that the ζ-potential of F-Lys-MTX NPs was about −5.49 mV and the average size was 43.72 ± 4.73 nm. Model studies exhibited the release of MTX via peptide bond cleavage in the presence of proteinase K and at low pH. These studies specify that F-Lys-MTX NPs have a very remarkable anticancer effect, for breast cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work we reported the synthesis of tamoxifen (TMX) loaded l-tyrosine natural amino acids (Tyr) modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. Tyr, which was containing phenol groups was selected to study their effects on biocompatibility, loading capacity and release profile of TMX. TMX loaded Tyr modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (F@Tyr@TMX NPs) were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermo gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The results showed that the ζ-potential of F@Tyr@TMX NPs was about − 12.8 mV and the average size was 22.19 ± 3.58 [mean ± SD (n = 50)] nm. The loading capacity of 11.34 ± 0.09% and encapsulation efficiency of 51.21 ± 0.41%. Additionally, hemolysis test and MTT assays on HEK-293 were performed for determination of biocompatibility of F@Tyr@TMX NPs. Finally, the anticancer activity of F@Tyr@TMX NPs studied on MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. The results indicate that these as prepared magnetic nanoparticles are suitable for delivery of TMX and even other hydrophobic drugs.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-delivery approach has been recommended to reduce the amount of each drug and to achieve the synergistic effect for cancer treatment. Curcumin (CUR) and sulforaphane (SF) have antitumor effects, but their application is limited because of their low water solubility and poor oral bioavailability. To improve the bioavailability and solubility of SF and CUR, we performed an innovative co-delivery of them with PEGylated gold coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (PEGylated Fe3O4@Au NPs) to endorse SF and CUR maintenance as an effective and promising antitumor drugs. The structure of the synthesized nanocarriers evaluated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, dynamic light scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results revealed that the zeta potential of CUR and SF-loaded NPs were about -15.4 mV and the average sizes were 80.57 nm. They were monodispersed (polydispersity index = 0.161 ± 0.016) in water with high drug-loading capacity and stability. CUR and SF were encapsulated into NPs with loading capacity of 17.32 ± 0.023% and 16.74 ± 0.015% and the entrapment efficiency of 83.72 ± 0.14% and 81.20 ± 0.18% respectively. The in-vitro study of SF and CUR loaded PEGylated Fe3O4@Au NPs on human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) confirmed that cytotoxicity of SF and CUR can enhance when they are loaded on PEGylated Fe3O4@Au NPs in comparison to free SF and CUR. The results of real-time PCR and flow cytometry shown that this combination can increase therapeutic effects of SF and CUR by apoptosis and necrosis induction as well as inhibiting of migration in MCF-7 cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a kind of magnetic Fe3O4@mTiO2-GO (where m was shorted mesoporous) hybrids with core–shell nano-structure for controlled dual targeted drug delivery was synthesized using a facile sono-chemical method. The structure and chemical composition of the nanocarrier (NC), and its surface morphology, were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Synthesis of Fe3O4@mTiO2-GO was proved by XRD and FT-IR. SEM showed that the particle size of this NC was in the range of ∼ 85–95 nm. EDX confirmed the presence of Ti, Fe, C and O in the nanocarrier. VSM analysis showed the magnetic behavior of the Fe3O4@mTiO2-GO nano-hybrids with saturation magnetization (MS) of 1.57 emu/g at room temperature. Curcumin (CUR) as a hydrophobic and an anti-tumor model drug was loaded on the NC. Drug loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency of this NC were as high as 17.85 and 72.45%, respectively. The drug release behavior was sustained and pH-responsive. MTT results demonstrated no significant cytotoxicity of the NC on Human Foreskin Fibroblast Normal cell line (HFF-2), indicating that this NC can be safe for use as a drug carrier for delivering anticancer drugs to tumor sites. The results of an MTT test on Caco-2 cancerous cells proved that CUR in nano-carriers has retained its anti-cancer properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IONPs) coated with various natural amino acids (AAs) using a one‐pot reaction in an aqueous medium. Several AAs, which contained hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, were selected to study their effects on size, morphology and toxicity of IONPs. Functionalized IONPs were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopies. Furthermore, vibrating sample magnetometry analysis shows these nanoparticles have excellent magnetic properties. Cellular toxicity of IONPs was also investigated on HFF2 cell lines. The AA‐coated IONPs are non‐toxic and biocompatible. Natural AA‐coated IONPs show a potential for their development in in vitro and in vivo biomedical fields due to their non‐toxicity, good ζ‐potential and related small size and narrow size distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was an incorrect labeling of the samples during the VSM experiment by the operator, which caused us to present an incorrect Ms for F@Tyr@TMX NPs in Fig. 6 revised below. Since the presented result is related to iron oxide nanoparticles, replacement of the image does not influence the main conclusions of the paper. In order to present valid results, we repeated the VSM experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolisms by cytochrome P450 (P450s) could affect drug response, attracting particular interest in the pharmacogenetics. Due to the importance of CYP2C19* 17 allele and its capability of super- fast metabolism and also lack of information about distribution of the alleles in Iranian population, this research aimed to use High Resolution Melting (HRM) method compared to PCR-RFLP for genotyping healthy Iranian population. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 100 healthy Iranian volunteers. DNA was extracted by salting out method. Real-time PCR was used for amplification of the CYP2C19 gene and the alleles were identified by HRM. Sequencing was used to confirm the amplified DNA fragments and data were analyzed using SPSS software ver.18. Results: The frequency of alleles CYP2C19*1/*1, CYP2C19*1/*17 and CYP2C19*17/*17 were estimated as 58.33, 29.1 and 11.1%, respectively. Specificity and sensitivity of HRM method were 90% and 100%, with respect to PCR-RFLP. Also, HRM analysis has been evaluated as a faster and more effective approach. Conclusion: Comparison of our results based on HRM analysis with PCR-RFLP showed that our developed method is rapid, accurate, fast and economic to study the CYP2C19*17 allele and it is appropriate for other similar population genetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]