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Gold nanorods (AuNRs), as relatively common materials used in biomedical areas, have been synthesized by means of many methods. However, the conventional seed-mediated method is limited by complex operations and low yield. Besides, for further applications of AuNRs, well monodispersed AuNRs and tunable longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) remain to be improved. Herein, we report a one-pot method for synthesizing AuNRs without seeding agents. In this method, we use phenols as reducing agents and hydrochloric acid and nitric acid are used to regulate the pH of the growth solution. AuNRs with the longest LSPR peak position reaching 1340 nm are prepared. Furthermore, by systematically optimizing concentrations of the reagents involved in the growth solution, different aspect ratios of AuNRs are synthesized. The facile synthesis, controllability aspect ratio, and long LSPR peak make our method promising for wider applications of AuNRs.

The delivery of salicylic acid or its derivatives to tumor tissue in the form of nanomedicine is critical for the studies on their potential synergistic mechanism in tumor therapy and chemoprevention considering the dangerous bleeding in the high-dose oral administration. To deepen the understanding of their role in adjusting immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITM), herein, we firstly developed a hypoxia-sensitive Fe-5,5'-azosalicylic acid nanoscale coordination polymer nanomedicines (FeNCPs) via a "old drugs new tricks" strategy for synergistic chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and remodulation of ITM to elevate antitumor immunotherapy effect. PEGylated FeNCPs could be reductively cleaved to release 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and ferric ions by azo-reductase under hypoxic conditions, which could induce tumor cell death by Fenton reaction-catalysis enhanced CDT and 5-ASA-converted carboxylquinone to promote the production of •OH. Meanwhile, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and its enzymatic product prostaglandin E

Cancer cells rely on glycolysis to support a high proliferation rate. Metformin (Met) is a promising drug for tumor treatment that targets hexokinase 2 (HK2) to block the glycolytic process, thereby further disrupting the metabolism of cancer cells. Herein, an intelligent nanomedicine based on glucose deprivation and glycolysis inhibition is creatively constructed for enhanced cancer synergistic treatment. In brief, Met and glucose oxidase (GOx) was encapsulated into histidine/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (His/ZIF-8), which was followed by coating with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides to obtain the desired nanomedicine (Met/GOx@His/ZIF-8∼RGD). This smart nanomedicine presents the controllable Met and GOx release behavior in an acidic responsive manner. The liberated Met blocks the glycolysis process via suppressing the activity of HK2 and impairing ATP production, which activates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway and p53 pathway and damages the Warburg effect, eventually leading to cells apoptosis. And the GOx boosts the glucose shortage for starvation therapy by depleting accumulated glucose. According to in vitro and in vivo assays, the combination of glycolysis inhibition and starvation therapy demonstrates efficient cancer cells growth suppression and superior antitumor properties compared to the Met based or GOx-mediated monotherapy. This work provides an advanced therapeutic strategy via disrupting cellular metabolism against cancer. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The obtained nanomedicine (Met/GOx@His/ZIF-8∼RGD) presents the controllable Met and glucose oxidase (GOx) release behavior in an acidic responsive manner. The liberated Met blocks the glycolysis process via suppressing the activity of HK2 and impairing ATP production, which activates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway and p53 pathway and damages the Warburg effect, eventually leading to cells apoptosis. And the GOx boosts the glucose shortage for starvation therapy by depleting accumulated glucose. The combination of glycolysis inhibition and starvation therapy demonstrate the efficient suppression of cancer cells growth and the superior antitumor properties when compared to the Met based or GOx-mediated monotherapy.

Severe hypoxia in solid tumors limits the efficacy of oxygen (O2)-dependent photodynamic therapy (PDT). The overexpressed heat shock proteins (HSPs) in tumor cells hamper the effect of photothermal therapy (PTT). Herein, a tumor oxygenation-enhanced and ATP-reduced gelatin nanoreactor (MCGPD ∼ RGD NPs) for PDT/PTT-augmented combination cancer therapy is reported. In this nanosystem, the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides of MCGPD ∼ RGD NPs can ensure accurate recognition and sufficient accumulation in the tumor site. After accumulation, doxorubicin (DOX) can be released from MCGPD ∼ RGD NPs in a mild acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) for highly efficient chemotherapy. Upon 808 nm laser irradiation, the overexpressed matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in the TME and the heat produced from the PDA coating trigger Gel NP degradation to expose chlorin e6 (Ce6) and Met from the cavity of MCGPD ∼ RGD NPs. The exposed Met elevates the O2 content and reduces ATP production in tumor sites to spur the successful O2-dependent PDT and HSP-mediated PTT. The heat generated by the PDA coating directly kills the tumor cells to ensure PTT and amplifies the chemotherapeutic effect. In vitro and in vivo assays indicate that MCGPD ∼ RGD NPs have excellent ability to promote cell apoptosis and to inhibit tumor growth. Overall, this smart responsive hydrogel nanosystem with hypoxia-relieving capacity and ATP-decreasing performance provides a promising strategy against cancer.

Leukemia is a group of blood cancers which seriously endangers the health of many people, especially children and adolescents. Although some drugs have been developed to treat leukemia, these drugs always have harmful side effects, which seriously affect the quality of life of patients. Therefore, the development of a special drug which damages only leukemia cells and does not harm normal cells remains a challenge. In a previous study, we developed a novel nanomedicine, Cy5.5MSA-G250, which selectively kills fast-growing tumor cells without harming normal cells. Based on our previous work, we prepared Cy5.5-HSA-G250 nanoparticles (CHGNPs) by replacing mouse serum albumin (MSA) with low immunogenic human serum albumin (HSA), and then applied this nanomaterial in leukemia treatment. Under physiological conditions, the CHGNPs exhibited good dispersion and stability, and hemolytic experiments showed that this material has excellent blood compatibility. The cell endocytosis of CHGNPs was obviously inhibited after treatment with nystatin and chlorpromazine, implying that caveolae-mediated endocytosis and clathrin-mediated endocytosis are involved in the cellular uptake of CHGNPs. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays revealed that the CHGNPs severely inhibited leukemia cell proliferation and induced leukemia cell apoptosis but did not affect normal cells. The selective up-regulation of tumor suppressor protein P27 and inducement of G1 arrest in leukemia cells may be the main mechanisms for CHGNPs' selective cytotoxicity. Owing to these advantages of CHGNPs, we believe that CHGNPs can be used as a potential leukemia drug for clinical treatment.

Cy5.5-MSA-G250 nanoparticles (CMGNPs) had been proved to have unique advantages for cancer treatment, including excellent photothermal performance, tumor cell-selective cytotoxicity, direct visualization, and good biocompatibility. However, to cellular systems, the CMGNPs are considered as foreign invaders, and the effect of CMGNPs on immunity system is still unknown. Therefore, more efforts are needed to understand the role of CMGNPs on the immunity system. In this study, we attempted to screen the pro-inflammatory responses on RAW264.7 macrophages after treated with the CMGNPs. In vitro experiments clearly showed that CMGNPs not only enhances phagocytosis capacity of RAW264.7 cells, but also promotes M1 polarization, associated with changes in cell morphology and increased expression of inflammatory cytokines. This ability to induce M1 polarization may be beneficial to CMGNPs to achieve better anticancer effects in clinical trials. Moreover, the observed M1 macrophages’ polarization triggered by CMGNPs can be abolished after adding TLR4 inhibitor, CLI095, suggesting that TLR4 is involved in CMGNP-induced inflammation.

Patterned paper sensors such as letter- and barcode-shaped sensors have become a subject of growing interest due to the potential in information embedding and data interpretation, which brings a requirement on easily fabricating these paper-based analytical devices. The answer, in part, may lie in the influence of paper structure on the performance of paper-based analytical devices. After investigating the effect of physical properties of paper on precipitation and non-precipitation assays for detecting Fe(II), here we propose a simple and promising approach for barrier-free paper patterning. Without building hydrophobic boundaries, the precipitates of sensing reactions on low-bulk and medium-thick paper substrates allow patterned signal readout directly. As a proof of concept, barrier-free patterned paper sensors for detecting heavy metals were fabricated, with detection limits of 0.25 ppm for Fe(II), 0.4 ppm for Ni(II), and 0.5 ppm for Cu(II). Our work provides a valuable perspective on fabrication of patterned paper sensors.

Virus is a nanosized pathogen and mainly composed of viral protein and nucleic acids. Under the pressure of long-term selection, mammals have gradually evolved effective immune mechanisms to defend themselves against viruses. In addition to recognizing viral proteins, immune system can also respond to viral sequence-specific nucleic acids, including CpG ODN, single- and double- strand RNA, and thereby enhancing the ability to remove infected viruses. Inspired by these immune mechanisms, we have attempted to develop a tracing virus-mimicking nanovaccine for tumor immunotherapy. This nanovaccine mainly consists of nucleic acids (CpG ODN), proteins (including tumor-associated antigen, and neutravidin (nAvidin) as skeleton materials for constructing nanovaccine and carriers for loading tumor-associated antigen and CpG ODN), and the dye molecules for assembling nAvidin to form nanoparticles comparable in size to viruses and tracing the vaccine in vitro and in vivo. The as-prepared nanovaccine efficiently induces the maturation of dendritic cell, the enhancement of antigen cross-presentation ability, and amplification of cytokine production in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo analysis clearly shows that it targets lymph nodes, successfully presents antigens to generate tumor-antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and induces a Th1-biased immune response. Most notably, this virus-mimicking nanovaccine significantly inhibits the growth of antigen-expressed tumor and prolongs the survival time of the antigen-expressed tumor bearing mice.

BackgroundThe oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is inherently able to trigger the lysis of tumor cells and induce the immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells and is also an excellent gene-engineering vector. The macrophage inflammatory protein-3α (MIP-3α) is a specific chemokine for dendritic cells (DCs). Thus, we constructed a recombinant NDV expressing MIP-3α (NDV-MIP3α) as an in vivo DC vaccine for amplifying antitumor immunities.MethodsThe recombinant NDV-MIP3α was constructed by the insertion of MIP-3α cDNA between the P and M genes. Western blotting assay and ELISA were used to detect MIP-3α, HMGB1, IgG, and ATP in the supernatant and sera. The chemotaxis of DCs was examined by Transwell chambers. The phenotypes of the immune cells (eg, DCs) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The antitumor efficiency of NDV-MIP3α was observed in B16 and CT26 tumor-bearing mice. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were applied to observe the ecto-calreticulin (CRT) and intratumoral attraction of DCs. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes and antibodies and depletion of T-cell subsets were used to evaluate the relationship between antitumor immunities and the role of the T-cell subtype.ResultsThe findings show that NDV-MIP3α has almost the same capabilities of tumor lysis and induction of ICD as the wild-type NDV (NDV-WT). MIP-3α secreted by NDV-MIP3α could successfully attract DCs in vitro and in vivo. Both B16 and CT26 cells infected with NDV-MIP3α could strongly promote DC maturation and activation. Compared with NDV-WT, intratumoral injection of NDV-MIP3α and the adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes from mice injected with NDV-MIP3α resulted in a significant suppression of B16 and CT26 tumor growth. The NDV-MIP3α-induced production of tumor-specific cellular and humoral immune responses was dependent on CD8+ T cells and partially on CD4+ T cells. A significant reversion of tumor microenvironments was found in the mice injected with NDV-MIP3α.ConclusionsCompared with NDV-WT, the recombinant NDV-MIP3α as an in vivo DC vaccine demonstrates enhanced antitumor activities through the induction of stronger system immunities and modulation of the tumor microenvironment. This strategy may be a potential approach for the generation of an in vivo DC vaccine.

A combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy has emerged as a promising method of cancer treatment since it can enhance therapeutic efficacies and reduce side effects. Herein, we fabricated doxorubicin (DOX) loaded PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7 which could be used as a synergistic therapeutic nanoplatform. The PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7/DOX nanoparticles exhibit good monodispersity, physiological stability and biocompatibility. Moreover, the prepared PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7/DOX nanoparticles can intelligently release DOX by pH- and NIR-triggered therapy. In comparison with chemotherapy or photothermal treatment alone, the combined therapy shows a better therapeutic effect. We believe that the PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7/DOX can act as an efficient multifunctional nanoplatform for chemophotothermal synergistic cancer therapy.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, which play a central role in gene expression regulation and have been considered as excellent biomarker candidates for clinical diagnosis and prognosis. So far, many miRNAs detection methods require polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification following reverse transcription of miRNAs. These processes are complicated and time-consuming. In this work, we have developed a simpler method for miRNA detection based on base stacking hybridization happening on the surface of NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanoparticles. In this method, the fluorescence of NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanoparticles were functionalized as a reference standard, which can improve the accuracy of miRNA detection. On the basis of these findings, we suggest this novel approach for miRNA detection could be applied as an accurate and specific technique for miRNAs detection.

Nano-agent-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) combined with chemotherapy has been proposed as an effective strategy against cancer. However, chemotherapeutic agents often cause serious side effects. Herein, a novel PTT nanoagent (Cy5.5-MSA-G250) with unanticipated intrinsic tumor-selective cytotoxicity is developed. The Cy5.5-MSA-G250 nanoparticles (NPs) are created by mixing mouse serum albumin (MSA) and coomassie brilliant blue (G250) and then conjugated with cyanine 5.5 (Cy5.5). As expected, Cy5.5-MSA-G250 NPs can efficiently kill cancer cells in vitro and in vivo by PTT. Meanwhile, we accidentally discover that Cy5.5-MSA-G250 have intrinsic specific cytotoxicity against tumor cells but not against normal cells. Moreover, the tumor-specific cytotoxicity of Cy5.5-MSA-G250 is much stronger than that of cytarabine, an FDA-approved anticancer drug. In vivo experiments also prove that Cy5.5-MSA-G250 NPs can effectively eliminate residual tumor cells and prevent metastasis. Further study indicates that selective induction of G1 cell cycle arrest and inhibition of DNA duplication in tumor cells may be the possible mechanism of the tumor cell-selective cytotoxicity of Cy5.5-MSA-G250 NPs. In addition, direct visualization, low systematic toxicity, good biodegradation, and efficient body excretion further make Cy5.5-MSA-G250 NPs attractive for in vivo applications. Taken together, Cy5.5-MSA-G250 NPs are proven to be a promising platform for combined photothermal chemotherapy.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a specific kind of cell death that stimulates the immune system to combat cancer cells. Ultrasound (US)-controlled targeted release of drugs by liposome-microbubble complexes is a promising approach due to its non-invasive nature and visibility through ultrasound imaging. However, it is not known whether this approach can enhance ICD induced by drugs, such as doxorubicin. Herein, we prepared a doxorubicin-liposome-microbubble complex (MbDox), and the resultant MbDox was then characterized and tested for US-controlled release of Dox (MbDox+US treatment) to enhance the induction of ICD in LL/2 and CT26 cancer cells and in syngeneic murine models. We found that MbDox+US treatment caused more cellular uptake and nuclear accumulation of Dox in tumor cells, and more accumulation of Dox in tumor tissues. Enhanced induction of ICD occurred both in vitro and in vivo. MbDox+US treatment induced more apoptosis, stronger membrane exposure and the release of ER stress proteins and DAMPs in tumor cells, and increased DC maturation in vitro. In addition, MbDox+US treatment also resulted in stronger therapeutic effects in immunocompetent mice than in immunodeficient mice. Moreover, MbDox+US enhancement of ICD was also evidenced by a higher proportion of activated CD8(+) T-lymphocytes but lower Treg in tumor tissues. Taken together, our results demonstrate that US-controlled release of ICD inducers into nuclei using liposome-microbubble complexes may be an effective approach to enhance the induction of ICD for tumor treatment.

Butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA)/NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ upconversion phosphors have been successfully synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method. The SEM and XRD results show the as-prepared phosphors exhibit main hexagonal lattice structures and uniform morphologies. FT-IR spectra confirm that the surface of as-prepared phosphors is inherently modified with the carboxyl groups. Under the excitation of 980 nm, it has been observed that BTCA/NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ upconversion phosphors have a higher upconversion luminescence efficiency than that coated with citrate, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), or polyacrylic acid (PAA). These results indicate that the BTCA/NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ phosphors may have superior optical properties, and thus have great potential for biological applications.

We report an improved method for synthesizing gold nanorods (GNRs) by using 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene as a reducing agent. The method allows a rich array of monodispersed GNRs with longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) tunable from 698 to 913 nm to be generated. A large range of diameter distribution of GNRs from 9.3 to 32.2 nm with exceptional monodispersity can be well prepared by this method. These findings indicate that this method has greater performance in controlling the morphology of GNRs than that of traditional approaches with ascorbic acid as a reductant.

A novel and facile seed-mediated method for the preparation of monodispersed gold nanorods (GNRs) is presented by introducing pyrogallol as a reductant. Fast Fourier transformation of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that the synthesized GNRs are single crystalline. The longitudinal surface plasmon resonance of GNRs can be finely tuned by varying silver ion concentrations or seed amounts. Also, both thick (diameter >30 nm) and thin (diameter

A combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy has emerged as a promising method of cancer treatment since it can enhance therapeutic efficacies and reduce side effects. Herein, we fabricated doxorubicin (DOX) loaded PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7 which could be used as a synergistic therapeutic nanoplatform. The PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7/DOX nanoparticles exhibit good monodispersity, physiological stability and biocompatibility. Moreover, the prepared PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7/DOX nanoparticles can intelligently release DOX by pH- and NIR-triggered therapy. In comparison with chemotherapy or photothermal treatment alone, the combined therapy shows a better therapeutic effect. We believe that the PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7/DOX can act as an efficient multifunctional nanoplatform for chemophotothermal synergistic cancer therapy.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common opportunistic pathogen in clinics. The species-specific ecfX gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has high specificity. In this experiment, we are intended to develop a new method for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on magnetic enrichment and nested PCR, and the specific ecfX gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used as the detection object. The genomic DNA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was extracted using amino-modified magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The ecfX gene was amplified by nested PCR and the product of PCR was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. The results showed that the optimal annealing temperature was 64 degrees C and 62 degrees C respectively in the first and the second rounds of PCR. The lowest concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that could be detected was 10 cfu/mL. The method provides a reliable, timely and accurate technology for early detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, the method can shorten the procedure and time from DNA extraction to detection, which made automation more convenient.

LiYbF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by thermal decomposition of multiple trifluoroacetic acid salts. The SEM and TEM results show the size of the LiYF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles is about 100 nm in diagonal line, and the morphology of the LiYF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles is highly uniform with octahedral structure. Under the excitation of 980 nm, the LiYF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles have higher upconversion luminescence efficiency compared with that of NaYF4:Yb, Er. The results indicate that the as-prepared LiYbF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles may have potential applications in bio-probes and displays.

Although gold nanorods (GNRs) have been prepared with a wide range of methods for their uses as novel diagnostic and therapeutic agents, the synthesis of monodispersed GNRs with high yields and size tunability still requires further improvements. We report on a simple one-pot method for preparing highly monodispersed GNRs using phenols (e.g., hydroquinone, 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene, and 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene) as the reducing agent and NaBH4 as the initiating reactant. Fine-tuning of the LSPR peak position of phenols-reduced GNRs from 550 to 1150 nm is accomplished by regulating the silver ion concentrations. The size of GNRs produced via phenols reduction can also be controlled by changing the NaBH4 concentration. By systematically optimizing the concentrations of the reagents involved in the one-pot synthesis of GNRs, the yield (in many cases exceeding 90%) is significantly higher than that prepared with the commonly used reductant (e.g., ascorbic acid). The improved efficiency and controllability cut do...

A novel type of acetylcholine electrochemical biosensor was successfully fabricated by dropping beta-cyclodextrin solution, acetylcholinesterase solution and Nafion-methanol solution to the homemade nano-porous pseudo carbon paste electrode (nano-PPCPE) as working electrode, and then the electrochemical behavior of the as-prepared biosensor was studied through the acetylthiocholine iodide (ATChI). It was shown that the modified nano-PPCPE displays a high selectivity and sensitivity. The acetylcholine biosensor showed the linear range from 5 x 10(-6) M to 2 x 10(-4) M with the detection limit of 1.5 x 10(-7) M.

Transition metal sulfide (TMS) holds great potential in cancer photothermal therapy (PTT) because of the high absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region. The short blood circulation time and limited tumor accumulation of TMS-based photothermal agents, however, limit their applications. Herein, we design a novel TMS-based PTT agent, ruthenium sulfide-based nanoclusters (NCs), to overcome the current limitations. We firstly develop a simple method to prepare oleic acid coated ruthenium sulfide nanodots (OA-RuS1.7 NDs) and assemble them into water-soluble NCs via sequentially coating with denatured bovine serum albumin (dBSA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The obtained PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7 NCs possess excellent photothermal conversion ability. More significantly, they exhibit enhanced blood circulation time and tumor-targeting efficiency in vivo compared with other TMS-based PTT nanoagents, which may be attributed to their appropriate hydrodynamic diameter (~70 nm) and an ideal charge (~0 mV). These characteristics help the PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7 NCs to escape the removal by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) and kidney. All these advantages enable the PEG-dBSA-RuS1.7 NCs to selectively concentrate in tumor sites and effectively ablate the cancer cells upon NIR irradiation.

Using the nano-porous pseudo carbon paste electrode (Nano-PPCPE) as the working electrode, mixing L-glutamate oxidase (L-GLOD), catalase (Cat) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with phosphate buffer (PB, pH = 7.4), followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde, a novel L-glutamate electrochemical biosensor was successfully formed. It was demonstrated that the modified nano-PPCPE exhibits a high selectivity and sensitivity in comparison with the modified CPE. The L-glutamate biosensor showed a linear range from 5 x 10(-7) M to 1 x 10(-5) M with the detection limit of 2.5 x 10(-7) M.

Single stranded ribonucleic acid (ssRNA) acts as a probe, antisense (AS), miRNA analog and inhibitor, and is promising for gene therapy and molecular diagnosis. However, free ssRNA exhibits poor cellular uptake due to its negative charges, and enzyme instability, which have largely limited the practical applications of ssRNA in biomedicine. To address these issues, we have developed a PEGylated reduced graphene oxide (PEG-RGO) nanovector for efficient delivery of ssRNA. We have demonstrated that PEG-RGO exhibits superior ssRNA loading and delivery capability, compared to the widely studied PEGylated graphene oxide (PEG-GO). Computational simulation further suggested that PEG-RGO binds ssRNA much stronger than PEG-GO, consistent with the experimental results. These results will have implications in designing RGO-based biocompatible and efficient ssRNA delivery systems.

In this article, we present an easy route to prepare monodisperse core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres with uniform size and shape. Their structures and properties were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The results showed that spherical Fe3O4 microspheres with well dispersion have a rough surface and an average diameter (about 500 nm). After the modification with silica, the particles have a well-defined core-shell structure and a much smoother surface and larger particle diameter (about 600 nm). Furthermore, VSM measurements indicated that the as-prepared Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres were superparamagnetic at room temperature and the saturation magnetization (M(s)) were 58.110 emu/g and 33.479 emu/g, respectively. And then, the prepared monodisperse core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres were subsequently applied to separate nucleic acids from the bacteria (E. coli BL21) and verified the great application prospects for bioseparation technology of the biomoleculars.

This research article published by American Scientific Publishers, Volume 17, Number 1, October 2012

PEI GO The RNA interference (RNAi) technique, an effective method to inhibit protein expression by targeted cleavage of messenger RNA (mRNA), has made substantial progress since the fi rst demonstration of gene knockdown in mammalian cells. [ 1 ] Short interfering RNA (siRNA) induces specifi c silencing of targeted protein, thus offering signifi cant potential in overcoming multiple drug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells. [ 2 ] For example, Bcl-2 protein, one of the main antiapoptotic defense proteins, is closely related to the MDR of cancer cells. [ 3 ] Knockdown of the Bcl-2 protein expression level in cancer cells by Bcl-2-targeted siRNA would effectively overcome the MDR of cancer cells and sensitize cancer cells to anticancer drugs. [ 3 d, 4 ] Herein, we report sequential delivery of Bcl-2-targeted siRNA and the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) using polyethylenimine (PEI)-functionalized graphene oxide (PEI-GO). We demonstrate that the PEI-GO is an excellent nanocarrier for effective delivery of siRNA and chemical drugs, and that sequential delivery of the siRNA and DOX by PEI-GO into cancer cells exhibits a synergistic effect, which leads to a signifi cantly enhanced chemotherapy effi cacy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fi rst report on applications of GO-based nanovectors for delivery of siRNA, and sequential delivery of siRNA and anticancer drugs into cancer cells. Graphene, a newly discovered 2D nanomaterial, has been studied extensively due to its fundamental importance and potential applications, [ 5 ] while exploration of its biomedical applications has just started. [ 6 ] Noncovalent adsorption through π – π stacking, electrostatic, and other molecular interactions has proven to be effective for immobilizing chemical drugs, single-stranded DNA, and RNA onto GO sheets. [ 6 a–e]

Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) conjugated doxorubicin (mPEG-DOX) micelles are prepared for delivering drug effectively. The core of the unimolecular micelle is a DOX (doxorubicin) which is an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug, while the outer hydrophilic shell is composed of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segments. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis shows that the unimolecular micelles are uniform with a mean hydrodynamic diameter around 250 nm. The mPEG-DOX micelles can be internalized by the cancer cells and exhibit good cell uptake by the fluorescence microscopy. Obvious cytotoxicity is also observed when the concentration (count on DOX) is over 1 μg/mL. These findings indicate that these unique unimolecular micelles may offer a very promising approach for targeted cancer therapy.

Up-conversion nanoparticles made from NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ have been used as imaging materials in many studies. These stable luminescence materials always needs hydrophilic modification to meet the challenges in biomedical applications. In our work, hydrophilic up-conversion nanoparticles (HUNPs) with stable luminescence character were prepared by a one-step method. The excitation wavelength of this type of nanoparticles is 980 nm. Furthermore, from the data of zeta potential measurement and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, we deduced that these nanoparticles exhibited amino groups on the surface. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) study showed that the as-prepared up-conversion nanoparticles demonstrated low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility.

Gold nanorods (GNRs) have recently been widely studied due to their unique optical and electronic properties which are dependent on their shape, size, and aspect ratio. Seed-mediated growth method has become the most widely method for the synthesis of GNRs due to its advantages of simplicity of procedure, high yield of nanorods, and ease of aspect ratio controlling. Moreover, GNRs are especially attractive candidates for exploitation in photothermal therapy since they can be readily synthesized with various aspect ratios, which enable GNRs to selectively absorb the near-infrared (NIR) light. This review is focused on summarizing the preparation of GNRs by seed-mediated growth method and their applications in photothermal therapy.

As a native species to China, Populus cathayana Rehd is well-adapted to the wet and cold environments where it occurs. It is considered to be an important reforestation species in western China. In the present study, we surveyed the level of genetic variation and the pattern of genetic structure in seven natural populations of R cathayana, originating from the southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China, by using ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeats) markers. Based on eight primers, 158 clear and reproducible DNA fragments were generated, of which 156 (98.7%) were polymorphic. The average value of Nei's gene diversity (h) equaled 0.331. The coefficient of genetic differentiation (G(ST)) equaled 0.477, which means that 47.7% of the total molecular variance existed among populations. Such a high level of divergence present among populations may be caused by the complex topography and variable climatic conditions present in the southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau which effectively restrict gene flow. Moreover, there is a lack of significant association between genetic and geographical distances (r = 0.3122, P > 0.05) in the populations of R cathayana. The application of a novel method, which combines geographical coordinates and genetic differentiation to detect barriers for gene flow, allowed us to identify two zones of lowered gene flow. The ISSR method used in the present genetic fingerprinting-based study proved to be an effective high-resolution tool for identifying patterns of genetic variation present in forest trees. In the case of P. cathayana, such information is greatly needed for planning conservation genetic actions to ensure the maintenance of appropriate levels of genetic variation. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

In this paper, a simple, reliable and flexible method, which integrated in situ synthesis with the spotting technique, was reported to fabricate oligonucleotide array. Different oligonucleotide sequences are synthesized on their relative code glass slides through combinational chemistry, thus the slides are broken into smaller pieces, in which the same code pieces have the same probe sequences. An oligonucleotide array is fabricated by arbitrarily assembling these different code pieces onto another solid substrate. In principle experimentation, four different sequences of P16 gene were synthesized and a 5 x 5 array including these four sequences and the control black was fabricated. The analysis results indicated that the hybridization fluorescence intensity of the same sequences locating different sets on the array gave the approximate values, and the fluorescence intensity ratio of matched sequence to one middle location base mismatched, two base mismatched, three middle base mismatched is (1.000+/-0.080):(0.4991+/-0.0671):(0.2360+/-0.0044):(0.0493+/-0.0033). Their relative accuracies were from 6.64 to 10.2%. This result might be used to rapidly screen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

An effective method for the quantitative evaluation of proteins adsorbed on biomaterial surfaces has been developed. First, the kinetic behavior of a range of human fibrinogen (Fib) adsorbed onto polystyrene (PS) films was investigated by using a reflectometry interference spectroscopy setup. The specific molecular number of adsorbed proteins, N(p,) was then defined. According to the definition, the numbers of Fib molecules adsorbed on PS films were calculated. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to scan the lateral distribution of the Fib molecules adsorbed on the PS films. From the AFM images, the practical specific molecular numbers were obtained by direct counting of the molecules. In order that the adsorbed number of Fib molecules on a unit area of the PS films could be counted easily, the solution concentration of proteins was reduced to 5 ag/mL (10(-18)g/mL). There was good consistency between the numbers calculated with the formula defined by us and the numbers counted from AFM images. Therefore, the results of the present study prove the validity of our definition of the specific molecular number of adsorbed proteins and the effectiveness of the reflectometry interference spectroscopy-based method for quantitative evaluation of adsorptive proteins.

Although gold nanorods (GNRs) have been investigated extensively for optical hyperthermia therapies, the synthesis of rods is far from ideal. In this report, we optimized the synthesis of gold nanorods using hydroquinone as a reducing agent. Compared with the GNRs prepared by traditional ways, the as-synthesized rods have a flexibly tunable size and wider range of longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Furthermore, a series of small-length gold nanorods with length ranging from 30 to 90 nm were synthesized and they are more suitable for in vivo biomedical applications. Finally, we exploited a convenient approach for preparing water-soluble GNRs with less toxicity, better dispersion and flexible functionalization by exchanging hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the surface of the rods with carboxylated bovine serum albumin (BSA) derivative, the BSA modified GNRs showed significant anticancer efficacy through near infrared (NIR) hyperthermia. We believe that the as-prepared gold nanorods will find promising applications in biomedical fields, especially in cancer therapy.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common opportunistic pathogen in clinics. The species-specific ecfX gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has high specificity. In this experiment, we are intended to develop a new method for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on magnetic enrichment and nested PCR, and the specific ecfX gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used as the detection object. The genomic DNA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was extracted using amino-modified magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The ecfX gene was amplified by nested PCR and the product of PCR was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. The results showed that the optimal annealing temperature was 64 degrees C and 62 degrees C respectively in the first and the second rounds of PCR. The lowest concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that could be detected was 10 cfu/mL. The method provides a reliable, timely and accurate technology for early detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, the method can shorten the procedure and time from DNA extraction to detection, which made automation more convenient.

LiYbF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by thermal decomposition of multiple trifluoroacetic acid salts. The SEM and TEM results show the size of the LiYF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles is about 100 nm in diagonal line, and the morphology of the LiYF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles is highly uniform with octahedral structure. Under the excitation of 980 nm, the LiYF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles have higher upconversion luminescence efficiency compared with that of NaYF4:Yb, Er. The results indicate that the as-prepared LiYbF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles may have potential applications in bio-probes and displays.

Using the nano-porous pseudo carbon paste electrode (Nano-PPCPE) as the working electrode, mixing L-glutamate oxidase (L-GLOD), catalase (Cat) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with phosphate buffer (PB, pH = 7.4), followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde, a novel L-glutamate electrochemical biosensor was successfully formed. It was demonstrated that the modified nano-PPCPE exhibits a high selectivity and sensitivity in comparison with the modified CPE. The L-glutamate biosensor showed a linear range from 5 x 10(-7) M to 1 x 10(-5) M with the detection limit of 2.5 x 10(-7) M.

Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was one-base variations in DNA sequence that can often be helpful to find genes associations for hereditary disease, communicable disease and so on. We developed a high throughput SNP detection system based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) separation and dual-color hybridization or single base extension. This system includes a magnetic separation unit for sample separation, three high precision robot arms for pipetting and microtiter plate transferring respectively, an accurate temperature control unit for PCR and DNA hybridization and a high accurate and sensitive optical signal detection unit for fluorescence detection. The cyclooxygenase-2 gene promoter region--65G > C polymorphism locus SNP genotyping experiment for 48 samples from the northern Jiangsu area has been done to verify that if this system can simplify manual operation of the researchers, save time and improve efficiency in SNP genotyping experiments. It can realize sample preparation, target sequence amplification, signal detection and data analysis automatically and can be used in clinical molecule diagnosis and high throughput fluorescence immunological detection and so on.

Using styrene as raw material, potassium persulfate as an initiator, beta-cyclodextrin as a stabilizer, polystyrene microspheres were successfully prepared with nice monodisperse feature by means of soap-free emulsion polymerization method. Experimental studies were performed in detail to check the effect of the synthesis process of the microspheres, the stabilizer dosage, monomer concentration, and initiator dosage on the particle size and distribution, the microstructures were characterized with SEM, TEM, infrared (IR) and the particle size distribution investigation. The results show that the appropriate changes in amount of stabilizer and monomer concentration and dosage of initiator can result in a different particle size and polystyrene microspheres with good monodispersity were finally obtained.

In this article, we present an easy route to prepare monodisperse core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres with uniform size and shape. Their structures and properties were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The results showed that spherical Fe3O4 microspheres with well dispersion have a rough surface and an average diameter (about 500 nm). After the modification with silica, the particles have a well-defined core-shell structure and a much smoother surface and larger particle diameter (about 600 nm). Furthermore, VSM measurements indicated that the as-prepared Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres were superparamagnetic at room temperature and the saturation magnetization (M(s)) were 58.110 emu/g and 33.479 emu/g, respectively. And then, the prepared monodisperse core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres were subsequently applied to separate nucleic acids from the bacteria (E. coli BL21) and verified the great application prospects for bioseparation technology of the biomoleculars.