scholarly journals Nanohybrids as Protein-Polymer Conjugate Multimodal Therapeutics

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallavi Kiran ◽  
Amreen Khan ◽  
Suditi Neekhra ◽  
Shubham Pallod ◽  
Rohit Srivastava

Protein therapeutic formulations are being widely explored as multifunctional nanotherapeutics. Challenges in ensuring susceptibility and efficacy of nanoformulation still prevail owing to various interactions with biological fluids before reaching the target site. Smart polymers with the capability of masking drugs, ease of chemical modification, and multi-stimuli responsiveness can assist controlled delivery. An active moiety like therapeutic protein has started to be known as an important biological formulation with a diverse medicinal prospect. The delivery of proteins and peptides with high target specificity has however been tedious, due to their tendency to aggregate formation in different environmental conditions. Proteins due to high chemical reactivity and poor bioavailability are being researched widely in the field of nanomedicine. Clinically, multiple nano-based formulations have been explored for delivering protein with different carrier systems. A biocompatible and non-toxic polymer-based delivery system serves to tailor the polymer or drug better. Polymers not only aid delivery to the target site but are also responsible for proper stearic orientation of proteins thus protecting them from internal hindrances. Polymers have been shown to conjugate with proteins through covalent linkage rendering stability and enhancing therapeutic efficacy prominently when dealing with the systemic route. Here, we present the recent developments in polymer-protein/drug-linked systems. We aim to address questions by assessing the properties of the conjugate system and optimized delivery approaches. Since thorough characterization is the key aspect for technology to enter into the market, correlating laboratory research with commercially available formulations will also be presented in this review. By examining characteristics including morphology, surface properties, and functionalization, we will expand different hybrid applications from a biomaterial stance applied in in vivo complex biological conditions. Further, we explore understanding related to design criteria and strategies for polymer-protein smart nanomedicines with their potential prophylactic theranostic applications. Overall, we intend to highlight protein-drug delivery through multifunctional smart polymers.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madushani Dharmarwardana ◽  
André F. Martins ◽  
Zhuo Chen ◽  
Philip M. Palacios ◽  
Chance M. Nowak ◽  
...  

Superoxide overproduction is known to occur in multiple disease states requiring critical care yet non-invasive detection of superoxide in deep tissue remains a challenge. Herein, we report a metal-free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) active contrast agent prepared by “click conjugating” paramagnetic organic radical contrast agents (ORCAs) to the surface of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). While ORCAs are known to be reduced <i>in vivo</i> to an MRI/EPR silent state, their oxidation is facilitated specifically by reactive oxygen species—in particular superoxide—and are largely unaffected by peroxides and molecular oxygen. Unfortunately, single molecule ORCAs typically offer weak MRI contrast. In contrast, our data confirm that the macromolecular ORCA-TMV conjugates show marked enhancement for <i>T<sub>1</sub></i> contrast at low field (<3.0 T), and <i>T<sub>2</sub></i> contrast at high field (9.4 T). Additionally, we demonstrated that the unique topology of TMV allows for “quenchless fluorescent” bimodal probe for concurrent fluorescence and MRI/EPR imaging, which was made possible by exploiting the unique inner and outer surface of the TMV nanoparticle. <a>Finally, we show TMV-ORCAs do not respond to normal cellular respiration, minimizing the likelihood for background, yet still respond to enzymatically produced superoxide in complicated biological fluids like serum.</a>


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4587
Author(s):  
Fanny d’Orlyé ◽  
Laura Trapiella-Alfonso ◽  
Camille Lescot ◽  
Marie Pinvidic ◽  
Bich-Thuy Doan ◽  
...  

There is a challenging need for the development of new alternative nanostructures that can allow the coupling and/or encapsulation of therapeutic/diagnostic molecules while reducing their toxicity and improving their circulation and in-vivo targeting. Among the new materials using natural building blocks, peptides have attracted significant interest because of their simple structure, relative chemical and physical stability, diversity of sequences and forms, their easy functionalization with (bio)molecules and the possibility of synthesizing them in large quantities. A number of them have the ability to self-assemble into nanotubes, -spheres, -vesicles or -rods under mild conditions, which opens up new applications in biology and nanomedicine due to their intrinsic biocompatibility and biodegradability as well as their surface chemical reactivity via amino- and carboxyl groups. In order to obtain nanostructures suitable for biomedical applications, the structure, size, shape and surface chemistry of these nanoplatforms must be optimized. These properties depend directly on the nature and sequence of the amino acids that constitute them. It is therefore essential to control the order in which the amino acids are introduced during the synthesis of short peptide chains and to evaluate their in-vitro and in-vivo physico-chemical properties before testing them for biomedical applications. This review therefore focuses on the synthesis, functionalization and characterization of peptide sequences that can self-assemble to form nanostructures. The synthesis in batch or with new continuous flow and microflow techniques will be described and compared in terms of amino acids sequence, purification processes, functionalization or encapsulation of targeting ligands, imaging probes as well as therapeutic molecules. Their chemical and biological characterization will be presented to evaluate their purity, toxicity, biocompatibility and biodistribution, and some therapeutic properties in vitro and in vivo. Finally, their main applications in the biomedical field will be presented so as to highlight their importance and advantages over classical nanostructures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (03) ◽  
pp. 222-229
Author(s):  
Matthias Hackl ◽  
Elisabeth Semmelrock ◽  
Johannes Grillari

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (18–24 nucleotides) non-coding RNA sequences that regulate gene expression via binding of messenger RNA. It is estimated that miRNAs co-regulate the expression of more than 70% of all human genes, many of which fulfil important roles in bone metabolism and muscle function. In-vitro and in-vivo experiments have shown that the targeted loss of miRNAs in distinct bone cell types (osteoblasts and osteoclasts) results in altered bone mass and bone architecture. These results emphasize the biological relevance of miRNAs for bone health.MiRNAs are not only considered as novel bone biomarkers because of their biological importance to bone metabolism, but also on the basis of other favorable properties: 1) Secretion of miRNAs from cells enables “minimally invasive” detection in biological fluids such as serum. 2) High stability of miRNAs in serum enables the retrospective analysis of frozen blood specimens. 3) Quantification of miRNAs in the serum is based on the RT-PCR - a robust method that is considered as the gold standard for the analysis of nucleic acids in clinical diagnostics.With regard to osteoporosis, it has been shown that many of the known risk factors are characterized by distinct miRNA profiles in the affected tissues: i) age-related loss of bone mass, ii) sarcopenia, iii) changes in estrogen metabolism and related changes Loss of bone mass, and iv) diabetes. Therefore, numerous studies in recent years have dealt with the characterization of miRNAs in the serum of osteoporosis patients and healthy controls, and were able to identify recurring miRNA patterns that are characteristic of osteoporosis. These novel biomarkers have great potential for the diagnosis and prognosis of osteoporosis and its clinical outcomes.The aim of this article is to give a summary of the current state of knowledge on the research and application of miRNA biomarkers in osteoporosis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz Dowaidar

A feasible alternative to state-of-the-art enzymatic nucleases was created by regulating the cleavage activity of metal complexes using (covalent or non-covalent) homing agents. Targeted AMNs, unlike enzymatic nucleases, break DNA by an oxidative mechanism and can therefore permanently knock off genes. Compared to larger enzymatic nucleases, the modest size of the metal complex may aid cellular transfection. Furthermore, the painstaking construction of the sequence-specific probe permits a metal complex to be directed to dsDNA's minor or major groove. To direct the chemical reactivity of several small-molecule compounds to dsDNA's minor groove, covalently bonded polyamide samples were used. PNA and DNA were also used to construct antisense and antigen hybrids, with Watson–Crick or Hoogsteen base pairing with major groove nucleobases giving sequence recognition. Click chemistry created chimeric AMN-TFOs with desirable focused effects and negligible off-target cleavage. Clip-Phen-modified TFOs, 230 polypyridyl-modified TFOs, 232 and intercalating phenanthrene-modified TFOs are three contemporary instances of copper AMN–TFOs. All three systems have distinct advantages in maintaining the desired 2:1 phenthroline/copper ratio for DNA cleavage (clip-Phen TFOs), caging the copper center and facilitating efficient ROS-mediated strand scission (polypyridyl-modified TFO) and improving triplex stability (polypyridyl-modified TFO) (phenanthrene-TFOs). Cerium (IV)/EDTA complexes, recently shown to bind and hydrolytically cleave ssDNA/dsDNA junctions and used in conjunction with PNA to successfully introduce genome changes in vitro and in vivo, are another important class of targeted chemical nucleases. The chemical reactivity and wide flexibility of metal complex design, combined with their coupling to sequence specific samples for directed applications, show that these compounds have a wide range of untapped applications in biological fields such as chemotherapy, protein engineering, DNA footprinting, and gene editing. Parallel advancements in cell and tissue targeting will be essential to maximise their therapeutic potential, either by using specific ligands or creating new targeting modalities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-21
Author(s):  
Faisal Ali

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) is being evaluated in laboratory research for its benefits as an antioxidant and immunity booster, as well as for its properties to prevent tumors and cure diabetes. The vast spread of Noni in tropical region of the globe, from America reaching to Africa and Southeast Asia, contributed in enhancing its usage and potency due to the diversity in harvest zone. Noni parts comprise fruits, seeds, leaves, and flowers are being used for individual nutritional and therapeutical values. Nevertheless, the fruit is widely characterized to contain the most valuable bioactive substances. On the other hand, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular disorder impacting the small blood vessels in the retina, which includes microaneurysms, retinal hemorrhages, and hard exudates results from prolonged exposure to high blood glucose levels. The anti-diabetes effect of Noni extract and juice has been examined but the beneficial role of Noni and its potential mechanisms against the development of diabetic retinopathy phenotype is still ambiguous. This review, therefore, will discusses in details the pharmacological actions of M. citrifolia fruit, along with their isolated phytochemical compounds on diabetic retinopathy markers, through describing the conducted in vitro and in vivo studies as well as clinical data.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-215
Author(s):  
Zhenbo Sun ◽  
Mingfang Luo ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Ailing Wang ◽  
Xucheng Sun ◽  
...  

Imaging-guided cancer theranostic is a promising strategy for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), as an approved treatment modality, is limited by the poor solubility and dispersion of photosensitizers (PS) in biological fluids. Herein, it is demonstrated that superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-based nanoparticles (SCFs), prepared by conjugated with Chlorin e6 (Ce6) and modified with folic acid (FA) on the surface, can be used as versatile drug delivery vehicles for effective PDT. The nanoparticles are great carriers for photosensitizer Ce6 with an extremely high loading efficiency. In vitro fluorescence imaging and in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results indicated that SCFs selectively accumulated in tumor cells. Under near-infrared laser irradiation, SCFs were confirmed to be capable of inducing low cell viability of RM-1 cells In vitro and displaying efficient tumor ablation with negligible side effects in tumor-bearing mice models.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
C. Tonini ◽  
M.S. Oliveira ◽  
E.B. Parmeggiani ◽  
D.A.F. Sturza ◽  
A.O. Mallmann ◽  
...  

The inclusion of anti-mycotoxin additives (AMA) in the diet of production animals has been widely used to avoid mycotoxin exposure. In order to confirm the efficacy of such products in vivo, measurement of mycotoxins and/or their metabolites in biological fluids is preconized. This study aimed at determining the serological biomarkers of zearalenone (ZEN), α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, β-zearalanol (β-ZAL) and zearalanone, to evaluate the efficacy of an AMA in beef heifers. The trial lasted 37 days: 11 days of adaptation, 21 days of actual experiment, and 5 days of regression. Twenty-four heifers were randomly assigned to receive one of the following treatments (n=6/group): (T1) basal diet (control); (T2) basal diet + 5 mg/kg of ZEN; (T3) basal diet + 5 mg/kg of ZEN + 2.5 kg/t of AMA; and (T4) basal diet + 5 mg/kg of ZEN + 5.0 kg/t of AMA. Blood sampling was performed on different days after the diet was given. The samples were centrifuged to obtain the blood serum, and then analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). β-ZAL was detected above the limit of quantification both in the unconjugated (>0.60 ng/ml) and conjugated (>0.90 ng/ml) forms. The remaining metabolites presented concentrations under the limit of detection. In the efficacy evaluation of the AMA, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the treatments with and without additive at the tested levels of inclusion. Thus, β-ZAL may be employed as a biomarker of ZEN exposure via diet to evaluate the efficacy of an AMA through serological parameters. The technique applied in this study proved to be an adequate alternative for in vivo confirmation of the efficacy of products in adsorbing the toxin.


2000 ◽  
Vol 345 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T. FROST ◽  
Barry HALLIWELL ◽  
Kevin P. MOORE

Measurement of nitrotyrosine in biological fluids and tissues is increasingly being used to monitor the production of reactive nitrogen species in vivo. The detection of nitrotyrosine in vivo has been reported with the use of a variety of methods including immunoassay, HPLC and GLC/MS. The validity of HPLC and immunoassays have been questioned with regard to their selectivity and sensitivity limits. In principle, the measurement of nitrotyrosine by GLC/MS permits a highly specific, highly sensitive and fully quantitative assay. The nitration of tyrosine under acidic conditions in the presence of nitrite is well documented. Derivatization for the full quantification of nitrotyrosine by using GLC/MS can lead to the artifactual nitration of tyrosine if performed under acidic conditions in the presence of nitrite. We describe a novel alkaline method for the hydrolysis and derivatization of nitrotyrosine and tyrosine, and demonstrate its applicability to the measurement of plasma concentrations of both free and protein-bound nitrotyrosine and tyrosine. A detection limit of 1 pg for nitrotyrosine and 100 pg for tyrosine has been achieved. Our method allows, for the first time, the analysis of free and protein-bound nitrotyrosine and tyrosine in biological samples. The plasma concentrations (means±S.E.M.) of free tyrosine and nitrotyrosine in eight normal subjects were 12±0.6 μg/ml and 14±0.7 ng/ml respectively. Plasma proteins contained tyrosine and nitrotyrosine at 60.7±1.7 μg/mg and 2.7±0.4 ng/mg respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 1251
Author(s):  
Joanna Strand ◽  
Kjell Sjöström ◽  
Urpo J. Lamminmaki ◽  
Oskar Vilhelmsson Timmermand ◽  
Sven-Erik Strand ◽  
...  

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is today incurable. Conventional imaging methods have limited detection, affecting their ability to give an accurate outcome prognosis, and current therapies for metastatic prostate cancer are insufficient. This inevitably leads to patients relapsing with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Targeting prostate-specific antigens whose expression is closely linked to the activity in the androgen receptor pathway, and thus the pathogenesis of prostate cancer, is a possible way to increase specificity and reduce off-target effects. We have humanized and evaluated radioimmunoconjugates of a previously murine antibody, m5A10, targeting PSA intended for theranostics of hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The humanized antibody h5A10 was expressed in mammalian HEK293 cells transfected with the nucleotide sequences for the heavy and light chains of the antibody. Cell culture medium was filtered and purified by Protein G chromatography, and the buffer was changed to PBS pH 7.4 by dialysis. Murine and humanized 5A10 were conjugated with p-SCN-Bn-CHX-A”-DTPA. Surface plasmon resonance was used to characterize the binding to PSA of the immunoconjugates. Immunoconjugates were labeled with either indium-111 or lutetium-177. Biodistribution studies of murine and humanized 5A10 were performed in mice with LNCaP xenografts. 5A10 was successfully humanized, and in vivo targeting showed specific binding in xenografts. The results thus give an excellent platform for further theranostic development of humanized 5A10 for clinical applications.


Nanomedicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Bonnet ◽  
Rana Elfatairi ◽  
Florence Franconi ◽  
Emilie Roger ◽  
Samuel Legeay

To understand how nanoparticles (NPs) interact with biological barriers and to ensure they maintain their integrity over time, it is crucial to study their in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles. Many methods of tracking have been used to describe the in vivo fate of NPs and to evaluate their PKs and structural integrity. However, they do not deliver the same level of information and this may cause misinterpretations. Here, the authors review and discuss the different methods for in vivo tracking of organic NPs. Among them, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) presents great potential to track NPs' integrity. However, FRET still requires validated methods to extract and quantify NPs in biological fluids and tissues.


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