Dual ligand-targeted Pluronic P123 polymeric micelles enhance the therapeutic effect of breast cancer with bone metastases

Bone metastasis secondary to breast cancer negatively impacts patient quality of life and survival.The treatment of bone metastases is challenging since many anticancer drugs are not effectively delivered to the bone to exert a therapeutic effect.To improve the treatment efficacy,we developed Pluronic P123(P123)-based polymeric micelles dually decorated with alendronate(ALN)and cancer-specific phage protein DMPGTVLP(DP-8)for targeted drug delivery to breast cancer bone metastases.Doxorubicin(DOX)was selected as the anticancer drug and was encapsulated into the hydrophobic core of the micelles with a high drug loading capacity(3.44%).The DOX-loaded polymeric micelles were spherical,123 nm in diameter on average,and exhibited a narrow size distribution.The in vitro experiments demonstrated that a pH decrease from 7.4 to 5.0 markedly accelerated DOX release.The micelles were well internalized by cultured breast cancer cells and the cell death rate of micelle-treated breast cancer cells was increased compared to that of free DOX-treated cells.Rapid binding of the micelles to hydroxyapatite(HA)microparticles indicated their high affinity for bone.P123-ALN/DP-8@DOX inhibited tumor growth and reduced bone resorption in a 3D cancer bone metastasis model.In vivo experiments using a breast cancer bone metastasis nude model demonstrated increased accumulation of the micelles in the tumor region and considerable antitumor activity with no organ-specific histological damage and minimal systemic toxicity.In conclusion,our study provided strong evidence that these pH-sensitive dual ligand-targeted polymeric micelles may be a successful treatment strategy for breast cancer bone metastasis.

Preparation and Characterization of Nanocrystalline CeO_2 by Precipitation Method

CeO 2 nanocrystalline particulates with different sizes were prepared by precipitation method using ethanol as dispersive and protective reagent. XRD spectra show that the synthesized CeO 2 has cubic crystalline structure of space group O 5 H-F M3M, when calcination temperature is in the range of 250～800 ℃. TEM images reveal that CeO 2 particles are spherical in shape. The average size of the particles increases with the increase of calcination temperature. Thermogravimetric analysis indicates that the weight loss of precursor mainly depends on the calcination temperature, and little depends on the calcination time. Measurements of CeO 2 relative density show that the relative density of CeO 2 nanocrystalline powders increases with increasing CeO 2 particle size.

Effects of rapid solidification on the microstructure and microhardness of a lead-free Sn-3.5Ag solder

A lead-free Sn-3.5Ag solder was prepared by rapid solidification technology. The high solidification rate, obtained by rapid cooling, promotes nucleation, and suppresses the growth of Ag3Sn intermetallic compounds （IMCs） in Ag-rich zone, yielding fine Ag3Sn nanoparticulates with spherical morphology in the matrix of the solder. The large amount of tough homogeneously-dispersed IMCs helps to improve the surface area per unit volume and obstructs the dislocation lines passing through the solder, which fits with the dispersion-strengthening theory. Hence, the rapidly-solidified Sn-3.5Ag solder exhibits a higher rnicrohardness when compared with a slowly-solidified Sn-3.5Ag solder.

In situ apolipoprotein E-enriched corona guides dihydroartemisinin-decorating nanoparticles towards LDLr-mediated tumor-homing chemotherapy

The therapeutic efficiency of active targeting nanoparticulate drug delivery systems(nano-DDS)is highly compromised by the plasma proteins adsorption on nanoparticles(NPs)surface,which significantly hinders cell membrane receptors to recognize the designed ligands,and provokes the off-target toxicity and rapid clearance of NPs in vivo.Herein,we report a novel dihydroartemisinin(DHA)-decorating nano-DDS that in situ specifically recruits endogenous apolipoprotein E(apoE)on the NPs surface.The apoE-anchored corona is able to prolong PLGA-PEG2000-DHA(PPD)NPs circulation capability in blood,facilitate NPs accumulating in tumor cells by the passive enhanced permeability and retention(EPR)effect and low-density lipoprotein receptor(LDLr)-mediated target transport,and ultimately improve the in vivo antitumor activity.Our findings demonstrate that the strategy of in situ regulated apoE-enriched corona ensures NPs an efficient LDLr-mediated tumor-homing chemotherapy.

A review of research on nanoparticulate flow undergoing coagulation

Nanoparticulate flows occur in a wide range of natural phenomena and engineering applications and, hence, have attracted much attention. The purpose of the present paper is to provide a review of the research conducted over the last decade. The research covered relates to the Brownian coagulation of monodisperse and polydisperse particles, the Taylor-series expansion method of moment, and nanoparticle distributions due to coagulation in pipe and channel flow, jet flow, and the mixing layer and in the process of flame synthesis and deposition.

Preparation of Nanocrystalline ZrO_2 by Reverse Precipitation Method

Nanncrystalline ZrO2 particulates with different sizes were prepared by precipitation method using ethanol as dispersive and protective reagent. XRD patterns show that the synthesized ZrO2 is monnclinic in structure with space group P21/a when calcination temperature is in the range of 400- 1000 ℃ . It is found that the smaller the particle, the bigger the crystal lattice distortion, the worse the costal growth, and the lower the diffrnction intensity. TEM images reveal that ZrO2 particles are spherical in shape, and the particle size distribution is in narrow range. The mean sizes of the particles increase with the increase of calcination temperatures . It is first to observe tbe streaks of different crystallographic planes. Thermogravimetric analysis indicates that the crystallization temperature of ZrO2 is 461.32 ℃ . Measurement of ZrO2 relative density shows that the relative density of nanocrystalline ZrO2 powders increases witb the increasing of ZrO2 particle sizes.

Leukocyte-derived biomimetic nanoparticulate drug delivery systems for cancer therapy

Precise drug delivery to tumors with low system toxicity is one of the most important and challenging tasks for pharmaceutical researchers. Despite progress in the field of nanotherapeutics, the use of artificially synthesized nanocarriers still faces several challenges, including rapid clearance from blood circulation and limited capability of overcoming multiple physiological barriers, which hamper the clinical application of nanoparticle-based therapies. Since leukocytes(including monocytes/macrophages,neutrophils, dendritic cells and lymphocytes) target tumors and can migrate across physiological barriers,leukocytes are increasing utilized as carriers to transfer nanoparticles to tumors. In this review we specifically focus on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of leukocytes that can be exploited as a vehicle to deliver nanoparticles to tumors and summarize the latest research on how leukocytes can be harnessed to improve therapeutic end-points. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities of this leukocyte-derived nanoparticle drug delivery system.

One-pot Synthesis of PEGylated Gd-based Nanoparticles as High-performance and Biocompatibility Contrast Agents for T1-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging In vivo

Polyethylene glycol modified(PEGylated) NaGdF4(PEG-NaGdF4) nanoparticles as a novel T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) contrast agent was successfully constructed by a one-pot hydrothermal synthesis method. Because of the functionalization of PEG, the nanoprobes had excellent dispersity, excellent stability and high biocompatibility. More importantly, the as-prepared PEG-NaGdF4 nanoprobes revealed the high longitudinal relaxivity value and prominent -weighted MRI contrast performance, which was superior to the commercial MRI contrast agents. With the facile synthesis, excellent dispersity, outstanding stability, remarkable contrast performance and high biocompatibility, the PEGylated NaGdF4 nanoparticles brought more opportunities to the new generation of nanoparticulate-based T1-weighted MRI contrast agents in clinic.

On the nanoparticulate flow

Nanoparticulate flows occur in a wide range of natural and engineering applications hence have received much attention. The purpose of the present paper is to provide a brief review on the research on the nanoparticulate flow in some aspects which consist of the method of moment for solving the particle population balance equation, penetration efficiency, pressure drop and heat transfer in the turbulent nanoparticulate pipe flow, fluctuating-lattice Boltzrnann model for Brownian motion of nanoparticles.