Invasive nonfunctional pituitary adenomas （NFPAs） are difficult to completely resect and often develop tumor recurrence after initial surgery. Currently, no medications are clinically effective in the control of NFP...Invasive nonfunctional pituitary adenomas （NFPAs） are difficult to completely resect and often develop tumor recurrence after initial surgery. Currently, no medications are clinically effective in the control of NFPA. Although radiation therapy and radiosurgery are useful to prevent tumor regrowth, they are frequently withheld because of severe complications. Boron neutron capture therapy （BNCT） is a binary radiotherapy that selectively and maximally damages tumor cells without harming the surrounding normal tissue. Folate receptor （FR）-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles is a novel boron delivery agent that can be selectively taken up by FR-expressing cells via FR-mediated endocytosis. In this study, FR-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles were selectively taken up by NFPAs cells expressing FR but not other types of non-FR expressing pituitary adenomas. After incubation with boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles and following irradiation with thermal neutrons, the cell viability of NFPAs was significantly decreased, while apoptotic cells were simultaneously increased. However, cells administered the same dose of FR-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles without neutron irradiation or received the same neutron irradiation alone did not show significant decrease in cell viability or increase in apoptotic cells. The expression of Bcl-2 was down-regulated and the expression of Bax was up-regulated in NFPAs after treatment with FR-mediated BNCT. In conclusion, FR-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles may be an ideal delivery system of boron to NFPAs ceils for BNCT. Furthermore, our study also provides a novel insight into therapeutic strategies for invasive NFPA refractory to conventional therapy, while exploring these new applications of BNCT for tumors, especially benign tumors.展开更多
Poly（caprolactone-b-2-vinylpyridine） （PCL-P2VP） coated with folate-conjugated M13 （FA-M13） provides a nanosized delivery system which is capable of encapsulating hydrophobic antitumor drugs such as doxorubicin ...Poly（caprolactone-b-2-vinylpyridine） （PCL-P2VP） coated with folate-conjugated M13 （FA-M13） provides a nanosized delivery system which is capable of encapsulating hydrophobic antitumor drugs such as doxorubicin （DOX）. The DOXqoaded FA-M13-PCL-P2VP assemblies had an average diameter of approximately 200 nm and their structure was characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. The particles were stable at physiological pH but could be degraded at a lower pH. The release of DOX from the nanoassemblies under acidic conditions was shown to be significantly faster than that observed at physiological pH. In addition, the DOX-loaded FA-M13-PCL-P2VP particles showed a distinctly greater cellular uptake and cytotoxicity against folate-receptor-positive cancer cells than folate-receptor-negative cells, indicating that the receptor facilitates folate uptake via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, the DOX-loaded particles also had a significantly higher tumor uptake and selectivity compared to free DOX. This study therefore offers a new way to fabricate nanosized drug delivery vehicles.展开更多
Multi-drug delivery focuses on different signaling pathways in cancer cells and has synergistic antiproliferative effects.In this manuscript,we developed folic acid(FA)-conjugated polymeric multi-drug nanoparticles(FA...Multi-drug delivery focuses on different signaling pathways in cancer cells and has synergistic antiproliferative effects.In this manuscript,we developed folic acid(FA)-conjugated polymeric multi-drug nanoparticles(FA-PMDNPs)consisting of poly-L-lysine(PLL)and poly glutamic-conjugated PTX/GEM(PGA-PTX and PGA-GEM)for FA receptor-targeted synergistic breast cancer therapy.The carboxyl-rich structure of PGA provided plenty reaction sites and negative charge for drug loading.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)results showed that FA-PMDNPs had uniform particle size and spherical morphology.The hemolysis study proved that FA-PMDNPs had good biocompatibility.In vitro cell viability and in vivo studies showed that FA-PMDNPs more effectively inhibited the proliferation of FA receptor(FR)-overexpressing breast cancer cells(4T1)than the pure drugs.Consequently,these results demonstrated that FA-PMDNPs could be effectively targeted at cancer cells compared with free drugs,indicating their strong potential as efficient multi-drug-carrying nano-platforms for cancer treatment.展开更多
In order to enhance the targeted delivery of anticancer drugs by polymeric micelles, folic acid(FA), the ligand of folate receptor(FR) over-expressed in the most cancer cells, modified p H-sensitive polymeric micelles...In order to enhance the targeted delivery of anticancer drugs by polymeric micelles, folic acid(FA), the ligand of folate receptor(FR) over-expressed in the most cancer cells, modified p H-sensitive polymeric micelles were designed and fabricated to encapsulate doxorubicin(DOX) by combination of p H-sensitive amphiphilic polymer poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(D,L-lactide) with FA-conjugated poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(D,L-lactide). The prepared micelles were characterized to have about 36 nm in diameter with narrow distribution, well-defined spherical shape observed under TEM and p H-responsive drug release behavior. Moreover, the tumor targeting ability of the FA-modified p H-sensitive polymeric micelles was demonstrated by the cellular uptake, in vitro cytotoxicity to FR-positive KB cells and in vivo real time near-infrared fluorescence imaging in KB tumor-bearing nude mice. The efficient drug delivery by the micelles was ascribed to the synergistic effects of FR-mediated targeting and p H-triggered drug release. In conclusion, the designed FR-targeted p H-sensitive polymeric micelles might be of great potential in tumor targeted delivery of water-insoluble anticancer drugs.展开更多
The detection of protein/small molecule interactions plays important roles in drug discovery and protein/metabolite interactions in biology. In this work, by coupling the terminal protection of small molecule-linked s...The detection of protein/small molecule interactions plays important roles in drug discovery and protein/metabolite interactions in biology. In this work, by coupling the terminal protection of small molecule-linked ss DNA strategy with the unmodified and positively charged gold nanoparticle((+)Au NP) nanoprobes, we have developed a sensitive and simple colorimetric sensor for the detection of folate receptor, a highly expressed protein in many kinds of malignant tumors. The target folate receptor binds the folate moieties of the folate-linked ss DNA through high affinity interactions and protects the protein-bound ss DNA from digestion by exonuclease I. The protected ss DNA thus adsorbs the((+)Au NP) through electrostatic interactions, leading to a red-to-blue color change of the sensing solution for sensitive colorimetric detection of folate receptor at the sub-nanomolar level. Besides, this colorimetric sensor shows high selectivity toward folate receptor against other control proteins. The developed sensor avoids the modification/conjugation of the Au NP nanoprobes and the involvement of any expensive instruments for signal transduction in protein detection. Featured with these obvious advantages, the colorimetric sensor strategy demonstrated herein can be easily expanded for sensitive and convenient detection of various protein/small molecule interactions.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81072084)
文摘Invasive nonfunctional pituitary adenomas （NFPAs） are difficult to completely resect and often develop tumor recurrence after initial surgery. Currently, no medications are clinically effective in the control of NFPA. Although radiation therapy and radiosurgery are useful to prevent tumor regrowth, they are frequently withheld because of severe complications. Boron neutron capture therapy （BNCT） is a binary radiotherapy that selectively and maximally damages tumor cells without harming the surrounding normal tissue. Folate receptor （FR）-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles is a novel boron delivery agent that can be selectively taken up by FR-expressing cells via FR-mediated endocytosis. In this study, FR-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles were selectively taken up by NFPAs cells expressing FR but not other types of non-FR expressing pituitary adenomas. After incubation with boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles and following irradiation with thermal neutrons, the cell viability of NFPAs was significantly decreased, while apoptotic cells were simultaneously increased. However, cells administered the same dose of FR-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles without neutron irradiation or received the same neutron irradiation alone did not show significant decrease in cell viability or increase in apoptotic cells. The expression of Bcl-2 was down-regulated and the expression of Bax was up-regulated in NFPAs after treatment with FR-mediated BNCT. In conclusion, FR-targeted boron-10 containing carbon nanoparticles may be an ideal delivery system of boron to NFPAs ceils for BNCT. Furthermore, our study also provides a novel insight into therapeutic strategies for invasive NFPA refractory to conventional therapy, while exploring these new applications of BNCT for tumors, especially benign tumors.
基金We are grateful for financial support from the US National Science Foundation （NSF） （CAREER program and No. DMR-0706431）, US Department of Defense （DoD） （No. W911NF-09-1-0236）, the Alfred P. Sloan Scholarship, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, DoD-Army Research Office （ARO）, and the W. M. Keck Foundation. We are also indebted to Dr. Udai Singh for assistance with flow cytometry and Laying Wu for TEM and SEM analyses.
文摘Poly（caprolactone-b-2-vinylpyridine） （PCL-P2VP） coated with folate-conjugated M13 （FA-M13） provides a nanosized delivery system which is capable of encapsulating hydrophobic antitumor drugs such as doxorubicin （DOX）. The DOXqoaded FA-M13-PCL-P2VP assemblies had an average diameter of approximately 200 nm and their structure was characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. The particles were stable at physiological pH but could be degraded at a lower pH. The release of DOX from the nanoassemblies under acidic conditions was shown to be significantly faster than that observed at physiological pH. In addition, the DOX-loaded FA-M13-PCL-P2VP particles showed a distinctly greater cellular uptake and cytotoxicity against folate-receptor-positive cancer cells than folate-receptor-negative cells, indicating that the receptor facilitates folate uptake via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, the DOX-loaded particles also had a significantly higher tumor uptake and selectivity compared to free DOX. This study therefore offers a new way to fabricate nanosized drug delivery vehicles.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.21877061)Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.BK20171448)National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials。
文摘Multi-drug delivery focuses on different signaling pathways in cancer cells and has synergistic antiproliferative effects.In this manuscript,we developed folic acid(FA)-conjugated polymeric multi-drug nanoparticles(FA-PMDNPs)consisting of poly-L-lysine(PLL)and poly glutamic-conjugated PTX/GEM(PGA-PTX and PGA-GEM)for FA receptor-targeted synergistic breast cancer therapy.The carboxyl-rich structure of PGA provided plenty reaction sites and negative charge for drug loading.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)results showed that FA-PMDNPs had uniform particle size and spherical morphology.The hemolysis study proved that FA-PMDNPs had good biocompatibility.In vitro cell viability and in vivo studies showed that FA-PMDNPs more effectively inhibited the proliferation of FA receptor(FR)-overexpressing breast cancer cells(4T1)than the pure drugs.Consequently,these results demonstrated that FA-PMDNPs could be effectively targeted at cancer cells compared with free drugs,indicating their strong potential as efficient multi-drug-carrying nano-platforms for cancer treatment.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.81673366)。
文摘In order to enhance the targeted delivery of anticancer drugs by polymeric micelles, folic acid(FA), the ligand of folate receptor(FR) over-expressed in the most cancer cells, modified p H-sensitive polymeric micelles were designed and fabricated to encapsulate doxorubicin(DOX) by combination of p H-sensitive amphiphilic polymer poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(D,L-lactide) with FA-conjugated poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(D,L-lactide). The prepared micelles were characterized to have about 36 nm in diameter with narrow distribution, well-defined spherical shape observed under TEM and p H-responsive drug release behavior. Moreover, the tumor targeting ability of the FA-modified p H-sensitive polymeric micelles was demonstrated by the cellular uptake, in vitro cytotoxicity to FR-positive KB cells and in vivo real time near-infrared fluorescence imaging in KB tumor-bearing nude mice. The efficient drug delivery by the micelles was ascribed to the synergistic effects of FR-mediated targeting and p H-triggered drug release. In conclusion, the designed FR-targeted p H-sensitive polymeric micelles might be of great potential in tumor targeted delivery of water-insoluble anticancer drugs.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21505010, 21173274)Chongqing Research Program of Basic Research and Frontier Technology (cstc2015jcyj A1357)Scientific Research Innovation Team of Chongqing University of Technology (2015TD22)
文摘The detection of protein/small molecule interactions plays important roles in drug discovery and protein/metabolite interactions in biology. In this work, by coupling the terminal protection of small molecule-linked ss DNA strategy with the unmodified and positively charged gold nanoparticle((+)Au NP) nanoprobes, we have developed a sensitive and simple colorimetric sensor for the detection of folate receptor, a highly expressed protein in many kinds of malignant tumors. The target folate receptor binds the folate moieties of the folate-linked ss DNA through high affinity interactions and protects the protein-bound ss DNA from digestion by exonuclease I. The protected ss DNA thus adsorbs the((+)Au NP) through electrostatic interactions, leading to a red-to-blue color change of the sensing solution for sensitive colorimetric detection of folate receptor at the sub-nanomolar level. Besides, this colorimetric sensor shows high selectivity toward folate receptor against other control proteins. The developed sensor avoids the modification/conjugation of the Au NP nanoprobes and the involvement of any expensive instruments for signal transduction in protein detection. Featured with these obvious advantages, the colorimetric sensor strategy demonstrated herein can be easily expanded for sensitive and convenient detection of various protein/small molecule interactions.
