Recent advances in carbon dots for bioimaging applications

Carbon dots (CDs) with size less than 10 nm have recently triggered great attention in the research of material science and biomedical engineering due to their unique properties such as small size, excellent photoluminescence (PL), high water-dispersity, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and abundant surface functionalities. In this presentation, I will firstly introduce diverse preparations for CDs. Extensive structural characterizations have been used to hypothesize comprehensive structural models for 3 distinct CD species that represent both top-down and bottom-up approaches in order to optimize their properties and applications. Then, I will mainly focus on many excellent biomedical applications of the CDs recently developed in our lab: (1), in vivo experiment suggested that glucose-based CDs could cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) due to the presence of glucose transporter proteins on the BBB; (2), a drug delivery system of carbon nitride dots conjugated with an anti-cancer therapeutic drug and a targeting molecule was capable of effective treatment against diffuse large B-cell lymphoma both in vitro and in vivo revealing efficient therapeutic capabilities with minimal toxic side effects; (3), metformin-derived CDs showed a unique nucleus targeting property, which suggests a huge potential for future nucleus-targeting drug delivery; (4), CDs have constantly shown the capability to inhibit the formation of amyloid precursor protein (APP), beta-amyloid (Aβ) and Aβ fibrils. CDs are promising nanomedicine and drug nanocarriers to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD); (5) a pilot study showed a versatile nanocarrier could be assembled via the direct conjugation between distinct CDs to fulfill multitasks.

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Recent advances in gold nanoparticle-based bioengineering applications

Journal of Materials Chemistry B ◽

10.1039/c5tb01292a ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (43) ◽

pp. 8433-8444 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Eun Young Kim ◽

Dinesh Kumar ◽

Gilson Khang ◽

Dong-Kwon Lim

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Tissue Engineering ◽

Gold Nanoparticle ◽

Drug Delivery Systems ◽

Delivery Systems ◽

Recent Advances

The recently developed gold nanoparticle-based bioengineering technologies for biosensors,in vitroandin vivobioimaging, drug delivery systems for improved therapeutics and tissue engineering are discussed.

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Recent In Vitro and In Silico Advances in the Understanding of Intranasal Drug Delivery

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612826666201112143230 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

Author(s):

John Chen ◽

Andrew Martin ◽

Warren H. Finlay

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

In Silico ◽

Local Drug Delivery ◽

In Vivo Studies ◽

Intranasal Drug Delivery ◽

Nasal Sprays ◽

In Silico Studies ◽

Drug Delivery Devices

Background: Many drugs are delivered intranasally for local or systemic effect, typically in the form of droplets or aerosols. Because of the high cost of in vivo studies, drug developers and researchers often turn to in vitro or in silico testing when first evaluating the behavior and properties of intranasal drug delivery devices and formulations. Recent advances in manufacturing and computer technologies have allowed for increasingly realistic and sophisticated in vitro and in silico reconstructions of the human nasal airways. Objective: To perform a summary of advances in understanding of intranasal drug delivery based on recent in vitro and in silico studies. Conclusion: The turbinates are a common target for local drug delivery applications, and while nasal sprays are able to reach this region, there is currently no broad consensus across the in vitro and in silico literature concerning optimal parameters for device design, formulation properties and patient technique which would maximize turbinate deposition. Nebulizers are able to more easily target the turbinates, but come with the disadvantage of significant lung deposition. Targeting of the olfactory region of the nasal cavity has been explored for potential treatment of central nervous system conditions. Conventional intranasal devices, such as nasal sprays and nebulizers, deliver very little dose to the olfactory region. Recent progress in our understanding of intranasal delivery will be useful in the development of the next generation of intranasal drug delivery devices.

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In vitro Lipolysis as a Tool for the Establishment of IVIVC for Lipid-Based Drug Delivery Systems

Current Drug Delivery ◽

10.2174/1567201816666190620115716 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (8) ◽

pp. 688-697

Author(s):

Ravinder Verma ◽

Deepak Kaushik

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Ph Value ◽

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Rapid Screening ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Fed State ◽

In Vitro Lipolysis ◽

Ph Stat

: In vitro lipolysis has emerged as a powerful tool in the development of in vitro in vivo correlation for Lipid-based Drug Delivery System (LbDDS). In vitro lipolysis possesses the ability to mimic the assimilation of LbDDS in the human biological system. The digestion medium for in vitro lipolysis commonly contains an aqueous buffer media, bile salts, phospholipids and sodium chloride. The concentrations of these compounds are defined by the physiological conditions prevailing in the fasted or fed state. The pH of the medium is monitored by a pH-sensitive electrode connected to a computercontrolled pH-stat device capable of maintaining a predefined pH value via titration with sodium hydroxide. Copenhagen, Monash and Jerusalem are used as different models for in vitro lipolysis studies. The most common approach used in evaluating the kinetics of lipolysis of emulsion-based encapsulation systems is the pH-stat titration technique. This is widely used in both the nutritional and the pharmacological research fields as a rapid screening tool. Analytical tools for the assessment of in vitro lipolysis include HPLC, GC, HPTLC, SEM, Cryo TEM, Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) for the characterization of the lipids and colloidal phases after digestion of lipids. Various researches have been carried out for the establishment of IVIVC by using in vitro lipolysis models. The current publication also presents an updated review of various researches in the field of in vitro lipolysis.

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Novel Phospholipid-Based Labrasol Nanomicelles Loaded Flavonoids for Oral Delivery with Enhanced Penetration and Anti-Brain Tumor Efficiency

Current Drug Delivery ◽

10.2174/1567201817666200210120950 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 229-245

Author(s):

Gang Wang ◽

Junjie Wang ◽

Rui Guan

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Brain Tumor ◽

Oral Delivery ◽

Safe Delivery ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Delivery Vehicles ◽

The Brain

Background: Owing to the rich anticancer properties of flavonoids, there is a need for their incorporation into drug delivery vehicles like nanomicelles for safe delivery of the drug into the brain tumor microenvironment. Objective: This study, therefore, aimed to prepare the phospholipid-based Labrasol/Pluronic F68 modified nano micelles loaded with flavonoids (Nano-flavonoids) for the delivery of the drug to the target brain tumor. Methods: Myricetin, quercetin and fisetin were selected as the initial drugs to evaluate the biodistribution and acute toxicity of the drug delivery vehicles in rats with implanted C6 glioma tumors after oral administration, while the uptake, retention, release in human intestinal Caco-2 cells and the effect on the brain endothelial barrier were investigated in Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells (HBMECs). Results: The results demonstrated that nano-flavonoids loaded with myricetin showed more evenly distributed targeting tissues and enhanced anti-tumor efficiency in vivo without significant cytotoxicity to Caco-2 cells and alteration in the Trans Epithelial Electric Resistance (TEER). There was no pathological evidence of renal, hepatic or other organs dysfunction after the administration of nanoflavonoids, which showed no significant influence on cytotoxicity to Caco-2 cells. Conclusion: In conclusion, Labrasol/F68-NMs loaded with MYR and quercetin could enhance antiglioma effect in vitro and in vivo, which may be better tools for medical therapy, while the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of nano-flavonoids may ensure optimal therapeutic benefits.

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Carbon dots derived from Fusobacterium nucleatum for intracellular determination of Fe3+ and bioimaging both in vitro and in vivo

Analytical Methods ◽

10.1039/d1ay00020a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lijuan Liu ◽

Shengting Zhang ◽

Xiaodan Zheng ◽

Hongmei Li ◽

Qi Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dots ◽

Fusobacterium Nucleatum ◽

Living Cells ◽

First Time ◽

Fluorescent Carbon Dots ◽

Fluorescent Carbon

Fusobacterium nucleatum has been employed for the first time to synthesize fluorescent carbon dots which could be applied for the determination of Fe3+ ions in living cells and bioimaging in vitro and in vivo with excellent biocompatibility.

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Controllable Drug Delivery by Na+/K+ ATPase α1 Targeting Peptide Conjugated DSPE-PEG Nanocarriers for Breast Cancer

Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment ◽

10.1177/15330338211027898 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 153303382110278

Author(s):

Yayan Yang ◽

Qian Feng ◽

Chuanfeng Ding ◽

Wei Kang ◽

Xiufeng Xiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Click Reaction ◽

Chemotherapy Drugs ◽

Targeting Peptide ◽

And Migration

Although Epirubicin (EPI) is a commonly used anthracycline for the treatment of breast cancer in clinic, the serious side effects limit its long-term administration including myelosuppression and cardiomyopathy. Nanomedicines have been widely utilized as drug delivery vehicles to achieve precise targeting of breast cancer cells. Herein, we prepared a DSPE-PEG nanocarrier conjugated a peptide, which targeted the breast cancer overexpression protein Na+/K+ ATPase α1 (NKA-α1). The nanocarrier encapsulated the EPI and grafted with the NKA-α1 targeting peptide through the click reaction between maleimide and thiol groups. The EPI was slowly released from the nanocarrier after entering the breast cancer cells with the guidance of the targeting NKA-α1 peptide. The precise and controllable delivery and release of the EPI into the breast cancer cells dramatically inhibited the cells proliferation and migration in vitro and suppressed the tumor volume in vivo. These results demonstrate significant prospects for this nanocarrier as a promising platform for numerous chemotherapy drugs.

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Combined In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches to Propose a Putative Adverse Outcome Pathway for Acute Lung Inflammation Induced by Nanoparticles: A Study on Carbon Dots

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11010180 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 180

Author(s):

Maud Weiss ◽

Jiahui Fan ◽

Mickaël Claudel ◽

Luc Lebeau ◽

Françoise Pons ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dots ◽

Lung Inflammation ◽

Adverse Outcome ◽

Cellular Responses ◽

Target Cells ◽

Inflammasome Activation ◽

Adverse Outcome Pathway ◽

Acute Lung Inflammation

With the growth of nanotechnologies, concerns raised regarding the potential adverse effects of nanoparticles (NPs), especially on the respiratory tract. Adverse outcome pathways (AOP) have become recently the subject of intensive studies in order to get a better understanding of the mechanisms of NP toxicity, and hence hopefully predict the health risks associated with NP exposure. Herein, we propose a putative AOP for the lung toxicity of NPs using emerging nanomaterials called carbon dots (CDs), and in vivo and in vitro experimental approaches. We first investigated the effect of a single administration of CDs on mouse airways. We showed that CDs induce an acute lung inflammation and identified airway macrophages as target cells of CDs. Then, we studied the cellular responses induced by CDs in an in vitro model of macrophages. We observed that CDs are internalized by these cells (molecular initial event) and induce a series of key events, including loss of lysosomal integrity and mitochondrial disruption (organelle responses), as well as oxidative stress, inflammasome activation, inflammatory cytokine upregulation and macrophage death (cellular responses). All these effects triggering lung inflammation as tissular response may lead to acute lung injury.

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Simple Equations Pertaining to the Particle Number and Surface Area of Metallic, Polymeric, Lipidic and Vesicular Nanocarriers

Scientia Pharmaceutica ◽

10.3390/scipharm89020015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 89 (2) ◽

pp. 15

Author(s):

M. R. Mozafari ◽

E. Mazaheri ◽

K. Dormiani

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Surface Area ◽

Particle Number ◽

Analytical Techniques ◽

Metallic Particles ◽

Nutraceutical Compounds ◽

Mathematical Formulas ◽

Simple Equations

Introduction: Bioactive encapsulation and drug delivery systems have already found their way to the market as efficient therapeutics to combat infections, viral diseases and different types of cancer. The fields of food fortification, nutraceutical supplementation and cosmeceuticals have also been getting the benefit of encapsulation technologies. Aim: Successful formulation of such therapeutic and nutraceutical compounds requires thorough analysis and assessment of certain characteristics including particle number and surface area without the need to employ sophisticated analytical techniques. Solution: Here we present simple mathematical formulas and equations used in the research and development of drug delivery and controlled release systems employed for bioactive encapsulation and targeting the sites of infection and cancer in vitro and in vivo. Systems covered in this entry include lipidic vesicles, polymeric capsules, metallic particles as well as surfactant- and tocopherol-based micro- and nanocarriers.

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