Arsonoliposomes: Novel Nanosized Arsenic-Containing Vesicles for Drug Delivery

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 2618-2637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitris G. Fatouros ◽  
Panayiotis V. Ioannou ◽  
Sophia G. Antimisiaris

Natural and synthetic arsenolipids, have been discovered, synthesized, and evaluated for their biological activity. Arsonolipids, are analogs of phosphonolipids, in which P has been replaced by As. The synthesis of arsonolipids has been explored and a simple one-pot method with high yield is currently available for their preparation. However, although arsonolipids posses interesting biophysical and biochemical properties their anticancer or antiparasitic activity is not considered adequate for therapeutic applications. But when arsonolipids are incorporated in liposomes, the vesicles formulated have interesting possibilities, as seen in a number of studies. In cell culture studies, nanosized arsonolipid-containing liposomes or else arsonoliposomes, showed increased toxicity against cancer cells (compared to that of arsenic trioxide) but at the same time were less toxic than arsenic trioxide for normal cells. Furthermore, arsonoliposomes also demonstrate antiparasitic activity in vitro. Nevertheless, As is rapidly cleared from blood after in vivo administration of arsonoliposomes, and this will highly limit possible therapeutic applications. In addition, the fact that arsonoliposomes were observed to aggregate and subsequently fuse into larger particles in presence of cations, may also be considered as a problem. Thereby, methods to modulate the stability of arsonoliposomes and, perhaps, their in vivo distribution (as surface property modification) are currently being investigated. In very recent experiments it has been shown that arsonoliposome pegylation results in the formation of liposomes with very high membrane integrity. In addition, pegylation results in increased physical stability of arsonoliposomes and abolishment of cation-induced aggregation and fusion. Nevertheless, further in vivo studies are required in order to prove if pegylation alters arsonoliposome in vivo kinetics in a positive way, without affecting their activity. From studies performed thus far it is concluded that arsonoliposomes are nanosized-vesicles with interesting properties that justify further exploitation towards the development of therapeutic systems for cancer or parasitic diseases.

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faeze Khalili ◽  
Sara Akrami ◽  
Malihe Safavi ◽  
Maryam Mohammadi-Khanaposhtani ◽  
Mina Saeedi ◽  
...  

Background: This paper reports synthesis, cytotoxic activity, and apoptosis inducing effect of a novel series of styrylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives. Objective: In this study, anti-cancer activity of novel styrylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines was evaluated. Methods: Styrylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives 4a-o were synthesized through a one-pot three-component reaction of 2-aminopyridines, cinnamaldehydes, and isocyanides in high yield. All synthesized compounds 4a-o were evaluated against breast cancer cell lines including MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and T-47D using MTT assay. Apoptosis was evaluated by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, cell cycle analysis, and TUNEL assay as the mechanism of cell death. Results: Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited more potent cytotoxicity than standard drug, etoposide. Induction of apoptosis by the most cytotoxic compounds 4f, 4g, 4j, 4n, and 4m was confirmed through mentioned methods. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results confirmed the potency of styrylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines for further drug discovery developments in the field of anti-cancer agents.


Author(s):  
Thu Hang Lai ◽  
Magali Toussaint ◽  
Rodrigo Teodoro ◽  
Sladjana Dukić-Stefanović ◽  
Daniel Gündel ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The adenosine A2A receptor has emerged as a therapeutic target for multiple diseases, and thus the non-invasive imaging of the expression or occupancy of the A2A receptor has potential to contribute to diagnosis and drug development. We aimed at the development of a metabolically stable A2A receptor radiotracer and report herein the preclinical evaluation of [18F]FLUDA, a deuterated isotopologue of [18F]FESCH. Methods [18F]FLUDA was synthesized by a two-step one-pot approach and evaluated in vitro by autoradiographic studies as well as in vivo by metabolism and dynamic PET/MRI studies in mice and piglets under baseline and blocking conditions. A single-dose toxicity study was performed in rats. Results [18F]FLUDA was obtained with a radiochemical yield of 19% and molar activities of 72–180 GBq/μmol. Autoradiography proved A2A receptor–specific accumulation of [18F]FLUDA in the striatum of a mouse and pig brain. In vivo evaluation in mice revealed improved stability of [18F]FLUDA compared to that of [18F]FESCH, resulting in the absence of brain-penetrant radiometabolites. Furthermore, the radiometabolites detected in piglets are expected to have a low tendency for brain penetration. PET/MRI studies confirmed high specific binding of [18F]FLUDA towards striatal A2A receptor with a maximum specific-to-non-specific binding ratio in mice of 8.3. The toxicity study revealed no adverse effects of FLUDA up to 30 μg/kg, ~ 4000-fold the dose applied in human PET studies using [18F]FLUDA. Conclusions The new radiotracer [18F]FLUDA is suitable to detect the availability of the A2A receptor in the brain with high target specificity. It is regarded ready for human application.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 2479-2487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keerti Jain ◽  
Ashwni Kumar Verma ◽  
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra ◽  
Narendra Kumar Jain

ABSTRACTThe present study aimed to develop an optimized dendrimeric delivery system for amphotericin B (AmB). Fifth-generation (5.0G) poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimers were synthesized, conjugated with mannose, and characterized by use of various analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopic analysis, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Mannose-conjugated 5.0G PPI (MPPI) dendrimers were loaded with AmB and evaluated for drug loading efficiency,in vitrodrug release profile, stability, hemolytic toxicity to human erythrocytes, cytotoxicity to and cell uptake by J774A.1 macrophage cells, antiparasitic activity against intracellularLeishmania donovaniamastigotes,in vivopharmacokinetic and biodistribution profiles, drug localization index, toxicity, and antileishmanial activity. AFM showed the nanometric size of the MPPI dendrimers, with a nearly globular architecture. The conjugate showed a good entrapment efficiency for AmB, along with pH-sensitive drug release. Highly significant reductions in toxicity toward human erythrocytes and macrophage cells, without compromising the antiparasitic activity of AmB, were observed. The dendrimeric formulation of AmB showed a significant enhancement of the parasiticidal activity of AmB toward intramacrophagicL. donovaniamastigotes. In thein vitrocell uptake studies, the formulation showed selectivity toward macrophages, with significant intracellular uptake. Further pharmacokinetic and organ distribution studies elucidated the controlled delivery behavior of the formulation. The drug localization index was found to increase significantly in macrophage-rich organs.In vivostudies showed a biocompatible behavior of MPPIA, with negligible toxicity even at higher doses, and promising antileishmanial activity. From the results, we concluded that surface-engineered dendrimers may serve as optimized delivery vehicles for AmB with enhanced activity and low or negligible toxicity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Young Kim ◽  
Sang Soo Lee ◽  
Ji Hoon Shin ◽  
Soo Hyun Kim ◽  
Dong-Ho Shin ◽  
...  

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher McDonald ◽  
Goran Jovanovic ◽  
Oscar Ces ◽  
Martin Buck

ABSTRACTPhage shock protein A (PspA), which is responsible for maintaining inner membrane integrity under stress in enterobacteria, and vesicle-inducting protein in plastids 1 (Vipp1), which functions for membrane maintenance and thylakoid biogenesis in cyanobacteria and plants, are similar peripheral membrane-binding proteins. Their homologous N-terminal amphipathic helices are required for membrane binding; however, the membrane features recognized and required for expressing their functionalities have remained largely uncharacterized. Rigorously controlled,in vitromethodologies with lipid vesicles and purified proteins were used in this study and provided the first biochemical and biophysical characterizations of membrane binding by PspA and Vipp1. Both proteins are found to sense stored curvature elastic (SCE) stress and anionic lipids within the membrane. PspA has an enhanced sensitivity for SCE stress and a higher affinity for the membrane than Vipp1. These variations in binding may be crucial for some of the proteins’ differing rolesin vivo. Assays probing the transcriptional regulatory function of PspA in the presence of vesicles showed that a relief of transcription inhibition occurs in an SCE stress-specific manner. Thisin vitrorecapitulation of membrane stress-dependent transcription control suggests that the Psp response may be mountedin vivowhen a cell's inner membrane experiences increased SCE stress.IMPORTANCEAll cell types maintain the integrity of their membrane systems. One widely distributed membrane stress response system in bacteria is the phage shock protein (Psp) system. The central component, peripheral membrane protein PspA, which mitigates inner membrane stress in bacteria, has a counterpart, Vipp1, which functions for membrane maintenance and thylakoid biogenesis in plants and photosynthetic bacteria. Membrane association of both these proteins is accepted as playing a pivotal role in their functions. Here we show that direct membrane binding by PspA and Vipp1 is driven by two physio-chemical signals, one of which is membrane stress specific. Our work points to alleviation of membrane stored curvature elastic stress by amphipathic helix insertions as an attractive mechanism for membrane maintenance by PspA and Vipp1. Furthermore, the identification of a physical, stress-related membrane signal suggests a unilateral mechanism that promotes both binding of PspA and induction of the Psp response.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Bariatto ◽  
Rogerio Furlan ◽  
Koiti Arakai ◽  
Jorge J. Santiago-Aviles

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) is known to mediate many beneficial physiology processes, motivating its detection in vivo as well as in vitro. Electrochemical detection provides the required cellular level determination of NO among several other techniques. In this work, electrochemical micro-sensors for both types of detection, in vivo and in vitro, were developed, exploring the silicon planar technology, which presents high yield and reliability and also permits batch fabrication. The developed in vitro sensor features eight detection sites (10 μm × 10 μm microelectrodes), for determination of nitric oxide spatial distribution or multi-species analysis. Different electrochemical methods were applied to provide sensor calibration and chemical reproducibility. For in vivo analysis, the designed structures have a needle shape (40 μm thick) and they were silicon micro-machined by using plasma etching or etch stop techniques. Different configurations were designed and implemented, containing a number of detection microelectrodes that vary from 2 to 10. The amperometric detection of both nitric oxide and nitride (NO2−) — a molecule that causes an interference — were investigated by using the in vitro micro-sensor configuration. The need of a cationic exchanger (Nafion) was demonstrated in order to provide selectivity to NO for low concentrations. Also, the developed sensor has a sensitivity of 500 A/M.cm2 and a detection limit of 10 μM.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilly Lima ◽  
Rafaela Alves ◽  
Gigliola D´Elia ◽  
Talita Anunciação ◽  
Valdenizia Silva ◽  
...  

Croton matourensis Aubl. (synonym Croton lanjouwensis Jabl.), popularly known as “orelha de burro”, “maravuvuia”, and/or “sangrad’água”, is a medicinal plant used in Brazilian folk medicine as a depurative and in the treatment of infections, fractures, and colds. In this work, we investigated the chemical composition and in vitro cytotoxic and in vivo antitumor effects of the essential oil (EO) from the leaves of C. matourensis collected from the Amazon rainforest. The EO was obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus and characterized qualitatively and quantitatively by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC–FID), respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity of the EO was assessed in cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HCT116, HepG2, and HL-60) and the non-cancer cell line (MRC-5) using the Alamar blue assay. Furthermore, annexin V-FITC/PI staining and the cell cycle distribution were evaluated with EO-treated HepG2 cells by flow cytometry. In vivo efficacy of the EO (40 and 80 mg/kg/day) was demonstrated in C.B-17 severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice with HepG2 cell xenografts. The EO included β-caryophyllene, thunbergol, cembrene, p-cymene, and β-elemene as major constituents. The EO exhibited promising cytotoxicity and was able to cause phosphatidylserine externalization and DNA fragmentation without loss of the cell membrane integrity in HepG2 cells. In vivo tumor mass inhibition rates of the EO were 34.6% to 55.9%. Altogether, these data indicate the anticancer potential effect of C. matourensis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (30) ◽  
pp. 10293-10306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiquan Wang ◽  
Xianling Bian ◽  
Lin Zeng ◽  
Fei Pan ◽  
Lingzhen Liu ◽  
...  

Endolysosomes are key players in cell physiology, including molecular exchange, immunity, and environmental adaptation. They are the molecular targets of some pore-forming aerolysin-like proteins (ALPs) that are widely distributed in animals and plants and are functionally related to bacterial toxin aerolysins. βγ-CAT is a complex of an ALP (BmALP1) and a trefoil factor (BmTFF3) in the firebelly toad (Bombina maxima). It is the first example of a secreted endogenous pore-forming protein that modulates the biochemical properties of endolysosomes by inducing pore formation in these intracellular vesicles. Here, using a large array of biochemical and cell biology methods, we report the identification of BmALP3, a paralog of BmALP1 that lacks membrane pore-forming capacity. We noted that both BmALP3 and BmALP1 contain a conserved cysteine in their C-terminal regions. BmALP3 was readily oxidized to a disulfide bond-linked homodimer, and this homodimer then oxidized BmALP1 via disulfide bond exchange, resulting in the dissociation of βγ-CAT subunits and the elimination of biological activity. Consistent with its behavior in vitro, BmALP3 sensed environmental oxygen tension in vivo, leading to modulation of βγ-CAT activity. Interestingly, we found that this C-terminal cysteine site is well conserved in numerous vertebrate ALPs. These findings uncover the existence of a regulatory ALP (BmALP3) that modulates the activity of an active ALP (BmALP1) in a redox-dependent manner, a property that differs from those of bacterial toxin aerolysins.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document