Tuning the Anthranilamide Peptidomimetic Design to Selectively Target Planktonic Bacteria and Biofilm.

There is a pressing need to develop new antimicrobials to help combat the increase in antibiotic resistance that is occurring worldwide. In the current research, short amphiphilic antibacterial and antibiofilm agents were produced by tuning the hydrophobic and cationic groups of anthranilamide peptidomimetics. The attachment of a lysine cationic group at the tail position increased activity against by >16-fold (from >125 μM to 15.

Intratumoral Copper Modulates PD-L1 Expression and Influences Tumor Immune Evasion.

Therapeutic checkpoint antibodies blocking programmed death receptor 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling have radically improved clinical outcomes in cancer. However, the regulation of PD-L1 expression on tumor cells is still poorly understood. Here we show that intratumoral copper levels influence PD-L1 expression in cancer cells.

When polymers meet carbon nanostructures: expanding horizons in cancer therapy.

The development of hybrid materials, which combine inorganic with organic materials, is receiving increasing attention by researchers. As a consequence of carbon nanostructures high chemical versatility, they exhibit enormous potential for new highly engineered multifunctional nanotherapeutic agents for cancer therapy. Whereas many groups are working on drug delivery systems for chemotherapy, the use of carbon nanohybrids for radiotherapy is rarely applied.

Combining Carbon Nanotubes and Chitosan for the Vectorization of Methotrexate to Lung Cancer Cells.

A hybrid system composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes coated with chitosan was proposed as a pH-responsive carrier for the vectorization of methotrexate to lung cancer. The effective coating of the carbon nanostructure by chitosan, quantified (20% by weight) by thermogravimetric analysis, was assessed by combined scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (N1 signal), respectively. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the interaction between polysaccharide and carbon counterparts.

Magnetic Graphene Oxide Nanocarrier for Targeted Delivery of Cisplatin: A Perspective for Glioblastoma Treatment.

Selective vectorization of Cisplatin (CisPt) to Glioblastoma U87 cells was exploited by the fabrication of a hybrid nanocarrier composed of magnetic γ-FeO nanoparticles and nanographene oxide (NGO). The magnetic component, obtained by annealing magnetite FeO and characterized by XRD measurements, was combined with NGO sheets prepared via a modified Hummer's method. The morphological and thermogravimetric analysis proved the effective binding of γ-FeO nanoparticles onto NGO layers.

Graphene Oxide Functional Nanohybrids with Magnetic Nanoparticles for Improved Vectorization of Doxorubicin to Neuroblastoma Cells.

With the aim to obtain a site-specific doxorubicin (DOX) delivery in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, we designed an hybrid nanocarrier combining graphene oxide (GO) and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs), acting as core elements, and a curcumin⁻human serum albumin conjugate as functional coating. The nanohybrid, synthesized by redox reaction between the MNPs@GO system and albumin bioconjugate, consisted of MNPs@GO nanosheets homogeneously coated by the bioconjugate as verified by SEM investigations. Drug release experiments showed a pH-responsive behavior with higher release amounts in acidic (45% at pH 5.

[Cu]CuCl PET imaging reveals activity of Dextran-Catechin on tumor copper homeostasis.

Given the strong clinical evidence that copper levels are significantly elevated in a wide spectrum of tumors, copper homeostasis is considered as an emerging target for anticancer drug design. Monitoring copper levels is therefore of paramount importance when assessing the efficacy of copper-targeting drugs. Herein, we investigated the activity of the copper-targeting compound Dextran-Catechin by developing a [Cu]CuCl PET imaging protocol to monitor its effect on copper homeostasis in tumors.

Electro-responsive graphene oxide hydrogels for skin bandages: The outcome of gelatin and trypsin immobilization.

A free radical polymerization method was adopted for the fabrication of hybrid hydrogel films based on acrylamide and polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate as plasticizing and crosslinking agents, respectively, to be employed as smart skin bandages. Electro-sensitivity, biocompatibility and proteolytic properties were conferred to the final polymer networks by introducing graphene oxide (0.5% w/w), gelatin or trypsin (10% w/w) in the polymerization feed.