Single-shot quantitative phase microscopy: a multi-functional tool for cell analysis.

This study showcases the multifunctionality of a single-shot quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) system for comprehensive cell analysis. The system captures four high-contrast images in one shot, enabling tasks like cell segmentation, measuring cell confluence, and estimating cell mass. We demonstrate the usability of the QPM system in routine biological workflows, showing how its integration with computational algorithms enables automated, precise analysis, achieving accuracy scores between 85% and 97% across samples with varying cell densities, even those with low signal-to-noise ratios.

Optimized Fabrication of Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Efficient Delivery System for Cancer Immunotherapy.

In the past decade, cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the field of oncology. Major immunotherapy approaches such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, adoptive cell therapy, cytokines, and immunomodulators have shown great promise in preclinical and clinical settings. Among them, immunomodulatory agents including cancer vaccines are particularly appealing; however, they face limitations, notably the absence of efficient and precise targeted delivery of immune-modulatory agents to specific immune cells and the potential for off-target toxicity.

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as an Ideal Platform for Cancer Immunotherapy: Recent Advances and Future Directions.

Cancer immunotherapy recently transforms the traditional approaches against various cancer malignancies. Immunotherapy includes systemic and local treatments to enhance immune responses against cancer and involves strategies such as immune checkpoints, cancer vaccines, immune modulatory agents, mimetic antigen-presenting cells, and adoptive cell therapy. Despite promising results, these approaches still suffer from several limitations including lack of precise delivery of immune-modulatory agents to the target cells and off-target toxicity, among others, that can be overcome using nanotechnology.

Improving DNA nanostructure stability: A review of the biomedical applications and approaches.

DNA's programmable, predictable, and precise self-assembly properties enable structural DNA nanotechnology. DNA nanostructures have a wide range of applications in drug delivery, bioimaging, biosensing, and theranostics. However, physiological conditions, including low cationic ions and the presence of nucleases in biological systems, can limit the efficacy of DNA nanostructures.

Demonstrating the Synthesis and Antibacterial Properties of Nanostructured Silver.

Investigating and understanding novel antibacterial agents is a necessary task as there is a constant increase in the number of multidrug-resistant bacterial species. The use of nanotechnology to combat drug-resistant bacteria is an important research area. The laboratory experiment described herein demonstrates that changes in the nanostructure of a material lead to significantly different antibacterial efficacies.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Nucleic Acid Nanostructures.

Nanomaterials have been extensively used for the delivery of nucleic acids. This is attributed to the unique features of nanoparticles to carry genetic material with different physiochemical properties. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) are a versatile platform for the efficient delivery of nuclei acid-based materials.

Autophagy Regulation Using Multimodal Chlorin e6-Loaded Polysilsesquioxane Nanoparticles to Improve Photodynamic Therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising anticancer noninvasive technique that relies on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Unfortunately, PDT still has many limitations, including the resistance developed by cancer cells to the cytotoxic effect of ROS. Autophagy, which is a stress response mechanism, has been reported as a cellular pathway that reduces cell death following PDT.

Influence of silver ion release on the inactivation of antibiotic resistant bacteria using light-activated silver nanoparticles.

The widespread increase in antibiotic resistance (AR), in an extensive range of microorganisms, demands the development of alternative antimicrobials with novel non-specific low-mutation bacterial targets. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and photosensitizers (PSs) are promising antimicrobial agents with broad-spectrum activity and low tendency for antimicrobial resistance development. Herein, we investigated the light-mediated oxidation of AgNPs for accelerated release of Ag in the antibacterial synergy of PS-AgNP conjugates using protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) as a PS.

Antiviral activity of nano-monocaprin against Phi6 as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2.

The COVID-19 pandemic involving SARS-CoV-2 has raised interest in using antimicrobial lipid formulations to inhibit viral entry into their host cells or to inactivate them. Lipids are a part of the innate defense mechanism against pathogens. Here, we evaluated the use of nano-monocaprin (NMC) in inhibiting enveloped (phi6) and unenveloped (MS2) bacteriophages.

Nanoparticle-based therapeutic strategies targeting major clinical challenges in pancreatic cancer treatment.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers due to its aggressiveness and the challenges for early diagnosis and treatment. Recently, nanotechnology has demonstrated relevant strategies to overcome some of the major clinical issues in the treatment of PDAC. This review is focused on the pathological hallmarks of PDAC and the impact of nanotechnology to find solutions.

Nanoparticle combination for precise stroma modulation and improved delivery for pancreatic cancer.

Therapeutic success in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is hindered by the extensive stroma associated to this disease. Stroma is composed of cellular and non-cellular components supporting and evolving with the tumor. One of the most studied mediators of cancer cell-stroma crosstalk is sonic hedgehog (SHh) pathway leading to the intense desmoplasia observed in PDAC tumors.

Use of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) in Drug Delivery, Photodynamic Therapy and Bioimaging.

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) have attracted considerable attention in the design of novel organic-inorganic hybrid materials with high performance capabilities. Features such as their well-defined nanoscale structure, chemical tunability, and biocompatibility make POSS an ideal building block to fabricate hybrid materials for biomedical applications. This review highlights recent advances in the application of POSS-based hybrid materials, with particular emphasis on drug delivery, photodynamic therapy and bioimaging.

Advanced Nanoengineering Approach for Target-Specific, Spatiotemporal, and Ratiometric Delivery of Gemcitabine-Cisplatin Combination for Improved Therapeutic Outcome in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an intractable malignancy with a dismal survival rate. Recent combination therapies have had a major impact on the improvement of PDAC prognosis. Nevertheless, clinically used combination regimens such as FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine (Gem)/nab-paclitaxel still face major challenges due to lack of the safe and ratiometric delivery of multiple drugs.

Light-Activated Protoporphyrin IX-Based Polysilsesquioxane Nanoparticles Induce Ferroptosis in Melanoma Cells.

The use of nanoparticle-based materials to improve the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat cancer has been a burgeoning field of research in recent years. Polysilsesquioxane (PSilQ) nanoparticles with remarkable features, such as high loading of photosensitizers, biodegradability, surface tunability, and biocompatibility, have been used for the treatment of cancer in vitro and in vivo using PDT. The PSilQ platform typically shows an enhanced PDT performance following a cell death mechanism similar to the parent photosensitizer.

Imaging and SERS Study of the Au Nanoparticles Interaction with HPV and Carcinogenic Cervical Tissues.

In this work, gold NPs were prepared by the Turkevich method, and their interaction with HPV and cancerous cervical tissues were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, confocal and multiphoton microscopy and SERS. The SEM images confirmed the presence and localization of the gold NPs inside of the two kinds of tissues. The light absorption of the gold NPs was at 520 nm.

Evaluation of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Porphyrin Derivatives on Photodynamic Therapy.

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is a promising scaffold to be used as delivery system. POSS can modify the properties of photosensitizers to enhance their efficacy toward photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this work, we designed, synthesized and characterized five different POSS porphyrin () derivatives containing hydrophobic (-) and hydrophilic ( and ) functional groups.

Combination of Nucleic Acid and Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: Optimization and Therapeutic Performance In Vitro.

Programmable nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) with precisely controlled functional compositions can regulate the conditional activation of various biological pathways and responses in human cells. However, the intracellular delivery of NANPs alone is hindered by their susceptibility to nuclease activity and inefficient crossing of biological membranes. In this work, we optimized the internalization and therapeutic performance of several representative NANPs delivered with mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) tailored for efficient electrostatic association with NANPs.

Preparation and In Vitro Evaluation of Alginate Microparticles Containing Amphotericin B for the Treatment of Infections.

Invasive candidiasis (IC) remains as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Amphotericin B (AmB) is one of the most effective antifungal agents commonly used to treat this infection. However, it induces severe side effects such as nephrotoxicity, cardiac alterations, nausea, fever, and liver damage.

Nanoparticle mediated silencing of tenascin C in hepatic stellate cells: effect on inflammatory gene expression and cell migration.

Chronic liver dysfunction often begins with hepatic fibrosis. A pivotal event in the progression of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis is hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and secretion of extracellular matrix proteins, including tenascin-C (TnC). TnC is often chosen as a therapeutic target for treatment of liver disease.

RNA Fibers as Optimized Nanoscaffolds for siRNA Coordination and Reduced Immunological Recognition.

RNA is a versatile biomaterial that can be used to engineer nanoassemblies for personalized treatment of various diseases. Despite promising advancements, the design of RNA nanoassemblies with minimal recognition by the immune system remains a major challenge. Here, an approach is reported to engineer RNA fibrous structures to operate as a customizable platform for efficient coordination of siRNAs and for maintaining low immunostimulation.

Multimodal Polysilsesquioxane Nanoparticles for Combinatorial Therapy and Gene Delivery in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Multifunctional hybrid nanoparticles are being developed to carry a wide variety of therapeutic and imaging agents for multiple biomedical applications. Polysilsesquioxane (PSilQ) nanoparticles are a promising hybrid platform with numerous advantages to be used as a delivery system. In this report, we demonstrate the ability of a stimuli-responsive PSilQ-based platform to transport and deliver simultaneously protoporphyrin IX, curcumin, and RNA interference inducers inside human cells.

Influence of Cationic -Substituted Porphyrins on the Antimicrobial Photodynamic Efficacy and Cell Membrane Interaction in .

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a non-antibiotic option for the treatment of infectious diseases. Although Gram-positive bacteria have been shown to be highly susceptible to PDI, the inactivation of Gram-negative bacteria has been more challenging due to the impermeability properties of the outer membrane. In the present study, a series of photosensitizers which contain one to four positive charges (⁻) were used to evaluate the charge influence on the PDI of a Gram-negative bacteria, (), and their interaction with the cell membrane.

Mucin-1-Antibody-Conjugated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Selective Breast Cancer Detection in a Mucin-1 Transgenic Murine Mouse Model.

Mucin-1 (MUC1), a transmembrane glycoprotein is aberrantly expressed on ~90% of breast cancer and is an excellent target for nanoparticulate targeted imaging. In this study, the development of a dye-doped NIR emitting mesoporous silica nanoparticles platform conjugated to tumor-specific MUC1 antibody (ab-tMUC1-NIR-MSN) for optical detection of breast adenocarcinoma tissue is reported. The structural properties, the and performance of this nanoparticle-based probe were evaluated.

In vitro evaluation of folic acid-conjugated redox-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the delivery of cisplatin.

The use of cisplatin(IV) prodrugs for the delivery of cisplatin have gained significant attention, because of their low toxicity and reactivity. Recent studies have shown that targeted cisplatin(IV)-prodrug nanoparticle-based delivery systems can improve the internalization of the cisplatin(IV) prodrug. We hypothesized that folic acid-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) containing cisplatin(IV) prodrug could target cancer cells that overexpress the folate receptor and deliver the active cisplatin drug upon intracellular reduction.