Ultrasound inhibits tumor growth and selectively eliminates malignant brain tumor in vivo.

Glioma is one of the most common primary malignant brain tumors. Despite progress in therapeutic approaches, the median survival of patients with glioma remains less than 2 years, generating the need for new therapeutic approaches. Ultrasound (US) is widely used in medical fields and is used as a therapeutic tool mainly for improving the performance of therapeutic entities.

Elucidating siRNA Cellular Delivery Mechanism Mediated by Quaternized Starch Nanoparticles.

Starch-based nanoparticles are highly utilized in the realm of drug delivery taking advantage of their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Studies have utilized Quaternized starch (Q-starch) for small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery, in which quaternary amines enable interaction with negatively charged siRNA, resulting in self-assembly complexation. Although reports present numerous applications, the demonstrated efficacy is nonetheless limited due to undiscovered cellular mechanistic delivery.

The Potential of PIP3 in Enhancing Wound Healing.

Given the role of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) in modulating cellular processes such as proliferation, survival, and migration, we hypothesized its potential as a novel therapeutic agent for wound closure enhancement. In this study, PIP3 was examined in its free form or as a complex with cationic starch (Q-starch) as a carrier. The intracellular bioactivity and localization of free PIP3 and the Q-starch/PIP3 complexes were examined.

Cargo-Dependent Targeted Cellular Uptake Using Quaternized Starch as a Carrier.

The tailored design of drug delivery systems for specific therapeutic agents is a prevailing approach in the field. In this paper, we present a study that highlights the potential of our modified starch, Q-starch, as a universal and adaptable drug delivery carrier for diverse therapeutic agents. We investigate the ability of Q-starch/cargo complexes to target different organelles within the cellular landscape, based on the specific activation sites of therapeutic agents.

Cell stiffness predicts cancer cell sensitivity to ultrasound as a selective superficial cancer therapy.

We hypothesize that the biomechanical properties of cells can predict their viability, with Young's modulus representing the former and cell sensitivity to ultrasound representing the latter. Using atomic force microscopy, we show that the Young's modulus stiffness measure is significantly lower for superficial cancer cells (squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma) compared with noncancerous keratinocyte cells. In vitro findings reveal a significant difference between cancerous and noncancerous cell viability at the four ultrasound energy levels evaluated, with different cell lines exhibiting different sensitivities to the same ultrasound intensity.

Tailor-Made Single-Core PLGA Microbubbles as Acoustic Cavitation Enhancers for Therapeutic Applications.

Microbubbles (MBs), being gas bubbles encapsulated inside a solid shell, have been investigated extensively in the field of therapeutic ultrasound as acoustic cavitation enhancers. Hard-shell MBs have an advantage over soft-shell MBs due to their improved stability. Poly(lactic--glycolic acid) (PLGA) is one of the most attractive polymers for hard-shell MB synthesis; however, very little is known regarding the effect of synthesis parameters on the acoustic cavitation activity of PLGA MBs and the tunability of this activity.

SP-D loaded PLGA nanoparticles as drug delivery system for prevention and treatment of premature infant's lung diseases.

Preterm infants, particularly those who born between 23 and 28 weeks' gestation, suffer from a very high incidence of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) related to pulmonary immaturity and inability to make Pulmonary Surfactant (PS). These infants are supported by the use of oxygen, ventilators, and routine administration of surfactant replacement. The currently commercial surfactant replacement therapies do not contain hydrophilic surfactant proteins such as Surfactant Protein D (SP-D).

Ultrasound targeting of Q-starch/miR-197 complexes for topical treatment of psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common, worldwide autoinflammatory, incurable skin disease. miR-197 has therapeutic potential for psoriasis since it can down-regulate the expression of both IL-22RA1 and IL-17RA, subunits of the receptors of IL-22 and IL-17, respectively, which are key cytokines in the disease. Although miR-197 has the potential to treat the disease, several inherent physical barrier properties of the skin challenge miRNA's delivery to the target skin cells.

Synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly with plasmid DNA of a quaternary ammonium derivative of pectic galactan and its fluorescent labeling for bioimaging applications.

Quaternized derivatives of pectic galactan (QPG) were synthesized by a reaction of pectic galactan (PG) with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC) in the presence of aqueous sodium hydroxide solution under mild reaction conditions. The results showed that the concentration of CHPTAC and NaOH has great impact on the quaternization reaction. QPG was found to interact electrostatically with plasmid DNA in aqueous solution to form complexes in globular condensed morphology in a nanometer scale size ranging from 60 to 160nm.

Polymeric carrier-mediated intracellular delivery of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate to overcome insulin resistance.

Background: Phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) is a major lipid second messenger in insulin-mediated signalling towards the metabolic actions of this hormone in muscle and fat.

Purpose: Assessing the intracellular transport of exogenous PIP3 attached to a polymeric carrier in an attempt to overcome cellular insulin resistance.

Methods: Artificial chromatic bio-mimetic membrane vesicles composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and polydiacetylene were applied to screen the polymeric carriers.

Harvesting Low Molecular Weight Biomarkers Using Gold Nanoparticles.

We developed and characterized a platform based on gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) coated with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) for harvesting positively charged, low molecular weight (LMW) proteins. The particles are synthesized using a layer by layer (LbL) procedure: first the gold NPs are coated with positively charged polyethylenimine (PEI) and subsequently with PAA. This simple procedure produces stable PAA-PEI-Au (PPAu) NPs with high selectivity and specificity.

Fetal membrane transport enhancement using ultrasound for drug delivery and noninvasive detection.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of ultrasound on mass transport across fetal membrane for direct fetal drug delivery and sensing of the amniotic fluid in a noninvasive manner.

Methods: Post-delivery human fetal membranes (chorioamnion) were used for in vitro experiments, in which the effect of ultrasound on transport across fetal membrane of fluorescent model molecule (250 kDa) was evaluated. Ex vivo experiments were carried out on a whole rat amniotic sac.

Quaternized starch-based carrier for siRNA delivery: from cellular uptake to gene silencing.

RNAi therapeutics is a powerful tool for treating diseases by sequence-specific targeting of genes using siRNA. Since its discovery, the need for a safe and efficient delivery system for siRNA has increased. Here, we have developed and characterized a delivery platform for siRNA based on the natural polysaccharide starch in an attempt to address unresolved delivery challenges of RNAi.

A novel approach for noninvasive drug delivery and sensing through the amniotic sac.

Current invasive prenatal tests (amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling) are known for their risk to the fetus. In the last decade, the use and awareness of these prenatal tests have increased, resulting in growing demand for a safe, non-invasive, and accurate prenatal test. Chemical penetration enhancers (CPEs) have long been used to increase transport phenomena across skin and other membranes (e.

Modified pectin-based carrier for gene delivery: cellular barriers in gene delivery course.

The use of polysaccharides as DNA carriers has high potential for gene therapy applications. Pectin is a structural plant polysaccharide heterogeneous with respect to its chemical structure. It contains branches rich in galactose residues which serve as potential ligands for membrane receptors interaction.

Smart polymers for responsive drug-delivery systems.

The rapid advancement of biomedical research has led to many creative applications for biocompatible polymers. As modern medicine discerns more mechanisms, both of physiology and of pathophysiology, the approach to healing is to mimic, or if possible, to recreate the physiology of healthy functioning. Thus, the area of smart polymers for responsive drug delivery has evolved.

Modeling ionic hydrogels swelling: characterization of the non-steady state.

Ionic hydrogels can be used as controlled release systems that respond to an external substrate or trigger by swelling or de-swelling. One example is a glucose-sensitive system for insulin-controlled release based on pH-sensitive hydrogel. To enhance understanding of non-steady state swelling, and to facilitate design of specifications (e.