Delivery of growth factor-based therapeutics in vascular diseases: Challenges and strategies.

Either cardiovascular or peripheral vascular diseases have become the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently, growth factors therapeutics, whatever administrated in form of exogenous growth factors or their relevant genes have been discovered to be an effective strategy for the prevention and therapy of vascular diseases, because of their promoting angiogenesis. Besides, as an alternative, stem cell-based therapy has been also developed in view of their paracrine-mediated effect or ability of differentiation toward angiogenesis-related cells under assistance of growth factors.

Advanced Interfere Treatment of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Rats by aFGF-Loaded Heparin-Modified Microbubbles and UTMD Technique.

This study aims to investigate the preclinical performance and mechanism of a novel strategy of aFGF-loaded heparin-modified microbubbles (aFGF-HMB) combined with ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) technique for diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) prevention. Type 1 diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin. Twelve weeks after intervention, indexes from transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac catheterization showed that the left ventricular function in the aFGF-HMB/UTMD group was significantly improved compared with diabetes control (DM).

Using Gelatin Nanoparticle Mediated Intranasal Delivery of Neuropeptide Substance P to Enhance Neuro-Recovery in Hemiparkinsonian Rats.

Purpose: Intranasal administration of phospholipid-based gelatin nanoparticles (GNP) was prepared to investigate the neuro-recovery effects of neuropeptide Substance P (SP) on hemiparkinsonian rats.

Methods: The SP-loaded gelatin nanoparticles (SP-GNP) were prepared by a water-in-water emulsion method and possessed high stability, encapsulating efficiency and loading capacity. PC-12 cells were used to examine the growth enhancement of SP-GNP in vitro by MTT assays and flow cytometry (FCM).

Using NGF heparin-poloxamer thermosensitive hydrogels to enhance the nerve regeneration for spinal cord injury.

Objective: Nerve growth factor (NGF) has potential in spinal cord injury (SCI) therapy, but limited by the poor physicochemical stability and low ability to cross the blood spinal cord barrier. Novel heparin-poloxamer (HP) thermo-sensitive hydrogel was constructed to enhance the NGF regeneration on SCI.

Method: NGF-HP thermo-sensitive hydrogel was prepared and related characteristics including gelation temperature, rheological behavior and micromorphology were measured.

Functional and pathological improvements of the hearts in diabetes model by the combined therapy of bFGF-loaded nanoparticles with ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the diabetic patients and currently there is no effective means to reverse its pathological progress. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has shown promise as a molecular therapy for DCM, but its delivery is inefficient and non-specific. In the present study, a therapy combining nanoparticle (NP) carrier and ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) was reported the first time for bFGF delivery to the heart of diabetic rats.