Therapeutic enhancement of vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy by inhibiting proteasomal function.

Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (vPDT) is a novel vascular targeting modality based on site-directed delivery of a photosensitizer to tumor vasculature, which induces reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated vascular effects upon light activation. To enhance the therapeutic outcome of vPDT, we combined proteasomal inhibitor bortezomib and vPDT using photosensitizer verteporfin in the present study. We found that bortezomib in combination with verteporfin-PDT induced more accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and apoptosis in endothelial cells than each individual treatment.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb)-induced down-regulation of RON receptor tyrosine kinase diminishes tumorigenic activities of colon cancer cells.

Overexpression of the RON receptor tyrosine kinase contributes to pathogenesis of epithelial cancers and disruption of RON signals has potential for therapeutic intervention. Here, we report the inhibitory effects of monoclonal antibodies (Zt/g4, Zt/f2 and Zt/c9) on RON expression and tumorigenic activities in colon cancer cells. Persistent treatment of colon SW620 or other cells with Zt/g4 dramatically down-regulated RON expression as evident by Western blot and cell surface fluorescent analyses.

Formulation of spray-dried phenytoin loaded poly(epsilon-caprolactone) microcarrier intended for brain delivery to treat epilepsy.

This study evaluates the efficacy of the spray-drying technique in the bioengineering of phenytoin (PHT) containing poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) microcarrier intended for brain delivery for long-term treatment of epilepsy. Through orthogonally designed experiments, the optimal formulation and process variables for the preparation of PCL-microcarriers containing PHT were obtained. The produced microcarriers were characterized by coulter counter, scanning electron, scanning transmission electron microscopies, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, and in vitro release.

Adsorption of avermectin on porous hollow silica nanoparticles by supercritical technology.

Porous hollow silica nanoparticles with O.D. of approximately 100 nm and a wall thickness of approximately 10 nm were prepared by using inorganic CaCO3 templates.

Study of UV-shielding properties of novel porous hollow silica nanoparticle carriers for avermectin.

The shielding protection given by self-prepared porous hollow silica nanoparticles (PHSN) to pesticides from degradation by UV light was investigated using avermectin as a model pesticide. It was demonstrated that PHSN carriers with a shell thickness of approximately 15 nm and a pore diameter of 4-5 nm have an encapsulation capacity of 625 g kg(-1) for avermectin using a supercritical fluid loading method. PHSN carriers exhibited remarkable UV-shielding properties for avermectin.

Controlled release of avermectin from porous hollow silica nanoparticles: influence of shell thickness on loading efficiency, UV-shielding property and release.

Preparation and characterization of porous hollow silica nanoparticles (PHSNs), with various shell thicknesses in the range of 5-45 nm and a pore diameter of about 4-5 nm, were investigated. PHSNs were fabricated via a sol-gel route with two different structure-directing templates and their shell thickness could be controlled by adjusting the reactant ratio of Na2SiO3.9H2O/CaCO3.

Controlled release of avermectin from porous hollow silica nanoparticles.

Porous hollow silica nanoparticles (PHSNs) with a diameter of ca 100 nm and a pore size of ca 4.5 nm were synthesized via a sol-gel route using inorganic calcium carbonate nanoparticles as templates. The synthesized PHSNs were subsequently employed as pesticide carriers to study the controlled release behaviour of avermectin.

Fabrication of porous hollow silica nanoparticles and their applications in drug release control.

Preparation and characterization of porous hollow silica nanoparticles (PHSN) for controlled release applications were investigated. Through orthogonally designed experiments, the optimal synthesis conditions for the preparation of PHSN were obtained and the produced PHSN were characterized by BET, SEM, TEM and IR. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images revealed their hollow shell-core structure and also demonstrated that the size and shape of PHSN are determined by the templating CaCO3 nanoparticles.