Background: Trichinella spiralis can cause animal and human trichinellosis, which is fatal for human beings. Study demonstrated that toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist was effective in reducing trichinella infections. Hypericin (Hyp) has great potential in activating TLR3 and may be a favorable choice for immunotherapy of trichinellosis. However, its applications are hampered by poor water solubility and dose-dependent phototoxicity.
Purpose: This study aimed to overcome the disadvantage of Hyp by using thermo-responsive hydrogel, better exert its immunotherapeutic efficacy against T. spiralis by activating TLR3.
Study Design And Methods: We used P(NIPAM-co-AM) hydrogel prepared by acrylamide (AM) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) to load Hyp, and named P(NIPAM-co-AM)/Hyp. Subsequently, its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) characterization, biocompatibility, immunomodulatory activity via TLR3 signaling pathway, and therapeutic efficacy against T. spiralis were evaluated.
Results: The study showed that the controllable drug release rate of P(NIPAM-co-AM)/Hyp owed to its remarkable temperature sensitivity. P(NIPAM-co-AM)/Hyp exhibited exceptional efficacy in activating the TLR3 signaling pathway and significantly promoting DC cells maturation. P(NIPAM-co-AM)/Hyp effectively elicited a robust pro-inflammatory immune response with up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-12 (IL-12) in T. spiralis-infected mice. Compared to Hyp and albendazole (ABZ), P(NIPAM-co-AM)/Hyp exhibited a significant decrease in the encysted muscle larvae number and histopathological destruction. The muscle larvae burden was dropped from 58,733 to 32,833 per mice at a dose of 10 mg/kg, with a reduction rate of 42.8 %. Moreover, the reduction rate increased to 64.30 % at a dose of 20 mg/kg.
Conclusions: This study confirms the therapeutic efficacy of P(NIPAM-co-AM)/Hyp as a TLR3 agonist and provides a new study direction for immunotherapy strategy and vaccine development by targeting parasites.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2024.156284 | DOI Listing |
Cancer immunotherapy using engineered cytotoxic effector cells has demonstrated significant potential. The limited spatial complexity of existing models, however, poses a challenge to mechanistic studies attempting to approve existing approaches of effector cell-mediated cytotoxicity within a three-dimensional, solid tumor-like environment. To gain additional experimental control, we developed an approach for constructing three-dimensional (3D) culture models using smart polymers that form temperature responsive hydrogels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Gels
December 2024
"Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania.
An imbalance in the body's pH or temperature may modify the immune response and result in ailments such as autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, cancer, or diabetes. Dual pH- and thermo-responsive carriers are being evaluated as advanced drug delivery microdevices designed to release pharmaceuticals in response to external or internal stimuli. A novel drug delivery system formulated as hydrogel was developed by combining a pH-sensitive polymer (the "biosensor") with a thermosensitive polymer (the delivery component).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacromol Rapid Commun
December 2024
Eye Center, Affiliated Second Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAm)-based smart hydrogels are widely employed in emerging applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering, because their lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is close to physiological conditions. However, the dense chain collapse during the thermo-responsive phase transition restricts water diffusion, resulting in limited volumetric change. Here, a pure PNIPAm hydrogel that achieves a large-scale volume transition by incorporating PNIPAm microgels, is presented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2024
School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
The development of a sustainable and eco-friendly silver-based hybrid nanocomposite for safe and efficient point-of-use (POU) water disinfection remains a challenge. Herein, a simple and facile approach was proposed for the in situ immobilization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on chitosan-g-poly (sulfobetaine methacrylate) (CS-g-PSBMA) hydrogel beads, which have been achieved via graft copolymerization of sulfobetaine methacrylate along the chitosan chains followed by a drop method. The AgNPs-decorated CS-g-PSBMA hydrogel beads were characterized and their bactericidal efficacy towards Escherichia coli was evaluated concurrently with their anti-biofouling behaviors.
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