阿霉素-姜黄素聚氰基丙烯酸正丁酯复方纳米粒的研制及逆转MCF-7/ADR细胞多药耐药的研究

采用乳化聚合法制备阿霉素-姜黄素聚氰基丙烯酸正丁酯复方纳米粒(DOX-CUR-PBCA-NPs),该纳米粒平均粒径为133±5.34nm,Zeta电位为+32.23±4.56 mV,阿霉素(DOX)和姜黄素(CUR)的包封率分别为49.98±3.32％,94.52±3.14％.MTT实验结果和Western blott实验结果均表明,DOX-CUR-PBCA-NPs与CUR-PBCA-NPs+DOX-PBCA-NPs体外对MCF-7/ADR细胞的生长抑制活性相当,下调MCF-7/ADR细胞中P-糖蛋白(P-gp)的表达也相当,较没有用PBCA纳米粒包载的游离药物、单一药物的纳米制剂及其他形式的制剂联用的抗肿瘤活性及逆转多药耐药的性能都显著增强.说明利用PBCA纳米粒同时包裹抗癌药物阿霉素与中药逆转剂姜黄素协同用药可以增强克服多药耐药(MDR)的疗效.     

γ-聚谷氨酸/壳聚糖多孔复合支架材料的制备、表征及性能的研究

为提高骨组织工程支架材料的力学性能,改善其生物活性,修饰改性天然高分子,本文采用接枝共聚/冷冻干燥法制备多孔γ-聚谷氨酸/壳聚糖复合材料,通过红外吸收光谱仪(FT-IR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、吸水性试验以及降解性试验等对材料进行了材料结构表征和性能评价,为其新型组织工程材料提供科学依据.结果显示:该复合材料具有多孔结构,孔径约100.29 ±40.46 μm,空隙率83.45％;该复合材料的平均吸水性为465％±38％,500 rpm离心3min后保水性能达到329％±33％;该复合材料具有良好的降解性,比壳聚糖有更好的降解性,12周降解百分率为12.96％.该共聚复合材料能有效地克服γ-聚谷氨酸和壳聚糖各自的缺点,是一种很有潜力的组织工程支架材料.     

聚天冬氨酸-甲硝唑纳米前药制备、表征及抗虫活性的初步研究

实验以聚天冬氨酸(PASP)为载体,以甲硝唑为模型药物,用较温和简便的方法制备了新型聚天冬氨酸-甲硝唑(PASP-MTI)纳米前药．采用红外光谱及核磁氢谱分析、透射电镜观察、激光粒度、透析和紫外分光光度测定、MTT比色、荧光显微镜和流式细胞术等方法,观察到甲硝唑以酯键方式键合于聚天冬氨酸高分子链上．PASP-MTI纳米前药呈球型,平均粒径404.8 nm,载药量30%,体外释药明显延缓;MTT结果显示,PASP-MTI显著提高甲硝唑对滴虫的抑杀作用,经纳米甲硝唑作用后,部分滴虫胞核出现染色质浓集、核固缩、核碎裂等一系列凋亡改变．流式细胞术检测可见凋亡峰,凋亡率由对照组的11.5%上升到纳米前药组的35.69%．上述实验结果表明：PASP是一种非常有潜力的前药载体,制得的新型PASP-MTI纳米前药具有载药量高、缓释和杀虫作用强等特点,可能的杀虫机制除与高聚物纳米前药促吞噬作用有关外,还与诱导滴虫凋亡有关．     

Caspase-3参与调控蟾酥诱导人肺腺癌(ASTC-a-1)细胞的凋亡

采用基因质粒转染技术、荧光发射谱检测分析以及荧光共振能量转移(FRET)受体光漂白技术,首次在活细胞中实时检测中药蟾酥(Chan-Su,CS或bufonis venenum)诱导人肺腺癌(ASTC-a-1)细胞凋亡过程中caspase-3的活化特性.采用CCK-8(Cell Couneing Kit-8)技术检测发现,蟾酥对细胞的活性具有显著的抑制作用;蟾酥处理稳定表达FRET质粒SCAT3的人肺腺癌细胞后,在不同的时间检测活细胞中SCAT3的荧光光谱;利用共聚焦扫描荧光显微成像技术检测蟾酥处理后细胞的形态,从而进一步证实蟾酥诱导细胞凋亡.实验结果表明:a.蟾酥可以有效抑制人肺腺癌(ASTC-a-1)细胞的增殖活性并诱导细胞的死亡.蟾酥对细胞的抑制作用具有剂量依赖性;b.蟾酥处理细胞6 h后能检测到明显的细胞凋亡小体,连续作用24 h后细胞全部皱褶,并有部分细胞破碎;c.蟾酥作用细胞2 h就能明显切割细胞内的SCAT3,细胞内SCAT3的切割程度随着蟾酥作用时间的延长而增加,24 h内细胞内的SCAT3完全被切割.受体光漂白实验也证实了该结论,表明caspase-3参与调控了蟾酥诱导的细胞凋亡过程.     

Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of octahedral rhenium cluster complexes

Cellular uptake behavior of a novel class of octahedral rhenium cluster compounds, hexahydroxo complexes K₄[{Re₆S₈}(OH)₆] · 8H₂O (1) and K₄[{Re₆Se₈}(OH)₆] · 8H₂O (2), was evaluated in human cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry studies demonstrated that rhenium cluster 1 was not internalized into cell, while rhenium cluster 2 was. Conjugation of a polymer to rhenium cluster 1, namely the derivative K₄[{Re₆S₈}(OH)₅L] (3) (L is amphiphilic diblock copolymer MPEG550-CH₂CONH-GlyPheLeuGlyPheLeu-COO⁻), considerably enhanced cellular uptake in a concentration-dependent manner and was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus upon incubation time. The uptake of rhenium cluster 2 was mediated by energy-dependent endocytosis, whereas rhenium cluster 3 was directly ingested into cells by cell-fusion-like mechanism. According to the cytotoxicity evaluation test, both rhenium clusters 2 and 3 did not exhibit acute cytotoxic effects up to 50 μM, at the practical concentration level of biological applications. It is, therefore, expected that the rhenium cluster complexes can be promising potential candidates as diagnostic agents for medical treatment.     

Preparation and Optical Characterization of Core–Shell Bimetal Nanoparticles

Chemical approaches allow for the synthesis of highly defined metal heteronanostructures, such as core–shell nanospheres. Because the material in the metal nanoparticles determines the plasmon resonance-induced absorption band, control of particle composition results in control of the position of the absorption band. Metal deposition on gold or silver nanoparticles yielded core–shell particles with modified optical properties. UV–vis spectroscopy on solution-grown, as well as surface-grown, particles was conducted and provided ensemble measurements in solution. Increasing the layers of a second metal leads to a shift in the absorption band. A shell diameter comparable to the original particle diameter leads to a predominant influence by the shell material. Extent of shell growth could be controlled by reaction time or the concentration of metal salt or reducing agent. Besides optical characterization, the utilization of atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy yielded important information about the ultrastructure of nanoparticle complexes. Surface-grown core–shell particles were superior in terms of achievable shell thickness, because of difficulties encountered with solution-grown particles due to salt-induced aggregation.     

Synthesis,Characterization, Cellular Uptake,Apoptosis, Cytotoxicity,Dna-Binding,and Antioxidant Activity Studies of Ruthenium(II) Complexes

Two new ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes [Ru(dmb)₂(HECIP)](ClO₄)₂ (1) (HECIP = N-ethyl-4-[(1,10)-phenanthroline(5,6-f)imidazol-2-yl]carbazole, dmb = 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-bipyridine) and [Ru(dmp)₂(HECIP)](ClO₄)₂ (2) (dmp = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) have been synthesized and characterized. The DNA-binding behaviors of the two complexes were investigated by absorption spectra, viscosity measurements, and photoactivated cleavage. The DNA-binding constants for complexes 1 and 2 were determined to be 8.03 (± 0.12) × 10⁴ M^?1 (s = 1.62) and 2.97 (± 0.15) × 10⁴ M^?1 (s = 1.82), respectively. The results suggest that these complexes interact with DNA through intercalative mode. The photocleavage of pBR322 DNA by Ru(II) complexes was investigated. The cytotoxicity of complexes 1 and 2 has been evaluated by the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide)] method. Complex 1 shows higher anticancer potency than 2 against the four tumor cell lines. Apoptosis and cellular uptake were investigated. The antioxidant activities of the ligand and these complexes were also performed.     

Cellular differentiation assessments by measuring the degree of cellular internalization and membrane adsorption using designed peptides

We demonstrate examples of cellular differentiation assessments, including cellular neurite outgrowth and fat cell maturation, by measuring the degree of membrane adsorption or cellular internalization using designed peptides. Because changes in the cellular membrane and cytosol during differentiation were shown to influence membrane adsorption and cellular internalization, we could successfully evaluate the extent of differentiation simply like stain indicators.     

Synthesis, cellular uptake and structure-activity relationships for potent cytotoxic trichloridoiridium(III) polypyridyl complexes

The complexes fac-[IrCl₃(DMSO)(pp)] 1a-5a may be prepared by stepwise reaction of IrCl₃ · 3H₂O with the appropriate polypyridyl ligand (pp = bpy, phen, dpq, dppz, dppn) and DMSO in CH₃OH solution in the dark. The fac isomers of 1a-5a are stable in light-protected CD₂Cl₂ solution but, with the exception of 5a, isomerize rapidly to a mixture of the fac and mer isomers in the presence of light. In contrast, solutions of the fac isomers in the polar solvents D₂O and CD₃OD are stable under such conditions. The isomer mer-[IrCl₃(DMSO-κS)(phen)] 2b was, however, isolated by slow evaporation of an H₂O/CH₃OH solution of 2a and characterized by X-ray structural analysis. UV/Vis and CD studies of the interaction of 1a-5a with calf thymus DNA are in accordance with an effective absence of intercalation. ¹H NMR studies indicate that the complexes react slowly with compounds containing soft S donor atoms (e. g. N-acetylmethionine) but do not react with the guanine base of 5′-GMP²⁻. The complexes 2a-5a are potent in vitro cytotoxic agents toward the human cell lines MCF-7 and HT-29 and their IC₅₀ values are dependent on the size of the polypyridyl ligand in the order phen, dpq > dppz > dppn. For instance IC₅₀ values of 5.5 (0.9), 0.8 (0.3) and 0.21 (0.11) μM were established for 3a-5a against MCF-7 cells and 6.1 (0.7), 1.5 (0.2) and 1.3 (0.4) μM against HT-29 cells. These values correlate with the cellular uptake efficiency which, on exposure to 10 μM solutions, reaches its highest levels (19.3(0.8) and 37.4(8.9) ng Ir/mg protein for MCF-7 and HT-29, respectively) for the dppn compound 5a.     

Dinuclear organoiridium(III) mono- and bis-intercalators with rigid bridging ligands: Synthesis, cytotoxicity and DNA binding

The DNA binding and in vitro cytotoxicity of the dinuclear Ir(III) polypyridyl complexes [{(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Ir(dppz)}₂(μ-pyz)](CF₃SO₃)₄1 and [{(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Ir(pp)}₂(μ-4,4′-bpy)](CF₃SO₃)₄2-4 (pp = dipyrido[3,2-d:2′,3′-f]quinoxaline (dpq), dipyrido[2,3-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppz), benzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppn)) with the rigid bridging ligands pyrazine (pyz) or 4,4′-bipyridine (4,4′-bpy) have been studied. Stable intercalative binding into CT DNA (calf thymus DNA) is indicated for the dppz complexes 1 and 3 by induced negative CD bands at about 300 nm and large viscosity increases, with the individual measurements being in accordance with intrastrand bis-intercalation for 3 and mono-intercalation for 1. The observed interruption of specific interresidue NOE cross peaks from the relevant nucleobase H6/H8 protons to the sugar H2′/H2″ protons of the preceding nucleotide is in accordance with bis-intercalation of complex 3 between the C3G18 and G4C17 base pairs and the T5A16 and A6T15 base pairs of the decanucleotide d(5′-CGCGTAGGCC-3′). Complexes 1 and 3 exhibit a greatly improved uptake by HT-29 (colon carcinoma) cells and significantly improved in vitro IC₅₀ values of 1.8 ± 0.1 and 3.8 ± 0.1 μM towards this cell line in comparison to the mononuclear complex [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)IrCl(dppz)](CF₃SO₃) (IC₅₀ = 7.4 ± 0.9 μM).     

A synthetic dinuclear copper(II) hydrolase and its potential as antitumoral: Cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and DNA cleavage

We have studied the protonation equilibria of a dicopper(II) complex [Cu₂(μ-OH)(C₂₁H₃₃ON₆)](ClO₄)₂·H₂O, (1), in aqueous solution, its interactions with DNA, its cytotoxic activity, and its uptake in tumoral cells. C₂₁H₃₃ON₆ corresponds to the ligand 4-methyl-2,6-bis[(6-methyl-1,4-diazepan-6-yl)iminomethyl]phenol. From spectrophotometric data the following pKa values were calculated 3.27, 4.80 and 6.10. Complex 1 effectively promotes the hydrolytic cleavage of double-strand plasmid DNA under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The following kinetic parameters were calculated k_cat of 2.73 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹, K_M of 1.36 × 10⁻⁴ M and catalytic efficiency of 2.01 s⁻¹ M⁻¹, a 2.73 × 10⁷ fold increase in the rate of the reaction compared to the uncatalyzed hydrolysis rate of DNA. Competition assays with distamycin reveal minor groove binding. Complex 1 inhibited the growth of two tumoral cell lines, GLC4 and K562, with the IC₅₀ values of 14.83 μM and 34.21 μM, respectively. There is a good correlation between cell growth inhibition and intracellular copper content. When treated with 1, cells accumulate approximately twice as much copper as with CuCl₂. Copper-DNA adducts are formed inside cells when they are exposed to the complex. In addition, at concentrations that compound 1 inhibits tumoral cell growth it does not affect macrophage viability. These results show that complex 1 has a good therapeutic prospect.     

Cellular uptake of Poly-(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles synthesized through solvent emulsion evaporation and nanoprecipitation method

Poly-(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles have been widely studied for drug delivery. The aim of this study is to determine how cellular uptake of these nanoparticles is influenced by different surface properties, incubation time, particle concentration and cell types. Spherical coumarin-6 loaded PLGA nanoparticles with a size of about 100 nm were synthesized through solvent emulsion evaporation and nanoprecipitation methods. In vitro cellular uptake efficiency was determined using human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) and murine monocyte-derived macrophage (RAW264.7) cells. PLGA nanoparticles were incubated with these cells in a concentration range of 10-300 μg/ml for different time periods. The results show that cellular uptake decreased for nanoparticles surface coated with PVA surfactant and was especially limited for severely aggregated particles. At higher particle concentration, the total amount of particles taken up by cells increased while the uptake efficiency decreased. In addition, cells could take up more particles with longer incubation time, although the uptake rate decreased gradually with time. Finally, RAW264.7 cells show increased uptake compared to BEAS-2B cells. The information drawn from this study would provide important clues on how nanomaterials interact with cells and how these interactions can influence biocompatibility or toxicity.     

A Ruthenocene-PNA Bioconjugate - Synthesis, Characterization, Cytotoxicity, and AAS-Detected Cellular Uptake

Labeling of peptide nucleic acids (PNA) with metallocene complexes is explored herein for the modulation of the analytical characteristics, as well as biological properties of PNA. The synthesis of the first ruthenocene-PNA conjugate with a dodecamer, mixed-sequence PNA is described, and its properties are compared to a ferrocene-labeled analogue as well as an acetylated, metal-free derivative. The synthetic characteristics, chemical stability, analytical and thermodynamic properties, and the interaction with cDNA were investigated. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the PNA conjugates is determined on HeLa, HepG2, and PT45 cell lines. Finally, the cellular uptake of the metal-containing PNAs was quantified by high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS AAS). An unexpectedly high cellular uptake to final concentrations of 4.2 mM was observed upon incubation with 50 μM solutions of the ruthenocene-PNA conjugate. The ruthenocene label was shown to be an excellent label in all respects, which is also more stable than its ferrocene analogue. Because of its high stability, low toxicity, and the lack of a natural background of ruthenium, it is an ideal choice for bioanalytical purposes and possible medicinal and biological applications like, e.g., the development of gene-targeted drugs.