Giovani Gomez Estrada

Multifunctional Nanocarriers for diagnostics, drug delivery and targeted treatment across blood-brain barrier: perspectives on tracking and neuroimaging

Nanotechnology has brought a variety of new possibilities into biological discovery and clinical practice. In particular, nano-scaled carriers have revolutionalized drug delivery, allowing for therapeutic agents to be selectively targeted on an organ, tissue and cell specific level, also minimizing exposure of healthy tissue to drugs. In this review we discuss and analyze three issues, which are considered to be at the core of nano-scaled drug delivery systems, namely functionalization of nanocarriers, delivery to target organs and in vivo imaging. The latest developments on highly specific conjugation strategies that are used to attach biomolecules to the surface of nanoparticles (NP) are first reviewed. Besides drug carrying capabilities, the functionalization of nanocarriers also facilitate their transport to primary target organs. We highlight the leading advantage of nanocarriers, i.e. their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a tightly packed layer of endothelial cells surrounding the brain that prevents high-molecular weight molecules from entering the brain. The BBB has several transport molecules such as growth factors, insulin and transferrin that can potentially increase the efficiency and kinetics of brain-targeting nanocarriers. Potential treatments for common neurological disorders, such as stroke, tumours and Alzheimers, are therefore a much sought-after application of nanomedicine. Likewise any other drug delivery system, a number of parameters need to be registered once functionalized NPs are administered, for instance their efficiency in organ-selective targeting, bioaccumulation and excretion. Finally, direct in vivo imaging of nanomaterials is an exciting recent field that can provide real-time tracking of those nanocarriers. We review a range of systems suitable for in vivo imaging and monitoring of drug delivery, with an emphasis on most recently introduced molecular imaging modalities based on optical and hybrid contrast, such as fluorescent protein tomography and multispectral optoacoustic tomography. Overall, great potential is foreseen for nanocarriers in medical diagnostics, therapeutics and molecular targeting. A proposed roadmap for ongoing and future research directions is therefore discussed in detail with emphasis on the development of novel approaches for functionalization, targeting and imaging of nano-based drug delivery systems, a cutting-edge technology poised to change the ways medicine is administered.

Gold nanoprisms as optoacoustic signal nanoamplifiers for in vivo bioimaging of gastrointestinal cancers.

Early detection of cancer greatly increases the chances of a simpler and more effective treatment. Traditional imaging techniques are often limited by shallow penetration, low sensitivity, low specificity, poor spatial resolution or the use of ionizing radiation. Hybrid modalities, like optoacoustic imaging, an emerging molecular imaging modality, contribute to improving most of these limitations. However, this imaging method is hindered by relatively low signal contrast. Here, gold nanoprisms (AuNPrs) are used as signal amplifiers in multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) to visualize gastrointestinal cancer. PEGylated AuNPrs are successfully internalized by HT-29 gastrointestinal cancer cells in vitro. Moreover, the particles show good biocompatibility and exhibit a surface plasmon band centered at 830 nm, a suitable wavelength for optoacoustic imaging purposes. These findings extend well to an in vivo setting, in which mice are injected with PEGylated AuNPrs in order to visualize tumor angiogenesis in gastrointestinal cancer cells. Overall, both our in vitro and in vivo results show that PEGylated AuNPrs have the capacity to penetrate tumors and provide a high-resolution signal amplifier for optoacoustic imaging. The combination of PEGylated AuNPrs and MSOT represents a significant advance for the in vivo imaging of cancers.

Surface modification and size dependence in particle translocation during early embryonic development

Since the mid-1990s, the number of studies linking air pollutants to preterm and low birth weight, as well as to cardiac birth defects, has grown steadily each year. The critical period in the development of mouse embryos begins with the commencement of gastrulation at day 7.5 of gestation. Our aim is to examine the role of particles size and surface modification in particle translocation during this early embryonic development. Fluorescent polystyrene particles (PS) were employed because they offer an efficient and safe tracking method. Pregnant female mice were sacrificed at 7.5 days of gestation. After cutting open the deciduas, the parietal endoderm was carefully separated and removed. Different sizes of amine- and carboxyl-modified PS beads were injected via the extraembryonic tissue. The embryos were incubated for 12 h, and were investigated under fluorescent microscopy, confocal microscopy, and mesoscopic fluorescence tomography. The results show that 20-nm carboxylic PS distribute in the embryonic and extraembryonic germ layers of ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Moreover, when the particles are bigger than 100 nm, PS accumulate in extraembryonic tissue, but nevertheless 200-nm amine-modified particles can pass into the embryos. Interestingly, a growth inhibition was observed in the embryos containing nanoparticles. Finally, the stronger translocation effect is associated with amine- modified PS beads (200 nm) instead of the smaller (20 nm, 100 nm) carboxyl ones.

A novel assay for the quantification of internalized nanoparticles in macrophages

One of the most urgent requirements in nanotoxicology is a quantitative assessment of internalized nanomaterials in cells. We present an in vitro assay called ‘max-flat’ for the measurement of internalized particles in macrophages. Fluorescent polystyrene (PS) beads of diameters 1 µm, 500 nm, 200 nm, 100 nm and 20 nm were employed. Different concentrations of fibronectin (FN) coated substrates were tested to achieve a maximal cell spreading area and minimal nucleus height, hence ‘max-flat’. We found this cell spreading area depends on FN concentration, and it is independent of particle concentration. An optimal condition of FN was found at 2.5×10−3 mg/ml, and it was selected for the max-flat assay to assess the internalization of PS beads. Cells under these conditions neither generate reactive oxygen species nor show noticeable differences in pro-survival/pro-apoptotic signals. Confocal images were employed for the max-flat assay and we set the interval scanning for a Z-stack as nucleus height divided by particle diameter. The max-flat assay provided a significantly higher number of internalized particles and the saturation is reached faster for nano-scale PS beads. We show how the proposed max-flat assay clearly outperform existing techniques by providing easier, more precise and far more reliable access to the number of internalized nanoparticles in macrophages.

Investigating the role of shape on the biological impact of gold nanoparticles in vitro.

AIM To investigate the influence of gold nanoparticle geometry on the biochemical response of Calu-3 epithelial cells. MATERIALS & METHODS Spherical, triangular and hexagonal gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were used. The GNP-cell interaction was assessed via atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The biochemical impact of GNPs was determined over 72 h at (0.0001-1 mg/ml). RESULTS At 1 mg/ml, hexagonal GNPs reduced Calu-3 viability below 60%, showed increased reactive oxygen species production and higher expression of proapoptotic markers. A cell mass burden of 1:2:12 as well as number of GNPs per cell (2:1:3) was observed for spherical:triangular:hexagonal GNPs. CONCLUSION These findings do not suggest a direct shape-toxicity effect. However, do highlight the contribution of shape towards the GNP-cell interaction which impacts upon their intracellular number, mass and volume dose.

A note on designing logical circuits using SAT

We present a systematic procedure to synthesise and minimise digital circuits using propositional satisfiability. After encoding the truth table into a canonical sum of at most k different products, we seek its minimal satisfiable representation. We show how to use an interesting local search landscape for this minimisation. This approach can be very useful since we can generate exact minimal solutions within reasonably computational resources.

Pulmonary DWCNT exposure causes sustained local and low-level systemic inflammatory changes in mice

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) represent promising vectors to facilitate cellular drug delivery and to overcome biological barriers, but some types may also elicit persistent pulmonary inflammation based on their fibre characteristics. Here, we show the pulmonary response to aqueous suspensions of block copolymer dispersed, double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNT, length 1-10 μm) in mice by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) analysis, and BAL and blood cytokine and lung antioxidant profiling. The intratracheally instilled dose of 50 μg DWCNT caused significant pulmonary inflammation that was not resolved during a 7-day observation period. Light microscopy investigation of the uptake of DWCNT agglomerates revealed no particle ingestion for granulocytes, but only for macrophages. Accumulating macrophage, multinucleated macrophage and lymphocyte numbers in the alveolar region further indicated ineffective resolution with chronification of the inflammation. The local inflammatory impairment of the lung was accompanied by pulmonary antioxidant depletion and haematological signs of systemic inflammation. While the observed inflammation during its acute phase was dominated by neutrophils and neutrophil recruiting cytokines, the contribution of macrophages and lymphocytes with related cytokines became more significant after day 3 of exposure. This study confirms that acute pulmonary toxicity can occur on exposure of high doses of DWCNT agglomerates and offers further insight for improved nanotube design parameters to avoid potential long-term toxicity.

Quantitative method for the analysis of cell attachment using aligned scaffold structures

This paper presents a new quantitative method that evaluates the cell attachment affinity to aligned scaffold structures composed of poly (glycolic acid) PGA/collagen. The structures were fabricated by the electrospinning method. We analyzed the relationship between the number and length of attached cells to fibers of different diameters under different concentrations of PGA/collagen. The findings are three fold. Firstly, the fibers fabricated on the order of nano-scale significantly enhanced the number of attaching cells compared with those fibers fabricated on the order of micro-scale. Secondly, the cell morphology is affected by both the amount of collagen in PGA/collagen hybrid fibers and the cells adhesion affinity to fibers. Finally, PGA/collagen hybrid fibers on the range of 0.5 μm with a concentration of 67% collagen provided the best cell adhesion. This study provides an attractive technique to fabricate suitable diameters and collagen concentrations for tissue engineering applications.

Cell shape imaging analysis: a fast and reliable technique for the investigation of internalised carbon nanotubes in flat macrophages

The aim of this work is to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the morphological adaptation and regulation of macrophages in the presence of internalised materials. This development will accelerate the toxicology assessment of novel nanomaterials and subsequently reduce their environmental and health exposure. For this purpose, we adapted our established in vitro culture system to investigate and measure cell shape changes with and without functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Two nanomaterials, such as fluorescent polystyrene (PS) beads and functionalized CNTs, were employed to track the material location under confocal microscopy, light microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). It was found that particles equally spread throughout the entire cytoplasm in spherical macrophage; whereas when macrophages where forced to adhere to the substrate, via fibronectin coating, the accumulation of particles and tubes was limited to the vicinity of the nucleus due to the modified cellular micro architecture. TEM analysis also confirmed these findings and demonstrated that CNTs of about 5 m laid at the bottom of adherent cells. Therefore, this cell shape analysis and manipulation may result very important for the quantification of internalised novel materials with high aspect ratio like nanotubes, nanorods and nanowires.

How Does the Hue Contribute to Construct Better Colour Features

We explore the impact of including hue in a feature construction algorithm for colour target detection. Hue has a long standing record as a good attribute in colour segmentation, so it is expected to strengthen features generated by only RGB. Moreover, it may open the door to infer compact feature maps for skin detection. However, contrary to our expectations, those new features where hue participates tend to produce poor features in terms of recall or precision. This result shows that (i) better features can be constructed without the costly hue, and (ii) unfortunately a good feature map for skin detection is still evasive.