Min Heo

Inhibition of Osteoclast Differentiation and Bone Resorption by Bisphosphonate-conjugated Gold Nanoparticles

In recent years, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been reported to affect the regeneration of bone tissue. The goal of this study was to improve bone tissue regeneration by using targeted GNPs. We fabricated a functionalized GNPs conjugated with alendronate (ALD), of the bisphosphonate group. Subsequently, the ALD, GNPs, and ALD conjugated GNPs (GNPs-ALD) were analyzed by ultraviolet-visible absorbance (UV-vis) spectrophotometer, Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (ATR-FTIR), and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The prepared GNPs-ALD were used to investigate their inhibitory effects on the receptor activator of nuclear factor- κb ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). Additionally, the GNPs-ALD were applied to ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporotic mice and the experiments were evaluated. ALD was found to be successfully conjugated to the GNPs surface, and it displayed significant adhesion onto the bone surface. The in-vitro study indicated that the GNPs, ALD and GNPs-ALD suppressed osteoclast formation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in the OVX mouse model, the mice treated GNPs-ALD had higher bone density as compared to other OVX mice groups. The results from these tests indicated that GNPs-ALD can be useful agents for preventing and treating osteoporosis.

Use of Baicalin-Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles for Apoptotic Induction of Breast Cancer Cells

Baicalin (BC) has been used for cancer therapy due to its multiple effects as an anti-cancer drug. However, the effective delivery of this molecule to targeted cells is difficult. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with thiolated beta cyclodextrin (AuNP-S-β-CD) were used as a delivery vector in this study. Cell viability tests were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK) and live/dead cell assay. To demonstrate the proliferation inhibition effect on Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cells by BC, we analyzed using Hoechst 33342 staining assay and gel electrophoresis. The S-β-CD conjugated AuNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. AuNP-S-β-CD with approximately 40 μM of BC loaded by inclusion complex showed an inhibition effect on MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis. Apoptosis test results were evaluated by analyzing the expression of typical apoptic markers such as cleaved caspase-3, full length caspase-3, and apaf-1 in western blot assay. These results demonstrated that AuNP-S-β-CD-BC inhibited the proliferation of cancerous MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis. These findings suggested that AuNP-S-β-CD-BC could be a promising agent for chemotherapeutic usage.

The use of heparin chemistry to improve dental osteogenesis associated with implants

In this study, we designed a hybrid Ti by heparin modifying the Ti surface followed by Growth/differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5) loading. After that, products were characterized by physicochemical analysis. Quantitative analysis of functionalized groups was also confirmed. The release behavior of GDF-5 grafted samples was confirmed for up to 21days. The surface modification process was found to be successful and to effectively immobilize GDF-5 and provide for its sustained release behavior. As an in vitro test, GDF-5 loaded Ti showed significantly enhanced osteogenic differentiation with increased calcium deposition under nontoxic conditions against periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSc). Furthermore, an in vivo result showed that GDF-5 loaded Ti had a significant influence on new bone formation in a rabbit model. These results clearly confirmed that our strategy may suggest a useful paradigm by inducing osseo-integration as a means to remodeling and healing of bone defects for restorative procedures in dentistry.

Flexible and Highly Biocompatible Nanofiber-Based Electrodes for Neural Surface Interfacing

Polyimide (PI)-based electrodes have been widely used as flexible biosensors in implantable device applications for recording biological signals. However, the long-term quality of neural signals obtained from PI-based nerve electrodes tends to decrease due to nerve damage by neural tissue compression, mechanical mismatch, and insufficient fluid exchange between the neural tissue and electrodes. Here, we resolve these problems with a developed PI nanofiber (NF)-based nerve electrode for stable neural signal recording, which can be fabricated via electrospinning and inkjet printing. We demonstrate an NF-based nerve electrode that can be simply fabricated and easily applied due to its high permeability, flexibility, and biocompatibility. Furthermore, the electrode can record stable neural signals for extended periods of time, resulting in decreased mechanical mismatch, neural compression, and contact area. NF-based electrodes with highly flexible and body-fluid-permeable properties could enable future neural interfacing applications.

Preparation of mechanically enhanced hydrogel scaffolds by incorporating interfacial polymer nanorods for nerve electrode application

Hydrogel-based integral nerve electrodes have been studied as an effective implant strategy for recovery after a spinal cord injury (SCI). However, a weak physical connection between the hydrogel and nerve electrode can lead to implant failure. In this study, we introduce poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) nanorods (PLANRs) as a new approach to improve the physical property, i.e. stability of agarose hydrogel-based integrated neuro-electrodes. The hydrogels were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), rheometry, and tensile test machine. Thus, the hydrogels containing PLANRs displayed high mechanical properties. These interesting findings suggest that PLANRs enhance the mechanical properties of integral nerve electrode hydrogels making them useful materials in neural tissue engineering.