Natalia Barkalina

Nanotechnology in reproductive medicine: Emerging applications of nanomaterials

UNLABELLED In the last decade, nanotechnology has been extensively introduced for biomedical applications, including bio-detection, drug delivery and diagnostic imaging, particularly in the field of cancer diagnostics and treatment. However, there is a growing trend towards the expansion of nanobiotechnological tools in a number of non-cancer applications. In this review, we discuss the emerging uses of nanotechnology in reproductive medicine and reproductive biology. For the first time, we summarise the available evidence regarding the use of nanomaterials as experimental tools for the detection and treatment of malignant and benign reproductive conditions. We also present an overview of potential applications for nanomaterials in reproductive biology, discuss the benefits and concerns associated with their use in a highly delicate system of reproductive tissues and gametes, and address the feasibility of this innovative and potentially controversial approach in the clinical setting and for investigative research into the mechanisms underlying reproductive diseases. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR This unique review paper focuses on the emerging use of nanotechnology in reproductive medicine and reproductive biology, highlighting the role of nanomaterials in the detection and treatment of various reproductive conditions, keeping in mind the benefits and potential concerns associated with nanomaterial use in the delicate system of reproductive tissue and gametes.

Effects of mesoporous silica nanoparticles upon the function of mammalian sperm in vitro

UNLABELLED Nanomaterial-mediated delivery represents a promising technique for reproductive biology with a potential to improve the safety and efficacy of existing methodologies, including experimental gene therapy and sperm-mediated gene transfer. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) have been characterised as a powerful and safe delivery tool, rendering them an excellent candidate for use in reproductive research. However, their effects upon mammalian gametes with highly specialised structure and functionality remain untested. Here, we show for the first time, that spherical MSNPs with hexagonal pore symmetry, functionalised with polyethileneimine and aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and optionally loaded with two common types of cargo (nucleic acid/protein), form strong associations with boar sperm following incubation in vitro and do not exert negative effect upon the main parameters of sperm function, including motility, viability, acrosomal status and DNA fragmentation index. Our findings provide a rationale for the use of MSNPs for the transfer of investigative, diagnostic and/or therapeutic compounds into mammalian sperm. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR Functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) are demonstrated as efficient agents for the transfer of investigative, diagnostic, and/or therapeutic compounds into mammalian sperm. This promising technique has the potential to improve the safety and efficacy of existing methodologies, including experimental gene therapy and sperm-mediated gene transfer.

Functionalization of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a cell-penetrating peptide to target mammalian sperm in vitro

AIM This study aimed to investigate the effects of actively targeting mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) toward mammalian sperm with a cell-penetrating peptide (C105Y), with subsequent analysis of binding rates and nano-safety profiles. MATERIALS & METHODS Boar sperm were exposed in vitro to C105Y-functionalized MSNPs or free C105Y, in a series of increasing doses for up to 2 h, followed by the evaluation of sperm motility, kinematic parameters, acrosome morphology, MSNP-sperm binding and cell fluorescence levels. RESULTS C105Y-functionalized MSNPs preserved their biocompatibility with sperm, and exhibited an approximately fourfold increase in affinity toward gametes, compared with unmodified MSNPs, during the early stages of incubation. CONCLUSION Our findings support the application of MSNPs and active targeting to sperm as valuable tools for reproductive biology.

Nanomedicine and mammalian sperm: Lessons from the porcine model

Biomedical nanotechnology allows us to engineer versatile nanosized platforms that are comparable in size to biological molecules and intracellular organelles. These platforms can be loaded with large amounts of biological cargo, administered systemically and act at a distance, target specific cell populations, undergo intracellular internalization via endogenous uptake mechanisms, and act as contrast agents or release cargo for therapeutic purposes. Over recent years, nanomaterials have been increasingly viewed as favorable candidates for intragamete delivery. Particularly in the case of sperm, nanomaterial-based approaches have been shown to improve the efficacy of existing techniques such as sperm-mediated gene transfer, loading sperm with exogenous proteins, and tagging sperm for subsequent sex- or function-based sorting. In this short review, we provide an outline of the current state of nanotechnology for biomedical applications in reproductive biology and present highlights from a series of our studies evaluating the use of specialized silica nanoparticles in boar sperm as a potential delivery vehicle into mammalian gametes. The encouraging data obtained already from the porcine model in our laboratory have formed the basis for ethical approval of similar experiments in human sperm, thereby bringing us a step closer toward the potential use of this novel technology in the clinical environment.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles: a potential targeted delivery vector for reproductive biology?

Over the last decade, biomedical nanotechnology has revolutionized existing approaches for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of medical conditions, including cancer, microbial and viral infections, and chronic internal diseases. This innovative approach has also given rise to a number of sensitive tools to investigate the specific mechanisms underlying these conditions. Accumulation of evidence for the improved performance of nanomaterial-based techniques over conventional research and therapeutic approaches will inevitably promote the rapid dissemination of nanobiotechnological ‘vision’ to a growing number of research and clinical disciplines, including reproductive biology, which has until recently received only scant attention.

Highlights from the latest articles in nanomedicine for reproductive oncology

7(3), 1127–1135 (2015).Paclitaxel is a well-characterized potent anti-mitotic drug applied for the treatment of malignancies, including ovarian and breast cancer, which are among the most com-mon types of reproductive malignancies in women. Paclitaxel acts via the binding with β-tubulin, resulting in the stabilization of microtubules, which, due to an increased life, become suitable for subsequent detyrosina-tion at the α -tubulin loci by a specific enzyme carboxypeptidase A

Development of a laser-activated mesoporous silica nanocarrier delivery system for applications in molecular and genetic research

Abstract. Nanoparticles have revolutionized medical research over the last decade. One notable emerging area of nanomedicine is research developments in the reproductive sciences. Since increasing evidence indicates links between abnormal gene expression and previously unexplained states of infertility, there is a strong impetus to develop tools, such as nanoparticle platforms, to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying such states. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) represent a powerful and safe delivery tool for molecular and genetic investigations. Nevertheless, ongoing progress is restricted by low efficiency and unpredictable control of cargo delivery. Here, we describe for the first time, the development of a laser-activated MSNP system with heat-responsive cargo. Data derived from human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) indicate that when driven by a heat-shock promoter, MSNP cargo exhibits a significantly increased expression following infrared laser stimulus to stimulate a heat-shock response, without adverse cytotoxic effects. This delivery platform, with increased efficiency and the ability to impart spatial and temporal control, is highly useful for molecular and genetic investigations. We envision that this straightforward stimuli-responsive system could play a significant role in developing efficient nanodevices for research applications, for example in reproductive medicine.