Zi-Liang Fan

Thermo-sensitive hydrogels combined with decellularised matrix deliver bFGF for the functional recovery of rats after a spinal cord injury

Because of the short half-life, either systemic or local administration of bFGF shows significant drawbacks to spinal injury. In this study, an acellular spinal cord scaffold (ASC) was encapsulated in a thermo-sensitive hydrogel to overcome these limitations. The ASC was firstly prepared from the spinal cord of healthy rats and characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and immunohistochemical staining. bFGF could specifically complex with the ASC scaffold via electrostatic or receptor-mediated interactions. The bFGF-ASC complex was further encapsulated into a heparin modified poloxamer (HP) solution to prepare atemperature-sensitive hydrogel (bFGF-ASC-HP). bFGF release from the ASC-HP hydrogel was more slower than that from the bFGF-ASC complex alone. An in vitro cell survival study showed that the bFGF-ASC-HP hydrogel could more effectively promote the proliferation of PC12 cells than a bFGF solution, with an approximate 50% increase in the cell survival rate within 24 h (P < 0.05). Compared with the bFGF solution, bFGF-ASC-HP hydrogel displayed enhanced inhibition of glial scars and obviously improved the functional recovery of the SCI model rat through regeneration of nerve axons and the differentiation of the neural stem cells. In summary, an ASC-HP hydrogel might be a promising carrier to deliver bFGF to an injured spinal cord.

Skin-penetrating polymeric nanoparticles incorporated in silk fibroin hydrogel for topical delivery of curcumin to improve its therapeutic effect on psoriasis mouse model

A poor percutaneous penetration capability for most topical anti-inflammatory drugs is one of the main causes compromising their therapeutic effects on psoriatic skin. Even though curcumin has shown a remarkable efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis, its effective penetration through the stratum corneum is still a major challenge during transdermal delivery. The aim of our study was to design skin-permeating nanoparticles (NPs) to facilitate delivery of curcumin to the deeper layers of the skin. A novel amphiphilic polymer, RRR-α-tocopheryl succinate-grafted-ε-polylysine conjugate (VES-g-ε-PLL) was synthesized and self-assembled into polymeric nanoparticles. The nanoparticles of VES-g-ε-PLL exhibiting an ultra-small hydrodynamic diameter (24.4nm) and a positive Zeta potential (19.6mV) provided a strong skin-penetrating ability in vivo. Moreover, curcumin could effectively be encapsulated in the polymeric nanoparticles with a drug loading capacity of 3.49% and an encapsulating efficiency of 78.45%. In order to prolong the retention time of the ultra-small curcumin-loaded nanoparticles (CUR-NPs) in the skin, silk fibroin was used as a hydrogel-based matrix to further facilitate topical delivery of the model drug. In vitro studies showed that CUR-NPs incorporated in silk fibroin hydrogel (CUR-NPs-gel) exhibited a slower release profile of curcumin than the plain CUR-gel, without compromising the skin penetration ability of CUR-NPs. In vivo studies on miquimod-induced psoriatic mice showed that CUR-NPs-gel exhibited a higher therapeutic effect than CUR-NPs as the former demonstrated a more powerful skin-permeating capability and a more effective anti-keratinization process. CUR-NPs-gel was therefore able to inhibit the expression of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, NF-κB and IL-6) to a greater extent. In conclusion, the permeable nanoparticle-gel system may be a potential carrier for the topical delivery of lipophilic anti-psoriatic drugs.

Prevent diabetic cardiomyopathy in diabetic rats by combined therapy of aFGF-loaded nanoparticles and ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction technique

Acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) has shown the great potential to prevent the structural and functional injuries caused by diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). The present study sought to investigate the preclinical performance and mechanism of the combination therapy of aFGF-nanoparticles (aFGF-NP) and ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) technique for DCM prevention. From Mason staining and TUNEL staining, aFGF-NP+UTMD group showed significant differences from the diabetes group and other groups treated with aFGF or aFGF-NP. The cardiac collagen volume fraction (CVF) and cardiac myocyte apoptosis index in aFGF-NP+UTMD group reduced to 4.15% and 2.31% respectively, compared with those in the diabetes group (20.5% and 11.3% respectively). Myocardial microvascular density (MCD) in aFGF-NP+UTMD group was up to 35n/hpf, much higher than that in the diabetes group (14n/hpf). The diabetes group showed similar results (MCD, CVF and cardiac myocyte apoptosis index) to other aFGF treatment groups (free aFGF±UTMD or aFGF-NP). Indexes from transthoracic echocardiography and hemodynamic evaluation also proved the same conclusion. These results confirmed that the abnormalities including diastolic dysfunctions, myocardial fibrosis and metabolic could be suppressed by the different extents of twice weekly aFGF treatments for 12 consecutive weeks (free aFGF or aFGF-NP±UTMD), with the strongest improvements observed in the aFGF-NP+UTMD group. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of heart tissue samples further revealed the high efficiency of heart-targeted delivery and effective cardioprotection with this combination approach. Overall, this study has generated supportive data that are critical for the translation of a promising DCM prevention strategy.

Enhanced neuroprotection with decellularized brain extracellular matrix containing bFGF after intracerebral transplantation in Parkinson’s disease rat model

Extracellular matrix-based biomaterials have many advantages over synthetic polymer materials for regenerative medicine applications. In central nervous system (CNS), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is widely studied as a potential agent for Parkinsons disease (PD). However, the poor stability of bFGF hampered its clinical use. In this study, CNS-derived biologic scaffold containing bFGF was used to enhance and extend the neuroprotective effect of bFGF on PD targeted therapy. Decellularized brain extracellular matrix (dcBECM) was prepared by chemical extraction. The biocompatibility of dcBECM was evaluated using CCK-8 assay and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The controlled-release behavior of dcBECM containing bFGF (bFGF+dcBECM) was confirmed by ELISA assay. Furthermore, the cytocompatibility and neuroprotective effect of bFGF+dcBECM was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. From results, dcBECM showed a three-dimensional network structure with high biocompatibility. MRI of dcBECM implanted rats showed nearly seamless fusion of dcBECM with the adjoining tissues. The cumulative release rate of bFGF+dcBECM in vitro reached to 75.88% at 10h and maintained sustained release trend during the observation. ELISA results in vivo further confirmed the sustained-release behavior (from 12h to 3d) of bFGF+dcBECM in brain tissues. Among the experimental groups, bFGF+dcBECM group showed the highest cell survival rate of PD model cells, improved behavioral recovery and positive expressions of neurotrophic proteins in PD recovered rats. In conclusion, sustained neuroprotection in PD rats was achieved by using bFGF+dcBECM. The combination of dcBECM and bFGF would be a promising therapeutic strategy to realize an effective and safe alternative for CNS disease treatment.

Therapeutic supermolecular micelles of vitamin E succinate-grafted ε-polylysine as potential carriers for curcumin: Enhancing tumour penetration and improving therapeutic effect on glioma

Severe toxicity and poor tumour penetration are two intrinsic limited factors to hinder the broad clinical application for most of first-line chemotherapeutics. In this study, a novel vitamin E succinate-grafted ε-polylysine (VES-g-PLL) polymer was synthesized by using ε-polylysine as backbone. By adjusting VES graft ratio, VES-g-PLL (50) with a theoretic VES graft ratio of 50% could self-assemble into a supermolecular micelle with a hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) of ca.20nm, and Zeta potential of 19.6mV. VES-g-PLL micelles themselves displayed a strong anti-tumour effect on glioma. The poorly water-soluble curcumin was effectively encapsulated in VES-g-PLL micelles with the drug loading amount and entrapment efficiency reaching 4.32% and 82.27%, respectively. In a physiologic medium, curcumin-loaded VES-g-PLL micelles (Cur-Micelles) not only remained stable without obvious drug leakage but also sustained the release of its encapsulated curcumin for a long time. Because of the ultra-small size and positively-charged surface, Cur-Micelles penetrated the deeper tumour zone than free curcumin, resulting in a significant inhibition of tumour spheroids growth. Moreover, in vivo strong antitumor effect of Cur-Micelles was also exhibited at assistance of ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction and the real-time MRI imaging demonstrated a nearly complete suppression of glioma after 28days of treatment. TUNEL staining showed that the therapeutic mechanism of Cur-Micelles was relevant to the apoptosis of tumour cells. Finally, in vivo nontoxicity of Cur-Micelles against normal organs including heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney tissues was also demonstrated by the HE staining. In conclusion, VES-g-PLL micelles may serve as a potential carrier for curcumin to enhance tumour penetration and improve therapeutic effect on glioma.

Ratiometric delivery of two therapeutic candidates with inherently dissimilar physicochemical property through pH-sensitive core–shell nanoparticles targeting the heterogeneous tumor cells of glioma

Abstract Currently, combination drug therapy is one of the most effective approaches to glioma treatment. However, due to the inherent dissimilar pharmacokinetics of individual drugs and blood brain barriers, it was difficult for the concomitant drugs to simultaneously be delivered to glioma in an optimal dose ratio manner. Herein, a cationic micellar core (Cur-M) was first prepared from d-α-tocopherol-grafted-ε-polylysine polymer to encapsulate the hydrophobic curcumin, followed by dopamine-modified-poly-γ-glutamic acid polymer further deposited on its surface as a anion shell through pH-sensitive linkage to encapsulate the hydrophilic doxorubicin (DOX) hydrochloride. By controlling the combinational Cur/DOX molar ratio at 3:1, a pH-sensitive core–shell nanoparticle (PDCP-NP) was constructed to simultaneously target the cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the differentiated tumor cells. PDCP-NP exhibited a dynamic diameter of 160.8 nm and a zeta-potential of –30.5 mV, while its core–shell structure was further confirmed by XPS and TEM. The ratiometric delivery capability of PDCP-NP was confirmed by in vitro and in vivo studies, in comparison with the cocktail Cur/DOX solution. Meanwhile, the percentage of CSCs in tumors was significantly decreased from 4.16% to 0.95% after treatment with PDCP-NP. Overall, PDCP-NP may be a promising carrier for the combination therapy with drug candidates having dissimilar physicochemical properties.

Enhanced cellular uptake of iron oxide nanoparticles modified with 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

It is important for nanoparticles to enter cells to implement their biological applications. We synthesized and characterized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) (PEG/PEI-SPIONs), and further with 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) (DMPC-SPIONs) to improve their intracellular uptake. The nanoparticles internalized into PC-12 cells were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and quantified by inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). There was a much greater uptake of DMPC-SPIONs than PEG/PEI-SPIONs into PC-12 cells and remarkable amounts of accumulated nanoparticles were found in the lysosome, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, vesicles, and around the nucleus, and some nanoparticles remained on the cell membrane. This can be attributed to the similarity between the chemical structures of DMPC and membrane phospholipids which result in the fusion of DMPC and cell membranes. Our results encourage further research on DMPC-SPIONs as drug carriers, transfection agents, MRI contrast agents for cells and hyperthermia agents.