Design of Cationic Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as Efficient siRNA Vectors for Lung Cancer Xenograft Eradication

Polo-Like Kinase (PLK1) has been identified as a potential target in cancer gene therapy via chemical or genetic inhibitory approaches. The biomedical applications of chemically functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) in cancer therapy have been studied due to their ability to efficiently deliver siRNA intracellularly. In this study, we established the capacity of cationic MWNT-NH3+ to deliver the apoptotic siRNA against PLK1 (siPLK1) in Calu6 tumor xenografts by direct intratumoural injections. A direct comparison with cationic liposomes was made. This study validates the PLK1 gene as a potential target in cancer gene therapy including lung cancer, as demonstrated by the therapeutic efficacy of siPLK1:MWNT-NH3+ complexes and their ability to significantly improve animal survival. Biological analysis of the siPLK1:MWNT-NH3+ treated tumors by RT-PCR and Western blot, in addition to TUNEL staining confirmed the biological functionality of the siRNA intratumourally, suggesting that tumor eradication was due to PLK1 knockdown. Furthermore, by using a fluorescently labelled, non-coding siRNA sequence complexed with MWNT-NH3+, we established for the first time that the improved therapeutic efficacy observed in f-CNT-based siRNA delivery is directly proportional to the enhanced siRNA retention in the solid tumor and subsequent uptake by tumor cells after local administration in vivo

Carbon nanotubes allow capture of krypton, barium and lead for multichannel biological X-ray fluorescence imaging

The desire to study biology in situ has been aided by many imaging techniques. Among these, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping permits observation of elemental distributions in a multichannel manner. However, XRF imaging is underused, in part, because of the difficulty in interpreting maps without an underlying cellular ‘blueprint’; this could be supplied using contrast agents. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be filled with a wide range of inorganic materials, and thus can be used as ‘contrast agents’ if biologically absent elements are encapsulated. Here we show that sealed single-walled CNTs filled with lead, barium and even krypton can be produced, and externally decorated with peptides to provide affinity for sub-cellular targets. The agents are able to highlight specific organelles in multiplexed XRF mapping, and are, in principle, a general and versatile tool for this, and other modes of biological imaging

Trasformazioni territoriali ed evoluzione delle strutture agrarie in Friuli

Analisi delle trasformazioni delle strutture agrarie intervenute nel distretto industriale friulano "della sedia" e nella frangia urbano-rurale udinese. Ad A. BIANCHETTI spetta il saggio "Paesaggio agrario e modello di sviluppo del Triangolo della sedia", pp. 7-37

Drinking water(s) in Italy: Bottled, tap or kiosk water?

The paper focuses on the different supply and consumption modalities of drinking water in Italy, with particular regard to bottled water and to the new tendency of piped water supply offered by the so-called water kiosk

Bottled Water vs. Piped Water: the Case of Italy, in Community Scale Water Management Patterns in Transylvania

L'articolo prende in esame i consumi di acqua potabile distribuita dalle reti acquedottistiche in rapporto a quelli dell'acqua in bottiglia, nel contesto delle differenze a scala regionale in Italia

Bottled water vs. piped water: the case of Italy

L'articolo prende in esame i consumi di acqua potabile distribuita dalle reti acquedottistiche in rapporto a quelli dell'acqua in bottiglia, nel contesto delle differenze a scala regionale in Italia

Il turismo nella \u201cnuova\u201d Romania fra fatti e rappresentazioni

Lo studio prende in esame il settore turistico rumeno, in particolare a partire dagli inizi degli anni \u201990, durante il periodo di transizione avviato con la caduta del regime personalistico di Nicolae Ceausescu. Si considerano soprattutto gli aspetti strutturali dell\u2019offerta turistica e i valori quantitativi della domanda, interna e internazionale, articolando l\u2019indagine per tipologia di destinazione. The study examines the Romanian tourism sector, in particular since the early 90s, during the transition period started with the collapse of personalist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. We consider particularly the structural aspects of tourism and the quantitative values of demand, domestic and international, articulating the survey by type of destination