Cellular Screening Methods for the Study of Nanoparticle- Induced Lysosomal Damage

Nanoparticles (NPs) are included in many products of daily life and present in the environment. Due to the potential of NPs to improve quality and stability of consumer and health and medical products, it is expected that the exposure of humans to engineered NPs will rather increase than decrease in the future. Although NPs did not act acutely cytotoxic on these concentrations, they may cause adverse effects upon chronic exposure. Cytotoxicity testing in long-term cultures and analysis of organelle function could identify such effects. Cells take up NPs mainly via active mechanisms, and these routes deliver their payload predominantly to lysosomes. Acute exposure of cells to NPs can have adverse effects on lysosome morphology and function, but lysosomes are also potential targets for accumulation. The chapter explains the role of lysosomes and describes techniques for labeling and assessment of their function. Examples for co-localization studies and vital dye staining are shown. A variety of techniques are available to characterize effects of NPs on lysosomes, but care has to be taken in the choice of the proper technique because NPs may interfere with the detection

Thyroid Autoimmunity: Role of Anti-thyroid Antibodies in Thyroid and Extra-Thyroidal Diseases

Autoimmune diseases have a high prevalence in the population, and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is one of the most common representatives. Thyroid autoantibodies are not only frequently detected in patients with AITD but also in subjects without manifest thyroid dysfunction. The high prevalence raises questions regarding a potential role in extra-thyroidal diseases. This review summarizes the etiology and mechanism of AITD and addresses prevalence of antibodies against thyroid peroxidase, thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR), and anti-thyroglobulin and their action outside the thyroid. The main issues limiting the reliability of the conclusions drawn here include problems with different specificities and sensitivities of the antibody detection assays employed, as well as potential confounding effects of altered thyroid hormone levels, and lack of prospective studies. In addition to the well-known effects of TSHR antibodies on fibroblasts in Graves’ disease (GD), studies speculate on a role of anti-thyroid antibodies in cancer. All antibodies may have a tumor-promoting role in breast cancer carcinogenesis despite anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies having a positive prognostic effect in patients with overt disease. Cross-reactivity with lactoperoxidase leading to induction of chronic inflammation might promote breast cancer, while anti-thyroid antibodies in manifest breast cancer might be an indication for a more active immune system. A better general health condition in older women with anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies might support this hypothesis. The different actions of the anti-thyroid antibodies correspond to differences in cellular location of the antigens, titers of the circulating antibodies, duration of antibody exposure, and immunological mechanisms in GD and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

In Vitro Assessment of Chronic Nanoparticle Effects on Respiratory Cells

Nanoparticles (NPs) are included in a variety of consumer products including cosmetics, food, and food packaging. They are also used in medical products for dermal and oral application and for inhalation. The thinness of the air–blood barrier, the large absorption area of the lung, and the relatively low inactivation by enzymes provide fast entry to the systemic blood circulation at high drug concentrations. In addition to intended uptake, exposure to airborne particles from the environment and to NPs released during the manufacturing process may occur. Cytotoxicity is routinely studied for 4–48 h of exposure, but NPs may accumulate in cells and can cause cellular effects after longer times. Both extent and consequences of cellular NP accumulation are currently largely unknown

Rod Outer Segment Renewal in the Retinae of Deep-sea Fish

AbstractOuter segment renewal involves the synthesis of disc material in the photoreceptor inner segments, the shedding of the tips of the photoreceptor outer segments, and their phagocytosis by the retinal pigment epithelial cells. It has been suggested that in the retinae of deep-sea fish no renewal of outer segments may take place. In order to assess outer segment renewal in deep-sea fish retinae we counted (i) periciliary vesicles in rod inner segments as a parameter for disc-synthesis activity and (ii) phagosomes in retinal pigment epithelial cells as a parameter of shedding and phagocytosis in 12 species of deep-sea fish with multibank or single bank retinae. We also measured the lengths of rod outer segments in order to evaluate the balance between synthesis and phagocytotic activity. In four of these species (Synaphobranchus kaupi, Nematonurus armatus, Coryphaenoides guentheri and Halosauropsis macrochir) we further recorded size-related changes of these parameters and their relation to the position of a given rod within the banks in the retina. The number of periciliary vesicles was highest in inner segments of the most vitread bank and in the periphery of the retina. Phagosomes were most abundant in retinal pigment epithelial cells of the central retina. Long rod outer segments were most frequently recorded in the peripheral retina indicating that in this region new synthesis may outbalance shedding. Vitread rod outer segments were only slightly longer than sclerad ones. Larger animals had shorter rod outer segments than small ones. We present evidence that rod outer segment renewal takes place in the retina of all deep-sea fish. Vitread rods may be more active in this respect than sclerad ones. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd

Chemical coupling of thiolated chitosan to preformed liposomes improves mucoadhesive properties

Kerstin Gradauer,1 Caroline Vonach,1 Gerd Leitinger,2,3 Dagmar Kolb,2,3 Eleonore Fröhlich,3 Eva Roblegg,4 Andreas Bernkop-Schnürch,5 Ruth Prassl1,61Institute of Biophysics and Nanosystems Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria; 2Institute of Cell Biology, Histology, and Embryology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 3Center for Medical Research, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 4Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences/Pharmaceutical Technology, Karl-Franzens University, Graz, Austria; 5Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; 6Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research, Graz, AustriaAim: To develop mucoadhesive liposomes by anchoring the polymer chitosan-thioglycolic acid (chitosan-TGA) to the liposomal surface to target intestinal mucosal membranes.Methods: Liposomes consisting of phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and a maleimide-functionalized lipid were incubated with chitosan-TGA, leading to the formation of a thioether bond between free SH-groups of the polymer and maleimide groups of the liposome. Uncoated and newly generated thiomer-coated liposomes were characterized according to their size, zeta potential, and morphology using photon correlation spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The release behavior of calcitonin and the fluorophore/quencher-couple ANTS/DPX (8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid/p-xylene-bis- pyridinium bromide) from coated and uncoated liposomes, was investigated over 24 hours in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. To test the mucoadhesive properties of thiomer-coated and uncoated liposomes in-vitro, we used freshly excised porcine small intestine.Results: Liposomes showed a concentration-dependent increase in size – from approximately 167 nm for uncoated liposomes to 439 nm for the highest thiomer concentration used in this study. Likewise, their zeta potentials gradually increased from about –38 mV to +20 mV, clearly indicating an effective coupling of chitosan-TGA to the surface of liposomes. As a result of mucoadhesion tests, we found an almost two-fold increase in the mucoadhesion of coupled liposomes relative to uncoupled ones. With fluorescence microscopy, we saw a tight adherence of coated particles to the intestinal mucus.Conclusion: Taken together, our current results indicate that thiomer-coated liposomes possess a high potential to be used as an oral drug-delivery system.Keywords: thiomer, liposome, mucoadhesion, chitosan-thioglycolic acid, oral drug deliver