Nucleic acid delivery by ionizable nanocarriers for brain disease treatment

Abstract The successful application of messenger RNA vaccines in the market has demonstrated the potential of gene therapy in treating various diseases, including infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, brain diseases, and other cancers. However, gene therapy faces great challenges in treating brain diseases such as brain tumors, infections, and strokes because the limitations of the blood‐brain barrier make it difficult for nucleic acid drugs to be delivered safely and effectively into the brain. Therefore, there is a high demand for carriers delivering nucleic acid drugs to the brain. Ionizable nanocarriers (INs) have great advantages in gene therapy due to their pH‐responsive properties, which facilitate the safe and efficient delivery of targets, responsive release in the disease microenvironment, and the protection of nucleic acids from degradation. To better understand INs and their potential as therapeutic vectors for brain diseases, the present review describes their biological properties, recent progress in the field, and promising applications. In particular, the related prospects and challenges are discussed to promote the further development of INs

Pharmacokinetic performance of the nitrendipine intravenous submicron emulsion in rats

AbstractTo compare pharmacokinetic behaviors of nitrendipine submicron emulsion with nitrendipine solution following intravenous administration in rats. The plasma concentrations were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry detection (UPLC–MS/MS) through a new validated method. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the nitrendipine submicron emulsion and nitrendipine solution were as follows: AUC0–t 900.76 ± 186.59 versus 687.08 ± 66.24 ng h/ml, Cmax 854.54 ± 159.48 versus 610.59 ± 235.99 ng/ml, t1/2 2.37 ± 1.99 versus 2.80 ± 2.69 h. The relative bioavailability of nitrendipine submicron emulsion to nitrendipine solution was 131.4 ± 11.3%. The developed methods could meet the requirements of bioanalysis. Compared to the solution injection, intravenous submicron emulsion presents higher systematic exposure which can help to improve the therapeutic efficacy

Increased dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of hydrophobic drug glyburide tablets produced using supercritical CO2 silica dispersion technology

The aim of this study was to design a silica-supported solid dispersion of a water-insoluble drug, glyburide, to increase its dissolution rate and oral absorption using supercritical fluid (SCF) technology. DSC and PXRD results indicated that the encapsulated drug in the optimal solid dispersion was in an amorphous state and the product was stable for 6 months. Glyburide was adsorbed onto the porous silica, as confirmed by the SEM images and BET analysis. Furthermore, FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed that there was no change in the chemical structure of glyburide after the application of SCF. The glyburide silica-based dispersion could also be compressed into tablet form. In vitro drug release analysis of the silica solid dispersion tablets demonstrated faster release of glyburide compared with the commercial micronized tablet. In an in vivo test, the AUC of the tablets composed of the new glyburide silica-based solid dispersion was 2.01 times greater than that of the commercial micronized glyburide tablets. In conclusion, SCF technology presents a promising approach to prepare silica-based solid dispersions of hydrophobic drugs because of its ability to increase their release and oral bioavailability

Safe Scale-Up of a NBS-Involved Bromination Reaction: Thermal Safety Analysis Contributes to Process Optimization

A hazardous side reaction between N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF) was identified during the thermal safety analysis towards a bromination process. The thermal behaviors of the side reaction was investigated by Calvet calorimeter C80 in a membrane mixing cell. A delay to initiate the reaction was observed, and it was owing to a preferred free-radical mechanism that the reaction could follow. The Advanced Kinetics and Technology Solutions (AKTS) software was used to study the thermo-kinetics of the side reaction, and its reaction progress under the proposed process temperature was predicted. The influence of NBS concentration on the side reaction was studied by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). It was proved that the maximum reaction heat could be lowered by limiting the accumulation of NBS in the reaction mixture. Besides, the heat flow of the process desired reaction was simulated by reaction calorimeter (RC1), indicating the bromination could be controlled under a semi-batch mode with appropriate feeding program of NBS. On the basis of the investigation, two batches bromination process with 106 kg starting material were safely scaled up in pilot plant with expected yield

Antennal transcriptome sequencing and identification of candidate chemoreceptor proteins from an invasive pest, the American palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum

For decades, the American palm weevil (APW), Rhynchophorus palmarum, has been a threat to coconut and oil palm production in the Americas. It has recently spread towards North America, endangering ornamental palms, and the expanding date palm production. Its behavior presents several parallelisms with a closely related species, R. ferrugineus, the red palm weevil (RPW), which is the biggest threat to palms in Asia and Europe. For both species, semiochemicals have been used for management. However, their control is far from complete. We generated an adult antennal transcriptome from APW and annotated chemosensory related gene families to obtain a better understanding of these species' olfaction mechanism. We identified unigenes encoding 37 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), ten chemosensory proteins (CSPs), four sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), seven gustatory receptors (GRs), 63 odorant receptors (ORs), and 28 ionotropic receptors (IRs). Noticeably, we find out the R. ferrugineus pheromone-binding protein and pheromone receptor orthologs from R. palmarum. Candidate genes identified and annotated in this study allow us to compare these palm weevils' chemosensory gene sets. Most importantly, this study provides the foundation for functional studies that could materialize as novel pest management strategies

Research progress of self-assembled nanogel and hybrid hydrogel systems based on pullulan derivatives

<p>Polymer nano-sized hydrogels (nanogels) as drug delivery carriers have been investigated over the last few decades. Pullulan, a nontoxic and nonimmunogenic hydrophilic polysaccharide derived from fermentation of black yeast like Aureobasidium pullulans with great biocompatibility and biodegradability, is one of the most attractive carriers for drug delivery systems. In this review, we describe the preparation, characterization, and ‘switch-on/off’ mechanism of typical pullulan self-assembled nanogels (self-nanogels), and then introduce the development of hybrid hydrogels that are numerous resources applied for regenerative medicine. A major section is used for biomedical applications of different nanogel systems based on modified pullulan, which exert smart stimuli-responses at ambient conditions such as charge, pH, temperature, light, and redox. Pullulan self-nanogels have found increasingly extensive application in protein delivery, tissue engineering, vaccine development, cancer therapy, and biological imaging. Functional groups are incorporated into self-nanogels and contribute to expressing desirable results such as targeting and modified release. Various molecules, especially insoluble or unstable drugs and encapsulated proteins, present improved solubility and bioavailability as well as reduced side effects when incorporated into self-nanogels. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of pullulan self-nanogels will be analyzed accordingly, and the development of pullulan nanogel systems will be reviewed.</p

Combination treatment with FAAH inhibitors/URB597 and ferroptosis inducers significantly decreases the growth and metastasis of renal cell carcinoma cells via the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway

Abstract Ferroptosis, a nonapoptotic form of programmed cell death characterized by significant iron-dependent peroxidation of phospholipids, is regulated by cellular metabolism, redox homeostasis, and various cancer-related signaling pathways. Recently, considerable progress has been made in demonstrating the critical role of lipid metabolism in regulating ferroptosis, indicating the potential of combinational strategies for treating cancer in the future. In this study, we explored the combinational effects of lipid metabolism compounds and ferroptosis inducers on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells. We found potent synergy of the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597 with ferroptosis inducer (1S, 3R)-RSL3 (RSL3) in inhibiting the growth and metastasis of RCC cells both in vitro and in vivo via induction of G1 cell cycle arrest and promotion of the production of lipid peroxides, malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), and cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, inhibition of FAAH increased the sensitivity of RCC cells to ferroptosis. Genome-wide RNA sequencing indicated that the combination of URB597 and RSL3 has more significant effects on regulation of the expression of genes related to cell proliferation, the cell cycle, cell migration and invasion, and ferroptosis than either single agent alone. Moreover, we found that combinational treatment modulated the sensitivity of RCC cells to ferroptosis via the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)-AKT signaling pathway. These data demonstrate that dual targeting of FAAH and ferroptosis could be a promising strategy for treating RCC