Lymphatic network drainage resolves cerebral edema and facilitates recovery from experimental cerebral malaria.

While brain swelling, associated with fluid accumulation, is a known feature of pediatric cerebral malaria (CM), how fluid and macromolecules are drained from the brain during recovery from CM is unknown. Using the experimental CM (ECM) model, we show that fluid accumulation in the brain during CM is driven by vasogenic edema and not by perivascular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) influx. We identify that fluid and molecules are removed from the brain extremely quickly in mice with ECM to the deep cervical lymph nodes (dcLNs), predominantly through basal routes and across the cribriform plate and the nasal lymphatics. In agreement, we demonstrate that ligation of the afferent lymphatic vessels draining to the dcLNs significantly impairs fluid drainage from the brain and lowers anti-malarial drug recovery from the ECM syndrome. Collectively, our results provide insight into the pathways that coordinate recovery from CM

Radiolabeling, whole-body single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography imaging, and pharmacokinetics of carbon nanohorns in mice.

In this work, we report that the biodistribution and excretion of carbon nanohorns (CNHs) in mice are dependent on their size and functionalization. Small-sized CNHs (30-50 nm; S-CNHs) and large-sized CNHs (80-100 nm; L-CNHs) were chemically functionalized and radiolabeled with [(111)In]-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid and intravenously injected into mice. Their tissue distribution profiles at different time points were determined by single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography. The results showed that the S-CNHs circulated longer in blood, while the L-CNHs accumulated faster in major organs like the liver and spleen. Small amounts of S-CNHs- and L-CNHs were excreted in urine within the first few hours postinjection, followed by excretion of smaller quantities within the next 48 hours in both urine and feces. The kinetics of excretion for S-CNHs were more rapid than for L-CNHs. Both S-CNH and L-CNH material accumulated mainly in the liver and spleen; however, S-CNH accumulation in the spleen was more prominent than in the liver.journal article20162016 07 22importe

The Current Graphene Safety Landscape - a Literature Mining Exercise

This article illustrates our current knowledge in the safety of graphene-based materials as extracted from the studies that have used preclinical animal models.</p

Tissue distribution and urinary excretion of intravenously administered chemically functionalized graphene oxide sheets.

International audienceThe design of graphene-based materials for biomedical purposes is of great interest. Graphene oxide (GO) sheets represent the most widespread type of graphene materials in biological investigations. In this work, thin GO sheets were synthesized and further chemically functionalized with DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid), a stable radiometal chelating agent, by an epoxide opening reaction. We report the tissue distribution of the functionalized GO sheets labeled with radioactive indium