Protein delivery by nanoparticles formed by chitosan-n-acyl derivatives

Biodegradable nanoparticulated carriers have important potential applications for administration of therapeutic proteins and peptides. Chitosan based nanoparticles have attracted attention due to their biological properties such as biodegrability and biocompatibility. However, chitosan nanoparticles are not stable in colloid form. Therefore, to increase the stability of these particles is an important problem. The aim of this work was to obtain stable nanoparticles formed by N-acyl derivatives of chitosan by ionic gelation and to investigate their ability to interact with acidic, neutral and basic proteins

Radial Glia in Echinoderms

Radial glial cells are crucial in vertebrate neural development and regeneration. It has been recently proposed that this neurogenic cell type might be older than the chordate lineage itself and might have been present in the last common deuterostome ancestor. Here, we summarize the results of recent studies on radial glia in echinoderms, a highly regenerative phylum of marine invertebrates with shared ancestry to chordates. We discuss the involvement of these cells in both homeostatic neurogenesis and post-traumatic neural regeneration, compare the features of radial glia in echinoderms and chordates to each other, and review the molecular mechanisms that control differentiation and plasticity of the echinoderm radial glia. Overall, studies on echinoderm radial glia provide a unique opportunity to understand the fundamental biology of this cell type from evolutionary and comparative perspectives