Fibrous Nanozyme Dressings with Catalase-Like Activity for H2O2 Reduction To Promote Wound Healing

The concentrations of the redox pair hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxygen (O2) can promote or decelerate the progression and duration of the wound healing process. Although H2O2 can reach critically high concentrations and prohibit healing, a sufficient O2 inflow to the wound is commonly desired. Herein, we describe the fabrication and use of a membrane that can contemptuously decrease H2O2 and increase O2 levels. Therefore, hematite nanozyme particles were integrated into electrospun and cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes. Within the dual-compound membrane, the polymeric mesh provides a porous scaffold with high water permeability and the nanozymes act as a catalyst with catalase-li…

Protein Corona: Prevention of Dominant IgG Adsorption on Nanocarriers in IgG‐Enriched Blood Plasma by Clusterin Precoating (Adv. Sci. 10/2019)

The development of nanocarriers for drug delivery is challenged by individual blood composition fluctuations. In article number 1802199, Svenja Morsbach and co‐workers report the accumulation of immunoglobulins in the protein corona of nanocarriers in IgG‐enriched blood plasma resulting in increased cell uptake. This could be prevented by pre‐coating the nanocarriers with the “stealth” protein clusterin. Cover design by Stefan Schuhmacher.

Protein corona composition of poly(ethylene glycol)- and poly(phosphoester)-coated nanoparticles correlates strongly with the amino acid composition of the protein surface

Extensive molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the interactions between proteins and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) can be described in terms of the surface composition of the proteins. PEG molecules accumulate around non-polar residues while avoiding the polar ones. A solvent-accessible-surface-area model of protein adsorption accurately fits a large set of data on the composition of the protein corona of poly(ethylene glycol)- and poly(phosphoester)-coated nanoparticles recently obtained by label-free proteomic mass spectrometry.

Targeted Drug Delivery in Plants: Enzyme‐Responsive Lignin Nanocarriers for the Curative Treatment of the Worldwide Grapevine Trunk Disease Esca

Abstract Nanocarrier (NC)‐mediated drug delivery is widely researched in medicine but to date has not been used in agriculture. The first curative NC‐based treatment of the worldwide occurring grapevine trunk disease Esca, with more than 2 billion infected plants causing a loss yearly of $1.5 billion, is presented. To date, only repetitive spraying of fungicides is used to reduce chances of infection. This long‐term treatment against Esca uses minimal amounts of fungicide encapsulated in biobased and biodegradable lignin NCs. A single trunk injection of <10 mg fungicide results in curing of an infected plant. Only upon Esca infection, ligninolytic enzymes, secreted by the Esca‐associated fu…

Synergistic Anticancer Therapy by Ovalbumin Encapsulation-Enabled Tandem Reactive Oxygen Species Generation

Abstract The anticancer efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) is limited due to the hypoxic features of solid tumors. We report synergistic PDT/chemotherapy with integrated tandem Fenton reactions mediated by ovalbumin encapsulation for improved in vivo anticancer therapy via an enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation mechanism. O2 .− produced by the PDT is converted to H2O2 by superoxide dismutase, followed by the transformation of H2O2 to the highly toxic .OH via Fenton reactions by Fe2+ originating from the dissolution of co‐loaded Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The PDT process further facilitates the endosomal/lysosomal escape of the active agents and enhances their intracellular deliv…

Towards the Generation of Self-Healing Materials by Means of a Reversible Photo-induced Approach

Photo-induced reversibility as a tool for self-healing: a reversible photo-induced dendritic macromonomer was synthesized and proven to form networks with different features depending on the crosslinking conditions. While networks formed from aqueous systems exhibited a reversible change in their crosslinking degree, networks generated in bulk underwent fully reversibility. The latter was then exploited for generating self-healing materials by means of a photo-induced treatment.

Covalently Binding of Bovine Serum Albumin to Unsaturated Poly(Globalide-Co-ε-Caprolactone) Nanoparticles by Thiol-Ene Reactions.

When nanoparticles (NPs) are introduced to a biological fluid, different proteins (and other biomolecules) rapidly get adsorbed onto their surface, forming a protein corona capable of giving to the NPs a new "identity" and determine their biological fate. Protein-nanoparticle conjugation can be used in order to promote specific interactions between living systems and nanocarriers. Non-covalent conjugates are less stable and more susceptible to desorption in biological media, which makes the development of engineered nanoparticle surfaces by covalent attachment an interesting topic. In this work, the surface of poly(globalide-co-e-caprolactone) (PGlCL) nanoparticles containing double bonds i…

Delivering all in one: Antigen-nanocapsule loaded with dual adjuvant yields superadditive effects by DC-directed T cell stimulation

Therapeutic vaccination is and remains a major challenge, particularly in cancer treatment. In this process, the effective activation of dendritic cells by a combination of distinctly acting adjuvants and an antigen is crucial for success. While most common vaccine formulations lack the efficiency to trigger sufficient T cell responses in a therapeutic tumor treatment, nanovaccines offer unique properties to tackle that challenge. Here, we report the stepwise development of a nanocapsule for vaccination approaches, comprising a shell consisting of antigen and loaded with a superadditive adjuvant combination. In a first initial step, we identified the combination of resiquimod (R848) and mur…

Engineering von Proteinen an Oberflächen: Von komplementärer Charakterisierung zu Materialoberflächen mit maßgeschneiderten Funktionen

Controlling the semi-permeability of protein nanocapsules influences the cellular response to macromolecular payloads.

Nanocapsules are an excellent platform for the delivery of macromolecular payloads such as proteins, nucleic acids or polyprodrugs, since they can both protect the sensitive cargo and target its delivery to the desired site of action. However, the release of macromolecules from nanocapsules remains a challenge due to their restricted diffusion through the nanoshell compared to small molecule cargo. Here, we designed degradable protein nanocapsules with varying crosslinking densities of the nanoshell to control the release of model macromolecules. While the crosslinking did not influence the degradability of the capsules by natural proteases, it significantly affected the release profiles. F…

Interleukin-2 Functionalized Nanocapsules for T Cell-Based Immunotherapy.

A major demand on immunotherapy is the direct interference with specific immune cells in vivo. In contrast to antibody-engineered nanoparticles to control dendritic cells function, targeting of T cells for biomedical applications still remains an obstacle as they disclose reduced endocytic activities. Here, by coupling the cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) to the surface of hydroxyethyl starch nanocapsules, we demonstrated a direct and specifc T cell targeting in vitro and in vivo by IL-2 receptor-mediated internalization. For this purpose, defined amounts of azide-functionalized IL-2 were linked to alkyne-functionalized hydroxyethyl starch nanocapsules via copper-free click reactions. In combi…

Monophosphoryl lipid A coating of hydroxyethyl starch nanocapsules drastically increases uptake and maturation by dendritic cells while minimizing the adjuvant dosage.

Enhancing delivery of antigens to dendritic cells (DCs) is essential for the induction of vigorous antigen-specific cellular immune responses. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the properties of hydroxyethyl starch nanocapsules (HES-NCs) functionalized with anti-CD40, anti-DEC205, interferon-γ (IFNγ) and/or monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) with respect to the overall uptake, the released cytokine profile, and the influence on phenotypic maturation of human monocyte-derived DCs using flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. NC uptake by DCs was significantly enhanced by functionalizing NCs with anti-CD40 or MPLA. With respect to the cytokine profile and…

Polymeric Nanoparticles: Polymeric Nanoparticles with Neglectable Protein Corona (Small 18/2020)

Nanoparticle Shape: The Influence of Nanoparticle Shape on Protein Corona Formation (Small 25/2020)

Large area conductive nanoaperture arrays with strong optical resonances and spectrally flat terahertz transmission

Using simple and inexpensive nanosphere lithography, we produce large, centimeter-squared sized thin golden films patterned with a hexagonal array of nanoapertures with controllable dimensions on the order of 100–300 nm, spaced by a 350–375 nm pitch distance. The optical transmission spectra of our samples are dominated by the resonant plasmonic features in the spectral range 500–700 nm, caused by the nanostructure in the film. At the same time, the transmission at terahertz (THz) radiation is as high as ∼10% and is spectrally flat. Our measurements are in agreement with finite difference time domain simulations. Such thin metal hole array films allow for very efficient injection of optical…

Denaturation via Surfactants Changes Composition of Protein Corona

The use of nanocarriers as drug delivery vehicles brings them into contact with blood plasma proteins. Polymeric nanocarriers require some sort of surfactant to ensure colloidal stability. Formation of the protein corona is therefore determined not only by the intrinsic properties of the nanocarrier itself but also by the accompanying surfactant. Although it is well-known that surfactants have an impact on protein structure, only few studies were conducted on the specific effect of surfactants on the composition of protein corona of nanocarriers. Therefore, we analyzed the composition of the protein corona on "stealth" nanoparticles with additional surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium chlorid…

Synergy of Miniemulsion and Solvothermal Conditions for the Low-Temperature Crystallization of Magnetic Nanostructured Transition-Metal Ferrites

Crystalline first-row transition-metal (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) ferrites were prepared by an unprecedented synergetic combination of miniemulsion synthesis and solvothermal route, pursuing unconventional conditions in terms of space confinement, temperature, and pressure. This synergy allowed for obtaining six different crystalline ferrites at much lower temperature (i.e., 80 °C) than usually required and without any postsynthesis thermal treatment. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that analogous ferrites synthesized by miniemulsion at ambient pressure or in bulk (i.e., from an aqueous bulk solution and not in the confined space of the miniemulsion droplets) either at ambient pressure o…

&lt;p&gt;Silica Nanocapsules with Different Sizes and Physicochemical Properties as Suitable Nanocarriers for Uptake in T-Cells&lt;/p&gt;

Introduction Adoptive T-cell immunotherapy emerged as a powerful and promising cancer therapy, as the problem regarding the immuno-reaction between different donors and recipients can be avoided. However, this approach is challenging. After long cultivation and expansion under laboratory media conditions, T-cells are losing their viability and function due to immune checkpoint proteins, leading to decreased efficiency in killing cancer cells. Therefore, a new strategy to improve T-cell survival and function is needed. With the advantages of nanotechnology and the biocompatibility of silica-based material, silica nanocapsules (SiNCs) provide an ideal delivery system to transport therapeutic …

Ceria/polymer nanocontainers for high-performance encapsulation of fluorophores

We report the synthesis of high-performance organic–inorganic hybrid fluorescent nanocapsules comprising a polymer shell armored with an inorganic layer and a liquid core containing a fluorophore. The polymeric capsules are synthesized by free radical miniemulsion polymerization and contain covalently bound carboxylate surface functionalities that allow for the binding of metal ions through electrostatic interaction. A cerium(IV) oxide nanoparticle layer, formed in situ at the surface of the hybrid nanocapsules, acts as oxygen scavenger and keeps external reactive molecular oxygen from entering into the capsules, eventually resulting in a reduction of the photooxidation of encapsulated fluo…

Novel strategies in vaccine design: can nanocapsules help prevent and treat hepatitis B?

Back Cover: Nanographenes: Ultrastable, Switchable, and Bright Probes for Super‐Resolution Microscopy (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1/2020)

Nanocapsules generated out of a polymeric dexamethasone shell suppress the inflammatory response of liver macrophages.

Abstract Dexamethasone (DXM) is a synthetic glucocorticoid with anti-inflammatory properties. Targeted delivery of dexamethasone to inflammatory cells, e.g. macrophages and Kupffer cells represents a promising approach to minimize side effects. The aim of the present study was to induce a targeted transport of novel DXM-based biodegradable nanocapsules to phagocytic cells. Nanocapsules (NCs) consisting of a hydroxyethylated glucose polymer (hydroxyethyl starch, HES) shell with encapsulated DXM and NCs synthesized exclusively in inverse miniemulsion out of DXM were investigated. Non-parenchymal murine liver cells served as target cells. HES-DXM NCs were predominantly incorporated by Kupffer …

Temperature Sensing in Cells Using Polymeric Upconversion Nanocapsules

Monitoring local temperature inside cells is crucial when interpreting biological activities as enhanced cellular metabolism leads to higher heat production and is commonly correlated with the presence of diseases such as cancer. In this study, we report on polymeric upconversion nanocapsules for potential use as local nanothermometers in cells by exploiting the temperature dependence of the triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion phenomenon. Nanocapsules synthesized by the miniemulsion solvent evaporation technique are composed of a polymer shell and a liquid core of rice bran oil, hosting triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion active dyes as sensitizer and emitter molecules. The sens…

Nano-holes vs nano-cracks in thin gold films: What causes anomalous THz transmission?

Nano-structuring materials can change their properties extraordinarily, but so can defects caused by manufacturing. We study the effect of capacitive defects on terahertz transmission in golden nanomeshes, and find their influence crucial.

Highly Loaded Semipermeable Nanocapsules for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging has become an essential tool in medicine for the investigation of physiological processes. The key issues related to contrast agents, i.e., substances that are injected in the body for imaging, are the efficient enhancement of contrast, their low toxicity, and their defined biodistribution. Polyurea nanocapsules containing the gadolinium complex Gadobutrol as a contrast agent in high local concentration and high relaxivity up to 40 s-1 mmol-1 L are described. A high concentration of the contrast agent inside the nanocapsules can be ensured by increasing the crystallinity in the shell of the nanocapsules. Nanocapsules from aliphatic polyurea are found to display hi…

Nanocapsules with specific targeting and release properties using miniemulsion polymerization.

The field of application for nanosized materials ranges from mere technical purposes to a growing field of applications in biomedicine. Among the different techniques and processes to produce these materials for encapsulation of reporter molecules and drugs, the miniemulsion process has been proven to be highly adaptable to these specific needs.The review covers the recent developments in the field of miniemulsion as a very powerful technique for the formation of complex carriers for the encapsulation of different kinds of reporter molecule and drugs. The use of a wide variety of polymerization techniques in the miniemulsion process and possible utilization of a wide range of monomers as re…

Controlling the Stealth Effect of Nanocarriers through Understanding the Protein Corona

The past decade has seen a significant increase in interest in the use of polymeric nanocarriers in medical applications. In particular, when used as drug vectors in targeted delivery, nanocarriers could overcome many obstacles for drug therapy. Nevertheless, their application is still impeded by the complex composition of the blood proteins covering the particle surface, termed the protein corona. The protein corona complicates any prediction of cell interactions, biodistribution, and toxicity. In particular, the unspecific uptake of nanocarriers is a major obstacle in clinical studies. This Minireview provides an overview of what we currently know about the characteristics of the protein …

A new approach for crystallization of copper(II) oxide hollow nanostructures with superior catalytic and magnetic response.

We report the synthesis of copper(II) oxide hollow nanostructures at ambient pressure and close to room temperature by applying the soft templating effect provided by the confinement of droplets in miniemulsion systems. Particle growth can be explained by considering a mechanism that involves both diffusion and reaction control. The catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol in aqueous media is used as a model reaction to prove the catalytic activity of the materials: the synthesized hollow structures show nearly 100 times higher rate constants than solid CuO microspheres. The kinetic behavior and the order of the reduction reaction change due to the increase of the surface area of the hollow str…

Carbohydrate-Based Nanocarriers Exhibiting Specific Cell Targeting with Minimum Influence from the Protein Corona.

Whenever nanoparticles encounter biological fluids like blood, proteins adsorb on their surface and form a so-called protein corona. Although its importance is widely accepted, information on the influence of surface functionalization of nanocarriers on the protein corona is still sparse, especially concerning how the functionalization of PEGylated nanocarriers with targeting agents will affect protein corona formation and how the protein corona may in turn influence the targeting effect. Herein, hydroxyethyl starch nanocarriers (HES-NCs) were prepared, PEGylated, and modified on the outer PEG layer with mannose to target dendritic cells (DCs). Their interaction with human plasma was then s…

Kontrollierte Polymermikrostruktur in anionischer Polymerisation durch Kompartimentierung

Exploring wet chemistry approaches to ZnFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles with different inversion degrees: A comparative study

Zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) spinel nanocrystals were synthesised through three different low-temperature routes, namely hydrothermal, combined miniemulsion/hydrothermal, and microwave-assisted non-aqueous sol–gel synthesis. With the aim of studying the influence of the respective approach on the structural evolution of the compounds during the synthetic process, the samples were prepared with different processing times. The resulting nanoparticles were inspected with a wide range of analytical techniques, both with regards to the local (X-ray absorption spectroscopy – XAS) and the long-range (Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction – XRD) order.

Biomaterial Surface Hydrophobicity-Mediated Serum Protein Adsorption and Immune Responses.

The nature of the protein corona forming on biomaterial surfaces can affect the performance of implanted devices. This study investigated the role of surface chemistry and wettability on human serum-derived protein corona formation on biomaterial surfaces and the subsequent effects on the cellular innate immune response. Plasma polymerization, a substrate-independent technique, was employed to create nanothin coatings with four specific chemical functionalities and a spectrum of surface charges and wettability. The amount and type of protein adsorbed was strongly influenced by surface chemistry and wettability but did not show any dependence on surface charge. An enhanced adsorption of the …

Colloidally Confined Crystallization of Highly Efficient Ammonium Phosphomolybdate Catalysts

Nanodroplets in inverse miniemulsions provide a colloidal confinement for the crystallization of ammonium phosphomolybdate (APM), influencing the resulting particle size. The effects of the space confinement are investigated by comparing the crystallization of analogous materials both in miniemulsion and in bulk solution. Both routes result in particles with a rhombododecahedral morphology, but the ones produced in miniemulsion have sizes between 40 and 90 nm, 3 orders of magnitude smaller than the ones obtained in bulk solution. The catalytic activity of the materials is studied by taking the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene as a model reaction. The miniemulsion route yields APM particles ca…

Engineering Proteins at Interfaces: From Complementary Characterization to Material Surfaces with Designed Functions

Abstract Once materials come into contact with a biological fluid containing proteins, proteins are generally—whether desired or not—attracted by the material's surface and adsorb onto it. The aim of this Review is to give an overview of the most commonly used characterization methods employed to gain a better understanding of the adsorption processes on either planar or curved surfaces. We continue to illustrate the benefit of combining different methods to different surface geometries of the material. The thus obtained insight ideally paves the way for engineering functional materials that interact with proteins in a predetermined manner.

Controlling the Polymer Microstructure in Anionic Polymerization by Compartmentalization.

An ideal random anionic copolymerization is forced to produce gradient structures by physical separation of two monomers in emulsion compartments. One monomer (M) is preferably soluble in the droplets, while the other one (D) prefers the continuous phase of a DMSO-in-cyclohexane emulsion. The living anionic copolymerization of two activated aziridines is thus confined to the DMSO compartments as polymerization occurs selectively in the droplets. Dilution of the continuous phase adjusts the local concentration of monomer D in the droplets and thus the gradient of the resulting copolymer. The copolymerizations in emulsion are monitored by real-time 1 H NMR kinetics, proving a change of the re…

Achieving dendritic cell subset-specific targeting in vivo by site-directed conjugation of targeting antibodies to nanocarriers

AbstractThe major challenge of nanocarrier-based anti-cancer vaccination approaches is the targeted delivery of antigens and immunostimulatory agents to cells of interest, such as specific subtypes of dendritic cells (DCs), in order to induce robust antigen-specific anti-tumor responses. An undirected cell and body distribution of nanocarriers can lead to unwanted delivery to other immune cell types like macrophages reducing the vaccine efficacy. An often-used approach to overcome this issue is the surface functionalization of nanocarriers with targeting moieties, such as antibodies, mediating cell type-specific interaction. Numerous studies could successfully prove the targeting efficiency…

Reversible Photocycloadditions, a Powerful Tool for Tailoring (Nano)Materials

Molecularly designed materials are increasingly attracting attention not only because of the variety of their applications but also due to the challenging strategies necessary for their design and synthesis. Highly complex and functional (nano)materials are obtained by exploiting simple tools and concepts from different disciplines, introducing the desired properties into the final product. It is shown that by combining fundaments from organic chemistry, polymer and materials science, photoresponsive nanoparticles are easily generated, and how responsiveness is achieved by exploiting photocycloadditions, which are extremely selective, react in good yields without the formation of side produ…

Aggregation Behavior of Polystyrene-Nanoparticles in Human Blood Serum and its Impact on the in vivo Distribution in Mice

The interactions between nanoparticles (NPs) and proteins in complex biological application media such as blood serum are capable of inducing aggregate formation which can lead to subsequent changes in biological activity. Here, we correlate surface charge, aggregation-tendency, and surface serum protein adsorption with cellular uptake and biodistribution in mice. Polystyrene-based NPs (80 - 170 nm) with different surface functionalizations were synthesized and incubated with human serum. Interaction of NPs with serum proteins and aggregate formation were analyzed by mass spectrometryanalysis and dynamic light-scattering. Influence of surface functionalization on specific cellular uptake an…

Biodegradable Protein Nanocontainers

The application of synthetic polymers for drug delivery often requires tremendous efforts to ensure biocompatibility and -degradation. To use the body's own substances can help to overcome these problems. Herein, we present the first synthesis of nanocontainers entirely composed of albumin proteins. These protein nanocontainers (PNCs) were loaded with hydrophilic compounds and release of the payload is triggered through natural lysis in vitro in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs). No aggregation of PNCs in human blood plasma was observed, indicating stability for blood circulation. As the PNCs were readily taken up by moDCs, they are considered as a promising delivery platform f…

Fully degradable protein nanocarriers by orthogonal photoclick tetrazole-ene chemistry for the encapsulation and release

The encapsulation of sensitive drugs into nanocarriers retaining their bioactivity and achieving selective release is a challenging topic in current drug delivery design. Established protocols rely on metal-catalyzed or unspecific reactions to build the (mostly synthetic) vehicles which may inhibit the drug's function. Triggered by light, the mild tetrazole–ene cycloaddition enables us to prepare protein nanocarriers (PNCs) preserving at the same time the bioactivity of the sensitive antitumor and antiviral cargo Resiquimod (R848). This catalyst-free reaction was designed to take place at the interface of aqueous nanodroplets in miniemulsion to produce core–shell PNCs with over 90% encapsul…

Nanographene: ultrastabile, schaltbare und helle Sonden für die hochauflösende Mikroskopie

Preservation of dendritic cell function upon labeling with amino functionalized polymeric nanoparticles.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key players in eliciting immunity against antigens, therefore making them the focus of many investigations on immune responses in infections, cancer and autoimmune diseases. Nanosized materials have just recently been investigated for their use as carriers of antigens and as labeling agents for DCs. For this later use nanoparticles should be non-toxic and should most importantly not alter the physiological functions of DCs. Here we demonstrate that by the use of polymeric fluorescent nanoparticles as synthesized by the miniemulsion process immature DCs (iDCs) can be efficiently labeled intracellularly. Amino functionalized nanoparticles are more effective than carb…

Bio-orthogonal triazolinedione (TAD) crosslinked protein nanocapsules affect protein adsorption and cell interaction

Albumin-based protein nanocarriers have been widely exploited as drug delivery systems, since they show excellent degradability, low toxicity, but at the same time provide high loading capacity and relevant uptake into cells. For the formation of protein nanocapsules, bio-orthogonal reactions are important so that the material to be encapsulated is not affected by the shell formation. We show that protein nanocapsules with narrow size distributions and low protein adsorption upon contact with blood serum can be synthesized by inverse miniemulsion and interfacial crosslinking of the protein using triazolinediones (TADs) as powerful dienophiles and enophiles, which smoothly perform electrophi…

Metal Oxide/Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles with Versatile Functionality Prepared by Controlled Surface Crystallization

Metal oxide/polymer hybrids are prepared from polystyrene nanoparticles functionalized at the surface with phosphonate and phosphate groups. The polymer particles are synthesized with specifically designed surface-active monomers (surfmers) and used as nucleation surfaces for the controlled in situ crystallization of cerium, iron, and zinc oxide nanocrystals. The formation of the metal oxide is driven by the addition of a base to suspensions of the polymer particles containing the corresponding precursor. The crystal formation at the particle surface is studied for the different hybrid systems by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The potential catalytic activity …

Tailoring the stealth properties of biocompatible polysaccharide nanocontainers.

Fundamental development of a biocompatible and degradable nanocarrier platform based on hydroxyethyl starch (HES) is reported. HES is a derivative of starch and possesses both high biocompatibility and improved stability against enzymatic degradation; it is used to prepare nanocapsules via the polyaddition reaction at the interface of water nanodroplets dispersed in an organic miniemulsion. The synthesized hollow nanocapsules can be loaded with hydrophilic guests in its aqueous core, tuned in size, chemically functionalized in various pathways, and show high shelf life stability. The surface of the HES nanocapsules is further functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) via different chemistri…

Luminescent and Magnetoresponsive Multifunctional Chalcogenide/Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles

Cadmium sulfide/magnetite/polymer multifunctional hybrid nanoparticles are prepared by crystallizing CdS in a controlled manner on the surface of phosphonate-functionalized polystyrene particles with a magnetic core. The supporting polymer magnetoresponsive nanoparticles are produced by a modified miniemulsion polymerization process: a first miniemulsion containing the core monomer (styrene) and a phosphonate-functionalized surface-active monomer is mixed with a second miniemulsion containing magnetite nanoparticles capped with oleic acid and the same surface-active monomer. The chalcogenide formation occurs in situ at the surface of the polymer particles by adding a precipitating agent (so…

Macromol. Rapid Commun. 17/2016

Polymeric hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 5A nanocapsules induce intrahepatic antigen-specific immune responses

Targeting antigen combined with adjuvants to hepatic antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is essential for the induction of intrahepatic T cellular immunity controlling and resolving viral infections of the liver. Intravenous injection of antigen-loaded nanoparticles is a promising approach for the delivery of antigens to liver APCs. Accordingly, polymeric nanocapsules (NCs) synthesized exclusively of hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 5A (NS5A) and the adjuvant monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) adsorbed to the nanocapsule surface were developed. Aim of the present study was the evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo behavior of MPLA-functionalized NS5A-NCs regarding the interaction with liver…

Biodegradable lignin nanocontainers

The abundant biomaterial lignin was used to prepare hollow nanocapsules by interfacial polyaddition in inverse miniemulsions. These cross-linked lignin nanocontainers can be loaded with hydrophilic substances which can be released by an enzymatic trigger from natural plant extracts revealing them as potential nanocontainers for agricultural applications.

Photocatalytic Partial Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5‐Diformylfuran (DFF) Over a Covalent Triazine Framework in Water

Extending the infrared limit of oxygenic photosynthesis

Kohlenhydrat-basierte Nanocarrier mit spezifischem Zell-Targeting und minimalem Einfluss durch die Proteinkorona

Sobald Nanopartikel mit biologischen Flussigkeiten wie Blut in Kontakt kommen, adsorbieren Proteine auf ihrer Oberflache, welche die sogenannte Proteinkorona ausbilden. Die Wichtigkeit dieser Proteinhulle ist weitgehend anerkannt, jedoch untersuchen nur wenige Studien den Einfluss von Oberflachenfunktionalisierung der Nanocarrier auf die Proteinkorona. Vor allem die Variation der Proteinkorona von PEGylierten und zusatzlich mit Targeting-Molekulen versehenen Nanotragern und der Einfluss auf das Targeting sind nicht bekannt. Hydroxyethylstarke-Nanocarrier (HES-NCs) wurden synthetisiert, anschliesend PEGyliert und zusatzlich (“on top”) mit Mannose funktionalisiert, um dendritische Zellen (DCs…

Noncovalent Targeting of Nanocarriers to Immune Cells with Polyphosphoester‐Based Surfactants in Human Blood Plasma

Abstract Dendritic cells (DCs) are part of the immune system and can internalize pathogens by carbohydrate receptors. The uptake induces maturation and migration of the DCs resulting in an adaptive immune response by presenting antigens to T‐cells. Thus, targeted delivery to DCs is a powerful tool for immunotherapy. However, in blood, specific targeting is challenging as blood proteins adsorb to the nanocarriers and mask the targeting molecules. Additionally, covalent coupling of targeting groups to nanocarriers requires new chemistry for each nanocarrier, while a general strategy is missing. A general protocol by noncovalent adsorption of mannosylated polyphosphoesters (PPEs) on the nanoca…

Polymeric Nanoparticles with Neglectable Protein Corona

Small : nano micro 16(18), 1907574 (2020). doi:10.1002/smll.201907574

Temperature‐Responsive Nanoparticles Enable Specific Binding of Apolipoproteins from Human Plasma

Apolipoproteins are an important class of proteins because they provide a so-called stealth effect to nanoparticles. The stealth effect on nanocarriers leads to a reduced unspecific uptake into immune cells and thereby to a prolonged blood circulation time. Herein, a novel strategy to bind apolipoproteins specifically on nanoparticles by adjusting the temperature during their incubation in human plasma is presented. This specific binding, in turn, allows a control of the stealth behavior of the nanoparticles. Nanoparticles with a well-defined poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) shell are prepared, displaying a reversible change of hydrophobicity at a temperature around 32 °C. It is shown by label-f…

Nanoparticles and antigen-specific T-cell therapeutics: A comprehensive study on uptake and release

Aim: T lymphocytes are used as cellular therapeutics in many disease entities including cancer. We investigated the uptake and retention of nanoparticles (NPs) by these nonphagocytic cells. Materials &amp; methods: Uptake, release and toxicity of various polymeric NP preparations were analyzed by flow cytometry, confocal laser scanning microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. T-cell effector functions were measured using IFN-γ-ELISPOT and 51Chromium-release assays. Results: Amino-functionalized NPs were efficiently ingested by antigen-specific T cells without adversely influencing effector functions. NPs were stored in membrane-surrounded vesicles, with major proportions released e…

Targeted Activation of T Cells with IL-2-Coupled Nanoparticles

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a T cell growth factor particularly required in regulatory T cell maintenance and memory T cell responses. High-dose IL-2 treatment was the first FDA-approved immunotherapy for cancer, while low-dose IL-2 administration has shown promise in allograft rejection and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, its pleiotropic nature and the existence of IL-2 receptors with different binding affinity limit its therapeutic application. For an improved clinical applicability of the cytokine, a targeted receptor assignment must, therefore, be achieved. Nanoparticles allow controlling the location and dose of immunomodulating compounds and to specifically address specific…

Low-Temperature Miniemulsion-Based Routes for Synthesis of Metal Oxides.

Abstract The use of miniemulsions containing chemical precursors in the disperse phase is a versatile method to produce nanoparticles and nanostructures of different chemical nature, including not only polymers, but also a variety of inorganic materials. This Minireview focuses on materials in which nanostructures of metal oxides are synthesized in processes that involve the miniemulsion technique in any of the steps. This includes in the first place those approaches in which the spaces provided by nanodroplets are directly used to confine precipitation reactions that lead eventually to oxides. On the other hand, miniemulsions can also be used to form functionalized polymer nanoparticles th…

The Influence of Nanoparticle Shape on Protein Corona Formation

Nanoparticles have become an important utility in many areas of medical treatment such as targeted drug and treatment delivery as well as imaging and diagnostics. These advances require a complete understanding of nanoparticles' fate once placed in the body. Upon exposure to blood, proteins adsorb onto the nanoparticles surface and form a protein corona, which determines the particles' biological fate. This study reports on the protein corona formation from blood serum and plasma on spherical and rod‐shaped nanoparticles. These two types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles have identical chemistry, porosity, surface potential, and size in the y ‐dimension, one being a sphere and the other a …

Encapsulation of polyprodrugs enables an efficient and controlled release of dexamethasone

Water-soluble low molecular weight drugs, such as the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DXM), can easily leak out of nanocarriers after encapsulation due to their hydrophilic nature and small size. This can lead to a reduced therapeutic efficacy and therefore to unwanted adverse effects on healthy tissue. Targeting DXM to inflammatory cells of the liver like Kupffer cells or macrophages is a promising approach to minimize typical side effects. Therefore, a controlled transport to the cells of interest and selective on-site release is crucial. Aim of this study was the development of a DXM-phosphate-based polyprodrug and the encapsulation in silica nanocontainers (SiO2 NCs) for the red…

Rücktitelbild: Nanographene: ultrastabile, schaltbare und helle Sonden für die hochauflösende Mikroskopie (Angew. Chem. 1/2020)

Hydrophilicity Regulates the Stealth Properties of Polyphosphoester‐Coated Nanocarriers

Increasing the plasma half-life is an important goal in the development of drug carriers, and can be effectively achieved through the attachment of polymers, in particular poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). While the increased plasma half-life has been suggested to be a result of decreased overall protein adsorption on the hydrophilic surface in combination with the adsorption of specific proteins, the molecular reasons for the success of PEG and other hydrophilic polymers are still widely unknown. We prepared polyphosphoester-coated nanocarriers with defined hydrophilicity to control the stealth properties of the polymer shell. We found that the log P value of the copolymer controls the composit…

Size-dependent knockdown potential of siRNA-loaded cationic nanohydrogel particles.

To overcome the poor pharmacokinetic conditions of short double-stranded RNA molecules in RNA interference therapies, cationic nanohydrogel particles can be considered as alternative safe and stable carriers for oligonucleotide delivery. For understanding key parameters during this process, two different types of well-defined cationic nanohydrogel particles were synthesized, which provided nearly identical physicochemical properties with regards to their material composition and resulting siRNA loading characteristics. Yet, according to the manufacturing process using amphiphilic reactive ester block copolymers of pentafluorophenyl methacrylate (PFPMA) and tri(ethylene glycol)methyl ether m…

Amphiphilic Dendrimers Control Protein Binding and Corona Formation on Liposome Nanocarriers

Amphiphilic polyphenylene dendrimers (PPDs) with distinct lipophilic and positively or negatively charged surface groups were adsorbed onto liposomes and their impact on protein adsorption in blood plasma was studied. The PPD corona reduced binding of specific opsonins and increased the adsorption of proteins controlling cellular uptake based on their surface patches.

Die Steuerung des Stealth-Effekts von Nanoträgern durch das Verständnis der Proteinkorona

Preparation of the Protein Corona: How Washing Shapes the Proteome and Influences Cellular Uptake

A protein coat, termed the protein corona, assembles around the nanocarriers´ surface once it gets in contact with a biological environment. We show that the media used for washing of the protein corona can be crucial. This is true for downstream analysis as well as for precoating for in vitro or in vivo use. This has been widely overlooked so far. We focus on the choice of eight different washing media and how they influence the composition of the hard protein corona of several nanocarriers incubated with human blood plasma and serum. SDS-PAGE and LC-MS analysis showed major differences in protein corona profiles when using diverse washing media. While plasma and serum proteins already hav…

The Protein Corona as a Confounding Variable of Nanoparticle-Mediated Targeted Vaccine Delivery

Nanocarriers (NC) are very promising tools for cancer immunotherapy. Whereas conventional vaccines are based on the administration of an antigen and an adjuvant in an independent fashion, nanovaccines can facilitate cell-specific co-delivery of antigen and adjuvant. Furthermore, nanovaccines can be decorated on their surface with molecules that facilitate target-specific antigen delivery to certain antigen-presenting cell types or tumor cells. However, the target cell-specific uptake of nanovaccines is highly dependent on the modifications of the nanocarrier itself. One of these is the formation of a protein corona around NC after in vivo administration, which may potently affect cell-speci…

Morphology control in biphasic hybrid systems of semiconducting materials.

Simple blends of inorganic nanocrystals and organic (semiconducting) polymers usually lead to macroscopic segregation. Thus, such blends typically exhibit inferior properties than expected. To overcome the problem of segregation, polymer coated nanocrystals (nanocomposites) have been developed. Such nanocomposites are highly miscible within the polymer matrix. In this Review, a summary of synthetic approaches to achieve stable nanocomposites in a semiconducting polymer matrix is presented. Furthermore, a theoretical background as well as an overview concerning morphology control of inorganic NCs in polymer matrices are provided. In addition, the morphologic behavior of highly anisotropic na…

Lysosomal degradation of the carboxydextran shell of coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and the fate of professional phagocytes

Contrast agents based on dextran-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) are internalized by professional phagocytes such as hepatic Kupffer cells, yet their role in phagocyte biology remains largely unknown. Here we investigated the effects of the SPIO ferucarbotran on murine Kupffer cells and human macrophages. Intravenous injection of ferucarbotran into mice led to rapid accumulation of the particles in phagocytes and to long-lasting increased iron deposition in liver and kidneys. Macrophages incorporate ferucarbotran in lysosomal vesicles containing α-glucosidase, which is capable of degrading the carboxydextran shell of the ferucarbotran particles. Intravenous injectio…

Timing of Heparin Addition to the Biomolecular Corona Influences the Cellular Uptake of Nanocarriers.

Few studies have considered the interaction of nanocarriers with drugs and the implications for their individual efficiency. Here, we demonstrate that heparin, a common anticoagulant, interacts with nanocarriers. Hence, nanocarriers, precoated with heparin and plasma in different conditions, were incubated with cancer cells, as well as primary cells from human blood. The relation between the timing of the heparin's addition to the nanocarrier and the cellular uptake extent was assessed by flow cytometry. Through proteomics the effect of heparin on the biomolecular corona composition was determined. We found that HeLa cells, monocytes and macrophages reacted differently to the presence of he…

Prevention of Dominant IgG Adsorption on Nanocarriers in IgG‐Enriched Blood Plasma by Clusterin Precoating

Abstract Nanocarriers for medical applications must work reliably within organisms, independent of the individual differences in the blood proteome. Variation in the blood proteome, such as immunoglobulin levels, is a result of environmental, nutrition, and constitution conditions. This variation, however, should not influence the behavior of nanocarriers in biological media. The composition of the protein corona is investigated to understand the influence varying immunoglobulin levels in the blood plasma have on the interactions with nanocarriers. Specifically, the composition of the nanocarriers' coronas is analyzed after incubation in plasma with normal or elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG)…

Preservation of the soft protein corona in distinct flow allows identification of weakly bound proteins.

Abstract Nanocarriers that are used for targeted drug delivery come in contact with biological liquids and subsequently proteins will adsorb to the nanocarriers’ surface to form the so called ‘protein corona’. The protein corona defines the biological identity and determines the biological response towards the nanocarriers in the body. To make nanomedicine safe and reliable it is required to get a better insight into this protein corona and, therefore, the adsorbed proteins have to be characterized. Currently, centrifugation is the common method to isolate the protein corona for further investigations. However, with this method it is only possible to investigate the strongly bound proteins,…

Versatile preparation of silica nanocapsules for biomedical applications

Core–shell nanocapsules are receiving increasing interest for drug delivery applications. Silica nanocapsules have been the focus of intensive studies due to their biocompatibility, versatile silica chemistry, and tunable porosity. However, a versatile one-step preparation of silica nanocapsules with well-defined core–shell structure, tunable size, flexible interior loading, and tailored shell composition, permeability, and surface functionalization for site-specific drug release and therapeutic tracking remains a challenge. Herein, an interfacially confined sol–gel process in miniemulsion for the one-step versatile preparation of functional silica nanocapsules is developed. Uniform nanocap…

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy in Dilute Polymer Solutions: Effects of Molar Mass Dispersity and the Type of Fluorescent Labeling

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has become an important tool in polymer science. Among various other applications the method is often applied to measure the hydrodynamic radius and the degree of fluorescent labeling of polymers in dilute solutions. Here we show that such measurements can be strongly affected by the molar mass dispersity of the studied polymers and the way of labeling. As model systems we used polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization or free-radical polymerization. Thus, the polymers were either end-labeled bearing one fluorophore per chain or side-labeled with a number of fluorophores per chain proportional to…

MPLA-coated hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) nanocapsules induce vigorous T cell responses in cord blood derived human T cells.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most prevalent serious liver infection in the world. A frequent route of infection represents mother-to-child transmission. Efficient control of HBV replication depends on antigen-specific cellular immune response mediated by dendritic cells (DCs). Aim of the present study was to evaluate optimized adjuvant combinations, efficiently maturing monocyte-derived neonatal and adult dendritic cells (moDCs). In addition, the potential of polymeric HBsAg-nanocapsules (HBsAg-NCs) was investigated regarding up-take by moDCs and the subsequent induction of specific T cell responses in a human co-culture model. Simultaneous stimulation of moDCs with MPLA…

Hydrophilie als bestimmender Faktor des Stealth-Effekts von Polyphosphoester-funktionalisierten Nanoträgern

Phosphonylation Controls the Protein Corona of Multifunctional Polyglycerol-Modified Nanocarriers.

Nanocarriers are a platform for modern drug delivery. In contact with blood, proteins adsorb to nanocarriers, altering their behavior in vivo. To reduce unspecific protein adsorption and unspecific cellular uptake, nanocarriers are modified with hydrophilic polymers like poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). However, with PEG the attachment of further functional structures such as targeting units is limited. A method to introduce multifunctionality via polyglycerol (PG) while maintaining the hydrophilicity of PEG is introduced. Different amounts of negatively charged phosphonate groups (up to 29 mol%) are attached to the multifunctional PGs (Mn 2-4 kg mol-1 , Ð < 1.36) by post-modification. PGs are …

Carbohydrate nanocarriers in biomedical applications: functionalization and construction

The specific targeting of either tumor cells or immune cells in vivo by carefully designed and appropriately surface-functionalized nanocarriers may become an effective therapeutic treatment for a variety of diseases. Carbohydrates, which are prominent biomolecules, have shown their outstanding ability in balancing the biocompatibility, stability, biodegradability, and functionality of nanocarriers. The recent applications of sugar (mono/oligosaccharides and/or polysaccharides) for the development of nanomedicines are summarized in this review, including the application of carbohydrates for the surface-functionalization of various nanocarriers and for the construction of the nanocarrier its…

Cellular Uptake of siRNA-Loaded Nanocarriers to Knockdown PD-L1: Strategies to Improve T-cell Functions

T-cells are a type of lymphocyte (a subtype of white blood cells) that play a central role in cell-mediated immunity. Currently, adoptive T-cell immunotherapy is being developed to destroy cancer cells. In this therapy, T-cells are harvested from a patient&rsquo

Amino-Acid-Based Polymerizable Surfactants for the Synthesis of Chiral Nanoparticles

Amino-acid-based chiral surfactants with polymerizable moieties are synthesized, and a versatile approach to prepare particles thereof with a chiral surface functionality is presented. As an example of an application, the synthesized particles are tested for their ability as nucleating agents in the enantioselective crystallization of amino acid conglomerate systems, taking rac-asparagine as a model system. Particles resulting from chiral surfactants with different tail groups are compared and the results demonstrate that only the chiral nanoparticles made of the polymerizable surfactant are able to act efficiently as nucleation agent in enantioselective crystallization.

Nanoprobing the acidification process during intracellular uptake and trafficking

Abstract Many nanoparticular drug delivery approaches rely on a detailed knowledge of the acidification process during intracellular trafficking of endocytosed nanoparticles (NPs). Therefore we produced a nanoparticular pH sensor composed of the fluorescent pH-sensitive dual wavelength dye carboxy seminaphthorhodafluor-1 (carboxy SNARF-1) coupled to the surface of amino-functionalized polystyrene NPs (SNARF-1-NP). By applying a calibration fit function to confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images, local pH values were determined. The acidification and ripening process of endo/lysosomal compartments containing nanoparticles was followed over time and was found to progress up to 6h to …

Brush Conformation of Polyethylene Glycol Determines the Stealth Effect of Nanocarriers in the Low Protein Adsorption Regime

For nanocarriers with low protein affinity, we show that the interaction of nanocarriers with cells is mainly affected by the density, the molecular weight, and the conformation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains bound to the nanocarrier surface. We achieve a reduction of nonspecific uptake of ovalbumin nanocarriers by dendritic cells using densely packed PEG chains with a "brush" conformation instead of the collapsed "mushroom" conformation. We also control to a minor extent the dysopsonin adsorption by tailoring the conformation of attached PEG on the nanocarriers. The brush conformation of PEG leads to a stealth behavior of the nanocarriers with inhibited uptake by phagocytic cells, whi…

Chemical Routes Toward Multicompartment Colloids

The search for mimicking natural living and non-living systems with synthetic products leads to the fabrication of advanced colloidal morphologies with hierarchical micro- and nanostructures. Different chemical routes toward the synthesis of colloids with complex morphologies are presented and a tentative analogy between these routes and the four basic arithmetic operations is proposed.

The conjugation strategy affects antibody orientation and targeting properties of nanocarriers.

Antibody-modified drug delivery systems in the nano-range have the ability to overcome current challenges for treating diseases due to their high specificity towards the targeted body region. However, no antibody-bound nanocarrier has been clinically approved to date. This missing clinical approval may be a result of the conjugation strategy that influences the spatial orientation of the attached antibody on the nanocarriers' surface. What is not missing, however, is a diverse selection of antibody to nanocarrier conjugation strategies that determine the success of an antibody functionalized drug delivery system. In this paper, two antibody conjugation strategies were compared by conjugatin…

Amphiphilic Polyphenylene Dendron Conjugates for Surface Remodeling of Adenovirus 5

Abstract Amphiphilic surface groups play an important role in many biological processes. The synthesis of amphiphilic polyphenylene dendrimer branches (dendrons), providing alternating hydrophilic and lipophilic surface groups and one reactive ethynyl group at the core is reported. The amphiphilic surface groups serve as biorecognition units that bind to the surface of adenovirus 5 (Ad5), which is a common vector in gene therapy. The Ad5/dendron complexes showed high gene transduction efficiencies in coxsackie‐adenovirus receptor (CAR)‐negative cells. Moreover, the dendrons offer incorporation of new functions at the dendron core by in situ post‐modifications, even when bound to the Ad5 sur…

ALTMET Polymerization of Amino Acid-Based Monomers Targeting Controlled Drug Release

Giving the imminent necessity of a new generation of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers prepared from feedstock, the synthesis of a potentially biodegradable amino acid-based copolymer by the alternating diene metathesis (ALTMET) strategy is herein presented. The reaction was tailored to minimize isomerization and deactivation of ruthenium catalysts by intramolecular coordination with the amide carbonyl group of the amino-acid-based monomer. Alternated l-lysine–phosphoester copolymers with molar masses higher than 18 000 g/mol were obtained using Hoveyda–Grubbs second-generation and Umicore M2 catalysts. The copolymer was further used to prepare nanoparticles loaded with rifampicin (u…

Poly(phosphonate)s via Olefin Metathesis: Adjusting Hydrophobicity and Morphology

Olefin metathesis step-growth (acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET)) and chain-growth (ring-opening metathesis) polymerization was used to prepare linear poly(phosphonate)s with variable hydrophilicity. The first phosphonate monomer, i.e., di(undec-10-en-1-yl) methylphosphonate, for ADMET polymerization was developed, and potentially degradable and biocompatible, unsaturated poly(phosphonate)s were prepared with molecular weights up to 23 000 g mol–1 with molecular weight dispersities Đ < 2. These polymers were studied with respect to their interaction with a calcium phosphate bone substitute material from an aqueous nanoparticle dispersion that was prepared by a solvent evaporation miniemulsio…

Modulating Protein Corona and Materials–Cell Interactions with Temperature‐Responsive Materials

ChemInform Abstract: Carbohydrate Nanocarriers in Biomedical Applications: Functionalization and Construction

The specific targeting of either tumor cells or immune cells in vivo by carefully designed and appropriately surface-functionalized nanocarriers may become an effective therapeutic treatment for a variety of diseases. Carbohydrates, which are prominent biomolecules, have shown their outstanding ability in balancing the biocompatibility, stability, biodegradability, and functionality of nanocarriers. The recent applications of sugar (mono/oligosaccharides and/or polysaccharides) for the development of nanomedicines are summarized in this review, including the application of carbohydrates for the surface-functionalization of various nanocarriers and for the construction of the nanocarrier its…

Overcoming the barrier of CD8+ T cells: Two types of nano-sized carriers for siRNA transport

Abstract Bioengineering immune cells via gene therapy offers treatment opportunities for currently fatal viral infections. Also cell therapeutics offer most recently a breakthrough technology to combat cancer. These primary human cells, however, are sensitive to toxic influences, which make the utilization of optimized physical transfection techniques necessary. The otherwise commonly applied delivery agents such as LipofectamineⓇ or strongly cationic polymer structures are not only unsuitable for in vivo experiments, but are also highly toxic to immune cells. This study aimed to improve the design of polymeric carrier systems for small interfering RNA, which would allow efficient internali…

Drug Delivery in Plants: Targeted Drug Delivery in Plants: Enzyme-Responsive Lignin Nanocarriers for the Curative Treatment of the Worldwide Grapevine Trunk Disease Esca (Adv. Sci. 15/2019)

In article number 1802315, Jochen Fischer, Frederik R. Wurm, and co‐workers report the first nanocarrier‐mediated drug delivery in plants. Enzyme‐degradable lignin nanocarriers are injected into the trunks of grapevine plants. They release a fungicide selectively inside of the plants and are able to cure the worldwide fungal plant disease Esca for the first time. This strategy will reduce the extensive spraying of pesticides in agriculture. Image credit: Katharina Maisenbacher.

Ultra-small gold nanoclusters assembled on plasma polymer-modified zeolites: a multifunctional nanohybrid with anti-haemorrhagic and anti-inflammatory properties

Refereed/Peer-reviewed Hemostatic agents are pivotal for managing clinical and traumatic bleeding during emergency and domestic circumstances. Herein, a novel functional hybrid nanocomposite material consisting of plasma polymer-modified zeolite 13X and ultra-small gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) was fabricated as an efficient hemostatic agent. The surface of zeolite 13X was functionalised with amine groups which served as binding sites for carboxylate terminated AuNCs. Protein corona studies revealed the enhanced adsorption of two proteins, namely, coagulation factors and plasminogen as a result of AuNCs immobilization on the zeolite surface. The immune response studies showed that the hybrid na…

Cover Picture: Design, Synthesis, and Miniemulsion Polymerization of New Phosphonate Surfmers and Application Studies of the Resulting Nanoparticles as Model Systems for Biomimetic Mineralization and Cellular Uptake (Chem. Eur. J. 17/2012)

Silanization as a versatile functionalization method for the synthesis of polymer/magnetite hybrid nanoparticles with controlled structure

We compare the use of different trimethoxysilane compounds for the surface functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles and their subsequent incorporation in hybrid particles formed by in situ polymerization. For the encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles via miniemulsion polymerization, surface functionalization of the inorganic material is necessary to hydrophobize the otherwise hydrophilic inorganic material and to compatibilize it with the polymer. Hydrophobic magnetite nanoparticles are usually prepared by surface functionalization with oleic acid, which leads to effective hydrophobization, but offers only limited control over the structure of the hybrid particles. As an alternative,…

A bio-orthogonal functionalization strategy for site-specific coupling of antibodies on vesicle surfaces after self-assembly

Attaching targeting ligands on the surface of self-assembled drug delivery systems is the key request for a controlled transport of the drug to a desired location. Most commonly, the amphiphilic molecules (blockcopolymers, lipids etc.) are therefore pre-functionalized before the self-assembly takes place. However, this strategy cannot be applied, if it interferes with the self-assembly process, if the introduced functional groups react with loaded cargo or if natural carriers like extracellular vesicles should be functionalized. Here, we present the site-specific coupling of antibodies to the surface of amino group-terminated liposomes via bio-orthogonal copper-free click chemistry after li…

Polypeptoid-block-polypeptide Copolymers: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Amphiphilic Block Copolypept(o)ides in Drug Formulations and Miniemulsion Techniques

We report the synthesis of polysarcosine-block-polyglutamic acid benzylester (PSar-block-PGlu(OBn)) and polysarcosine-block-polylysine-ε-N-benzyloxycarbonyl (PSar-block-PLys(Z)) copolymers. The novel polypeptoid-block-polypeptide copolymers (Copolypept(o)ides) have been synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). Polymerization conditions were optimized regarding protecting groups, block sequence and length. While the degree of polymerization of the PSar block length was set to be around 200 or 400, PGlu(OBn) and PLys(Z) block lengths were varied between 20 to 75. The obtained block copolymers had a total degree of polymerization of 220-475 and dispersity…

The Role of the Protein Corona in the Uptake Process of Nanoparticles

Mass Spectrometry and Imaging Analysis of Nanoparticle-Containing Vesicles Provide a Mechanistic Insight into Cellular Trafficking

Rational design of nanocarriers for drug delivery approaches requires an unbiased knowledge of uptake mechanisms and intracellular trafficking pathways. Here we dissected these processes using a quantitative proteomics approach. We isolated intracellular vesicles containing superparamagnetic iron oxide polystyrene nanoparticles and analyzed their protein composition by label-free quantitative mass spectrometry. The proteomic snapshot of organelle marker proteins revealed that an atypical macropinocytic-like mechanism mediated the entry of nanoparticles. We show that the entry mechanism is controlled by actin reorganization, atypical macropinocytic signaling, and ADP-ribosylation factor 1. A…

HPMA copolymers as surfactants in the preparation of biocompatible nanoparticles for biomedical application.

In this work we describe the application of amphiphilic N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA)-based copolymers as polymeric surfactants in miniemulsion techniques. HPMA-based copolymers with different ratios of HPMA (hydrophilic) to laurylmethacrylate (LMA; hydrophobic) units were synthesized by RAFT polymerization and postpolymerization modification. The amphiphilic polymers can act as detergents in both the miniemulsion polymerization of styrene and the miniemulsion process in combination with solvent evaporation, which was applied to polystyrene and polylactide. Under optimized conditions, monodisperse colloids can be prepared. The most promising results could be obtained by using the…

Saccharide modified silica particles by enzymatic grafting

The surface of silica particles has been chemically modified with oligo- or poly-(α,1→4)-D-glucopyranose (amylose) chains of various length by covalently attaching maltoheptaose derivatives to the solid support and enzymatic polymerization of glucose-1-phosphate with a potato phosphorylase as catalyst. The characterization of the products by solid-state NMR spectroscopy showed an interesting dependence of the linewidth with the grafting density of the glucan chains. The modified silica particles showed chiral discrimination in liquid chromatography.

Nanofibrous photocatalysts from electrospun nanocapsules

We present the design of multicompartment metal oxide/silica nanofibrous photocatalysts by colloid-electrospinning and subsequent calcination. During the calcination process, silica nanomaterials are cemented to form the fibrous framework and metal oxide precursors are crystallized inside and onto the fibers. This multicompartment nanofibrous structure, constructed with nanoparticles and core-shell nanocapsules, is therefore beneficial for the separation of the materials and the light utilization due to the multiple reflections and scattering of incident light in the cavities. The photocatalytic activity of the fibers was verified by the successful degradation of a model dye rhodamine B. Th…

Vitamin C Loaded Polyethylene: Synthesis and Properties of Precise Polyethylene with Vitamin C Defects via Acyclic Diene Metathesis Polycondensation

A polyethylene-like polymer with an in-chain vitamin C group was synthesized by olefin metathesis polymerization. Here, we describe both the synthesis and a comprehensive physical characterization. Because of the olefin metathesis synthesis, the vitamin C groups are equidistantly arranged in the polyethylene (PE) main chain. Their separation was adjusted to 20 CH2 units. After hydrogenation, a semicrystalline polymer is obtained that is soluble in polar solvents. Because of its size and steric effect, the vitamin C acts as a chain defect, which is expelled from the crystal lattice, yielding a lamellar crystal with a homogeneous thickness corresponding to the interdefect distance. The physic…

Inorganic Protection of Polymer Nanocapsules: A Strategy to Improve the Efficiency of Encapsulated Optically Active Molecules

Cerium-Doped Copper(II) Oxide Hollow Nanostructures as Efficient and Tunable Sensors for Volatile Organic Compounds

Tuning sensing capabilities of simple to complex oxides for achieving enhanced sensitivity and selectivity toward the detection of toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is extremely important and remains a challenge. In the present work, we report the synthesis of pristine and Ce-doped CuO hollow nanostructures, which have much higher VOC sensing and response characteristics than their solid analogues. Undoped CuO hollow nanostructures exhibit high response for sensing of acetone as compared to commercial CuO nanoparticles. As a result of doping with cerium, the material starts showing selectivity. CuO hollow structures doped with 5 at. % of Ce return highest response toward methanol sens…

Protein denaturation caused by heat inactivation detrimentally affects biomolecular corona formation and cellular uptake

Adsorption of blood proteins to the surface of nanocarriers is known to be the critical factor influencing cellular interactions and eventually determining the successful application of nanocarriers as drug carriers in vivo. There is an increasing number of reports summarizing large data sets of all identified corona proteins. However, to date our knowledge about the multiple mechanisms mediating interactions between proteins and nanocarriers is still limited. In this study, we investigate the influence of protein structure on the adsorption process and focus on the effect of heat inactivation of serum and plasma, which is a common cell culture procedure used to inactivate the complement sy…

On the Ultrastructure and Function of Rhogocytes from the Pond Snail Lymnaea stagnalis

Rhogocytes, also termed “pore cells”, occur as solitary or clustered cells in the connective tissue of gastropod molluscs. Rhogocytes possess an enveloping lamina of extracellular matrix and enigmatic extracellular lacunae bridged by cytoplasmic bars that form 20 nm diaphragmatic slits likely to act as a molecular sieve. Recent papers highlight the embryogenesis and ultrastructure of these cells, and their role in heavy metal detoxification. Rhogocytes are the site of hemocyanin or hemoglobin biosynthesis in gastropods. Based on electron microscopy, we recently proposed a possible pathway of hemoglobin exocytosis through the slit apparatus, and provided molecular evidence of a common phylog…

Structure Formation of Polymeric Building Blocks: Complex Polymer Architectures

This chapter describes macromolecules with a complex structure, their defined aggregation in solution, their adsorption to surfaces, and their possible aggregation on surfaces. The term “complex structure” implies that the macromolecules show different, distinct structural elements or building blocks on a supra-atomic length scale. Key to understanding the complex structure of macromolecules, their aggregation, and adsorption to surfaces are intra- and intermolecular interactions such as van der Waals, electrostatic, π–π interactions, and hydrogen bonds.

Multifunctional clickable and protein-repellent magnetic silica nanoparticles

Silica nanoparticles are versatile materials whose physicochemical surface properties can be precisely adjusted. Because it is possible to combine several functionalities in a single carrier, silica-based materials are excellent candidates for biomedical applications. However, the functionality of the nanoparticles can get lost upon exposure to biological media due to uncontrolled biomolecule adsorption. Therefore, it is important to develop strategies that reduce non-specific protein-particle interactions without losing the introduced surface functionality. Herein, organosilane chemistry is employed to produce magnetic silica nanoparticles bearing differing amounts of amino and alkene func…

Enhanced in vivo targeting of murine nonparenchymal liver cells with monophosphoryl lipid A functionalized microcapsules.

A broad spectrum of infectious liver diseases emphasizes the need of microparticles for targeted delivery of immunomodulatory substances to the liver. Microcapsules (MCs) are particularly attractive for innovative drug and vaccine formulations, enabling the combination of antigen, drugs, and adjuvants. The present study aimed to develop microcapsules characterized by an enhanced liver deposition and accelerated uptake by nonparenchymal liver cells (NPCs). Initially, two formulations of biodegradable microcapsules were synthesized from either hydroxyethyl starch (HES) or mannose. Notably, HES-MCs accumulated primarily in the liver, while mannose particles displayed a lung preference. Functio…

Quantification of fluorescent dyes in organ tissue samples via HPLC analysis

Abstract The determination of regional blood flow via the accumulation of fluorescent microspheres is a concept regularly used in medical research. Typically, the microbeads get extracted from the tissue of interest and are then quantified by measuring the absorption or fluorescence of the incorporated dyes without further separation from the medium. However, in that case the absorption spectra of different dyes can overlap when used simultaneously, leading to an overestimation of the concentration. Additionally, background absorption from the medium can be problematic. Therefore, a high performance liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous detection of four dyes (orange, crimson, y…

Effect of phosphonate-functionalised nanoparticles on human mesenchymal stem cells and osteoclasts

Zirconium oxocluster/polymer hybrid nanoparticles prepared by photoactivated miniemulsion copolymerization

The photoactivated free radical miniemulsion copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and the zirconium oxocluster Zr4O2(methacrylate) 12 is used as an effective and fast preparation method for polymer/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles. The oxoclusters, covalently anchored to the polymer network, act as metal-organic cross-linkers, thus improving the thermomechanical properties of the resulting hybrid nanoparticles. Benzoin carbonyl organic compounds were used as photoinitiators. The obtained materials are compared in terms of cross-linking, effectiveness of cluster incorporation, and size distribution with the analogous nanoparticles produced by using conventional thermally induced free …

Processing and adjusting the hydrophilicity of poly(oxymethylene) (co)polymers: nanoparticle preparation and film formation

Handling the insoluble POM: the preparation of nanoparticles based on hyperbranched-linear-hyperbranched ABA triblock copolymers with variable hydrophilicity and composed of short hyperbranched polyglycerol (hbPG) as the A-blocks and linear poly(oxymethylene) (POM) as a B-block is described. The POM-hbPG-nanoparticles with diameters in the range of 190 to 250 nm were generated in a convenient process, combining the solvent evaporation process with the miniemulsion technique, a water borne handling for POM-copolymers. Furthermore, the film formation properties of the nanoparticles were investigated by deposition on silicon and subsequent sintering, which leads to films with a thickness in th…

Functionalized Polystyrene Nanoparticles Trigger Human Dendritic Cell Maturation Resulting in Enhanced CD4+T Cell Activation

Nanoparticles (NP) represent a promising tool for biomedical applications. Here, sulfonate- and phosphonate-functionalized polystyrene NP are analyzed for their interaction with human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC). Immature dendritic cells (iDC) display a higher time- and dose-dependent uptake of functionalized polystyrene NP compared to mature dendritic cells (mDC). Notably, NP induce an enhanced maturation of iDC but not of mDC (upregulation of stimulatory molecules and cytokines). NP-triggered maturation results in a significantly enhanced T cell stimulatory capacity (increased CD4(+) T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production), indicating a shift to a pronounced Th1 response. Imm…

Multivalency Beats Complexity: A Study on the Cell Uptake of Carbohydrate Functionalized Nanocarriers to Dendritic Cells.

Herein, we report the synthesis of carbohydrate and glycodendron structures for dendritic cell targeting, which were subsequently bound to hydroxyethyl starch (HES) nanocapsules prepared by the inverse miniemulsion technique. The uptake of the carbohydrate-functionalized HES nanocapsules into immature human dendritic cells (hDCs) revealed a strong dependence on the used carbohydrate. A multivalent mannose-terminated dendron was found to be far superior in uptake compared to the structurally more complex oligosaccharides used.

Organic-Inorganic Hybrids: Metal Oxide/Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles with Versatile Functionality Prepared by Controlled Surface Crystallization (Adv. Funct. Mater. 4/2013)

Nanozymes in Nanofibrous Mats with Haloperoxidase-like Activity To Combat Biofouling.

Electrospun polymer mats are widely used in tissue engineering, wearable electronics, and water purification. However, in many environments, the polymer nanofibers prepared by electrospinning suffer from biofouling during long-term usage, resulting in persistent infections and device damage. Herein, we describe the fabrication of polymer mats with CeO2–x nanorods that can prevent biofouling in an aqueous environment. The embedded CeO2–x nanorods are functional mimics of natural haloperoxidases that catalyze the oxidative bromination of Br– and H2O2 to HOBr. The generated HOBr, a natural signaling molecule, disrupted the bacterial quorum sensing, a critical step in biofilm formation. The pol…

Controlling protein interactions in blood for effective liver immunosuppressive therapy by silica nanocapsules

Immunosuppression with glucocorticoids is a common treatment for autoimmune liver diseases and after liver transplant, which is however associated with severe side-effects. Targeted delivery of glucocorticoids to inflammatory cells, e.g. liver macrophages and Kupffer cells, is a promising approach for minimizing side effects. Herein, we prepare core–shell silica nanocapsules (SiO2 NCs) via a sol–gel process confined in nanodroplets for targeted delivery of dexamethasone (DXM) for liver immunosuppressive therapy. DXM with concentrations up to 100 mg mL−1 in olive oil are encapsulated while encapsulation efficiency remains over 95% after 15 days. Internalization of NCs by non-parenchymal muri…

Nanoparticles and the immune system: challenges and opportunities

Magnetic Polyurethane Microcarriers from Nanoparticle-Stabilized Emulsions for Thermal Energy Storage

Hydrated inorganic salts are phase change materials (PCMs) with promising thermal energy storage capacity. However, their application is commonly restricted because of problems of phase segregation...

Heparin-Based Nanocapsules as Potential Drug Delivery Systems

Herein, the synthesis and characterization of heparin-based nanocapsules (NCs) as potential drug delivery systems is described. For the synthesis of the heparin-based NCs, the versatile method of miniemulsion polymerization at the droplets interface was achieved resulting in narrowly distributed NCs with 180 nm in diameter. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images showed clearly NC morphology. A highly negative charge density for the heparin-based NCs was determined by measuring the electro-kinetic potential. Measuring the activated clotting time demonstrated the biological intactness of the polymeric shell. The ability of heparin-based NCs to bind to antithrombin (AT III) was i…

Protein Corona Mediated Stealth Properties of Biocompatible Carbohydrate‐based Nanocarriers

From In Silico to Experimental Validation: Tailoring Peptide Substrates for a Serine Protease.

Smart nanocarriers for the transport of drugs to tumor cells are nowadays of great interest for treating cancer. The use of enzymatic stimuli to cleave peptide-based drug nanocapsules for the selective release of nanocapsule cargo in close proximity to tumor cells opens new possibilities in cancer research. In the present work, we demonstrate a methodology for finding and optimizing cleavable substrate sequences by the type II transmembrane serine protease hepsin, which is highly overexpressed in prostate cancer. The design and screening of combinatorial libraries in silico against the binding cavity of hepsin allow the identification of a panel of promising substrates with high-calculated …

Heparin modulates the cellular uptake of nanomedicines

Liposomal formulations are used to improve the safety and cellular absorption of conventional drugs by limiting their interaction with phagocytes. The uptake behaviour of these nanocarriers is affected by the blood composition, and accordingly the presence of an anticoagulant in the blood could have a critical impact on the efficiency of nanomedicines. For the negatively charged liposomes, such as AmBisome®, no significant change in the uptake could be observed when co-incubated with heparin and primary phagocytes. Yet, we observed that a peak of the uptake extent of cationic liposomes was reached at a clinically relevant concentration of heparin for phagocytes and cancer cells. Hence, we r…

Unraveling the In Vivo Protein Corona

Understanding the behavior of nanoparticles upon contact with a physiological environment is of urgent need in order to improve their properties for a successful therapeutic application. Most commonly, the interaction of nanoparticles with plasma proteins are studied under in vitro conditions. However, this has been shown to not reflect the complex situation after in vivo administration. Therefore, here we focused on the investigation of magnetic nanoparticles with blood proteins under in vivo conditions. Importantly, we observed a radically different proteome in vivo in comparison to the in vitro situation underlining the significance of in vivo protein corona studies. Next to this, we fou…

Nanographenes: Ultrastable, Switchable, and Bright Probes for Super-Resolution Microscopy.

Abstract Super‐resolution fluorescence microscopy has enabled important breakthroughs in biology and materials science. Implementations such as single‐molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) and minimal emission fluxes (MINFLUX) microscopy in the localization mode exploit fluorophores that blink, i.e., switch on and off, stochastically. Here, we introduce nanographenes, namely large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that can also be regarded as atomically precise graphene quantum dots, as a new class of fluorophores for super‐resolution fluorescence microscopy. Nanographenes exhibit outstanding photophysical properties: intrinsic blinking even in air, excellent fluorescence recovery, and sta…

A Highly Luminescent Nitrogen-Doped Nanographene as an Acid- and Metal-Sensitive Fluorophore for Optical Imaging.

Dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene (DBOV) has excellent photophysical properties, including strong fluorescence and high ambient stability. Moreover, the optical blinking properties of DBOV have enabled optical super-resolution single-molecule localization microscopy with an imaging resolution beyond the diffraction limit. Various organic and inorganic fluorescent probes have been developed for super-resolution imaging, but those sensitive to pH and/or metal ions have remained elusive. Here, we report a diaza-derivative of DBOV (N-DBOV), synthesized in eight steps with a total yield of 15%. Nitrogen (N)-bearing zigzag edges were formed through oxidative cyclization of amino groups in the last step. UV-v…

Functionalization of Liposomes with Hydrophilic Polymers Results in Macrophage Uptake Independent of the Protein Corona

Liposomes are established drug carriers that are employed to transport and deliver hydrophilic drugs in the body. To minimize unspecific cellular uptake, nanocarriers are commonly modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which is known to minimize unspecific protein adsorption. However, to date, it has not been studied whether this is an intrinsic and specific property of PEG or if it can be transferred to hyperbranched polyglycerol (hbPG) as well. Additionally, it remains unclear if the reduction of unspecific cell uptake is independent of the “basic” carrier at which a surface functionalization with polymers is usually applied. Therefore, we studied the protein corona of differently fun…

HPMA-based block copolymers promote differential drug delivery kinetics for hydrophobic and amphiphilic molecules.

Abstract We describe a method how polymeric nanoparticles stabilized with (2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA)-based block copolymers are used as drug delivery systems for a fast release of hydrophobic and a controlled release of an amphiphilic molecule. The versatile method of the miniemulsion solvent-evaporation technique was used to prepare polystyrene (PS) as well as poly-d/l-lactide (PDLLA) nanoparticles. Covalently bound or physically adsorbed fluorescent dyes labeled the particles’ core and their block copolymer corona. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in combination with flow cytometry measurements were applied to demonstrate the burst release of a fluorescent hydrophobic…

Frontispiece: Low‐Temperature Miniemulsion‐Based Routes for Synthesis of Metal Oxides

Rapid formation of plasma protein corona critically affects nanoparticle pathophysiology

In biological fluids, proteins bind to the surface of nanoparticles to form a coating known as the protein corona, which can critically affect the interaction of the nanoparticles with living systems. As physiological systems are highly dynamic, it is important to obtain a time-resolved knowledge of protein-corona formation, development and biological relevancy. Here we show that label-free snapshot proteomics can be used to obtain quantitative time-resolved profiles of human plasma coronas formed on silica and polystyrene nanoparticles of various size and surface functionalization. Complex time- and nanoparticle-specific coronas, which comprise almost 300 different proteins, were found to …

pH-responsive physically and chemically cross-linked glutamic-acid-based hydrogels and nanogels

Abstract Given the great demand for polymers prepared from renewable materials, the synthesis of a glutamic-acid-based hydrogel by solution and inverse miniemulsion polymerization is herein presented. Free radical initiated homopolymerizations of N-acryloyl- l -glutamic acid (l- AGA) resulted in either a readily water-soluble polymer or a physically cross-linked hydrogel, being the formation of physical cross-linking junctions closely related to monomer concentration and mixture viscosity. Chemically cross-linked poly( l -AGA-co-BIS) hydrogels were also synthesized by copolymerization of l -AGA and N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BIS). Both poly (l- AGA) and poly( l -AGA-co-BIS) swelling beh…

Polymeric nanoparticles of different sizes overcome the cell membrane barrier.

Abstract Polymeric nanoparticles have tremendous potential either as carriers or markers in treatment for diseases or as diagnostics in biomedical applications. Finding the optimal conditions for effective intracellular delivery of the payload to the location of interest is still a big challenge. The particles have to overcome the barrier of the cell membrane. Here, we investigated the uptake in HeLa cells of fluorescent polystyrene particles with different size and surface charge. Particles stabilized with the nonionic surfactant Lutensol AT50® (132 nm, 180 nm, 242 nm, 816 nm, 846 nm diameter) were synthesized via dispersion polymerization. Cationic particles (120 nm, 208 nm, 267 nm, 603 n…

Polyphosphoester surfactants as general stealth coatings for polymeric nanocarriers

Opsonization of nanocarriers is one of the most important biological barriers for controlled drug delivery. The typical way to prevent such unspecific protein adsorption and thus fast clearance by the immune system is the covalent modification of drug delivery vehicles with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), so-called PEGylation. Recently, polyphosphoesters (PPEs) were identified as adequate PEG substitutes, however with the benefits of controllable hydrophilicity, additional chemical functionality, or biodegradability. Here, we present a general strategy by non-covalent adsorption of different nonionic PPE-surfactants to nanocarriers with stealth properties. Polyphosphoester surfactants with dif…

Polysaccharide-Based pH-Responsive Nanocapsules Prepared with Bio-Orthogonal Chemistry and Their Use as Responsive Delivery Systems.

Bio-orthogonal reactions have become an essential tool to prepare biomaterials; for example, in the synthesis of nanocarriers, bio-orthogonal chemistry allows circumventing common obstacles related to the encapsulation of delicate payloads or the occurrence of uncontrolled side reactions, which significantly limit the range of potential payloads to encapsulate. Here, we report a new approach to prepare pH-responsive nanocarriers using dynamic bio-orthogonal chemistry. The reaction between a poly(hydrazide) crosslinker and functionalized polysaccharides was used to form a pH-responsive hydrazone network. The network formation occurred at the interface of aqueous nanodroplets in miniemulsion …

How Low Can You Go? Low Densities of Poly(ethylene glycol) Surfactants Attract Stealth Proteins.

It is now well-established that the surface chemistry and “stealth” surface functionalities such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains of nanocarriers play an important role to decrease unspecific protein adsorption of opsonizing proteins, to increase the enrichment of specific stealth proteins, and to prolong the circulation times of the nanocarriers. At the same time, PEG chains are used to provide colloidal stability for the nanoparticles. However, it is not clear how the chain length and density influence the unspecific and specific protein adsorption keeping at the same time the stability of the nanoparticles in a biological environment. Therefore, this study aims at characterizing the…

Magnetically enhanced polymer-supported ceria nanocatalysts for the hydration of nitriles.

The heterogeneous catalysis of the hydration of nitriles to amides is a process of great industrial relevance in which cerium(IV) oxide (also referred to as ceria) has shown an outstanding catalytic performance. The use of non-supported ceria nanoparticles is related to difficulties in the purification of the product and the recovery and recyclability of the catalyst. Therefore, in this work, ceria nanoparticles are supported on a polymer matrix either by synthesizing polymer particles by so-called Pickering miniemulsions while using ceria nanoparticles as emulsion stabilizers or, as a comparison, by in-situ crystallization on preformed polymer particles. The former strategy presents signif…