Search results for "ARTICLES"
showing 10 items of 9626 documents
Use of the Cultex® Radial Flow System as an in vitro exposure method to assess acute pulmonary toxicity of fine dusts and nanoparticles with special …
2013
Exposure of the respiratory tract to airborne particles (including metal-dusts and nano-particles) is considered as a serious health hazard. For a wide range of substances basic knowledge about the toxic properties and the underlying pathomechanisms is lacking or even completely missing. Legislation demands the toxicological characterization of all chemicals placed on the market until 2018 (REACH). As toxicological in vivo data are rare with regard to acute lung toxicity or exhibit distinct limitations (e.g. inter-species differences) and legislation claims the reduction of animal experiments in general ("3R" principle), profound in vitro models have to be established and characterized to m…
Enzyme-Controlled Nanodevice for Acetylcholine-Triggered Cargo Delivery Based on Janus Au–Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles
2017
[EN] This work reports a new gated nanodevice for acetylcholine-triggered cargo delivery. We prepared and characterized Janus Au-mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with acetylcholinesterase on the Au face and with supramolecular b-cyclodextrin: benzimidazole inclusion complexes as caps on the mesoporous silica face. The nanodevice is able to selectively deliver the cargo in the presence of acetylcholine via enzyme-mediated acetylcholine hydrolysis, locally lowering the pH and opening the supramolecular gate. Given the key role played by ACh and its relation with Parkinson's disease and other nervous system diseases, we believe that these findings could help design new therapeuti…
Inulin-Ethylenediamine Coated SPIONs Magnetoplexes: A Promising Tool for Improving siRNA Delivery.
2015
An inulin based polycation (Inu-EDA) has been synthesized by the grafting of ethylenediamine molecules onto inulin backbone. The obtained inulin copolymer has been though to coat SPIONs (IC-SPIONs) and obtain stable magnetoplexes by complexation of IC-SPIONs with a model duplexed siRNA, for improving oligonucleotide transfection efficiency.The physical-chemical characteristics of IC-SPIONs and IC-SPIONs/siRNA magnetoplexes have been investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, dynamic light scattering, FT-IR and qualitative surface elementary analysis. Cell compatibility and internalization in vitro of IC-SPIONs have been evaluated by MTS and fluorescence microscopy resp…
Zinc overload mediated by zinc oxide nanoparticles as innovative anti-tumor agent
2017
The predicted global cancer burden is expected to surpass 20 million new cancer cases by 2025. Despite recent advancement in tumor therapy, a successful cancer treatment remains challenging. The emerging field of nanotechnology offers great opportunities for diagnosis, imaging, as well as treatment of cancer. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NP) were shown to exert selective cytotoxicity against tumor cells via a yet unknown mechanism, most likely involving the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These nanoparticles are a promising therapeutic opportunity as zinc is a nontoxic trace element and its application in medically-related products is considered to be safe. We could show that …
Interactions between Polyamines and Abiotic Stress Pathway Responses Unraveled by Transcriptome Analysis of Polyamine Overproducers
2011
Plant development and productivity are negatively regulated by adverse environmental conditions. The identification of stress-regulatory genes, networks, and signaling molecules should allow the development of novel strategies to obtain tolerant plants. Polyamines (PAs) are polycationic compounds with a recognized role in plant growth and development, as well as in abiotic and biotic stress responses. During the last years, knowledge on PA functions has been achieved using genetically modified plants with altered PA levels. In this review, we combine the information obtained from global transcriptome analyses in transgenic Arabidopsis plants with altered putrescine or spermine levels. Compa…
Microparticles: Modulators and biomarkers of liver disease
2012
Division of Molecular and Translational Medicine,Dept. of Medicine I, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, GermanyEmerging role of microparticlesMicroparticles (MP) have gained increasing attention as biomark-ers for various diseases. First described as platelet dust, MP wereregarded as unspecific debris [1]. However, it has become appar-ent that cell derived MP or ectosomes represent a novel route ofhorizontal communication between cells. MP are between 100–1000 nm in size and generated through cell membrane shedding(ectocytosis), a process that can be triggered by the activation ofthe complement C5b-9 complex, as shown for platelet derivedMP, or by inhibition of flippase activitythroughCa
Synthesis, spectroscopic studies and biological evaluation of acridine derivatives: The role of aggregation on the photodynamic efficiency.
2018
Two new photoactive compounds (1 and 2) derived from the 9-amidoacridine chromophore have been synthesized and fully characterized. Their abilities to produce singlet oxygen upon irradiation have been compared. The synthesized compounds show very different self-aggregating properties since only 1 present a strong tendency to aggregate in water. Biological assays were conducted with two cell types: hepatoma cells (Hep3B) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Photodynamic therapy (PDT) studies carried out with Hep3B cells showed that non-aggregating compound 2 showed photoxicity, ascribed to the production of singlet oxygen, being aggregating compound 1 photochemically inactive.…
Predetermined embryonic glial cells form the distinct glial sheaths of the Drosophila peripheral nervous system
2013
International audience; One of the numerous functions of glial cells in Drosophila is the ensheathment of neurons to isolate them from the potassium-rich haemolymph, thereby establishing the blood-brain barrier. Peripheral nerves of flies are surrounded by three distinct glial cell types. Although all embryonic peripheral glia (ePG) have been identified on a single-cell level, their contribution to the three glial sheaths is not known. We used the Flybow system to label and identify each individual ePG in the living embryo and followed them into third instar larva. We demonstrate that all ePG persist until the end of larval development and some even to adulthood. We uncover the origin of al…
Laser capture microdissection and genetic analysis of carbon-labeled Kupffer cells.
2009
AIM: To develop a method of labeling and micro-dissecting mouse Kupffer cells within an extraordinarily short period of time using laser capture microdissection (LCM). METHODS: Tissues are complex structures comprised of a heterogeneous population of interconnected cells. LCM offers a method of isolating a single cell type from specific regions of a tissue section. LCM is an essential approach used in conjunction with molecular analysis to study the functional interaction of cells in their native tissue environment. The process of labeling and acquiring cells by LCM prior to mRNA isolation can be elaborate, thereby subjecting the RNA to considerable degradation. Kupffer cell labeling is ach…
Surface Modification of Polysaccharide-Based Nanoparticles with PEG and Dextran and the Effects on Immune Cell Binding and Stimulatory Characteristic…
2017
Surface modifications of nanoparticles can alter their physical and biological properties significantly. They effect particle aggregation, circulation times, and cellular uptake. This is particularly critical for the interaction with primary immune cells due to their important role in particle processing. We can show that the introduction of a hydrophilic PEG layer on the surface of the polysaccharide-based nanoparticles prevents unwanted aggregation under physiological conditions and decreases unspecific cell uptake in different primary immune cell types. The opposite effect can be observed with a parallel-performed introduction of a layer of low molecular weight dextran (3.5 and 5 kDa) on…