Search results for "nanogel"
showing 10 items of 82 documents
In Vivo Gene-Silencing in Fibrotic Liver by siRNA-Loaded Cationic Nanohydrogel Particles
2015
Cationic nanohydrogel particles loaded with anti-Col1α1 siRNA suppress collagen synthesis and deposition in fibrotic mice: Systemically administered 40 nm sized nanogel particles accumulate in collagen-expressing cells in the liver. Their siRNA payload induces a sequence specific in vivo gene knockdown affording an efficient antifibrotic effect in mice with liver fibrosis.
Nose-to-brain delivery of insulin enhanced by a nanogel carrier.
2018
Recent evidences suggest that insulin delivery to the brain can be an important pharmacological therapy for some neurodegenerative pathologies, including Alzheimer disease (AD). Due to the presence of the Blood Brain Barrier, a suitable carrier and an appropriate route of administration are required to increase the efficacy and safety of the treatment. Here, poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone)-based nanogels (NG), synthetized by e-beam irradiation, alone and with covalently attached insulin (NG-In) were characterized for biocompatibility and brain delivery features in a mouse model. Preliminarily, the biodistribution of the "empty" nanocarrier after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection was investigated b…
An in vitro and in vivo study of peptide-functionalized nanoparticles for brain targeting: The importance of selective blood-brain barrier uptake
2017
Targeted delivery of drugs across endothelial barriers remains a formidable challenge, especially in the case of the brain, where the blood-brain barrier severely limits entry of drugs into the central nervous system. Nanoparticle-mediated transport of peptide/protein-based drugs across endothelial barriers shows great potential as a therapeutic strategy in a wide variety of diseases. Functionalizing nanoparticles with peptides allows for more efficient targeting to specific organs. We have evaluated the hemocompatibilty, cytotoxicity, endothelial uptake, efficacy of delivery and safety of liposome, hyperbranched polyester, poly(glycidol) and acrylamide-based nanoparticles functionalized wi…
Microfluidic Fabrication of Physically Assembled Nanogels and Micrometric Fibers by Using a Hyaluronic Acid Derivative
2017
The employ of a hyaluronic acid (HA) derivative, bearing octadecyl (C18) and ethylenediamine (EDA) groups, for microfluidic fabrication of nanogels and microfibers is reported in this study. Two HA-EDA-C18 derivatives (125 and 320 kDa) having ionic strength sensitive properties are synthesized and characterized. The control of the rheological properties of HA-EDA-C18 aqueous dispersions by formation of inclusion complexes with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrins (HPCD) is described. Reversibility of C18/HPCD complexation and physical crosslinking is detected in media with different ionic strength through oscillation frequency tests. HA-EDA-C18 125 kDa is employed for nanogel fabrication. Control …
Facile crosslinking of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) by electro-oxidation with IrO2-based anode under potentiostatic conditions
2018
Abstract: The modification of polymer architectures by reaction with chemically adsorbed hydroxyl radicals has been thoroughly investigated by electrolyzing dilute aqueous solutions of the biocompatible polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), using an undivided electrolytic cell with a Ti/IrO2–Ta2O5(DSA®) anode. Several electrolyses were performed to assess the influence of the applied potential, the circulated charge and the PVP concentration, which was always kept low to avoid chain overlapping. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the electro-oxidation of PVP solutions using a cheap anode is an effective method to crosslink initially isolated polymer chains, eventually incre…
Ionizing radiation-engineered nanogels as insulin nanocarriers for the development of a new strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
2016
A growing body of evidence shows the protective role of insulin in Alzheimer's disease (AD). A nanogel system (NG) to deliver insulin to the brain, as a tool for the development of a new therapy for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), is designed and synthetized. A carboxyl-functionalized poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) nanogel system produced by ionizing radiation is chosen as substrate for the covalent attachment of insulin or fluorescent molecules relevant for its characterization. Biocompatibility and hemocompatibility of the naked carrier is demonstrated. The insulin conjugated to the NG (NG-In) is protected by protease degradation and able to bind to insulin receptor (IR), as demonstrated by immunofl…
The role of molecular oxygen in the formation of radiation-engineered multifunctional nanogels
2019
Abstract Nanogels are very promising biomedical nanodevices. The classic “radiation chemistry-based” approach to synthetize nanogels consists in the irradiation with pulsed electron beams of dilute, N2O-saturated, aqueous solutions of water-soluble polymers of the “crosslinking type”. Nanogels with controlled size and properties are produced in a single irradiation step with no recourse to initiators, organic solvents and surfactants. This paper combines experimental syntheses, performed with two e-beam irradiation setups and dose-ranges, starting from poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) solutions of various concentrations, both in N2O-saturated and air-saturated initial conditions, with the numerica…
Numerical Simulations of Nanogel Synthesis Using Pulsed Electron Beam
2019
In this work, a new method for numerical simulation of the radiation chemistry of aqueous polymer solutions exposed to a sequence of electron pulses is presented. The numerical simulations are based on a deterministic approach encompassing the conventional homogeneous radiation chemistry of water as well as the chemistry of polymer radicals. The multitude of possible reactions in the macromolecular system is handled by allowing for a large number of macromolecular species. The speciation of macromolecular species is done to account for variations in molecular weight, number of alkyl radicals per chain, number of peroxyl radicals per chain, number of oxyl radicals per chain, and number of in…
Micro- to Nanoscale Bio-Hybrid Hydrogels Engineered by Ionizing Radiation
2021
Bio-hybrid hydrogels consist of a water-swollen hydrophilic polymer network encapsulating or conjugating single biomolecules, or larger and more complex biological constructs like whole cells. By modulating at least one dimension of the hydrogel system at the micro- or nanoscale, the activity of the biological component can be extremely upgraded with clear advantages for the development of therapeutic or diagnostic micro- and nano-devices. Gamma or e-beam irradiation of polymers allow a good control of the chemistry at the micro-/nanoscale with minimal recourse to toxic reactants and solvents. Another potential advantage is to obtain simultaneous sterilization when the absorbed doses are wi…
Double-Network-Structured Graphene Oxide-Containing Nanogels as Photothermal Agents for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.
2017
Here, we reported the production of hyaluronic acid/polyaspartamide-based double-network nanogels for the potential treatment of colorectal carcinoma. Graphene oxide, thanks to the huge aromatic surface area, allows to easily load high amount of irinotecan (33.0% w/w) and confers to the system hyperthermic properties when irradiated with a near-infrared (NIR) laser beam. We demonstrate that the release of antitumor drug is influenced both by the pH of the external medium and the NIR irradiation process. In vitro biological studies, conducted on human colon cancer cells (HCT 116), revealed that nanogels are uptaken by the cancer cells and, in the presence of the antitumor drug, can produce a…