We have developed a versatile new class of genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor based on reversible exchange of the heterodimeric partners of green and red dimerization-dependent fluorescent ...proteins. We demonstrate the use of this strategy to construct both intermolecular and intramolecular ratiometric biosensors for qualitative imaging of caspase activity, Ca(2+) concentration dynamics and other second-messenger signaling activities.
Microglia are the essential responders to alimentary, pharmacological, and nanotechnological immunomodulators. These neural cells play multiple roles as surveyors, sculptors, and guardians of ...essential parts of complex neural circuitries. Microglia can play dual roles in the central nervous system; they can be deleterious and/or protective. The immunomodulatory effects of alimentary components, gut microbiota, and nanotechnological products have been investigated in microglia at the single-cell level and in vivo using intravital imaging approaches, and different biochemical assays. This review highlights some of the emerging questions and topics from studies involving alimentation, microbiota, nanotechnological products, and associated problems in this area of research. Some of the advantages and limitations of in vitro and in vivo models used to study the neuromodulatory effects of these factors, as well as the merits and pitfalls of intravital imaging modalities employed are presented.
Intravenous administration of fibrinolytic drugs, such as recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is the standard treatment of acute thrombotic diseases. However, current fibrinolytics ...exhibit limited clinical efficacy because of their short plasma half-lives and risk of hemorrhagic transformations. Platelet membrane-based nanocarriers have received increasing attention for ischemic stroke therapies, as they have natural thrombus-targeting activity, can prolong half-life of the fibrinolytic therapy, and reduce side effects. In this study we have gone further in developing platelet-derived nanocarriers (defined as cellsomes) to encapsulate and protect rtPA from degradation. Following lyophilization and characterization, their formulation properties, biocompatibility, therapeutic effect, and risk of hemorrhages were later investigated in a thromboembolic model of stroke in mice.
Cellsomes of 200 nm size and loaded with rtPA were generated from membrane fragments of human platelets. The lyophilization process did not influence the nanocarrier size distribution, morphology, and colloidal stability conferring particle preservation and long-term storage. Encapsulated rtPA in cellsomes and administered as a single bolus showed to be as effective as a continuous clinical perfusion of free rtPA at equal concentration, without increasing the risk of hemorrhagic transformations or provoking an inflammatory response.
This study provides evidence for the safe and effective use of lyophilized biomimetic platelet-derived nanomedicine for precise thrombolytic treatment of acute ischemic stroke. In addition, this new nanoformulation could simplify the clinical use of rtPA as a single bolus, being easier and less time-consuming in an emergency setting than a treatment perfusion, particularly in stroke patients. We have successfully addressed one of the main barriers to drug application and commercialization, the long-term storage of nanomedicines, overcoming the potential chemical and physical instabilities of nanomedicines when stored in an aqueous buffer.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) has emerged as a valuable therapeutic target in glioblastoma (GBM), as it promotes tumorigenesis via an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Immune ...cells such as microglia accumulate near the tumor and its hypoxic core, fostering tumor proliferation and angiogenesis. In this study, we explored the therapeutic potential of natural polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Notably, flavonoids, including fisetin and quercetin, can protect non-cancerous cells while eliminating transformed cells (2D cultures and 3D tumoroids). We tested the hypothesis that fisetin and quercetin are modulators of redox-responsive transcription factors, for which subcellular location plays a critical role. To investigate the sites of interaction between natural compounds and stress-responsive transcription factors, we combined molecular docking with experimental methods employing proximity ligation assays. Our findings reveal that fisetin decreased cytosolic acetylated high mobility group box 1 (acHMGB1) and increased transcription factor EB (TFEB) abundance in microglia but not in GBM. Moreover, our results suggest that the most powerful modulator of the Nrf2-KEAP1 complex is fisetin. This finding is in line with molecular modeling and calculated binding properties between fisetin and Nrf2-KEAP1, which indicated more sites of interactions and stronger binding affinities than quercetin.
Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the most aggressive brain tumors and current therapies with temozolomide or suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA, vorinostat) show considerable limitations. SAHA is ...a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that can cause undesirable side effects due to the lack of selectivity. We show here properties of a novel hybrid molecule, sahaquine, which selectively inhibits cytoplasmic HDAC6 at nanomolar concentrations without markedly suppressing class I HDACs. Inhibition of HDAC6 leads to significant α-tubulin acetylation, thereby impairing cytoskeletal organization in glioblastoma cells. The primaquine moiety of sahaquine reduced the activity of P-glycoprotein, which contributes to glioblastoma multiforme drug resistance. We propose the mechanism of action of sahaquine to implicate HDAC6 inhibition together with suppression of epidermal growth factor receptor and downstream kinase activity, which are prominent therapeutic targets in glioblastoma multiforme. Sahaquine significantly reduces the viability and invasiveness of glioblastoma tumoroids, as well as brain tumor stem cells, which are key to tumor survival and recurrence. These effects are augmented with the combination of sahaquine with temozolomide, the natural compound quercetin or buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of glutathione biosynthesis. Thus, a combination of agents disrupting glioblastoma and brain tumor stem cell homeostasis provides an effective anti-cancer intervention.
Dendritic polyglycerols (dPG), particularly dendritic polyglycerol sulfates (dPGS), have been intensively studied due to their intrinsic anti-inflammatory activity. As related to brain pathologies ...involving neuroinflammation, the current study examined if dPG and dPGS can (i) regulate neuroglial activation, and (ii) normalize the morphology and function of excitatory postsynaptic dendritic spines adversely affected by the neurotoxic 42 amino acid amyloid-β (Aβ
) peptide of Alzheimer disease (AD). The exact role of neuroglia, such as microglia and astrocytes, remains controversial especially their positive and negative impact on inflammatory processes in AD. To test dPGS effectiveness in AD models we used primary neuroglia and organotypic hippocampal slice cultures exposed to Aβ
peptide. Overall, our data indicate that dPGS is taken up by both microglia and astrocytes in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The mechanism of action of dPGS involves binding to Aβ
, i.e., a direct interaction between dPGS and Aβ
species interfered with Aβ fibril formation and reduced the production of the neuroinflammagen lipocalin-2 (LCN2) mainly in astrocytes. Moreover, dPGS normalized the impairment of neuroglia and prevented the loss of dendritic spines at excitatory synapses in the hippocampus. In summary, dPGS has desirable therapeutic properties that may help reduce amyloid-induced neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity in AD.
Abstract
In photodynamic therapy (PDT), light-sensitive photosensitizers produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) after irradiation in the presence of oxygen. Atomically-precise thiolate-protected gold ...nanoclusters are molecule-like nanostructures with discrete energy levels presenting long lifetimes, surface biofunctionality, and strong near-infrared excitation ideal for ROS generation in PDT. We directly compare thiolate-gold macromolecular complexes (Au
10
) and atomically-precise gold nanoclusters (Au
25
), and investigate the influence of ligands on their photoexcitation. With the ability of atomically-precise nanochemistry, we produce Au
10
SG
10
, Au
10
AcCys
10
, Au
25
SG
18
, and Au
25
AcCys
18
(SG: glutathione; AcCys: N-acetyl-cysteine) fully characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Our theoretical investigation reveals key factors (energetics of excited states and structural influence of surface ligands) and their relative importance in singlet oxygen formation upon one- and two-photon excitation. Finally, we explore ROS generation by gold nanoclusters in living cells with one- and two-photon excitation. Our study presents in-depth analyses of events within gold nanoclusters when photo-excited both in the linear and nonlinear optical regimes, and possible biological consequences in cells.
Inflammatory processes in the brain are orchestrated by microglia and astrocytes in response to activators such as pathogen-associated molecular patterns, danger-associated molecular patterns and ...some nanostructures. Microglia are the primary immune responders in the brain and initiate responses amplified by astrocytes through intercellular signaling. Intercellular communication between neural cells can be studied in cerebral organoids, co-cultures or in vivo. We used human cerebral organoids and glioblastoma co-cultures to study glia modulation by dendritic polyglycerol sulfate (dPGS). dPGS is an extensively studied nanostructure with inherent anti-inflammatory properties. Under inflammatory conditions, lipocalin-2 levels in astrocytes are markedly increased and indirectly enhanced by soluble factors released from hyperactive microglia. dPGS is an effective anti-inflammatory modulator of these markers. Our results show that dPGS can enter neural cells in cerebral organoids and glial cells in monocultures in a time-dependent manner. dPGS markedly reduces lipocalin-2 abundance in the neural cells. Glioblastoma tumoroids of astrocytic origin respond to activated microglia with enhanced invasiveness, whereas conditioned media from dPGS-treated microglia reduce tumoroid invasiveness. Considering that many nanostructures have only been tested in cancer cells and rodent models, experiments in human 3D cerebral organoids and co-cultures are complementary in vitro models to evaluate nanotherapeutics in the pre-clinical setting. Thoroughly characterized organoids and standardized procedures for their preparation are prerequisites to gain information of translational value in nanomedicine. This study provides data for a well-characterized dendrimer (dPGS) that modulates the activation state of human microglia implicated in brain tumor invasiveness.
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•Curcumin localizes in the lipid droplets of glioblastoma cell.•Susceptibility of glioblastoma cells to curcumin is enhanced by pyrrolidine-2.•Curcumin-induced cell death involves ...caspase-3 activation.
Increased lipid droplet number and fatty acid synthesis allow glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, to withstand accelerated metabolic rates and resist therapeutic treatments. Lipid droplets are postulated to sequester hydrophobic therapeutic agents, thereby reducing drug effectiveness. We hypothesized that the inhibition of lipid droplet accumulation in glioblastoma cells using pyrrolidine-2, a cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 alpha inhibitor, can sensitize cancer cells to the killing effect of curcumin, a promising anticancer agent isolated from the turmeric spice. We observed that curcumin localized in the lipid droplets of human U251N glioblastoma cells. Reduction of lipid droplet number using pyrrolidine-2 drastically enhanced the therapeutic effect of curcumin in both 2D and 3D glioblastoma cell models. The mode of cell death involved was found to be mediated by caspase-3. Comparatively, the current clinical chemotherapeutic standard, temozolomide, was significantly less effective in inducing glioblastoma cell death. Together, our results suggest that the inhibition of lipid droplet accumulation is an effective way to enhance the chemotherapeutic effect of curcumin against glioblastoma multiforme.
Branched star polymers offer exciting opportunities in enhancing the efficacy of nanocarriers in delivering biologically active lipophilic agents. It is demonstrated that the star polymeric ...architecture can be leveraged to yield soft nanoparticles of vesicular morphology with precisely located stimuli‐sensitive chemical entities. Amphiphilic stars of AB2 (A = PEG, B = PCL) composition with/without oxidative stress or reduction responsive units at the core junction of A and B arms, are constructed using synthetic articulation. Fisetin, a natural flavonoid with remarkable anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but of limited clinical value due to its poor aqueous solubility, is physically encapsulated into miktoarm star‐derived aqueous polymersomes. Polymersomes and fisetin are evaluated separately, and in combination, in human microglia (HMC3), to show if i) polymersomes are toxic; ii) fisetin reduces the abundance of reactive oxygen species (ROS); and iii) fisetin modulates the activation of ERK1/2. These signaling molecules and pathways are implicated in inflammatory processes and cell survival. Fisetin, both incorporated and nonincorporated into polymersomes, reduces ROS and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in lipopolysaccharide‐treated human microglia, normalizing excessive oxidative stress and ERK‐mediated signaling.
Endogenous stimuli‐responsive amphiphilic branched polymers self‐assemble into spherical vesicles which encapsulate fisetin (a natural pluripotent polyphenol with aqueous solubility of <1 mg mL−1). These nanoformulations offer a platform to overcome limitations in the bioavailability of fisetin, reduce oxidative stress in HMC3 human microglia cells, and normalize excessively activated MAPK phosphorylation.
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