Identification of live liver cancer cells in a mixed cell system using galactose-conjugated fluorescent nanoparticles

Bio-functioned fluorescent silica nanoparticles have been synthesized for cell labeling and cell differentiation and have shown great promise as novel fluorescent probes. The galactose-conjugated fluorescent nanoparticles (GCFNPs) have been obtained by the conjugation of amino-modified fluorescent silica nanoparticles with lactobionic acid (LA) through EDAC linkage. The GCFNPs retain excellent biological activity and can be used in bioanalysis as an immunofluorescence assay. The specific identification of target cells from the background cells have been directly demonstrated in a simple model system by a laser confocal scanning microscope, because the specific and non-specific labeling can simultaneously visualized in a given microscopic field of view. The flow cytometric analysis has proved that GCFNPs can effectively recognize target cells in the mixed cell system. The demonstration of precise identification of few liver cancer cells in the blood confirmed the excellent capability of GCFNPs in identifying specific cells in a large host cell background. The nanoparticle's excellent photostability, good biocompatibility and significant signal amplification make them well-suited for the identification of individual cells sensitively for a variety of biomedical studies such as cancer metastasis and stem cell progeny in vivo.     

Fluorescent AIE dots encapsulated organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) nanoparticles for two-photon cellular imaging

2,3-Bis(4-(phenyl(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)amino)phenyl) fumaronitrile (TPE-TPA-FN or TTF), which possesses aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic, is doped in organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) nanoparticles. By increasing the weight ratio of TTF to the precursor of silica nanoparticles (the quantities of the precursors were kept the same), the fluorescence intensity of nanoparticles increased correspondingly, due to the formation of larger AIE dots in the cores of ORMOSIL nanoparticles. The fluorescent and biocompatible nanoprobes were then utilized for in vitro imaging of HeLa cells. Two-photon fluorescence microscopy clearly illustrated that the nanoparticles have the capacity of nucleus permeability, as well as cytoplasm staining towards tumor cells. Our experimental results may offer a promising method for fast and bright fluorescence imaging, as well as bio-molecule/drug delivery to cell nucleus.     

Anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) antibody conjugated fluorescent nanoparticles probe for breast cancer imaging

Fluorescent nanoparticles (FNs) with unique optical properties may be useful as biosensors in living cancer cell imaging and cancer targeting. In this study, anti-EGFR antibody conjugated fluorescent nanoparticles (FNs) (anti-EGFR antibody conjugated FNs) probe was used to detect breast cancer cells. FNs with excellent character such as non-toxicity and photostability were first synthesized with a simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly modified Stőber synthesis method, and then successfully modified with anti-EGFR antibody. This kind of fluorescence probe based on the anti-EGFR antibody conjugated FNs has been used to detect breast cancer cells with fluorescence microscopy imaging technology. The experimental results demonstrate that the anti-EGFR antibody conjugated FNs can effectively recognize breast cancer cells and exhibited good sensitivity and exceptional photostability, which would provide a novel way for the diagnosis and curative effect observation of breast cancer cells and offer a new method in detecting EGFR.     

生物荧光氧化硅纳米颗粒的研制与应用

运用OP-10(壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚)/环己烷/氨水微乳液自组装体系合成了罗丹明B嵌入的荧光氧化硅纳米颗粒.通过电镜检测、光谱分析以及荧光猝灭试验研究了荧光颗粒的特性.将荧光纳米颗粒与培养细胞共培育后,通过激光扫描共聚焦显微镜和流式细胞仪研究了不同时间点细胞内荧光信号和荧光强度.结果表明,合成的荧光氧化硅纳米颗粒粒径小（约20 nm）,分布均匀,形态规则,表面光滑圆润,发光性质稳定.它可被体外培养细胞有效摄入,并可在培养细胞中检测到较强的荧光信号和较高的荧光强度.这提示生物荧光氧化硅纳米颗粒在细胞生物学、超微化学与免疫检测等领域将具有重要应用前景.     

Anti-Her-2 monoclonal antibody conjugated polymer fluorescent nanoparticles probe for ovarian cancer imaging

Fluorescent nanoparticles (FNPs) with unique optical properties may be useful as biosensors in living cancer cell imaging and cancer targeting. A novel kind of polymer fluorescent nanoparticles (PFNPs) was synthesized and its application for ovarian cancer imaging with fluorescence microscopy imaging technology was presented in this study. The PFNPs were synthesized with precipitation polymerization by using methacrylic acid (MAA) as monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (Trim) as cross-linker, azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as radical initiator and butyl rhodamine B (BTRB) as fluorescent dye. And the fluorescent dye was embedded into the three-dimensional network of the polymer when the polymer was produced. With this method the PFNPs can be prepared easily. And then the PFNPs were successfully modified with anti-Her-2 monoclonal antibody. The fluorescence probe based on anti-Her-2 monoclonal antibody conjugated PFNPs has been used to detect ovarian cancer cells with fluorescence microscopy imaging technology. The experimental results demonstrate that the anti-Her-2 monoclonal antibody conjugated PFNPs can effectively recognize ovarian cancer cells and exhibit good sensitivity and exceptional photostability, which would provide a novel way for the diagnosis and curative effect observation of ovarian cancer cells.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Amino Chalcone Derivatives as Antiproliferative Agents

Chalcone is a common scaffold found in many biologically active compounds. The chalcone scaffold was also frequently utilized to design novel anticancer agents with potent biological efficacy. Aiming to continue the research of effective chalcone derivatives to treat cancers with potent anticancer activity, fourteen amino chalcone derivatives were designed and synthesized. The antiproliferative activity of amino chalcone derivatives was studied in vitro and 5-Fu as a control group. Some of the compounds showed moderate to good activity against three human cancer cells (MGC-803, HCT-116 and MCF-7 cells) and compound 13e displayed the best antiproliferative activity against MGC-803 cells, HCT-116 cells and MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values of 1.52 μM (MGC-803), 1.83 μM (HCT-116) and 2.54 μM (MCF-7), respectively which was more potent than the positive control (5-Fu). Further mechanism studies were explored. The results of cell colony formatting assay suggested compound 10e inhibited the colony formation of MGC-803 cells. DAPI fluorescent staining and flow cytometry assay showed compound 13e induced MGC-803 cells apoptosis. Western blotting experiment indicated compound 13e induced cell apoptosis via the extrinsic/intrinsic apoptosis pathway in MGC-803 cells. Therefore, compound 13e might be a valuable lead compound as antiproliferative agents and amino chalcone derivatives worth further effort to improve amino chalcone derivatives’ potency.     

靶向性纳米金探针对宫颈癌细胞的激光扫描共聚焦散射成像

制备了粒径均一的纳米金颗粒, 再对其表面进行叶酸修饰, 制得具有靶向性的纳米金探针. 利用激光扫描共聚焦显微镜(LSCM), 对靶向性纳米金的细胞特异性散射成像进行研究. 实验结果表明, 人宫颈癌细胞(Hela)对纳米金-叶酸的摄取作用强于对纳米金的摄取, 但随着时间的延长, 两者的差别逐渐减小. 表明在适当的时间内纳米金-叶酸探针对宫颈癌细胞具有良好的靶向性.     

Amphiphilic Cyanine–Platinum Conjugates as Fluorescent Nanodrugs

Two fluorescent nanomedicines based on small molecular cyanine–platinum conjugates have been prepared via a nanoprecipitation method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as well as dynamic light scattering (DLS). The conjugates exhibited an enhanced fluorescence in their nanoparticle formulation compared to that in solution. The nanomedicines could be endocytosed by cancer cells as revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and showed high cellular proliferation inhibition. Fluorescent platinum nanomedicines prepared directly from small molecules could be an alternative strategy for developing new drugs with simultaneous cellular imaging and cancer therapy functions.     

Multifunctional Uniform Core–Shell Fe3O4@mSiO2 Mesoporous Nanoparticles for Bimodal Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

Multimodal imaging and simultaneous therapy is highly desirable because it can provide complementary information from each imaging modality for accurate diagnosis and, at the same time, afford an imaging‐guided focused tumor therapy. In this study, indocyanine green (ICG), a near‐infrared (NIR) imaging agent and perfect NIR light absorber for laser‐mediated photothermal therapy, was successfully incorporated into superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄@mSiO₂ core–shell nanoparticles to combine the merit of NIR/magnetic resonance (MR) bimodal imaging properties with NIR photothermal therapy. The resultant nanoparticles were homogenously coated with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) to make the surface of the composite nanoparticles positively charged, which would enhance cellular uptake driven by electrostatic interactions between the positive surface of the nanoparticles and the negative surface of the cancer cell. A high biocompatibility of the achieved nanoparticles was demonstrated by using a cell cytotoxicity assay. Moreover, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) observations indicated excellent NIR fluorescent imaging properties of the ICG‐loaded nanoparticles. The relatively high r₂ value (171.6 mM ^?1 s^?1) of the nanoparticles implies its excellent capability as a contrast agent for MRI. More importantly, the ICG‐loaded nanoparticles showed perfect NIR photothermal therapy properties, thus indicating their potential for simultaneous cancer diagnosis as highly effective NIR/MR bimodal imaging probes and for NIR photothermal therapy of cancerous cells.     

Preparation of luminescent Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs and its application as a near-infrared fluorescent marker

Cy5 dye is widely used as a biomarker in the research fields of life science because of its excitation at wavelengths above 600 nm where autofluorescence of bio-matter is much reduced. However, Cy5 dye could not be encapsulate into silica directly to form stable nanoparticles by using of the traditional methods. In this paper, an improved method had been developed to prepare Cy5 dye doped core-shell silica fluorescent nanoparticles (SFNPs), employing biomolecules conjugated Cy5 as the core material and silica coating produced from the hydrolysis TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate) in the water-in-oil microemulsion. To obtain stable Cy5 dye doped SFNPs with core-shell structure, five kinds of biomolecules with different iso-electric point (pI) have been selected to conjugate Cy5 for preparation of core-shell SFNPs. Results demonstrated that very bright and photostable Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs could be both prepared by use of positive polysine conjugated Cy5 or IgG conjugated Cy5 as the core material, respectively. IgG conjugated Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs was selected as a demonstration to be characterized and applied as a near-infrared fluorescent marker in cell recognition. The results showed that Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs prepared by conjugating with a positive biomolecules IgG as the core material were luminescent and stable. About 110 Cy5 dye molecules could be doped in one nanoparticle with size of 42 ± 5 nm. The breast cancer cells had been selectively recognized by use of the near-infrared fluorescent marker based on the Cy5-IgG doped core-shell SFNPs. And the results demonstrated that this Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs fluorescence marker was superior to the pure Cy5 dye marker for cell recognition in photostability and detection sensitivity.     

新型丁烯内酯衍生物的设计合成及诱导胃癌细胞凋亡研究

开发了一条合成天然产物Uncinine的新方法,基于此设计合成了一系列新型的丁烯内酯衍生物.通过噻唑蓝(MTT)法评价了目标化合物对胃癌细胞的增殖抑制活性,分析了其构效关系.其中,3-吗啉甲基-4-(4-叔丁基苯基)亚基丁烯内酯(9l)对MGC803的IC50为2.9μmol/L,对胃癌细胞MGC803、HGC27以及SGC7901具有明显的选择性增殖抑制作用,而对正常的胃粘膜上皮细胞GES1具有较小的毒性.初步的作用机制研究表明,化合物9l诱导胃癌细胞MGC803凋亡依赖Caspase 9/3激活.     

Self‐Assembly of Amphiphilic Drug–Dye Conjugates into Nanoparticles for Imaging and Chemotherapy

An amphiphilic drug–dye conjugate ( PTX‐Pt‐BDP ) was designed and synthesized with a platinum compound as the hydrophilic head. The precursor of PTX‐Pt‐BDP was obtained under mild conditions by means of a three‐component Passerini reaction. PTX‐Pt‐BDP could self‐assemble into nanoparticles ( PTX‐Pt‐BDP NPs) in aqueous solution via a nanoprecipitation method. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited favorable structural stability in both water and physiological environment. PTX‐Pt‐BDP NPs could be endocytosed by cancer cells as revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and exert potent cytotoxicity. This work highlights the potential of nanomedicines from amphiphilic drug–dye conjugates for cancer cell imaging and chemotherapy.     

Synthesis of Folate Conjugated Fluorescent Nanoparticle Probe and Its Application in Cervical Cancer Cell Imaging

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide with 80% of cases arising in the developing world, following cancer of the breast. The mortality associated with cervical cancer can be reduced if this disease is detected in a timely fashion. In this study, a folate conjugated fluorescent nanoparticle (FCFN) probe was used to detect cervical cancer cells. Fluorescent nanoparticles (FNs), with excellent characteristics such as nontoxicity and photostability, were first synthesized with a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly modified St?ber synthesis method and then successfully modified with folate. This kind of fluorescence probe based on FCFNs has been used to detect cervical cancer cells with fluorescence microscopy imaging technology. The experimental results demonstrate that the FCFNs can effectively recognize cervical cancer cells and exhibit good sensitivity and exceptional photostability; they would provide a novel way for the diagnosis and curative effect observation of cervical cancer cells and offer a new method in detecting folate receptors (FR).     

Design,Synthesis, and Anticancer Activity Studies of Novel Quinoline-Chalcone Derivatives

The chalcone and quinoline scaffolds are frequently utilized to design novel anticancer agents. As the continuation of our work on effective anticancer agents, we assumed that linking chalcone fragment to the quinoline scaffold through the principle of molecular hybridization strategy could produce novel compounds with potential anticancer activity. Therefore, quinoline-chalcone derivatives were designed and synthesized, and we explored their antiproliferative activity against MGC-803, HCT-116, and MCF-7 cells. Among these compounds, compound 12e exhibited a most excellent inhibitory potency against MGC-803, HCT-116, and MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values of 1.38, 5.34, and 5.21 µM, respectively. The structure–activity relationship of quinoline-chalcone derivatives was preliminarily explored in this report. Further mechanism studies suggested that compound 12e inhibited MGC-803 cells in a dose-dependent manner and the cell colony formation activity of MGC-803 cells, arrested MGC-803 cells at the G2/M phase and significantly upregulated the levels of apoptosis-related proteins (Caspase3/9 and cleaved-PARP) in MGC-803 cells. In addition, compound 12e could significantly induce ROS generation, and was dependent on ROS production to exert inhibitory effects on gastric cancer cells. Taken together, all the results suggested that directly linking chalcone fragment to the quinoline scaffold could produce novel anticancer molecules, and compound 12e might be a valuable lead compound for the development of anticancer agents.     

Lentivirus-Mediated Knockdown of CUGBP1 Suppresses Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation In Vitro

Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This study was designed to examine the role of CUGBP1 in cell growth via an RNA interference (RNAi) lentivirus system in gastric cancer cells in vitro. The expression of CUGBP1 was much stronger in gastric cancer tissues than that in adjacent normal tissues. The lentivirus-mediated knockdown of CUGBP1 resulted in a significant reduction of CUGBP1 expression in MGC-803 gastric cancer cells. The cell viability was remarkably decreased by 50 % after 5 days of infection, as determined by MTT assay. Moreover, the size and the number of colonies formed in MGC-803 cells were markedly reduced in the absence of CUGBP1. Furthermore, the silencing of CUGBP1 downregulated the expression levels of cyclin B1 and cyclin D1, which are involved in cell cycle control. These results clearly indicated that CUGBP1 is essential for the growth of gastric cancer cells. Therefore, silencing of CUGBP1 by RNAi could be developed as a promising therapeutic approach for gastric cancer.     

In situ labeling and imaging of cellular protein via a bi-functional anticancer aptamer and its fluorescent ligand

In this article, we reported a novel approach for in situ labeling and imaging HeLa cancer cells utilizing a bifunctional aptamer (AS1411) and its fluorescent ligand, protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). In the presence of potassium ion, AS1411 folded to G-quadruplex structure, binded fluorescent ligand (PPIX) with fluorescent enhancement, and targeted the nucleolin overexpressed by cancer cells. Consequently, bioimaging of cancer cells specifically were realized by laser scanning confocal microscope. The bioimaging strategy with AS1411–PPIX complex was capable to distinguish HeLa cancer cells from normal cells unambiguously, and fluorescence imaging of cancer cells was also realized in human serum. Moreover, the bioimaging method was very facile, effective and need not any covalent modification. These results illustrated that the useful approach can provide a novel clue for bioimaging based on non-covalent bifunctional aptamer in clinic diagnosis.     

Synthesis of fluorescent silica-coated gibbsite platelets

We describe the fluorescent labeling of gibbsite particles. Gibbsite particles are first stabilized with polyvinyl pyrrolidone. Subsequently the particles are covered with a silica layer in which a fluorescent dye is incorporated. Both fluorescein and rhodamine dyes have been used. The fluorescent labeling is applicable to gibbsite particles of various sizes. Particles are transferred to dimethyl formamide by vacuum distillation after dialysis. These particles are used for confocal scanning laser microscopy and confocal fluorescence-recovery after photobleaching.     

NaYF_4:Yb/Er-碳纳米管功能纳米材料的制备、表征及其在肿瘤细胞的靶向检测和治疗中的应用

将叶酸分子(FA)和2,3-二巯基丁二酸(DMSA)修饰的稀土上转换发光纳米粒子NaYF4:Yb/Er通过酰胺键偶联在多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)的表面,得到NaYF4:Yb/Er-MWCNT-FA功能化复合纳米材料,并通过透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-vis)、荧光光谱(PL)和共聚焦激光扫描显微镜等手段表征了其形貌、结构、发光性能和靶向成像性能.共聚焦激光扫描显微镜结果表明,相对于正常的HLF细胞,所制备的复合材料能够靶向检测叶酸受体高表达的宫颈癌Hela细胞.此外,将阿霉素进一步通过ππ堆垛吸附在此复合材料后,该载药体系具有明显的抗肿瘤活性,能够实现对肿瘤细胞的一步检测和治疗.     

含苯并噻唑砌块的2,4,6-三取代嘧啶衍生物的合成及抗肿瘤活性评价(英文)

为了寻找高效的抗肿瘤药物,设计并合成了一系列含苯并噻唑砌块的2,4,6-三取代嘧啶衍生物.采用噻唑蓝(MTT)法对目标化合物在人类四种癌细胞[EC-109(人食管癌细胞)、MGC-803(人胃癌细胞)、PC-3(人前列腺癌细胞)、Hep G-2(人肝癌细胞)]、GES-1(人正常胃黏膜上皮细胞)和HEEC(人正常食管细胞)中进行抗肿瘤活性评价,结果显示部分化合物对MGC-803和PC-3细胞表现出中度至强效的抗肿瘤活性.其中2-(((4-(4-(吡啶-2-基)哌嗪-1-基)-6-(三氟甲基)嘧啶-2-基)硫基)甲基)苯并[d]噻唑(13h)和2-(((4-(4-(嘧啶-2-基)哌嗪-1-基)-6-(三-氟甲基)嘧啶-2-基)硫代)甲基)苯并[d]噻唑(13i)对PC-3表现出比较好的抗肿瘤活性, IC50值分别3.82和2.29μmol/L,且化合物13h和13i对GES-1的细胞增值毒性明显小于阳性对照5-氟尿嘧啶.