Topical application of zein-silk sericin nanoparticles loaded with curcumin for improved therapy of dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is characterized by leukocyte migration into the skin dermis and typically driven by excessive chemokine production at the site of inflammation. Conventional topical formulations such as gels, creams, and ointments are insufficient for this treatment because of low penetration of drug molecules into the targeted skin tissues. Herein, using a simple, green, sustainable strategy, we have developed novel primary zein nanoparticles embedded in curcumin (Cur) and coated with silk sericin (ZHSCs) for the topical delivery of Cur to penetrate into the dermis and exercise anti-dermatitis effects on the lesion with minimal side-effects. Transdermal delivery experiments and porcine skin fluorescence imaging indicated that ZHSCs facilitate the penetration of Cur across the epidermis layer of skin to reach deep-seated sites. Notably, ZHSCs = 1:0.25 (zein-to-silk sericin mass ratios of 1:0.25) markedly elevated the skin permeability and cumulative turnover of Cur transferred, which were provided a greater than a 3.8-fold increase relative to free Cur. The special nanoparticles of ZHS = 1:0.25 possessed the deepest localization depth and experience a transition of the particle structure and core-shell separation after penetrating into the dermis of skin. In a cell model of dermatitis induced by tumor necrosis factor α/interferon γ co-stimulation, compared with free Cur, Cur-loaded ZHS nanoparticles down-regulated the generation of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in keratinocytes through suppression of the nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65 and hence exerted an anti-dermatitis effect. This strategy may provide new avenues and direction for the demanding issues of valid topical delivery systems.     

蛋白质-多糖复合体系在活性物质传递中的应用

蛋白质-多糖复合体系作为生物活性物质传递系统的壁材,有着人工合成聚合物或无机物等其他材料不可比拟的多重优势。本文就蛋白质和多糖之间的连接方式及蛋白质-多糖复合体系形成传递系统的多种形式进行了综述,以及对此领域的发展趋势进行了展望。结合蛋白质和多糖的结构特点,二者之间的链接方式分为非共价结合的物理共聚,和共价结合的美拉德偶联、化学交联、酶催化交联等方式,文中分别对各种连接方式的原理和机理,以及其影响因素做了深入阐述。以蛋白质-多糖复合体系为壁材对活性物质的传递形式大体上分成乳化系统、胶束、纳米凝胶、分子复合物以及壳核结构等系统。不同的活性物质的特征和传递需求,可针对性地选择合适结构的蛋白质和多糖种类以及二者的连接方式和传递系统的形式。并且,随着研究的逐步发展和推进,此领域的发展趋势朝着智能化和靶向性的方向进行。目前活性物质的蛋白质-多糖复合体系的传递系统,还依然面临着系统设计、评价和应用等多方面的挑战,这就要求我们在更全面更深入了解认识其对活性物质影响和功效的基础上,安全合理地设计和深入细致地评价活性成分的传递系统。     

基质刚性影响声孔效应介导的单细胞基因转染

实验研究了基质刚性对单细胞质粒DNA转染效果的影响。实验采用高声压短脉冲(0.45MPa,10μs)条件的超声对培养在不同硬度凝胶基质(软的凝胶基质：0.2kPa,硬的凝胶基质：40kPa)上的力学敏感细胞NIH 3T3进行质粒DNA转染实验。实验结果表明,培养在硬的凝胶基质上的细胞,质粒DNA转染效率明显高于培养在软的凝胶基质上的细胞。进一步对质粒DNA进行荧光示踪可知培养在不同刚性基质上的细胞导入质粒DNA的方式不同。当细胞被培养在硬的凝胶基质上时,通过声致穿孔产生的小孔进入细胞内的质粒DNA更多,而培养在软的凝胶基质上的细胞,更多的质粒DNA可以通过非声致穿孔作用,例如内吞方式导入细胞。 细胞骨架蛋白分布规律表明,硬的凝胶基质上培养的细胞内有更多的F肌动蛋白微丝,可以更好地支撑起细胞的铺展形态,相对不容易发生内吞作用。而软的凝胶基质上培养的细胞内F肌动蛋白则更多以球形状态存在,细胞形貌骗向圆形,此时更容易发生胞吞作用。     

基因编辑婴儿的伦理、法律和社会蕴含

 同试管婴儿、克隆人、商业化代孕、干细胞治疗等医疗新技术引发的伦理争议相比，贺建奎基因编辑婴儿事件引发的关注更大、社会反响更为猛烈。探讨贺建奎基因编辑婴儿事件引发国际国内热议的原因，讨论了基因编辑婴儿的伦理、法律和社会蕴含。建议明确界定基因编辑技术的适用对象和范围，建立健全新型医疗技术临床应用的伦理审查和监管体系，提升全社会的伦理意识。     

Doxorubicin Encapsulation in Carbon Nanotubes Having Haeckelite or Stone–Wales Defects as Drug Carriers: A Molecular Dynamics Approach

Doxorubicin (DOX), a recognized anticancer drug, forms stable associations with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs when properly functionalized have the ability to anchor directly in cancerous tumors where the release of the drug occurs thanks to the tumor slightly acidic pH. Herein, we study the armchair and zigzag CNTs with Stone–Wales (SW) defects to rank their ability to encapsulate DOX by determining the DOX-CNT binding free energies using the MM/PBSA and MM/GBSA methods implemented in AMBER16. We investigate also the chiral CNTs with haeckelite defects. Each haeckelite defect consists of a pair of square and octagonal rings. The armchair and zigzag CNT with SW defects and chiral nanotubes with haeckelite defects predict DOX-CNT interactions that depend on the length of the nanotube, the number of present defects and nitrogen doping. Chiral nanotubes having two haeckelite defects reveal a clear dependence on the nitrogen content with DOX-CNT interaction forces decreasing in the order 0N > 4N > 8N. These results contribute to a further understanding of drug-nanotube interactions and to the design of new drug delivery systems based on CNTs.     

植物基因环境效应启动子

植物的生长发育受到光照、温度、水分及氧等环境因素的影响，根据对不同环境的响应，植物基因的启动子主要可以分为光效应启动子，温度效应启动子和水效应启动子。在这些启动子中，除了含有基本启动子外，还存在一些特异的顺式调节元件，这些顺式调节元件在特异表达中发挥重要作用。     

Capillary Electrophoresis Chiral Separation for Enantiomeric Purity Determination of a Basic Drug in Pharmaceutical Formulations

Capillary electrophoresis using a running buffer composed of β-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector and ethanolamine mesylate at pH 9.6 is being used to monitor the stereochemical stability of a hydrophobic drug, containing two chiral centers, in two different formulated self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) products. The separation takes place in less than 25 min. Strategies for enhancing the method reproducibility and detection sensitivity in the lower potency formulation are presented. The results demonstrating the specificity, assay precision, recovery, linearity and range achieved during the method validation experiments are presented in this paper.Presented at: CE in the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries: 7th Symposium on the Practical Applications for the Analysis of Proteins, Nucleotides and Small Molecules, Montreal, Canada, August 12–16, 2005.     

大鼠肝ADAMs种类鉴定及肝再生过程中ADAMsmRNA差异分析

以 2 / 3肝切除 (patialhepatectomy ,PH)大鼠为材料 ,利用PT -PCR技术 ,通过ADAMs通用引物初步分析了肝脏中ADAMs种类及PH后恢复 4h和 36h时ADAMsmRNA差异。结果表明 :PH后不同恢复时间ADAMsmRNA的扩增谱带没有差异 ,但扩增谱带的强弱有变化 ;cDNA克隆和测序分析表明 ,大鼠肝脏有ADAM15和ADAM 19mRNA同源序列。     

噬菌体展示禽流感病毒抗原变异性基因片段文库的构建

构建T7噬菌体展示禽流感病毒抗原变异性基因片段文库. 首先， 从Gene Bank中查找筛选禽流感病毒抗原变异性基因, 将其截短、 修饰、 简并后得到禽流感病毒抗原变异性基因微阵列. 其次， 将合成的禽流感病毒抗原变异性基因片段文库扩增、 酶切, 链接到双酶切后的T7噬菌体载体基因上, 构成重组噬菌体DNA. 最后， 重组噬菌体DNA经体外包装和扩增, 得到T7噬菌体展示文库, 并进行T7噬菌体展示文库滴度、 重组率和免疫活性测定. 实验结果表明, 从Gene Bank中查找、 筛选、 剪切和修饰共获得96 258条序列构建T7噬菌体展示文库, 原始文库滴度为3.6×107个菌落/mL, 重组率大于90%. 用禽流感病毒H5N1抗体进行捕获, 经聚合酶链式反应(PCR)鉴定, 得到理想目的条带, 证明噬菌体表面展示蛋白具有抗原活性, 可用于禽流感病毒感染患者的快速检测及抗原表位筛选.     

Specific anti-tumor effect induced by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vaccine expressing extracellular region of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2

The purposes of this research were to study the stable expression of exogenous gene encoding therapeutic protein in attenuated Salmonella typhimurium, observe the metabolism of oral gene vaccine carried by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium in BALB/c mouse, and investigate the feasibility of prevention and treatment of tumors by the recombinant bacteria. Recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1 VEGFR2(n1-7) was transformed into competent attenuated Salmonella typhimurium SL3261 to develop oral DNA vaccine SL3261-pcDNA3.1 VEGFR2(n1-7). To observe whether the exogenous gene can be expressed in the recombinant bacteria, PCR was performed to amplify the CMV promoter of the eukaryotic expression vector as the proof of stable expression of exogenous protein; transmission elec- tron microscopy (TEM) was applied to observe the morphology of the recombinant bacteria to confirm that the exogenous gene has no impact on the growth of the bacteria, and then BALB/c mice were immunized with the gene vaccine. After inoculation of the gene vaccine, the recombinant bacteria SL3261 could be detected in the tissues such as small intestine, colon, liver and spleen. And then, mice in each group were challenged with tumor cells. The results of animal experiment showed that tumor growth of the mice in experimental group was inhibited and survival time of immunized mice was prolonged compared with control groups. A higher lymphocyte infiltration in tumors from animals treated with DNA vaccine was observed. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor samples revealed an en- hanced accumulation of CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes, as well as an increase in CD4 cells in the tumors of animals treated with the oral gene vaccine compared to tumors from control group mice. Ultrastructure of the tumor tissue showed that tumor cells in the samples of the immunized mice were well-differentiated. Our research confirmed that the exogenous gene can be stably expressed in the attenuated Salmonella typhimurium and has no impact on the growth of the recombinant bacteria; the exogenous gene can de delivered to the host by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium to produce anti-tumor effect with no obvious cytotoxity to the host. In this study, it is established that attenuated Salmonella typhimurium could be used as a vector for oral gene vaccine, and our study provided a theoretical basis for the body distribution and the metabolism of the recombinant bacteria. This strategy may provide a simple, safe and effective way for the prevention and treatment of tumors.