Electrochemical current rectifier as a highly sensitive and selective cytosensor for cancer cell detection

Signal amplification originating from electrochemical current rectifier (ECR) was firstly applied to construct a cytosensor for rapid and non-invasive detection of folate receptor-rich cancer cells with high sensitivity. It exhibits a broad linear range with a detection limit as low as 10 cells mL(-1) even in the presence of a large number of normal cells.     

Biosensor incorporating cell barrier architectures on ion selective electrodes for early screening of cancer

Angiogenesis occurs during the early phase of cancer. Recruitment of new blood vessels by existing cancer cells leads to the release of higher concentrations of cytokines as compared to cells in healthy individuals. Some of the common cytokines observed at higher concentrations, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, are also known to induce increased permeability across an endothelial cell monolayer. A whole-cell-based biosensor has been developed that can detect the presence of small quantities of the abovementioned cytokines individually and in different combinations. It was observed that the biosensor could differentiate between the cytokine concentrations observed in the sera of healthy individuals and cancer patients. The biosensor was also evaluated by exposing it to actual serum. These results demonstrated that the sensor can distinguish between healthy individuals and cancer patients and that the corresponding biosensor responses correlate with the stages of cancer.     

Cell-imprinted polydimethylsiloxane for the selective cell adhesion

A cell-patterned substrate with aptamer functionalization was prepared, which holds promise in selective cell isolation fields such as the isolation of the circulating tumor cells.     

Characterization of newly established oral cancer cell lines derived from six squamous cell carcinoma and two mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells

Since genetic abnormalities of human cancer are greatly geographically dependent, cultural and environmental backgrounds are thought to be closely related to the carcinogenic process. In the present study, eight human cell lines were established by culture from untreated carcinomas of the oral cancer, of which five were from primary oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSC), one from a mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and one each originating from metastatic OSC and MEC. All the studied tumor lines grew as monolayers, and showed: i) an epithelial origin by the presence of cytokeratin, and ii) tumorigenic potential in nude mice. Western blot analysis revealed i) over expression of EGFR in six of the cell lines ii) decreased expression of E-cadherin in six cell lines compared to normal human oral mucosa. A mutational analysis showed: point mutations of p53 at exon 7, with transversion, and at exon 8, with transition. These well-characterized human YD cell lines should serve as useful tools in the study of the molecular pathogenesis and biological characteristics of head and neck cancer cells, and in the future testing of new therapeutic reagents for oral cancer.     

4-azidoquinoline N-oxide: Synthesis and photolysis

In photolysis of 4-azidoquinoline N-oxide azoxy compound was isolated as the final reaction product. This result may be ascribed to the dimerization of the intermediate nitrene to azo compound followed by oxidation of the latter with air oxygen. The initially arising nitrene is stabilized by resonance conjugation involving the aromatic system and the N-oxide group. The rate constants of 4-azidoquinoline N-oxide photolysis were measured in various solvents and the values of spin density and bond lengths in the formed nitrene were calculated.     

Ketone photolysis in the presence of oxygen: A useful source of OH for flash photolysis kinetics experiments

Previous studies have shown a significant OH yield from the reaction of RCO radicals (generated from the photolysis of corresponding ketone) with oxygen below total pressures of 200 Torr. The potential of these reactions as a source of OH radicals for flash photolytic kinetic studies is investigated. The viability of the method was tested by measuring rate coefficients for the reaction of OH with ethanol using both acetone/O₂ mixtures and t‐butyl hydroperoxide photolysis. The results (with statistical errors at the 2σ level) are in excellent agreement with each other (k_EtOH(acetone) = (5.87 ± 0.34) × 10^?18 T² exp((515 ± 21)K/T) cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 and k_EtOH (t‐butyl hydroperoxide) = (5.27 ± 0.34) × 10^?18 T² exp((557 ± 20)K/T) cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1) and with the IUPAC recommendation. The reaction of OH with methyl ethyl ketone (2‐butanone) has also been investigated using a similar technique. The results show a strong non‐Arrhenius temperature dependence, k = (3.84 ± 0.12) × 10^?24× T⁴ × exp((1038 ± 11)/t). The merits of the ketone/oxygen OH source are contrasted with other established precursors. A major advantage of the technique is the ability to cleanly generate OD without the potential for isotopic scrambling prior to photolysis. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 40: 504–514, 2008     

Porphyrin-bile acid conjugates: from saccharide recognition in the solution to the selective cancer cell fluorescence detection

This paper describes the preparation and use of conjugates of porphyrins and bile acids as ligands to bind to tumor expressed saccharides. Bile acid-porphyrin conjugates were tested for recognition of saccharides that are typically present on malignant tumor cells. Fluorescence microscopy, in vitro PDT cell killing, and PDT of subcutaneous 4T1 mouse tumors is reported. High selectivity for saccharide cancer markers and cancer cells was observed. This in vivo and in vitro study demonstrated high potential use for these compounds in targeted photodynamic therapy.     

Experimental and theoretical study of two-photon absorption in nitrofuran derivatives: Promising compounds for photochemotherapy

We report experimental and theoretical studies of the two-photon absorption spectrum of two nitrofuran derivatives: nitrofurantoine, (1-(5-nitro-2-furfurilideneamine)-hidantoine) and quinifuryl, 2-(5(')-nitro-2(')-furanyl)ethenyl-4-{N-[4(')-(N,N-diethylamino)-1(')-methylbutyl]carbamoyl} quinoline. Both molecules are representative of a family of 5-nitrofuran-ethenyl-quinoline drugs that have been demonstrated to display high toxicity to various species of transformed cells in the dark. We determine the two-photon absorption cross-section for both compounds, from 560 to 880 nm, which present peak values of 64 GM for quinifuryl and 20 GM for nitrofurantoine (1 GM = 1×10(-50)cm(4).s.photon(-1)). Besides, theoretical calculations employing the linear and quadratic response functions were carried out at the density functional theory level to aid the interpretations of the experimental results. The theoretical results yielded oscillator strengths, two-photon transition probabilities, and transition energies, which are in good agreement with the experimental data. A higher number of allowed electronic transitions was identified for quinifuryl in comparison to nitrofurantoine by the theoretical calculations. Due to the planar structure of both compounds, the differences in the two-photon absorption cross-section values are a consequence of their distinct conjugation lengths.     

Enhanced photolysis in aerosols: evidence for important surface effects

While there is increasing evidence for unique chemical reactions at interfaces, there are fewer data on photochemistry at liquid-vapor junctions. This paper reports a comparison of the photolysis of molybdenum hexacarbonyl, Mo(CO)(6), in 1-decene either as liquid droplets or in bulk-liquid solutions. Mo(CO)(6) photolysis is faster by at least three orders of magnitude in the aerosols than in bulk-liquids. Two possible sources of this enhancement are considered: (1) increased light intensity due to either Morphology-Dependent Resonances (MDRs) in the spherical aerosol particles and/or to increased pathlengths for light inside the droplet due to refraction, which are termed physical effects in this paper; and (2) interface effects such as an incomplete solvent-cage at the gas-liquid boundary and/or enhanced interfacial concentrations of Mo(CO)(6), which are termed chemical effects. Quantitative calculations of the first possibility were carried out in which the light intensity distribution in the droplets averaged over 215-360 nm was obtained for 1-decene droplets. Calculations show that the average increase in light intensity over the entire droplet is 106%, with an average increase of 51% at the interface. These increases are much smaller than the observed increase in the apparent photolysis rate of droplets compared to the bulk. Thus, chemical effects, i.e., a decreased solvent-cage effect at the interface and/or enhancement in the surface concentration of Mo(CO)(6), are most likely responsible for the dramatic increase in the photolysis rate. Similar calculations were also carried out for broadband (290-600 nm) solar irradiation of water droplets, relevant to atmospheric conditions. These calculations show that, in agreement with previous calculations by Mayer and Madronich [B. Mayer and S. Madronich, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2004, 4, 2241] MDRs produce only a moderate average intensity enhancement relative to the corresponding bulk-liquid slabs when averaged over a range of wavelengths characteristic of solar radiation at the Earth's surface. However, as in the case of Mo(CO)(6) in 1-decene, chemical effects may play a role in enhanced photochemistry at the aerosol-air interface for airborne particles.     

Strategies for kinome profiling in cancer and potential clinical applications: chemical proteomics and array-based methods

Kinases are key enzymes involved in deregulated signal transduction associated with cancer development and progression. The advent of personalized medicine drives the development of new diagnostic tools for patient stratification and therapy selection Ginsburg and Willard (Transl Res 154:277-287, 2009). Since deregulation of kinase-mediated signal transduction is implied in tumorigenesis, the analysis of all kinases (the kinome) active in a particular tumor may yield tumor-specific information on aberrant cell signalling pathways. Tumor tissue kinase activity profiles may correlate with response to therapy and therefore may be used for future therapy selection. In this Trend paper we describe peptide array and mass spectrometry-based technologies and new developments for kinome profiling, and we present an outlook towards future implementation of therapy selection based on kinome profiling in clinical practice.     

Diamino acid derivatives of PpIX as potential photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy of squamous cell carcinoma and prostate cancer: In vitro studies

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative treatment modality involving light activated drugs, called photosensitizers (PSs), to treat cancer and non-cancerous conditions. The search for new compounds which might become effective PSs is the major direction for PDT development. In the present work we have studied the dark toxicity, intracellular localization and photodynamic properties of four potential, water soluble, second generation PSs – PP(Arg)₂, PP(Ser)₂Arg₂, PP(Ala)₂Arg₂, PP(Phe)₂Arg₂, all diamino acid derivatives of protoporphyrin IX. Human prostate cancer (DU-145) and squamous carcinoma (A431) cells were used as experimental model.Among investigated compounds PP(Ser)₂Arg₂ exhibited the lowest dark toxicity and the highest PDT effectiveness towards both cell lines. Fluorescence microscopy revealed the time-dependent changes in intracellular localization of the PS which were related to the phototoxicity. The results show that PP(Ser)₂Arg₂ may be a potential PS for PDT.     

Photodynamic therapy with pyropheophorbide-a methyl ester in human lung carcinoma cancer cell: efficacy,localization and apoptosis

Pyropheophorbide-a methyl ester (MPPa) is a semisynthetic photosensitizer derived from chlorophyll a. The absorption peak of MPPa in organic solvent and in cells was at 667 and 674 nm, respectively. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide reduction assay showed that MPPa had no dark cytotoxicity. In vitro photodynamic activity was extensively evaluated using a human lung carcinoma cancer cell line (NCI-h446). MPPa exhibited no genotoxicity, as assayed by single-cell gel electrophoresis. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy and organelle-specific fluorescent probes, MPPa was found to localize in the intracellular membrane system, namely the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes and mitochondria, in the NCI-h446 cells. Furthermore, nuclear staining and DNA gel electrophoresis revealed that DNA condensation and fragmentation occurred post-photodynamic therapy, indicating the cell death was in the apoptotic mode.     

Conjugated polymer nanoparticles as fluorescence switch for selective cell imaging

Fluorescence switch plays a vital role in bioelectronics and bioimaging.Herein,we presented a new kind of facile electrostatic complex nanoparticles(ECNs)for fluorescence switching in cells and marking of individual cell.The ECNs were prepared by mixing positively charged poly(6-(2-(thiophen-3-yl)ethoxy)hexyl trimethylammonium bromide)(PT)and negatively charged diarylethene sodium salt(DAECOONa).DAE-COONa is a photoswitchable molecule which can be transformed between the ring-closed fo rm and ring-open form under the irradiation of UV or visible light.The closed-form of DAE-COONa can efficie ntly quench the fluorescence of PT through intermolecular energy transfer,while the open form of DAE-COONa does not influence the emission of PT.Thus,the fluorescence of ECNs can be modulated by light irradiation,and the ECNs with good fluorescence switching performance have been employed for fluorescence imaging and individual cell lighting up process successfully.We demonstrate that the electrostatic complex strategy provides a facile method to construct fluorescence switch fo r selective cell marking and imaging applications.     

A selective and sensitive off–on probe for palladium and its application for living cell imaging

A new rhodamine B derivative T1 has been rationally synthesized and displayed selective Pd(Ⅱ)-amplified absorbance and fluorescence emission above 540 nm in methanol–water. Upon the addition of Pd(Ⅱ), the spirolactam ring was unfolded and a 1:1 metal-ligand complex formed, which can be used for ‘‘naked-eyes" detection. In addition, fluorescence imaging experiments of Pd~(2+) in HepG2 living cells showed its valuable application in biological systems.     

Fluorescence contrast and threshold limit: implications for photodynamic diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma

This study was designed to evaluate what application time of delta-5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) results in highest contrast between tumour and normal skin, in the interval 1-4 h, when using photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) located on the face. Moreover, a value of the demarcation limit has been derived based on the fluorescence variation in normal skin adjacent to the tumour. Forty patients were included in the study, randomly allocated to four different groups with varying ALA application time in the range 1-4 h. The contrast, defined as the ratio between the fluorescence intensity in ALA-treated tumour tissue and normal skin, was calculated for each patient, and the mean values in each group were evaluated as a function of ALA application time. In addition, the fluorescence intensity variation in ALA-treated normal skin adjacent to the tumour was assessed. The results from this study show a peak of the mean contrast values after 3 h ALA application, but due to large interpatient variation, the mean contrast did not differ significantly in the interval 2-4 h. After 2 h ALA application, the fluorescence intensity variation in the normal ALA-treated skin was found to be at a maximum, which suggests that 2 h ALA application is not preferable when using PDD. Based on data of the fluorescence variation in ALA-treated normal skin after 3 and 4 h ALA application, a tolerance interval was calculated implying that values above 1.4 times the mean normal fluorescence indicate an abnormal condition. This tolerance limit agrees well with results obtained in a former study.     

The construction of an individually addressable cell array for selective patterning and electroporation

In basic cell biology research and drug discovery, it is important to rapidly introduce genes, proteins or drug compounds into cells without permanent damage. Here, we report a three dimensional SU-8 micro-well structure sandwiched with an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode-covered slide from the top and an individually addressable array of microelectrodes on the bottom to allow parallel delivery of exogenous molecules into various cells in a spatially specific manner. A positive dielectrophoretic force was selectively applied by energizing appropriate electrodes to capture the dispersed cells at the bottom electrode, while the micro-wells were designed to confine cells in situ when the positive dielectrophoretic force is removed. The combination of spatial positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP) and micro-wells made it possible to construct cell microarrays with specific patterns. Once the cells become attached to the electrodes, different plasmids can be introduced sequentially for selective electroporation. The present cell arraying-assisted electroporation chip integrates a pDEP-assisted cell positioning function with selective electroporation to provide a simple and efficient method for gene transfer. This platform is ideal for high throughput screening of compounds in parallel and thus holds promise for applications in cellular and molecular research.     

LfcinB-Derived Peptides: Specific and punctual change of an amino acid in monomeric and dimeric sequences increase selective cytotoxicity in colon cancer cell lines

We observed how a change of specific residues in LfcinB dimeric and palindromic sequences caused a notable increase in the cytotoxic activity against CaCo-2 cells while maintaining or even diminishing the level of the cytotoxic effect against normal fibroblast and HEK-293 cells. In both cases, the IC₅₀ of the peptides was reduced by more than half of the concentration, diminishing the IC₅₀ value from 150 µg/mL (101 µM) (LfcinB (21–25)_Pal: RWQWRWQWR) to 60 µg/mL (42.8 µM) for the modified palindromic peptide ⁵[A] LfcinB (21–25)_Pal: RWQWAWQWR and the IC₅₀ from 125 µg/mL (LfcinB (20–30)₂: (RRWQWRMKKLG)₂-K-Ahx to 58 µg/mL (18 µM) for the modified dimeric peptide ²⁶[F] LfcinB (20–30)₂: (RRWQWRFKKLG)₂-K-Ahx. The cytotoxic effect of ²⁶[F] LfcinB (20–30)₂ and LfcinB (21–25)_Pal peptides against colon cancer cell line HCT-116 was greater than the cytotoxic effect of these peptides against Caco-2 cells, suggesting that the cytotoxic effect of these peptides is selective for colon cancer cell lines. The cytotoxic effect of the peptides rapidly caused severe damage to the morphology of CaCo-2 cells, while the morphology of the normal fibroblast and HEK-293 cells was not affected. The dimeric modified peptide ²⁶[F] LfcinB (20–30)₂ mainly caused death through apoptotic events. As for the palindromic modified peptide ⁵[A] LfcinB (21–25)_Pal, the cell death was induced by both necrotic and apoptotic pathways. All this suggests that specific modification of a single residue in the peptide sequence can improve the anticancer activity of the original monomeric or dimeric peptides, giving place to new potential molecules for the future development of drugs for use against colorectal carcinoma. Our results show that changes to a residue of the anti-cancer peptide sequence may be considered a versatile, feasible, and invaluable strategy for obtaining promising sequences for developing peptide-based cancer treatments.     

Gamma radiolysis and solar photolysis of bilirubin: Similarities and differences

Biliverdin is a useful component in various aspects of biochemistry and biosynthesis, but its synthetic preparation is often long-winded. Micro-production (and subsequent isolation) by solar photolysis and gamma radiolysis of bilirubin provides rapid in vitro generation. Both methods are competitive, and this article discusses their merits and limitations for application in biosynthetic research. The investigation assumed a comparative study to evaluate the relative potential of the photolytic and radiolytic phenomena in this respect. The calculated rate of incident energy in the case of solar photolysis was roughly30.4^.10^-2 W, and about 5.70^.10^-4 W during gamma-irradiation (from a ¹³⁷Cs source). In both cases the bilirubin (40 μM) degradation was pronounced in the initial few minutes of exposure, producing respective depletion rates of approximately 6.8 μM/min and 2.4 μM/min. Overall, both applications showed declining bilirubin concentrations close to 90%, after about 30 minutes. However, the corresponding production of biliverdin was higher by about 50% in the photolytic application. To account for heat-up effects in the photolytic application, thermal effects were studied up to 65 °C, and it was found that, as a result of this, a reduction in bilirubin concentration of about 40% was encountered. The species of interest were monitored spectrophotometrically, and the composite results showed that regulated production of biliverdin is possible under certain conditions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.