Polymer-coated Nanoparticles Research Articles

Specific lipase-responsive polymer-coated gadolinium nanoparticles for MR imaging of early acute pancreatitis

Currently, available methods for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (AP) are mainly dependent on serum enzyme analysis and imaging techniques that are too low in sensitivity and specificity to accurately and promptly diagnose AP. The lack of early diagnostic tools highlights the need to search for a highly effective and specific diagnostic method. In this study, we synthesized a conditionally activated, gadolinium-containing, nanoparticle-based MRI nanoprobe as a diagnostic tool for the early identification of AP. Gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic fatty acid (Gd-DTPA-FA) nanoparticles were synthesized by conjugation of DTPA-FA ligand and gadolinium acetate. Gd-DTPA-FA exhibited low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility when characterized in vitro and in vivo studies. L-arginine induced a gradual increase in the intensity of the T1-weighted MRI signal from 1 h to 36 h in AP rat models. The increase in signal intensity was most significant at 1 h, 6 h and 12 h. These results suggest that the Gd-DTPA-FA as an MRI contrast agent is highly efficient and specific to detect early AP.

DNA as a Molecular Local Thermal Probe for the Analysis of Magnetic Hyperthermia

Too hot to handle: The surroundings of magnetic nanoparticles can be heated by applying a magnetic field. Polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles were functionalized with single-stranded DNA molecules and further hybridized with DNA modified with different fluorophores. By correlating the denaturation profiles of the DNA with the local temperature, temperature gradients for the vicinity of the excited nanoparticles were determined.

Voltage switchable surface-modified carbon black nanoparticles for dual-particle electrophoretic displays

In order to produce the black color for electrophoretic display (EPD) applications in dual-particle systems, a primary-like sized carbon black (PCB) surface modification method is developed and the electrophoretic properties of the resulting functionalized particles are reported. The PCB surface was chemically modified by hydroxylation and subsequent esterification. The final capping material of the PCB nanoparticle surface was a bulky fatty oleic acid, which was expected to improve dispersion stability and to produce electrostatic chargeability in a low dielectric medium. The zeta potential calculated from the measured electrophoretic mobility with a charge control agent was −31mV. When the negatively chargeable oleic acid-capped PCB nanoparticles mixed with the positively chargeable polymer-coated white TiO2 nanoparticles, the PCB nanoparticles showed electrophoretic movement at an applied bias voltage of less than 5V, which demonstrated potential application for very low voltage operation in EPDs.

Development and Characterization of Thermosensitive Polymer- CoatedIron Oxide Nanoparticles as a Novel Ferrofluid

In this work, we aim to study the development and characterization of thermosensitive polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles as a novel ferroFluid (fF) with thermosensitive properties. For this purpose, polymerization was conducted in the presence of various ratios of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), acrylamide (AAm) and N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) as monomers, and N,N´-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. Particles having average sizes of 8 nm and 8–10 nm were respectively observed for Fe3O4/fF and Fe3O4/polymers. As visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, both the coated and uncoated iron oxide nanoparticles were uniform in shape and seem to have been monodispersed. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) measurements of Fe3O4/VTES-fF and Fe3O4/Poly (NIPAAm- AAm NVP) at room temperature showed that they had a superparamagnetic nature with saturation magnetization values of 23.14 emu/g and 4.33 emu/g, respectively. In the thermosensitivity analysis, the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was around 36-40°C, as determined by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Furthermore, the polymerization of (NIPAAm-AAm-NVP) with the surface modified magnetic ferroFluid was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These aqueous, stable, magnetic nanoparticles coated with temperature-sensitive polymers have attracted great attention because of their various applications in the fields of biotechnology and medicine.

Polymer-Grafted, Nonfouling, Magnetic Nanoparticles Designed to Selectively Store and Release Molecules via Ionic Interactions

Surface functionalization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) was achieved by exploiting a grafting “onto” approach simultaneously with an in situ modification of the graft block copolymer. Terminal phosphonic-acid-bearing block copolymers composed of pendant-activated ester moieties, that is, poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) (P(PFPA)) and poly(oligoethylene glycol acrylate) (P(OEGA)), were synthesized and assembled on IONP surfaces. The assembly was performed in the presence of different primary amines to introduce different functionality to the grafted chains, followed by subsequent thiol–ene Michael additions with acrylates or maleimides to decorate the IONP surface. The aim of this “double”-click chemistry on the polymer-coated nanoparticles was to generate a library of IONPs consisting of an internal layer of functionalized polyacrylamides and an outer shell of antifouling P(OEGA) decorated with fluorescent ligands. The resultant multifunctionalized IONPs were characterized using ATR-FTIR, XPS and TGA, proving the presence of modified polymers on the IONP surfaces. The functionalized nanoparticles proved to be stable in both water and phosphate buffer containing bovine serum albumin. Zeta potentials of the functionalized nanoparticles could be tuned by the judicious choice of functional groups introduced by the primary amines, for example, spermine, 3-(dimethylamino)-1-propylamine, l-lysine, l-histidine, l-arginine, β-alanine, and taurine. Depending on the pH of IONP dispersions, the charge induced by functional groups within the polymer shell was used to encapsulate ionic dyes (methyl blue and rhodamine 6G in cationic and anionic layers, respectively), serving as models for drug loading via ionic complexation. The attachment of fluorophore through thiol–ene Michael addition was demonstrated by conjugating fluorescein-O-acrylate, as monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that multifunctionalized IONPs were nontoxic to normal human lung fibroblast cell lines. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy was employed to demonstrate the complexation and release of rhodamine 6G dye from l-lysine-functionalized IONPs.

Using the Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring to Evaluate the Size of Nanoparticles Deposited on Surfaces

A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) monitoring can be an alternative tool to characterize nanoparticle size by virtue of its acoustic principle to sense adsorbed mass. In this study, sizes obtained by QCM-D for polymer-coated metallic nanoparticles and polydisperse polystyrene latex particle suspensions were compared with those obtained by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). We describe the obtained "QCM-D mass", which is weighted over surface area, by a general particle height distribution equation that can be used to determine the average particle diameter of a distribution of particles deposited on the QCM-D surface. Because the particle height distribution equation can be used for any particle geometry and surface packing geometry, it is described how the QCM-D can also be used to study the orientation of deposited nonspherical particles. Herein, the mean nanoparticle sizes obtained by QCM-D were generally in closer agreement with the primary particle size determined by TEM than with the sizes obtained by DLS, suggesting that primarily smaller particles within the particle population deposited on the sensor surface. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate that QCM-D could serve as an alternative and/or complementary means to characterize the size of nanoparticles deposited on a surface from suspensions of varying complexity.

Biocompatible Glycol Chitosan-Coated Gold Nanoparticles for Tumor-Targeting CT Imaging

The application of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in biomedical field was limited due to the low stability in the biological condition. Herein, to enhance stability and tumor targeting ability of AuNPs, their surface was modified with biocompatible glycol chitosan (GC) and the in vivo biodistribution of GC coated AuNPs (GC-AuNPs) were studied through computed tomography (CT). Polymer-coated gold nanoparticles were produced using GC as a reducing agent and a stabilizer. Their feasibility in biomedical application was explored through CT in tumor-bearing mice. Stability of gold nanoparticles increased in the physiological condition due to the GC coating layer on the surface. Tomographic images of tumor were successfully obtained in the tumor-xenografted animal model when the GC-AuNPs were used as a CT contrast agent. The tumor targeting property of the gold nanoparticles was due to the properties of GC because GC-AuNPs were accumulated in the tumor, while most of heparin-coated nanoparticles were found in the liver and spleen. The polymer properties on the surface played an important role in the behavior of gold nanoparticles in the biological condition and the enhanced stability and tumor targeting property of nanoparticles were inherited from GC on the surface.

One‐Pot Synthesis of Redox‐Responsive Polymers‐Coated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles and Their Controlled Drug Release

A versatile one-pot strategy for the preparation of reversibly cross-linked polymer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) via surface reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is presented for the first time in this paper. The less reactive monomer oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylate (OEGA) and the more reactive cross-linker N,N'-cystaminebismethacrylamide (CBMA) are chosen to be copolymerized on the external surfaces of RAFT agent-functionalized MSNs to form the cross-linked polymer shells. Owing to the reversible cleavage and restoration of disulfide bonds via reduction/oxidation reactions, the polymer shells can control the on/off switching of the nanopores and regulate the drug loading and release. The redox-responsive release of doxorubicin (DOX) from this drug carrier is realized. The protein adsorption, in vitro cytotoxicity assays, and endocytosis studies demonstrate that this biocompatible vehicle is a potential candidate for delivering drugs. It is expected that this versatile grafting strategy may help fabricate satisfying MSN-based drug delivery systems for clinical application.

Anisotropic aggregation in a simple model of isotropically polymer-coated nanoparticles

We report a numerical study of a simple, modified Asakura-Oosawa model for nanoparticles that are isotropically grafted with polymer chains. We perform canonical and grand-canonical Monte Carlo simulations to establish a qualitative morphology diagram, as well as quantitative phase diagrams. The morphology diagram qualitatively reproduces experimental observations and theoretical approaches employing more complex models. In addition, we establish the transition lines for a microphase separation and show that the phase behavior saturates for larger polymer sizes. An analytical treatment on the level of the second virial coefficient indicates that this saturation effect is caused by less effective shielding of nanoparticles by longer polymers. Our simple model enables large-scale particle-based simulations of self-assembly of polymer-coated particles.

Influence of polymeric coating on capillary electrophoresis of iron oxide nanoparticles

In this work, electrophoresis was successfully used to separate three different polymer-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with similar sizes (nominally 50 nm) using high-pH borate buffer system. The coating polymers were dextran, polyethylene glycol, or carboxymethyl dextran. The results showed that the migration time of carboxymethyl dextran coated nanoparticles is the longest due to relatively more negative surface charges. Investigation of the effects of buffer concentration, pH, electric field strength and the capillary temperature, on electrophoretic properties of samples was also carried out. The results showed that pH, electric field strength and the capillary temperature had indirect relations with both of the migration time and the separation resolution of three different polymer-coated nanoparticles while the buffer concentration had a direct relation.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Polymer-Coated Metal-Oxide Nanoparticles and their Toxicological Effects on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Development

Coated nanoparticles (NPs) will end up in the environment due to their proposed use in agricultural applications and may potentially cause toxic effects due to their unique properties. To determine the effects of coated NPs on zebrafish (Danio rerio) development, we tested aqueous poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-coated metal-oxide NPs including TiO2, ZnO, Fe2O3, and CeO2, as well as the polymer coating alone (nanocapsule). Zebrafish embryos were exposed to NPs over a 72 h period at 1, 10, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, and 2000 mg/L to measure various end points. We also ran free metal controls. Time-dependent changes in physicochemical properties of NPs were characterized using dynamic light scattering. Dissolution experiments over 72 h showed minimal free metals were present in stock suspensions and released from the NPs. Interestingly, nanocapsules (≥ 800 mg/L) cause inhibition of hatch, and we suggest that a low pH environment may explain this effect. This study has also demonstrated that CeO2 NPs and nanocapsules containing Nile red are able to traverse the chorion. Overall, our findings indicate that each NP type is stable and neither the NP or encapsulating PAA coating causes apparent toxicity to developing zebrafish.

A novel polymer-coated nanoparticle (NP) for urothelium penetration and drug delivery.

e15543 Background: Up to 40% of patients with non-invasive bladder cancer (BC) will develop invasive disease progression despite locally-directed therapy. Overcoming the urothelial barrier is a challenge for intravesical drug delivery. We designed a biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) NP coated with a novel cell penetrating polymer, poly (guanidinium oxanorbornene) (PGON) for testing against BC in vitro and in vivo. We chose to deliver the HDAC inhibitor belinostat (bel) for its BC cell cytotoxicity and inhibition of invasion & migration pathways; key mechanisms that enable progression of BC. Methods: Fluorophore (C6) or bel was encapsulated in PLGA using an oil/water nanoemulsion method, and surface coated with PGON, and then characterized for morphology, size, and loading. BC cell lines UM-UC-3 and T24 were treated with belinostat or NP-bel-PGON vs controls for assessment of cytotoxicity and acetyl-H4 histone expression over time. In vivo murine bladder and ex vivo human ureter were treated with NP-C6-PGON, and compared to NPs coated with chitosan or PEG for urothelial penetration using FACS analysis, tissue extraction, and fluorescence microscopy. UM-UC-3 murine flank xenografts were treated locally biweekly with NP-bel-PGON or controls and assessed for tumor size and acetyl-H4 expression. Results: C6 extraction of intravesically treated mouse bladder and ex-vivo human ureter showed uptake improved ten-fold in NP-C6-PGON compared to other NPs and corroborated by fluorescent microscopy. In vitro, NP-bel-PGON and bel had similar IC50 of ~2.0 μM in UM-UC-3 & T24 lines, and no effect from PGON. Significantly, the NP-bel-PGON treated groups retained 30% of max H4 hyperacetylation whereas bel groups declined to basal at 12hr post wash, which supports a mechanism of intracellular NP release and activity. In vivo, xenografts treated with NP-bel-PGON showed tumor volume reduced 70% and had 2.5 fold higher intratumoral acetyl-H4 expression compared to vehicle three days post final treatment. Conclusions: NP-bel-PGON penetrates the urothelium, is taken up by BC cells, sustains HDAC inhibition, and causes tumor regression. These data demonstrate the potential for NP-bel-PGON as an intravesical nanotherapy of BC.

Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles Interacting with Proteins and Cells: Focusing on the Sign of the Net Charge

To study charge-dependent interactions of nanoparticles (NPs) with biological media and NP uptake by cells, colloidal gold nanoparticles were modified with amphiphilic polymers to obtain NPs with identical physical properties except for the sign of the charge (negative/positive). This strategy enabled us to solely assess the influence of charge on the interactions of the NPs with proteins and cells, without interference by other effects such as different size and colloidal stability. Our study shows that the number of adsorbed human serum albumin molecules per NP was not influenced by their surface charge. Positively charged NPs were incorporated by cells to a larger extent than negatively charged ones, both in serum-free and serum-containing media. Consequently, with and without protein corona (i.e., in serum-free medium) present, NP internalization depends on the sign of charge. The uptake rate of NPs by cells was higher for positively than for negatively charged NPs. Furthermore, cytotoxicity assays revealed a higher cytotoxicity for positively charged NPs, associated with their enhanced uptake.

Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles by Adsorption of Hydrophobically Modified Poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)

We prepared a reactive random copolymer of N-acryloxysuccinimide and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, with Mn ≈ 50k and 23 mol % reactive NAS groups. This copolymer was subsequently modified with hydrophobic (dodecyl) and fluorescent (pyrene, PY; phenanthrene, PHE; or anthracene, AN) side groups, to obtain fluorescent amphiphilic polymers with the same backbone and different substituents. These polymers were adsorbed onto model (ca. 130 nm diameter) poly(butyl methacrylate) nanoparticles, and the size and structure of the adsorbed layer were evaluated using a combination of fluorescence techniques and light scattering. The total diameter increases very fast with polymer concentration up to ca. 140 nm, and then more slowly to 154 nm, stabilizing at this value which corresponds to a polymer shell thickness of ca. 12 nm. In order to evaluate the distribution of hydrophobic groups on the adsorbed polymer layer, we used Förster resonance energy transfer between PHE- and AN-labeled poly(DMA) chains. The obtained concentration profile of the adsorbed polymer corresponds to a coated particle radius which is only slightly smaller than the hydrodynamic radius measured in the same conditions, indicating that the dyes are not located at the particle interface but mostly distributed across the adsorbed layer. Finally, we observed that hydrophobically modified PHE-labeled poly(DMA) chains adsorbed to the nanoparticles were very efficiently displaced by identical hydrophobically modified chains with five times their molecular weight (Mn ≈ 250k) but labeled with PY.

Polymer-Coated Echogenic Lipid Nanoparticles with Dual Release Triggers

Although lipid nanoparticles are promising drug delivery vehicles, passive release of encapsulated contents at the target site is often slow. Herein, we report contents release from targeted, polymer-coated, echogenic lipid nanoparticles in the cell cytoplasm by redox trigger and simultaneously enhanced by diagnostic frequency ultrasound. The lipid nanoparticles were polymerized on the external leaflet using a disulfide cross-linker. In the presence of cytosolic concentrations of glutathione, the lipid nanoparticles released 76% of encapsulated contents. Plasma concentrations of glutathione failed to release the encapsulated contents. Application of 3 MHz ultrasound for 2 min simultaneously with the reducing agent enhanced the release to 96%. Folic acid conjugated, doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles showed enhanced uptake and higher cytotoxicity in cancer cells overexpressing the folate receptor (compared to the control). With further developments, these lipid nanoparticles have the potential to be used as multimodal nanocarriers for simultaneous targeted drug delivery and ultrasound imaging.

Prostate cancer-specific thermo-responsive polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles

Thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-acrylamide-allylamine)-coated magnetic nanoparticles (PMNPs) were developed and conjugated with prostate cancer-specific R11 peptides for active targeting and imaging of prostate cancer. The stable nanoparticles with an average diameter of 100 nm and surface charge of −27.0 mV, had a lower critical solution temperature of 40 °C. Magnetic characterization showed that the nanoparticles can be recruited using a magnetic field and possess superparamagnetic behavior even after R11 conjugation. In vitro cell studies demonstrated that R11-conjugated PMNPs (R11-PMNPs) were compatible with human dermal fibroblasts and normal prostate epithelial cells to all tested concentrations up to 500 μg/ml after 24 h of incubation. Moreover, the nanoparticles were taken up by prostate cancer cells (PC3 and LNCaP) in a dose-dependent manner, which was higher in case of R11-PMNPs than PMNPs. Further, in vivo biodistribution of the nanoparticles showed significantly more R11-PMNPs accumulation in tumors than other vital organs unlike PMNPs without R11 conjugation. Moreover, R11-PMNPs decreased 30% magnetic resonance T2 signal intensity in tumors in vivo compared to 0% decrease with PMNPs. These results indicate great potential of R11-PMPs as platform technology to target and monitor prostate cancers for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Shear-induced macroscopic “Siamese” twins in soft colloidal crystals

Soft colloidal crystals are inherently highly susceptible to shear. We find by using scanning rheo-SANS and scanning synchrotron-rheo-SAXS experiments that high shear strains cause macroscopic “Siamese” twinning in lyotropic FCC-crystals formed by block copolymer micelles or polymer-coated nanoparticles. The twins extend over the whole gap of the shear cell with one twin always located in the outer region of the gap, and the other twin always located in the inner region of the gap. We could visualize twin boundary surfaces by using transmission electron microscopy. In analogy to the plastic deformation of nanocrystalline metals under high shear stress and high deformation rates we propose a deformation twining mechanism for the formation of such macroscopic twins.

Microworms swallow the nanobait: the use of nanocoated microbial cells for the direct delivery of nanoparticles into Caenorhabditis elegans

The application of in vivo models in assessing the toxicity of nanomaterials is currently regarded as a promising way to investigate the effects of nanomaterials on living organisms. In this paper we introduce a novel method to deliver nanomaterials into Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes. Our approach is based on using nanoparticle-coated microbial cells as "nanobait", which are ingested by nematodes as a sole food source. We found that nematodes feed on the nanocoated bacteria (Escherichia coli) and microalgae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) ingesting them via pharyngeal pumping, which results in localization of nanoparticles inside the digestive tract of the worms. Nanoparticles were detected exclusively inside the intestine, indicating the efficient delivery based on microbial cells. Delivery of iron oxide nanoparticles results in magnetic labelling of living nematodes, rendering them magnetically-responsive. The use of cell-mediated delivery of nanoparticles can be applied to investigate the toxicity of polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles and citrate-capped silver nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo.

Neuronal cells loaded with PEI-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles for magnetically guided nerve regeneration.

We report a one-step synthesis protocol for obtaining polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) engineered for uploading neural cells. Polyethyleneimine-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles (PEI-MNPs) with sizes of 25 ± 5 nm were prepared by oxidation of Fe(OH)2 by nitrate in basic aqueous media and adding PEI in situ during synthesis. The obtained PEI-MNP cores displayed a neat octahedral morphology and high crystallinity. The resulting nanoparticles were coated with a thin polymer layer of about 0.7-0.9 nm, and displayed a saturation magnetization value MS = 58 A m2 kg-1 at 250 K (64 A m2 kg-1 for T = 10 K). Cell uptake experiments on a neuroblastoma-derived SH-SY5Y cell line were undertaken over a wide time and MNP concentration range. The results showed a small decrease in cell viability for 24 h incubation (down to 70% viability for 100 μg ml-1), increasing the toxic effects with incubation time (30% cell survival at 100 μg ml-1 for 7 days of incubation). On the other hand, primary neuronal cells displayed higher sensitivity to PEI-MNPs, with a cell viability reduction of 44% of the control cells after 3 days of incubation with 50 μg ml-1. The amount of PEI-MNPs uploaded by SH-SY5Y cells was found to have a linear dependence on concentration. The intracellular distribution of the PEI-MNPs analyzed at the single-cell level by the dual-beam (FIB/SEM) technique revealed the coexistence of both fully incorporated PEI-MNPs and partially internalized PEI-MNP-clusters crossing the cell membrane. The resulting MNP-cluster distributions open the possibility of using these PEI-MNPs for magnetically driven axonal re-growth in neural cells.

DNA Interaction of Pt-Attached Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Small platinum (Pt) nanoparticles have recently shown potential as therapeutic agents in cancer and oxidative stress treatments because of the resultant DNA damage. In this paper, we studied the DNA interaction of Pt-attached iron oxide nanoparticles. Multiple small Pt nanoparticles were attached onto the hydrophilic polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles in water. The Pt nanoparticles on the iron oxide nanoparticle surfaces were very small ( ~ 2 nm) and uniform in size. The DNA interaction of the Pt-iron oxide nanoparticles was studied using gel electrophoresis, which suggested two types of interactions by comparing with the control DNA. One interaction involved the direct linkage of DNA molecules onto the surface of the integrated nanoparticles. The other interaction suggested the detachment of small Pt nanoparticles from the iron oxide support due to strong DNA interaction. This conclusion was further supported by advanced transmission electron microscopy analysis.