Sharif Digital Repository

Iron oxide nanoparticles, γ-Fe2O3NP, were deposited onto the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and CNT/γ-Fe2O3NP hybrid nanomaterials were obtained. Then linear-dendritic ABA type block copolymers consisting of polyethylene glycol as B block and poly(citric acid) as A block, PCA-PEG-PCA, were synthesized and cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) - a platinum-based chemotherapy drug) was conjugated with their carboxyl functional groups and CDDP/PCA-PEG-PCA anticancer prodrugs were prepared. Noncovalent interactions between CDDP/PCA-PEG-PCA anticancer prodrugs and CNT/γ-Fe2O3NP hybrid nanomaterials led to CDDP/PCA-PEG-PCA/CNT/γ-Fe2O3NP drug delivery systems. There are several... 

Targeted drug delivery systems using nanocarriers offer a versatile platform for breast cancer treatment; however, a robust, CD44-targeted niosomal formulation has not been developed and deeply studied (both in vitro and in vivo) yet. Here, an optimized system of epirubicin (Epi)-loaded niosomal nanoparticles (Nio) coated with hyaluronic acid (HA) has been engineered for targeting breast cancer cells. The nanoformulation was first optimized (based on size, polydispersity index, and entrapment efficiency); then, we characterized the morphology, stability, and release behavior of the nanoparticles. Epirubicin release from the HA-coated system (Epi-Nio-HA) showed a 21% (acidic buffer) and 20%... 

Nowadays, putting forward an accurate cancer therapy method with minimal side effects is an important topic of research. Nanostructures, for their ability in controlled and targeted drug release on specific cells, are critical materials in this field. In this study, a pH-sensitive graphene oxide-l-arginine nanogel was synthesized to carry and release 5-fluorouracil. Optimized conditions using statistical analysis, based on the maximum relative viscosity of nanogel, were evaluated: 5.489 for the concentration of l-arginine and 2.404 for pH. The prepared nanogels were characterized using scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images and Fourier-transform infrared... 

We previously reported that MR01, an indigenous strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was able to produce a rhamnolipid-type biosurfactant. Here, we attempted to define the structural properties of this natural product. The analysis of the extracted biosurfactant by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) revealed the presence of two compounds corresponding to those of authentic mono- and di-rhamnolipid. The identity of two structurally distinguished rhamnolipids was confirmed by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) of extracted biosurfactant revealed up to seventeen different rhamnolipid congeners. Further quantification showed... 

The combination of liposomes with magnetic nanoparticles, because of their strong effect on T2 relaxation can open new ways in the innovative cancer therapy and diagnosis. In order to design an intelligent contrast agent in MRI, we chose anti-HER2 nanobody the smallest fully functional antigen-binding fragments evolved from the variable domain, the VHH, of a camel heavy chain-only antibody. These targeted magnetoliposomes bind to the HER2 antigen which is highly expressed on breast and ovarian cancer cells so reducing the side effects as well as increasing image contrast and effectiveness. Cellular iron uptake analysis and in vitro MRI of HER2 positive cells incubated with targeted... 

Introduction: To date, numerous iron-based nanostructures have been designed for cancer therapy applications. Although some of them were promising for clinical applications, few efforts have been made to maximize the therapeutic index of these carriers. Herein, PEGylated silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (PS-IONs) were introduced as multipurpose stimuli-responsive co-delivery nanocarriers for a combination of dual-drug chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. Methods: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via the sonochemical method and coated by a thin layer of silica. The nanostructures were then further modified with a layer of di-carboxylate polyethylene glycol... 

Introduction: To date, numerous iron-based nanostructures have been designed for cancer therapy applications. Although some of them were promising for clinical applications, few efforts have been made to maximize the therapeutic index of these carriers. Herein, PEGylated silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (PS-IONs) were introduced as multipurpose stimuli-responsive co-delivery nanocarriers for a combination of dual-drug chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. Methods: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via the sonochemical method and coated by a thin layer of silica. The nanostructures were then further modified with a layer of di-carboxylate polyethylene glycol... 

Breast cancer incidence has increased in recent decades. In the present study, an optimum formulation of chitosan (CS)-adorned niosome-based nanocarriers for co-delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and vincristine (VIN) was developed for the treatment of breast cancer to reduce drug doses and overcome multidrug resistance. The three-level Box-Behnken method was utilized to optimize the particles in terms of size, polydispersity index (PDI), entrapment efficacy (EE (%)), and percent of drug release (%). The release rate of two drugs from CS-adorned nanoparticles (DOX+VIN/Nio/CS) in acidic and physiological pH is less than uncoated niosome (DOX+VIN/Nio). In addition, acidic pH increases the release... 

In recent years miscellaneous smart micro/nanosystems that respond to various exogenous/endogenous stimuli including temperature, magnetic/electric field, mechanical force, ultrasound/light irradiation, redox potentials, and biomolecule concentration have been developed for targeted delivery and release of encapsulated therapeutic agents such as drugs, genes, proteins, and metal ions specifically at their required site of action. Owing to physiological differences between malignant and normal cells, or between tumors and normal tissues, pH-sensitive nanosystems represent promising smart delivery vehicles for transport and delivery of anticancer agents. Furthermore, pH-sensitive systems... 

PIM-1 is a serine-threonine kinase mainly expressed in tissues like the Thymus, spleen, bone marrow, and liver. Overexpression of PIM kinases occurs in various types of human tumours, such as lymphomas, prostate cancer, and oral cancer. As a result, the design of drugs to inhibit PIM-1 in cancerous cells has attracted much attention in recent years. This study aimed to design the alternative inhibitors for PIM-1 kinase, which are based on carbohydrates and amino acids and are expected to be non-toxic with the same chemotherapeutic effects as the traditional known anticancer drugs. The combinatorial use of quantum mechanics (QM) and molecular dynamic simulation (MD) has enabled us to... 

Since there have been many difficulties in clinical administration of anticancer drugs due to their poor solubility & targeting, development of new biodegradable Nano-carriers can provide good solutions to overcome the most of recent problems to obtain a better controlled release and targeted delivery of drugs with better efficiency and less side-effects. Acidic pH is regarded as a phenotypic characteristic of cancer tumors. Under this acidic condition, it is known that the surface charge of Chitosan-modified nano-particles become more positive. On the other hand, cancer cells are negatively charged. It is worth mentioning that by loading of anticancer drugs into this novel system, a strong... 

It remains unclear whether causal, rather than merely correlational, relationships in molecular networks can be inferred in complex biological settings. Here we describe the HPN-DREAM network inference challenge, which focused on learning causal influences in signaling networks. We used phosphoprotein data from cancer cell lines as well as in silico data from a nonlinear dynamical model. using the phosphoprotein data, we scored more than 2,000 networks submitted by challenge participants. The networks spanned 32 biological contexts and were scored in terms of causal validity with respect to unseen interventional data. A number of approaches were effective, and incorporating known biology was... 

Curcumin (as a natural reductant material) was utilized for green reduction and functionalization of chemically exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The π-π attachment of the curcumin molecules onto the curcumin-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets was confirmed by Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. Zeta potential of the GO sheets decreased from about - 40 mV to - 20 mV, after the green reduction and functionalization. The probable cytotoxicity of the curcumin-rGO sheets was studied through their interactions with two human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and SKBR3 cell lines) and a normal cell line (mouse fibroblast L929 cell line). The curcumin-rGO sheet with... 

Hyperthermia generally means as increasing the temperature of particular region of body to rise 5 °C above the body's physiological temperature. Here, we investigate the thermal therapy of PEGylated cobalt ferrite nanoparticles prepared by hydrothermal approach on cancerous cell line in the alternative current magnetic field. To characterize of the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer were used. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the spinel phase formation of the MNPs. Cytotoxicity of MNPs using MTT assay on L929 cell lines showed the PEGylated... 

Herein, the graphene oxide (GO)/cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were used to apply the heat treatment on the breast cancer cell line of MCF7. The synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated before in vitro and in vivo studies, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal property and relaxivity measurement. The nanoparticles showed a diameter of 5 nm with the ferrimagnetic property. Also, the nanoparticles were well distributed on the GO nanosheets. The related peaks of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were approved by using XRD and XPS assays. During the in vitro investigations, IC50 with... 

Isolation and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) found in blood samples of cancer patients have been considered as a reliable source for cancer prognosis and diagnosis. A new continuous microfluidic platform has been designed in this investigation for simultaneous capture and characterization of CTCs based on their deformability. The deformability-based chip (D-Chip) consists of two sections of separation and characterization where slanted weirs with a gap of 7 μm were considered. Although sometimes CTCs and leukocytes have the same size, the deformability differs in such a way that can be exploited for enrichment purposes. MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines were used for the... 

In the present study, the tri-layer nanofibers were synthesized via triaxial electrospinning process to control the sustained delivery of Doxorubicin (DOX), Paclitaxel (PTX) and 5- fluorouracil (5-FU) anticancer drugs from nanofibers. The 5-FU molecules were incorporated into the core solution (chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA)) to fabricate the CS/PVA/5-FU inner layer of nanofibers. The intermediate layer was prepared from poly(lactic acid)/chitosan (PLA/CS) nanofibers. The DOX and PTX molecules were initially loaded into the g-C3N4 nanosheets and following were incorporated into the PLA/CS solution to fabricate the outer layer of nanofibers. The synthesized nanosheets and nanofibers were... 

This paper deals with growth control of cancer cells population using type-1 and interval type-2 fuzzy logic. A type-1 fuzzy controller is designed in order to reduce the population of cancer cells, adjust the drug dosage in a manner that allows normal cells re-grow in treatment period and maintain the maximum drug delivery rate and plasma concentration of drug in an appropriate range. Two different approaches are studied. One deals with reducing the number of cancer cells without any concern about the rate of decreasing, and the other takes the rate of malignant cells damage into consideration. Due to the fact that uncertainty is an inherent part of real systems and affects controller... 

This study proposes a new method for the detection of a weak scatterer among strong scatterers using prior-information ultrasound (US) imaging. A perfect application of this approach is in vivo cell detection in the bloodstream, where red blood cells (RBCs) serve as identifiable strong scatterers. In vivo cell detection can help diagnose cancer at its earliest stages, increasing the chances of survival for patients. This work combines time-domain US with frequency-domain compressive US imaging to detect a 20-μ MCF-7 circulating tumor cell (CTC) among a number of RBCs within a simulated venule inside the mouth. The 2D image reconstructed from the time-domain US is employed to simulate the... 

Clioquinol is an antifungal, antiprotozoal and an Alzheimer's disease drug with cytotoxic activity toward human cancer cells. The electrochemical behavior of clioquinol and its oxidation product was studied using cyclic, differential pulse and square-wave voltammetry over a wide pH range on a glassy carbon electrode. The results revealed that the oxidation of clioquinol is an irreversible pH-dependent process that proceeds with the transfer of one electron and one proton in an adsorption-controlled mechanism and results in the formation of a main oxidation product, which adsorbs very strongly on the glassy carbon surface. The charge transfer coefficient was calculated as 0.64. The adsorbed...