Sharif Digital Repository

The magnetic composite hydrogel was fabricated by the graft copolymerization of itaconic acid (IA) onto starch and Alginic acid in the presence graphene sheets (Gr) and Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Gr-IA/St-Alg) for Guaifenesin (GFN) delivery and wound healing. The Fe3O4@Gr-IA/St-Alg biomaterial is a hydrogel network endowed the material with magnetic property. In addition, GFN not only achieved effectively bound to the magnetic hydrogel, but also released in a controlled manner. The using external magnetic field has significantly positive influence on the drug release rate. To close, these hydrogel drug carriers offer a favorable platform for magnetically targeted drug delivery as well as a... 

With continual rapid developments in the biomedical field and understanding of the important mechanisms and pharmacokinetics of biological molecules, controlled drug delivery systems (CDDSs) have been at the forefront over conventional drug delivery systems. Over the past several years, scientists have placed boundless energy and time into exploiting a wide variety of excipients, particularly diverse polymers, both natural and synthetic. More recently, the development of nano polymer blends has achieved noteworthy attention due to their amazing properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and more importantly, their pivotal role in controlled and sustained drug release in vitro and... 

Coaxial electrospinning with the ability to use simultaneously two separate solvents provides a promising strategy for drug delivery. Nevertheless, controlled release of hydrophilic and sensitive therapeutics from slow biodegradable polymers is still challenging. To address this gap, we fabricated core-sheath fibers for dual delivery of lysozyme, as a model protein, and phenytoin sodium as a small therapeutic molecule. The sheath was processed by a gelatin solution while the core fibers were fabricated from an aqueous gelatin/PVA solution. Microstructural studies by transmission and scanning electron microscopy reveal the formation of homogeneous core-sheath nanofibers with an outer and... 

A drug delivery system based on poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels containing ibuprofen-loaded poly (lactic acid) (PLA) microspheres was developed to improve the release kinetics of this model drug. Gamma-irradiation and freeze-thawing were applied to prepare poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels. Properties and morphology of these composite hydrogels were investigated using FTIR, DSC, and SEM. In vitro release indicated that entrapment of the microspheres into the PVA hydrogels causes a reduction in both the release rate and the initial burst effect. PLA microspheres entrapped into the PVA hydrogels showed more suitable controlled release kinetics for drug delivery  

In the present work, biocompatible superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated by mesoporous silica were used as drug nanocarriers for doxorubicin (Dox; an anticancer drug) delivery. In biological media, the interaction of protein corona layer with the surface of nanoparticles is inevitable. For this reason, we studied the effect of protein corona on drug release from magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MMSNs) in human plasma medium. Besides, we used hydrophilic and biocompatible polymer, polyethylene glycol (PEG), to decrease protein corona effects. The results showed the increased Dox release from PEGylated MMSNs compared with bare MMSNs. This result indicated that the coating... 

Polyethylene oxide (PEO)/chitosan (CS)/graphene oxide (GO) electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds were successfully developed via electrospinning process for controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX). The SEM analysis of nanofibrous scaffolds with different contents of GO (0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 0.7 wt.%) indicated that the minimum diameter of nanofibers was found to be 85 nm for PEO/CS/GO 0.5% nanofibers. The π-π stacking interaction between DOX and GO with fine pores of nanofibrous scaffolds exhibited higher drug loading (98%) and controlled release of the DOX loaded PEO/CS/GO nanofibers. The results of DOX release from nanofibrous scaffolds at pH 5.3 and 7.4 indicated strong pH dependence. The... 

The chemical synthesis and in vitro drug delivery response of folate-modified, polyethylene glycol-functionalized gold nanoparticles were studied. Lysine-capped gold nanoparticles were first prepared. Subsequently, the widely used anticancer agent doxorubicin (DOX) was successfully attached to the surface of folate-modified, polyethylene glycol-functionalized gold nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to confirm the functionalization and conjugation steps in the chemical synthesis. The DOX-loading efficiency determined by UV-vis spectrometer was 80%. Drug release experiments displayed a controlled-release behavior... 

Purpose: The prime end of this study was to design a novel pH-sensitive as well as a PEGylated dendritic nanocarrier for both controllable and traceable gemcitabine delivery to cancerous cells. To accomplish this goal, we took advantage of a hybrid of nanoparticles including: mesoporous silica, graphene oxide and magnetite. Methods: The nanocarrier was prepared in a multi-step synthesis route. First, magnetite mesoporous silica was deposited on the graphene oxide matrix. Then, polyamidoamine dendrimers (up to generation 1.5) with pentaethylene hexamine end groups were grafted on the surface of the nanoparticles. In order to enhance the biostability, and as the next step, the nanocarrier was... 

In this research, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified by dendritic macromonomer. Herein, polyamidoamine with acrylamide end groups was incorporated on MWCNTs. Afterwards, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), (PNIPAM), was grafted on polyamidoamine in a facile synthesis. Then, doxorubicin as anticancer drug was loaded on this nanocarrier. The drug release was studied at below and above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAM, (LCST 32 °C), 27 °C and 37 °C, respectively. At 37 °C (body temperature) the polymer shell dehydrated and the drug release increased. The profile of drug release was expressed by Higuchi's equation which indicated that the drug release mechanism was... 

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the neurotoxic effects of Fe3O4 magnetic- CurNPs on isolated schizophrenia mitochondria of rats as an in vivo model. Methods: We designed CMN loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) (Fe3O4 magnetic- CurNPs) to achieve an enhanced therapeutic effect. The physicochemical properties of Fe3O4 magnetic- CurNPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic laser light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. Further, to prove Fe3O4 magnetic- CurNPs results in superior therapeutic effects, and also, the mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, mitochondrial complex II activity, reactive oxygen species generation,... 

Chronic, non-healing wounds place a significant burden on patients and healthcare systems, resulting in impaired mobility, limb amputation, or even death. Chronic wounds result from a disruption in the highly orchestrated cascade of events involved in wound closure. Significant advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic wounds have resulted in the development of drugs designed to target different aspects of the impaired processes. However, the hostility of the wound environment rich in degradative enzymes and its elevated pH, combined with differences in the time scales of different physiological processes involved in tissue regeneration require the use of effective drug... 

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a bioresorbable and biocompatible polymer that has been widely used in long-term implants and controlled drug release applications. However, when it comes to tissue engineering, PCL suffers from some shortcomings such as slow degradation rate, poor mechanical properties, and low cell adhesion. The incorporation of calcium phosphate-based ceramics and bioactive glasses into PCL has yielded a class of hybrid biomaterials with remarkably improved mechanical properties, controllable degradation rates, and enhanced bioactivity that are suitable for bone tissue engineering. This review presents a comprehensive study on recent advances in the fabrication and properties of... 

Nanoscaled quantum dots (QDs), with unique optical properties have been used for the development of theranostics. Here, InP/ZnS QDs were synthesised and functionalised with folate (QD-FA), D-glucosamine (QD-GA) or both (QD-FA-GA). The bi-functionalised QDs were further conjugated with doxorubicin (QD-FA-GA-DOX). Optimum Indium to fatty acid (In:MA) ratio was 1:3.5. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs revealed spherical morphology for the QDs (11 nm). Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) spectrum confirmed the chemical composition of the QDs. MTT analysis in the OVCAR-3 cells treated with bare QDs, QD-FA, QD-GA, QD-FA-GA and QD-FA-GA-DOX (0.2 mg/mL of QDs) after 24 h indicated... 

Transdermal drug delivery systems have overcome many limitations of other drug administration routes, such as injection pain and first-pass metabolism following oral route, although transdermal drug delivery systems are limited to drugs with low molecular weight. Hence, new emerging technology allowing high molecular weight drug delivery across the skin—known as ‘microneedles’—has been developed, which creates microchannels that facilitate drug delivery. In this report, drug-loaded degradable conic microneedles are modeled to characterize the degradation rate and drug release profile. Since a lot of data are available for polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) degradation in the literature,... 

Herein, we report the preparation of novel magnetic graphene oxide (GO) grafted with brush polymer via surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (SI-RAFT) polymerization and its application as a nanocarrier for magnetic- and pH-triggered delivery of doxorubicin anticancer drug. The RAFT agent, DDMAT, was firstly attached to the surface of magnetic GO nanosheets. The DDMAT-functionalized magnetic GO nanosheets were then used to polymerize glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) using an SI-RAFT method. Afterwards, the epoxy rings of the PGMA chains were opened with hydrazine (N2H4) moieties. The resulting nanocomposite was used as a drug carrier for doxorubicin (DOX) as an... 

Herein, we report the preparation of novel magnetic graphene oxide (GO) grafted with brush polymer via surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (SI-RAFT) polymerization and its application as a nanocarrier for magnetic- and pH-triggered delivery of doxorubicin anticancer drug. The RAFT agent, DDMAT, was firstly attached to the surface of magnetic GO nanosheets. The DDMAT-functionalized magnetic GO nanosheets were then used to polymerize glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) using an SI-RAFT method. Afterwards, the epoxy rings of the PGMA chains were opened with hydrazine (N2H4) moieties. The resulting nanocomposite was used as a drug carrier for doxorubicin (DOX) as an... 

Objective: The objective of this study was to use nano-niosomal formulations to deliver simvastatin as a poor-water soluble drug into breast cancer cells. Significance: Our study focused on the problem associated with poor water-soluble drugs which have significant biological activity in vivo. Methods: Different niosomal formulations of simvastatin were prepared and characterized in terms of morphology, size, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and release kinetic. Antiproliferative activity and the mechanism were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR and flow cytometry. Moreover, confocal microscopy was employed to analyze the cell uptake of simvastatin loaded niosomes to the cancerous cells.... 

Reactive oxygen species ROS and redox agents are two features of cancer medium, which could be used through responsive drug delivery systems for cancer treatment. Furthermore, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have special characteristics to use them in ROS-responsive and redox-responsive carriers. To shed light on this issue, we propose two drug delivery systems: 1) responsive to hydrogen peroxide (a ROS component) and 2) responsive to dithiothreitol (a redox agent). The proposed carriers are composed of 4 parts: MSNs, responsive agent (selenocystine for ROS-responsive and dithiodipropionic for the redox-responsive carrier), hyaluronic acid as the coating and targeting agent, and the... 

Systematic delivery of therapeutic agents to specific sites, with a stimulus-responsive drug release profile is currently a rapidly growing area. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are the useful platforms as drug/gene delivery systems due to their unique properties including the ability to control the pore size, high porosity, and morphology, which can directly affect the mechanism and profile of drug release. The appropriate fabrication strategy can tailor the particle shape and size, leading to enhanced delivery and release mechanisms. The MSN surface can be modified by using either organic or inorganic molecules to induce smart and site-specific drug delivery and release.... 

This study aims to design photo-triggered micelles by using a natural base polymer. Chitosan was functionalized with thiourea, and in the next step, it was modified by grafting poly(L-lactide), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and poly(acrylamide) in determined ratio to form thermo-sensitive micelles. The sulfur content of chitosan@thiourea was measured about 2%. Grafting of polymers on chitosan was characterized by FT-IR and NMR techniques. The critical micellar concentration was measured by using photo luminescence spectroscopy. The size and surface morphology experiments revealed that average size of micelles is about 14 nm, and the length and width of GNRs are about 65 and 19 nm,...