PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven patients undergoing endoscopic surveillance of known Barrett's esophagus were recruited. Freshly resected biopsy specimens were incubated with NPs coupled with FITC labeled Muc-2 antibodies and examined with MEI. Fluorescence intensity from Barrett's mucosa and control specimens were compared, followed by histological confirmation.
RESULTS: Fluorescence signals, indicating the presence of goblet cells, were noted for traditional MEI using Muc-2 antibodies in Barrett's intestinal metaplasia. Significantly stronger fluorescence signals were achieved with NPs coupled with FITC-conjugated Muc-2 antibodies. The results of MEI with NPs for the prediction of Barrett's metaplasia correlated with the final histopathological examination in all the cases.
CONCLUSIONS: Highly-specific NPs detected Barrett's metaplasia more efficiently than conventional MEI in this first feasibility study. MEI was as effective as standard histopathology for identifying Muc-2 containing goblet cells for diagnosis of Barrett's metaplasia. (DRKS-ID: DRKS00017747).
Purpose: The present study aims to address this issue by functionalizing GO with Pluronic F127 (PF) as a means to mitigate toxicity and resolve the biocompatibility of GO. Although results from previous studies generally indicated that Pluronic functionalized GO exhibits relatively low toxicity to living organisms, reports that emphasize on its toxicity, particularly during embryonic developmental stage, are still scarce.
Methods: In the present study, two different sizes of native GO samples, GO and NanoGO, as well as PF-functionalized GO, GO-PF and NanoGO-PF, were prepared and characterized using DLS, UV-Vis, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, and FESEM analyses. Toxicological assessment of all GO samples (0-100 µg/mL) on zebrafish embryonic developmental stages (survival, hatching and heart rates, and morphological changes) was recorded daily for up to 96 hours post-fertilization (hpf).
Results: The toxicity effects of each GO sample were observed to be higher at increasing concentrations and upon prolonged exposure. NanoGO demonstrated lower toxicity effects compared to GO. GO-PF and NanoGO-PF were also found to have lower toxicity effects compared to native GO samples. GO-PF showed the lowest toxicity response on zebrafish embryo.
Conclusion: These findings highlight that toxicity is dependent on the concentration, size, and exposure period of GO. Functionalization of GO with PF through surface coating could potentially mitigate the toxicity effects of GO in embryonic developmental stages, but further investigation is warranted for broader future applications.
METHODS: We have undertaken a structured search for peer-reviewed research and review articles predominantly indexed in PubMed focusing on the organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticles with evidence of their potent roles in intracellular delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents in different animal models.
RESULTS: Organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticles offer a number of advantages by combining the unique properties of the organic and inorganic counterparts, thus improving the pharmacokinetic behavior and targetability of drugs and contrast agents, and conferring the exclusive optical and magnetic properties for both therapeutic and imaging purposes. Different polymers, lipids, dendrimers, peptides, cell membranes, and small organic molecules are attached via covalent or non-covalent interactions with diverse inorganic nanoparticles of gold, mesoporous silica, magnetic iron oxide, carbon nanotubes and quantum dots for efficient drug delivery and imaging purposes.
CONCLUSION: We have thus highlighted here the progress made so far in utilizing different organicinorganic hybrid nanoparticles for in vivo delivery of anti-cancer drugs, siRNA, genes and imaging agents.