Nanovesicles

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in cancer biology have highlighted the relevance of exosomes and nanovesicles as carriers of genetic and biological messages between cancer cells and their immediate and/or distant environments. It has been found that these molecular cues may play significant roles in cancer progression and metastasis. Cancer cells secrete exosomes containing diverse molecules that can be transferred to recipient cells and/or vice versa to induce a plethora of biological processes, including angiogenesis, metastasis formation, therapeutic resistance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and epigenetic/stemness (re)programming...

Exosomes are endogenous nanovesicles that play critical roles in intercellular signaling by conveying functional genetic information and proteins between cells. Exosomes readily cross the blood-brain barrier and have promise as therapeutic delivery vehicles that have the potential to specifically deliver molecules to the central nervous system (CNS). This unique feature also makes exosomes attractive as biomarkers in diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics in the context of multiple significant public health conditions, including acquired neurological disorders...

PURPOSE: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a devastating disease in premature infants. We previously showed that four stem cell (SC) types equivalently improve experimental NEC. Exosomes are intercellular nanovesicles containing RNA, miRNA, DNA, and protein. Because SC therapy faces challenges, our aim was to determine if the beneficial effects of SC are achievable with cell-free exosomes. METHODS: Exosomes from four SC types were compared: (1) amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal SC (AF-MSC); (2) bone marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC); (3) amniotic fluid-derived neural SC (AF-NSC); and (4) neonatal enteric NSC (E-NSC)...

Multifunctional and highly biocompatible polyether structures play a key role in shielding liposomes from degradation in the bloodstream, providing also multiple functional groups for further attachment of targeting moieties. In this work hyperbranched polyglycerol (hbPG) bearing lipids with long alkyl chain anchor are evaluated with respect to steric stabilization of liposomes. The branched polyether lipids possess a hydrophobic bis(hexadecyl)glycerol membrane anchor for the liposomal membrane. hbPG was chosen as a multifunctional alternative to PEG, enabling the eventual linkage of multiple targeting vectors...

Cancer cells resist to the host immune antitumor response via multiple suppressive mechanisms, including the overexpression of PD-L1 that exhausts antigen-specific CD8+ T cells through PD-1 receptors. Checkpoint blockade antibodies against PD-1 or PD-L1 have shown unprecedented clinical responses. However, limited host response rate underlines the need to develop alternative engineering approaches. Here, engineered cellular nanovesicles (NVs) presenting PD-1 receptors on their membranes, which enhance antitumor responses by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 immune inhibitory axis, are reported...

In recent years many articles have underlined the key role of nanovesicles, i.e., exosomes, as information carriers among biological systems including cancer. Tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs) are key players in the dynamic crosstalk between cancer cells and the microenvironment while promote immune system control evasion. In fact, tumors are undoubtedly capable of silencing the immune response through multiple mechanisms, including the release of exosomes. TEXs have been shown to boost tumor growth and promote progression and metastatic spreading via suppression or stimulation of the immune response towards cancer cells...

The long-term fate of biomedical nanoparticles after endocytosis is often only sparsely addressed in vitro and in vivo, while this is a crucial parameter to conclude on their utility. In this study, dual-fluorescent polyisobutylene-polyethylene glycol (PiB-PEG) polymersomes were studied for several days in vitro and in vivo. In order to optically track the vesicles' integrity, one fluorescent probe was located in the membrane and the other in the aqueous interior compartment. These non-toxic nanovesicles were quickly endocytosed in living A549 lung carcinoma cells but unusually slowly transported to perinuclear lysosomal compartments, where they remained intact and luminescent for at least 90 h without being exocytosed...

In the current study, the transdermal route has been investigated to deliver the poorly bioavailable drug; curcumin into the systemic circulation, aiming to target both superficial and subcutaneous tumors such as the breast tumors. Accordingly, different colloidal carriers viz. ultradeformable nanovesicles comprising various penetration enhancers were exploited. Curcumin-loaded deformable vesicles were prepared by the thin film hydration method followed by extrusion. Sodium cholate and Tween 80 were set as standard edge activators and Labrasol, Transcutol, limonene and oleic acid were the penetration enhancers that were evaluated for their efficacy in skin permeation...

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are ubiquitous nanosized membrane vesicles consisting of a lipid bilayer enclosing proteins and nucleic acids, which are active in intercellular communications. EVs are increasingly seen as a vital component of many biological functions that were once considered to require the direct participation of stem cells. Consequently, transplantation of EVs is gradually becoming considered an alternative to stem cell transplantation due to their significant advantages, including their relatively low probability of neoplastic transformation and abnormal differentiation...

Exosomes are nanovesicles having a maximum size of 150 nm and is a newly emerging focus in various fields of research. Its role in cargo trafficking along with its differential expression is associated with the disrupted homeostasis and provides an opportunity to defend against different diseases like cancer. Furthermore, exosomes are rich in cargos, which contain proteins and nucleic acids that directly reflect the metabolic state of the cells from which it originates. This review summarizes recent studies on tumor-derived exosomes with an overview about biogenesis, their functions and potential of using as diagnostic and prognostic markers...

Exosomes are cell-derived nanovesicles (50-150 nm), which mediate intercellular communication, and are candidate therapeutic agents. However, inefficiency of exosomal message transfer, such as mRNA, and lack of methods to create designer exosomes have hampered their development into therapeutic interventions. Here, we report a set of EXOsomal transfer into cells (EXOtic) devices that enable efficient, customizable production of designer exosomes in engineered mammalian cells. These genetically encoded devices in exosome producer cells enhance exosome production, specific mRNA packaging, and delivery of the mRNA into the cytosol of target cells, enabling efficient cell-to-cell communication without the need to concentrate exosomes...

BACKGROUND: Cilomilast is a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor for treating inflammatory lung diseases. This agent has a narrow therapeutic index with significant adverse effects on the nervous system. This study was conducted to entrap cilomilast into PEGylated phosphatidylcholine-rich niosomes (phosphatiosomes) to improve pulmonary delivery via the strong affinity to pulmonary surfactant film. Neutrophils were used as a cell model to test the anti-inflammatory activity of phosphatiosomes...

Gold (Au) agglomerates (AGs) are reassembled using Triton X-100 (T) and doxorubicin (D) dissolved in ethanol under 185 nm photoirradiation to form TAuD nanovesicles (NVs) under ambient gas flow conditions. The positively charged Au particles are then electrostatically conjugated with the anionic chains of TD components via a flowing drop (FD) reaction. Photoirradiation of the droplets in a tubular reactor continues the photophysicochemical reactions, resulting in the reassembly of Au AGs and TD into TAuD NVs...

This study encompasses the development and comparison of nanosilica-supported liposome (protocells), conventional liposome, and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-liposome. An effort was made to study the drug encapsulation efficiency and the in vitro release of the drug, and whether protocells (nanovesicles) could sustain the release of the drug by increasing the residence time, which could reduce the dose-related systemic toxicity of the drug, that is, vincristine sulfate. Nanovesicles had a good encapsulation efficiency (71%), which was comparable to the conventional and PEG-liposome, which were 74% and 78%, respectively...

Here, we combined lipid nanovesicles (ethosomes, liposomes) as the drug carrier systems with two physical methods (electroporation, sonoporation) to enhance transdermal delivery of a hydrophilic model molecule, calcein. First, using different formulations, ethosomes greatly enhanced calcein permeation by passive diffusion compared to liposomes and calcein in buffer, which is most likely due to a synergism between the ethanol action on the stratum corneum lipids and the penetration of the elastic vesicles. Liposomes permeated poorly through the skin and, as also suggested by other authors, seem to remain confined to the outer layers of the skin...

This study reports a family of photothermal materials, metal ion/tannic acid assemblies (MITAs). MITAs from FeIII , VIII , and RuIII afford excellent photothermal efficiency (η ≈ 40%). Sharply differing from the currently existing photothermal agents, MITAs are highlighted by merits including green synthesis, facile incorporation of diagnostic metal ions, and particularly topology-independent adhesion. Owing to the adhesion nature of MITAs, various kinds of MITA-based nanoengineerings are readily available via the self-adhesion of MITAs onto diverse templates, enabling MITAs well suited as a photothermal platform for versatile combination with other therapy approaches and imaging techniques...

White blood cells (WBCs) are a major component of immunity in response to pathogen invasion. Neutrophils are the most abundant WBCs in humans, playing a central role in acute inflammation induced by pathogens. Adhesion to vasculature and tissue infiltration of neutrophils are key processes in acute inflammation. Many inflammatory/autoimmune disorders and cancer therapies have been found to be involved in activation and tissue infiltration of neutrophils. A promising strategy to develop novel targeted drug delivery systems is the targeting and exploitation of activated neutrophils...

A new kind of fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) is obtained using quatsomes (QSs), a family of nanovesicles proposed as scaffolds for the nanostructuration of commercial lipophilic carbocyanines (1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-indocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI), 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-indodicarbocyanine perchlorate (DiD), and 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-indotricarbocyanine iodide (DiR)) in aqueous media. The obtained FONs, prepared by a CO2 -based technology, show excellent colloidal- and photostability, outperforming other nanoformulations of the dyes, and improve the optical properties of the fluorophores in water...

Nanovesicles, exosomes and other membrane bound particles excreted by cells are currently gaining research attention since they have been shown to play a significant role in many biologically related processes. Vesicles are now thought to mediate cellular communication, transmission of some diseases and pathologically mediated calcification. Matrix vesicles have long been proposed to be central to the controlled mineralisation of bone. They remain relatively poorly studied, however, since they are challenging to extract from biological media...

Hypoxia and expression of hypoxia-related biomarkers are associated with disease progression and treatment failure in prostate cancer (PCa). We have reported that exosomes (nanovesicles of 30-150 nm in diameter) secreted by human PCa cells under hypoxia promote invasiveness and stemness in naïve PCa cells. Here, we identified the unique microRNAs (miRNAs) loaded in exosomes secreted by PCa cells under hypoxia. Using TaqMan® array microRNA cards, we analyzed the miRNA profile in exosomes secreted by human PCa LNCaP cells under hypoxic (ExoHypoxic ) and normoxic (ExoNormoxic ) conditions...