To improve transfection efficiency, we prepared N-maleyl chitosan-graft-polyamidoamine (NMCTS-graft- PAMAM) copolymer. Self-assembled NMCTS-graft-PAMAM/pDNA complexes were prepared by complex coacervation method at different N/P (nitrogen to phosphate ratio) ratios. The copolymer effectively formed complexes with pDNA at lower N/P ratio (N/P ratio 1.0) than that of unmodified chitosan (N/P ratio 2.0) and the complexes were spherical with particle size of 100-150 nm. The copolymer showed significant protection of DNA from nuclease attack with lower toxicity against HeLa cell. The copolymer also showed no noticeable hemolytic effects up to 10 mg/mL indicating no detectable disturbance of the red blood cell membranes. The transfection efficiency of the copolymer was increased significantly compared to that of chitosan and reached up to 36 ± 2% at N/P ratio 7.0 which was higher than that of PEI (30 ± 3% at N/P ratio 10). Therefore, the copolymer may be a strong alternative candidate as effective nonviral vector. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KISHOR SARKAR

Polymer Science and Technology

A CHATTERJEE

G CHAKRABORTI

P P KUNDU

University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University or CU) is a collegiate public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.&nbsp;Within India it is recognized as a &quot;Five-Star University&quot; and accredited &quot;A&quot; Grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

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The University of Calcutta has secured the Fifth position among the Universities of India in the prestigious &quot;Indian University Ranking 2019&quot; list, released by the NIRF of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

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It was established on 24 January 1857, and was one of the first institutions in Asia to be established as a multidisciplinary and Western-style university. Its alumni and faculty include several heads of state, heads of government, social reformers, prominent artists, only academy award winner and Dirac medal winner in India, many Fellows of the Royal Society and five Nobel laureates as of 2019 which is highest in South Asia.

University Of Calcutta

Carbohydrate Polymers

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most fatal subtype among all other types of breast cancer and there are no targeted chemotherapy for the treatment of TNBC due to the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). To address this problem, we develop a targeted non-viral vector which could efficiently deliver the gene of interest and could also diagnose of TNBC. We have synthesized carbon quantum dots (CD) from sweet lemon peel, conjugated it with different generation of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers to get CD-PAMAM conjugates (CDPs). RGDS peptide was further conjugated to CDP to target αvβ3 integrin which is over expressed in TNBC. DNA complexation assay, cellular cytotoxicity, hemolysis assay, DNase I assay, cellular uptake and in vitro transfection showed CDP3 as a promising gene carrier system TNBC gene therapy. Besides, CDP3 shows selective quenching of fluorescence in presences of Cu(II) with a quenching efficiency of about 93%. As the Cu(II) ion concentration remains upregulated in TNBC, CDP3 could be a promising theranostic tool for TNBC treatment. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Chemical Engineering Journal

Dendrimer functionalized carbon quantum dot for selective detection of breast cancer and gene therapy

Considering public health protection, the carrier system for oral insulin must be safe. Hence, in the present study, the chronic oral toxicity of chitosan derivates was investigated in a mouse model. Oral administration of polymers did not cause any significant change in the behavioural pattern, body weight, and clinical symptoms of the treated mice. There were also no significant alterations in the biochemical parameters of blood serum and urine. Further, histopathological examination revealed an almost normal architecture, suggesting no significant adverse effects on the liver, kidney and intestine of the treated animals. An in vitro haemolysis assay proved that chitosan and its derivatives were blood compatible. Finally, intestinal luminal bacteria were able to biodegrade the polymers completely. Overall, the results suggested that the oral administration of the derivatives of chitosan in mice did not produce any significant toxicity in chronic treatment. Hence, these polymers could be utilized as safe devices for oral delivery of insulin and also other drugs. This journal is © 2015 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Fulltext

Toxicology Research

Assessment of in vivo chronic toxicity of chitosan and its derivates used as oral insulin carriers

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) find use in different biomedical applications including wound healing and cancer. We propose that the efficacy of the nanoparticles can be further augmented by using these particles for gene delivery applications. The objective of this work was to engineer biofunctionalized stable AgNPs with good DNA binding ability for efficient transfection and minimal toxicity. Herein, we report on the one-pot facile green synthesis of polyethylene glycol (PEG) stabilized chitosan-g-polyacrylamide modified AgNPs. The size of the PEG stabilized AgNPs was 38 ± 4 nm with a tighter size distribution compared to the unstabilized nanoparticles which showed bimodal distribution of particle sizes of 68 ± 5 nm and 7 ± 4 nm. To enhance the efficiency of gene transfection, the Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) peptide was immobilized on the silver nanoparticles. The transfection efficiency of AgNPs increased significantly after immobilization of the RGDS peptide reaching up to 42 ± 4% and 30 ± 3% in HeLa and A549 cells, respectively, and significantly higher than 34 ± 3% and 23 ± 2%, respectively, with the use of polyethyleneimine (25 kDa). These nanoparticles were found to induce minimal cellular toxicity. Differences in cellular uptake mechanisms with RGDS immobilization resulting in improved efficiency are elucidated. This study presents biofunctionalized AgNPs for potential use as efficient nonviral carriers for gene delivery with minimal cytotoxicity toward augmenting the therapeutic efficacy of AgNPs used in different biomedical products. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Journal	Data powered by TypesetCarbohydrate Polymers
Publisher	Data powered by TypesetElsevier Ltd
ISSN	0144-8617
Open Access	No