Conventional delivery of anticancer drugs is less effective due to pharmacological drawbacks such as lack of aqueous solubility and poor cellular accumulation. This study reports the increased drug loading, therapeutic delivery, and cellular accumulation of silibinin (SLB), a poorly water-soluble phenolic compound using a hydrophobically-modified chitosan nanoparticle (pCNP) system. In this stu...

A new type of organophosphonic acid, (4,4'-(1,2-diphenylethene-1,2-diyl)bis(4,1-phenylene))bis(methylene)diphosphonic acid (PATPE), based on tetraphenylethene has been prepared, and its ester derivative exhibits the characteristic property of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) in DMSO-H2O solution. The PATPE is then fabricated into hydroxyapatite by a one-pot condensation process to form hollow...

An innovative approach for up-converting nanoparticles adaptation for bio-related and theranostic applications is presented. We have successfully encapsulated multiple, ~8 nm in size NaYF4 nanoparticles inside the polymeric nanocarriers with average size of ~150 nm. The initial coating of nanoparticles surfaces was preserved due to the hydrophobic environment inside the nanocapsules, and thus n...

Recently, the number of patients infected by drug-resistant pathogenic microbes has increased remarkably worldwide, and a number of studies have reported new antibiotics from natural sources. Among them, chitosan, with a high molecular weight and α-conformation, exhibits potent antimicrobial activity, but useful applications as an antibiotic are limited by its cytotoxicity and insolubility at p...

In this study, a core-shell type polypeptide-based lipid nanocapsule was developed to enhance anticancer efficacy of erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancers. Mean particle size of PEGylated polypeptide-lipid nanocapsules (PLN) for erlotinib (ERL) delivery was ∼200nm with an effective surface charge of -20mV. Protective PEGylated polypeptide layer acted as a molecular fence and effectively cont...

A novel targeting theranostic nanoprobe based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)-natural biopolymer chitosan composites was developed for cancer cell targeting imaging and fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy. First, chitosan was respectively conjugated with a tumor-homing molecule folic acid, or a photosensitizing drug pyropheophorbide a using a water-soluble carbodiimide c...

The cytotoxicity of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) and chitosan lactate (ChOL) multifunctional hybrid composite coatings on MRC-5 human lung fibroblast cell line was elucidated. ACP/TiO2 ACP/TiO2/ /ChOL were deposited onto Ti by a novel in situ anodization/anaphoretic process at constant voltage. Cytotoxicity tests showed that there no significant decrease the survival healthy cells exposed ...

Targeted posttranscriptional gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) has garnered considerable interest as an attractive new class of drugs for several diseases, such as cancer. Chitosan and protamine are commonly used as a vehicle to deliver and protect small interfering RNA (siRNA), but the strong interaction still remains to be modulated for efficient siRNA uptake and silencing. Therefore,...