Developing effective nonviral siRNA delivery systems for long-term gene silencing remains a great challenge. Here we present a nuclear-targeted siRNA delivery system that can induce long-term gene silencing in cancer cells. The nanocarrier consists of gold nanoparticles modified with a dense shell of synthetic siRNAs and nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptides. The NLS peptide could transloc...

Hyperbranched polymers are obtained through one-step polymerization reactions and exhibit properties that are very similar to those of perfect dendrimer analogues. Therefore, hyperbranched polymers are a suitable alternative for perfect dendrimers as building blocks for dendritic nanocarrier systems. With regard to using soluble hyperbranched polymers as carrier systems, their flexible chains a...

Nanocarrier mediated therapy of gliomas has shown promise. The success ofsystemic nanocarrier-based chemotherapy is critically dependent on the so-called leakyvasculature to permit drug extravasation across the blood-brain barrier. Yet, the extent ofvascular permeability in individual tumors varies widely, resulting in a correspondinglywide range of responses to the therapy. How...

Women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) display reduced vaginal acidity, which make them susceptible to associated infections such as HIV. In the current study, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) nanocarrier-based degradable hydrogels were developed for the controlled release of lactic acid in the vagina of BV-infected women. PEG-lactic acid (PEG-LA) nanocarriers were prepared by covalently attaching lact...

Prostate cancer (PCa) disease progression is associated with significant changes in intracellular and extracellular proteins, intracellular signaling mechanism, and cancer cell phenotype. These changes may have direct impact on the cellular interactions with nanocarriers; hence, there is the need for a much-detailed understanding, as nanocarrier cellular internalization and intracellular sortin...

A number of anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin (DOX), operate only after being transported into the nucleus of cancer cells. Thus it is essential for the drug carriers to effectively release the anticancer drugs into the cytoplasm of cancer cells and make them move to nucleus freely. Herein, a pH-responsive charge-reversal polyelectrolyte and integrin αⅤβ3 mono-antibody functionalized graphe...

A folate conjugated ternary copolymer, FA-PEG-PEI-PCL, of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(ethylene imine) (PEI), and poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) was synthesized. The copolymer self-assembled into cationic micelles capable of co-delivering siRNA and the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). This dual functional nanocarrier demonstrated low cytotoxicity and high performance in drug/siRNA delivery. ...

pH-sensitive drug carriers that are sensitive to the acidic (pH = ~6.5) microenvironments of tumor tissues have been primarily used as effective drug/gene/siRNA/microRNA carriers for releasing their payloads to tumor cells/tissues. Resistance to various drugs has become a big hurdle in systemic chemotherapy in cancer. Therefore delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and siRNA's targeting anti apop...

We present an equilibrium model for quantifying the effect of glycocalyx in mediating the interaction of functionalized nanocarriers with endothelial cells. In this model, nanocarrier adhesion is governed by the interplay between three physical parameters, namely, glycocalyx resistance, flexural rigidity of receptors, and receptor-ligand bond stiffness. We describe a procedure to rationally det...

BACKGROUND Despite marked optimism in the field of nanomedicine about the use of drug-delivery nanocarriers, uncertainties exist concerning nanocarriers' possible unintended impacts and effects. These uncertainties could affect user acceptance and acceptability. "Acceptance" refers to the intention to put a technology or a device to a specified use. "Acceptability" refers to a value judgment th...