Zoledronic acid (ZOL) has been used as an adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. It is suggested that ZOL might be associated with inhibition of macrophages, which in turn reduces tumor growth, metastasis and tumor angiogenesis. Moreover, metronomic therapy can inhibit tumor angiogenesis and tumor immune cells. Previously we developed ZOL based cationic liposomes that allowed a higher intratumor d...

Peptides containing the asparagine-glycine-arginine (NGR) motif are recognized by CD13/aminopeptidase N (APN) receptor isoforms that are selectively overexpressed in tumor neovasculature. Spontaneous decomposition of NGR peptides can result in isoAsp derivatives, which are recognized by RGD-binding integrins that are essential for tumor metastasis. Peptides binding to CD13 and RGD-binding integ...

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have unique transmembrane abilities. The huge superficial area and abundance of π electrons confer SWCNTs perfect absorptive capability toward proteins, nucleates, and many drugs. These characteristics make SWCNTs a new and efficient drug carrier. The purpose of this study was to disperse SWCNTs in water and have paclitaxel absorbed onto them in order to ...

The membrane protein Nogo-A and its receptor NgR have been extensively characterized for their role in restricting axonal growth, regeneration, and plasticity in the central nervous system. Recent evidence suggests that Nogo and NgR might constitute candidate genes for schizophrenia susceptibility. In this article, we critically review the possibility that dysfunctions related to Nogo-A and NgR...

CNS myelin inhibits axonal outgrowth in vitro and is one of several obstacles to functional recovery following spinal cord injury. Central to our current understanding of myelin-mediated inhibition are the membrane protein Nogo and the Nogo-66 receptor (NgR). New findings implicate NgR as a point of convergence in signal transduction for several myelin-associated inhibitors. Additional studies ...

When associated with the Nogo receptor (NgR), the transmembrane receptor p75NTR signals growth cone collapse. Arrest of CNS axon growth in vivo is mediated by CNS myelin-derived inhibitory ligands through either an unknown pathway after NgR- and Ca2+-dependent activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and/or sequential Rho-A/ROCK/LIM-kinase/cofilin phosphorylation leading to ac...

BACKGROUND Aminopeptidase N (CD13) is a zinc-binding protease that has functional effects on both cancerogenesis and tumor angiogenesis. Since CD13 is an antigen suitable for molecular targeted therapies (e.g. tTF-NGR induced tumor vascular infarction), we evaluated its impact in NSCLC patients, and tested the effects of the CD13-targeted fusion protein tTF-NGR (truncated tissue factor (tTF) co...

PURPOSE This phase I trial investigating the vascular targeting agent NGR-hTNF aimed to determine the (a) dose-limiting toxicities, (b) maximum tolerated dose (MTD), (c) pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, (d) vascular response by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), and (e) preliminary clinical activity in solid tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN NGR-hTNF was administe...

Adult central mammalian axons show minimal regeneration after spinal cord injury due to loss of oligodendrocytes, demyelination of surviving axons, absence of growth-promoting molecules, and inhibitors of axonal outgrowth. In the present study, we attempted to address these impediments to regeneration by using a combinatory strategy to enhance cell survival and regeneration after complete spin...

BACKGROUND Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) are poorly soluble in water, so their applications are limited. Therefore, aqueous solutions of SWNT, designed by noncovalent functionalization and without toxicity, are required for biomedical applications. METHODS In this study, we conjugated docetaxel with SWNT via π-π accumulation and used a surfactant to functionalize SWNT noncovalently. T...