BACKGROUND Islet transplantation has the potential for treating type I diabetes; however, its widespread clinical application is limited by the massive apoptotic cell death and poor revascularization of transplanted islet grafts. METHODS We constructed a surface-modified adenoviral vector with RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequences encoding human X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis and hepatocyte growth fac...

By modification of liposomes with poly(glycidol) derivatives such as succinylated poly(glycidol) and 3-methylglutarylated poly(glycidol), we have developed functional liposomes that generate fusion ability at mildly acidic pH. We investigated the feasibility of these polymer-modified liposomes as a carrier of antigenic proteins for induction of cellular immunity. These pH-sensitive fusogenic li...

BACKGROUND Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), the rate-limiting enzyme in the tryptophan catabolism, has recently emerged as an important immunosuppressive enzyme involved in the regulation of both physiologic (maternal tolerance), as well as pathologic (neoplasia, autoimmune diseases, asthma) processes. Accumulating evidence points to a role for IDO in suppressing T-cell responses, thereby pro...

a simple method has been developed for the preconcentration of copper(ii) based on the adsorption of its modified nano polyacrylonitrile fiber. modified nano polyacrylonitrile fiber (panf) was prepared by adding of acrylic fibers to msethanolamine (mma) with different concentration solutions. the stability of a chemically modified nano polyacrylonitrile fiber especially in concentrated hydrochl...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the intestinal mucus-penetrating properties and intestinal cellular uptake of two types of liposomes modified by Pluronic F127 (PF127). METHODS The two types of liposomes, ie, PF127-inlaid liposomes and PF127-adsorbed liposomes, were prepared by a thin-film hydration method followed by extrusion, in which coumarin 6 was loaded as a fluoresce...

The lower immunogenicity of synthetic subunit antigens, compared to live attenuated vaccines, is being addressed with improved vaccine carriers. Recent reports indicate that the physio-chemical properties of these carriers can be altered to achieve optimal antigen presentation, endosomal escape, particle bio-distribution, and cellular trafficking. The carriers can be modified with various antig...

Targeting hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) has been challenging due to the lack of specific receptors or motifs on the cells. The aim of the present study was to develop a HSC-specific system for improving drug delivery to HSCs. The affinity of a cyclic peptide containing Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) to collagen type VI receptor on HSCs was examined in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Sterically stabl...

Alginates are being increasingly used for cell encapsulation and tissue engineering applications; however, these materials cannot specifically interact with mammalian cells. We have covalently modified alginates of varying monomeric ratio with RGD-containing cell adhesion ligands using carbodiimide chemistry to initiate cell adhesion to these polymers. We hypothesized that we could control the ...

The usefulness of pH-sensitive fusogenic polymer-(succinylated poly(glycidol)-(SucPG-) modified liposomes as a vaccine carrier in the induction of immune responses was evaluated. Mice were intraperitoneally immunized with ovalbumin- (OVA-) containing SucPG-modified liposomes. After immunization, significant OVA-specific antibodies were detected in the serum. When sera were analyzed for isotype ...

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally-occurring ligand that can be useful for targeting liver endothelial cells. We describe herein the development of a new HA-lipid conjugate for the efficient delivery of liposomes to liver endothelial cells. When free HA coated cationic liposomes were injected into mice, their accumulation in the liver was significantly decreased depending on the content of fre...