While a number of PEGylated proteins have been studied for injectable applications and reviewers have used this data to speculate possible oral delivery improvements, a detailed investigation of PEGylated insulin for oral delivery and the development of an optimized pH-sensitive carrier for PEGylated insulin conjugates had yet to be accomplished. In order to proceed with oral delivery study, improvements in yield, with respect to previous PEGylation methods were necessary to enable the completion of high throughput drug delivery studies. Subsequently, a reaction scheme for the covalent attachment of PEG to insulin using nitrophenyl carbonate-PEG was developed. It was demonstrated that this reaction occurred at a 1:1 ratio and was site specific at the B29Lys position. A P(MAA-g-EG) hydrogel carrier was developed to optimize loading and release behavior for PEGylated insulin. It was demonstrated that the density and length of polymer grafts affected both loading and release behavior of PEGylated insulin. The best performing grafted polymers had a 3:1 methacrylic acid: ethylene glycol (MAA:EG) ratio and achieved loading efficiencies from 96% to nearly 100%. With respect to release, polymer particles containing fewer, but longer grafts shown to release faster than polymers with shorter grafts with the same MAA:EG ratio. Finally, the effects of PEGylation on intestinal absorption was investigated using an intestinal epithelial model as well as a rat model. It was demonstrated that PEGylated insulin in the presence of P(MAA-g-EG) microparticles did not significantly alter the tight junctions over unmodified insulin. However, the conjugate permeabilities across the membrane were reduced. The pharmacological availability (PA) was then verified by injecting the insulin conjugates subcutaneously in fasted Sprague-Dawley rats. It was determined that PEG 1000 insulin (1KPI) had a PA roughly equivalent to insulin, while it was reduced by 59% for 2KPI and by 81% for 5KPI. The effectiveness of utilizing PEGylated insulin as an oral drug delivery candidate was evaluated with a closed loop intestinal study, in which PEGylated insulin or insulin in solution was delivered directly to the jejunum. It was shown that 1KPI and insulin performed identically; with a pharmacological availability of 0.56%. 2KPI, however improved the pharmacological availability of insulin by 2.8 times. These results demonstrate that PEGylation holds promise for improving the oral delivery of proteins. / text

Introduction: Embolic agents are used to block blood flow of hypervascular tumours, ultimately resulting in target tissue necrosis. However, this therapy is limited by the formation of new blood vessels within the tumour, a process known as angiogenesis. Targeting angiogenesis led to the discovery of anti-angiogenic factors, large molecular weight proteins that can block the angiogenic process. The aim of this research is development of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aqueous solutions that cross-link in situ to form a hydrogel that functions as an embolic agent for delivery of macromolecular drugs. Methods: PVA (14 kDa, 83% hydrolysed), functionalised by 7 acrylamide groups per chain, was used to prepare 10, 15, and 20wt% non-degradable hydrogels, cured by UV or redox initiation. Structural properties were characterised and the release of FITCDextran (20kDa) was quantified. Degradable networks were then prepared by attaching to PVA (83% and 98 % hydrolysed) ester linkages with an acrylate end group. The effect on degradation profiles was assessed by varying parameters such as macromer concentration, cross-linking density, polymer backbone and curing method. To further enhance the technology, radiopaque degradable PVA was synthesised, and degradation profiles were determined. Cell growth inhibition of modified PVA and degradable products were also investigated. Results: Redox initiation resulted in non-degradable PVA networks of well-controlled structural properties. Increasing the solid content from 10 to 20wt% prolonged the release time from few hours to ~ 2 days but had no effect on the percent release, with only a maximum release of 65% achieved. Ester attachment to the PVA allowed flexibility in designing networks of variable swelling behaviors and degradation times allowing ease of tailoring for specific clinical requirements. Synthesis of radiopaque degradable PVA hydrogels was successful without affecting the polymer solubility in water or its ability to polymerize by redox. This suggested that this novel hydrogel is a potential liquid embolic with enhanced X-ray visibility. Degradable products had negligible cytotoxicity. Conclusion: Novel non-degradable and radiopaque degradable PVA hydrogels cured by redox initiation were developed in this research. The developed PVA hydrogels showed characteristics in vitro that are desirable for the in vivo application as release systems for anti-angiogenic factors.

Introduction: Embolic agents are used to block blood flow of hypervascular tumours, ultimately resulting in target tissue necrosis. However, this therapy is limited by the formation of new blood vessels within the tumour, a process known as angiogenesis. Targeting angiogenesis led to the discovery of anti-angiogenic factors, large molecular weight proteins that can block the angiogenic process. The aim of this research is development of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aqueous solutions that cross-link in situ to form a hydrogel that functions as an embolic agent for delivery of macromolecular drugs. Methods: PVA (14 kDa, 83% hydrolysed), functionalised by 7 acrylamide groups per chain, was used to prepare 10, 15, and 20wt% non-degradable hydrogels, cured by UV or redox initiation. Structural properties were characterised and the release of FITCDextran (20kDa) was quantified. Degradable networks were then prepared by attaching to PVA (83% and 98 % hydrolysed) ester linkages with an acrylate end group. The effect on degradation profiles was assessed by varying parameters such as macromer concentration, cross-linking density, polymer backbone and curing method. To further enhance the technology, radiopaque degradable PVA was synthesised, and degradation profiles were determined. Cell growth inhibition of modified PVA and degradable products were also investigated. Results: Redox initiation resulted in non-degradable PVA networks of well-controlled structural properties. Increasing the solid content from 10 to 20wt% prolonged the release time from few hours to ~ 2 days but had no effect on the percent release, with only a maximum release of 65% achieved. Ester attachment to the PVA allowed flexibility in designing networks of variable swelling behaviors and degradation times allowing ease of tailoring for specific clinical requirements. Synthesis of radiopaque degradable PVA hydrogels was successful without affecting the polymer solubility in water or its ability to polymerize by redox. This suggested that this novel hydrogel is a potential liquid embolic with enhanced X-ray visibility. Degradable products had negligible cytotoxicity. Conclusion: Novel non-degradable and radiopaque degradable PVA hydrogels cured by redox initiation were developed in this research. The developed PVA hydrogels showed characteristics in vitro that are desirable for the in vivo application as release systems for anti-angiogenic factors.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lund University.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lund University.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Murthy, Niren; Committee Member: Bellamkonda, Ravi; Committee Member: Davis, Michael; Committee Member: May, Sheldon; Committee Member: Milam, Valeria. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

No description available.

O perfil de liberação e o efeito de um sistema de liberação prolongada contendo metronidazol, antimicrobiano prescrevido para o tratamento da periodontite, foram avaliados na presença de biofilmes supra e subgengivais, representados respectivamente pelas bactérias Streptococcus mutans e Porphyromonas gingivalis. Os biofilmes foram crescidos e expostos ao sistema de liberação prolongada contendo metronidazol (MDZ) ou ao controle de veículo da formulação (CV), composto de monoglicerídeos e monoesterato de sorbitano. Biofilmes não tratados foram utilizados como controle negativo (CN). Os biofilmes e os meios de cultura de S. mutans foram coletados após a primeira exposição aos tratamentos nos tempos 24, 48, 72 e 96 horas enquanto para biofilmes de P. gingivalis os tempos foram 24, 48 e 72 horas. Após coleta, os biofilmes foram analisados em relação à quantificação de fármaco e viabilidade bacteriana (biofilmes de S. mutans: n=3; biofilmes de P. gingivalis: n=6). Biofilmes de S. mutans também foram avaliados em relação à acidogenicidade. Nos biofilmes supragengivais, a quantificação de MDZ nas primeiras 24 horas foi de 7% em relação à concentração inicial de fármaco na formulação, permanecendo em torno de 1% para os demais tempos. O teor de MDZ liberado da formulação reduziu a viabilidade bacteriana no tempo 24 horas e diminuiu a acidogenicidade dos biofilmes por 48 horas em relação aos grupos CV e NC (p<0,05). Já para os biofilmes subgengivais, 19% de MDZ foram liberados da formulação nas primeiras 24 horas e 5% do fármaco foram quantificados nas análises dos demais tempos. O antimicrobiano liberado reduziu a viabilidade bacteriana em todos os tempos em relação à CV e NC (p<0,05), não sendo diferente estatisticamente entre si (p>0,05). O grupo CV apresentou menor viabilidade bacteriana se comparado ao grupo CN (p<0,05), mas maior viabilidade em comparação ao grupo MDZ em todos os tempos (p<0,05). De uma forma geral, o sistema de liberação prolongada proposto neste estudo foi capaz de inviabilizar a proliferação de biofilmes de P. gingivalis e de desestabilizar biofilmes de S. mutans. Além disso, os microambientes originados pelos biofilmes interferiram na cinética de liberação do metronidazol, diminuindo sua disponibilidade biológica. Assim, considerando a continuidade do biofilme sub e supragengival, torna-se interessante aprofundar os estudos sobre formulações que possam inibir biofilmes subgengivais ao mesmo tempo em que desestabilizam biofilmes supragengivais, evitando a rápida recolonização dos nichos periodontais tratados. Em acréscimo, a possibilidade de estudar parâmetros operacionais de desenvolvimento da formulação farmacêutica utilizando-se modelos de biofilmes patogênicos pode ser considerada em futuros estudos / The drug release profile and the effect of a controlled release system containing metronidazole, an antibiotic prescribed for the treatment of periodontitis, were evaluated in the presence of supra and subgingival biofilms, represented respectively by the bacteria - Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. The biofilms were grown and exposed to the controlled release system containing metronidazole (MDZ) as well as vehicle control (VC) of the formulation containing monoglycerides and sorbitan monostearate. Untreated biofilms were used as negative control (NC). The biofilms and culture media of S. mutans were collected after the first exposure to the treatments at times 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours while for P. gingivalis biofilms, the times were 24, 48 and 72 hours. After collection, biofilms were analyzed for drug quantification and bacterial viability (S. mutans biofilms: n=3; P. gingivalis biofilms: n=6). Biofilms of S. mutans were also evaluated for acidogenicity. In the supragingival biofilms, the MDZ quantification in the first 24 hours was 7% in relation to the initial concentration of drug in the formulation, remaining around 1% for the remaining times. The amount of MDZ released from the formulation reduced the bacterial viability in the 24 hour and decreased the acidogenicity of the biofilms by 48 hours in relation to the VC and NC groups (p <0.05). As for subgingival biofilms, 19% of MDZ was released from the formulation in the first 24 hours and 5% of the drug was quantified in the other analyses. The MDZ released reduced bacterial viability in relation to VC and NC (p <0.05), and was not statistically different at all sampling times studied (p> 0.05). The VC group presented lower number of viable bacteria than NC (p <0.05), however, it was higher when compared to the MDZ-treated group at all sampling times studied (p <0.05). In general, the controlled release system proposed in this study was able to prevent the proliferation of P. gingivalis biofilms and to destabilize S. mutans biofilms. In addition, microenvironments caused by biofilms interfered with the release kinetics of metronidazole, reducing its bioavailability. Thus, considering the continuity of the sub and supragingival biofilms, it is imperative to deepen the studies on formulations that can inhibit the formation of subgingival biofilms while destabilizing supragingival biofilms, thereby avoiding the rapid recolonization of the treated periodontal niches. In addition, the possibility of studying operational parameters for the development of pharmaceutical formulations using models of pathogenic biofilms can be considered in future studies

With recent development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, a great amount of efforts have been devoted to nanomedicine development. Among various nanomaterials, silica nanoparticle (NP) is generally accepted as non-toxic, and can provide a versatile platform for drug loading. In addition, the surface of the silica NP is hydrophilic, being favorable for cellular uptake. Therefore, it is considered as one of the most promising candidates to serve as carriers for drugs. / The present thesis mainly focuses on the design of silica based nanocarrier-drug systems, aiming at achieving safe nanocarrier excretion from the biological system and enhanced drug efficacy, which two are considered as most important issues in nanomedicine development. / To address the safe carrier excretion issue, we have developed a special type of self-decomposable SiO₂-drug composite NPs. By creating a radial concentration gradient of drug in the NP, the drug release occurred simultaneously with the silica carrier decomposition. Such unique characteristic was different from the conventional dense SiO₂-drug NP, in which drug was uniformly distributed and can hardly escape the carrier. We found that the controllable release of the drug was primarily determined by diffusion, which was caused by the radial drug concentration gradient in the NP. Escape of the drug molecules then triggered the silica carrier decomposition, which started from the center of the NP and eventually led to its complete fragmentation. The small size of the final carrier fragments enabled their easy excretion via renal systems. / Apart from the feature of safe carrier excretion, we also found the controlled release of drugs contribute significantly to the drug efficacy enhancement. By loading an anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) to the decomposable SiO₂-methylene blue (MB) NPs, we achieved a self-decomposable SiO₂(MB)-Dox nanomedicine. The gradual escape of drug molecules from NPs and their enabled cytosolic release by optical switch, led to not only high but also stable drug concentration in cytosol within a sustained period. This resulted in enhanced drug efficacy, which is especially manifested in multidrug resistant (MDR) cancer cells, due to the fact that the NP-carrier drug can efficiently bypass the efflux mechanisms and increase drug availability. Together with its feature of spontaneous carrier decomposition and safe excretion, this type of nanomedicine’s high drug efficacy highlights its potential for low dose anticancer drug treatment and reduced adverse effect to biological system, holding great promise for clinical translation. / The enhanced drug efficacy by employing the self-decomposable silica nanocarrier is also demonstrated in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The loose and fragmentable features of the self-decomposable SiO₂-photosensitizer (PS) NPs promoted the out-diffusion of the generated ROS, which resulted in a higher efficacy than that of dense SiO₂-PS NPs. On the other hand, we also explored another nanocarrier configuration of Au nanorods decorated SiO₂ NP, with PS drug embedded into dense SiO₂ matrix. A different mechanism of drug efficacy enhancement was presented as the Au’s surface plasmon resonance enhanced the ROS production. Although the drug efficacy of such SiO₂(PS)-Au NPs was similar to that of self-decomposable SiO₂-PS NPs, their potential for clinical applications was limited without the feature of safe carrier excretion. / In summary, the self-decomposable SiO₂ based NP developed is a most promising system to serve as safe and effective carriers for drugs. Together with the known biocompatibility of silica, the feature of controllable drug release and simultaneous carrier decomposition achieved in the self-decomposable SiO₂-drug NPs make it ideal for a wide range of therapeutic applications. / 隨著近年來納米科學技術的快速發展，致力於納米藥物的研发也越來越多。在眾多納米材料體系中，二氧化硅納米顆粒因其無毒、易載藥、且易於細胞攝入等特性，被認為是最具前景的藥物載體之一。 / 本文主要致力於設計以二氧化硅納米顆粒為載體的納米藥物體系，使之同時具備能夠被生物體安全排泄以降低潛在不良影響，并且能夠加強藥效的特性，而這兩方面被認為正是納米藥物發展中最重要的議題。 / 爲了實現藥物載體安全排泄，我們設計了一種特殊類型可自降解的二氧化硅-藥物複合納米顆粒。通過在納米顆粒中控制形成徑向藥物濃度梯度分佈，我們達到了藥物釋放的同時伴隨二氧化硅載體解體的效果。這一特徵不同於傳統二氧化硅-藥物複合納米顆粒中藥物均勻分佈而難以擴散出載體的情況。我們發現在這種可自降解的二氧化硅-藥物複合納米顆粒中，首先徑向藥物濃度梯度分佈所引起的擴散控制著藥物釋放，而後藥物分子的流失促發二氧化硅載體由內而外的逐步分解，最終全面解體分裂成碎片。這些碎片的小尺度使得它們易於經泌尿系統安全排泄出體外。 / 除此之外，我們發現這種納米載體的可控藥物釋放特性可以大大提高藥效。通過將抗癌藥阿黴素載入自降解二氧化硅-亞甲藍納米顆粒中，我們得到一種可自降解二氧化硅/亞甲藍-阿黴素(SiO₂(MB)-Dox)複合納米顆粒。藥物分子可以逐漸擴散出納米顆粒，並且在光控開關作用下釋放到細胞胞漿中，使之在胞漿中持續保持穩定高濃度。這樣使得藥效得以加強，尤其是在多藥抗藥性腫瘤細胞中作用尤為明顯，這得益於納米載體藥物可以有效避開藥泵機制并提高藥物利用率。除了它的自發載體分解和安全排泄特性，這種納米藥物的高藥效使得它在低藥量治療和減少不良副作用方面的潛力突出，臨床應用前景廣大。 / 可自降解二氧化硅納米載體所帶來的的藥效增強亦顯示在光動力學治療法中。可自降解二氧化硅-光敏劑藥物(SiO₂-PS)複合納米顆粒鬆散易分解的結構特性促使其內部產生的活性氧物質易於擴散出藥物載體，這使得它的藥效高於傳統二氧化硅-光敏劑複合納米顆粒。另一方便，我們設計了一種金修飾的二氧化硅納米顆粒載體。它具有另一種不同的藥效增強機制，即利用金納米顆粒表面等離子體共振效應來增強活性氧物質的產生。雖然藥效與可自降解二氧化硅-光敏劑複合納米顆粒相似，但是它無法安全排泄，限制了其在臨床上的應用。 / 綜上所述，我們發展的可自降解二氧化硅納米顆粒作為一種安全高效的藥物載體顯示出其非常大的應用前景。二氧化硅以其衆所周知的生物相容性，和我們發展的可控藥物釋放及同步載體分解特性，已成為理想的藥物載體并有希望廣泛適用於治療應用。 / Zhang, Silu = 基於無定二氧化硅納米顆粒的安全高效納米藥物的研究 / 張思鷺. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 12, October, 2016). / Zhang, Silu = Ji yu wu ding er yang hua gui na mi ke li de an quan gao xiao na mi yao wu de yan jiu / Zhang Silu. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.

Recent advances in the area of nanotechnology have led to interesting applications of nanomaterials in medicine, especially in the areas of imaging and treatment. This thesis presents the development of two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based on the same fluorescent functional monomer. One MIP, prepared in the bulk format, is investigated for its ability to detect tamoxifen and its metabolites. The other MIP synthesised in the nanogel format, holds the potential to be used as pH-responsive drug delivery system. Four objectives were identified within this project. The first was the design and synthesis of fluorescent functional monomer. Two coumarin derivatives carrying a polymerisable unit, for covalent bonding within the polymer, and a carboxylic moiety, for interaction site with the template, were synthesised and characterised. However, only one of them (the VCC: 6-vynilcoumarin-4-carboxylic acid) showed high fluorescent yield and was selected as functional monomer. The second objective involved the development of a detection system based on bulk MIP containing the VCC fluorescent monomer. This system proved effective in generating a detectable signal upon binding the analytes. The signal was observed as a quenching of the polymer fluorescence and it was proportional to the amount of target molecules detected. The third objective was the preparation of tamoxifen-imprinted nanogels for potential application in the drug delivery field. The optimisation of the procedure gave a set of NIP/MIP with the desired solubility, particle size and fluorescence emission. These nanogels were then employed in the last objective, which involved the toxicity study and evaluation of the drug loading on of transgenic line of zebrafish. The nanogels were non-toxic at the tested concentrations and the presence of tamoxifen was confirmed.