Glycopeptide dendrimers targeting P. aeruginosa lectins yielded to crystallography and acted in synergy with tobramycin for biofilm inhibition and dispersal.
The
“pancarcinoma” Tn antigen (αGalNAc-O-Ser/Thr)
is a tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen (TACA) overexpressed on
the surface of cancer cells and suitable target for anticancer vaccines.
However, TACAs commonly show weak immunogenicity, low in vivo stability,
and poor bioavailability. To address these issues, the development
of physiologically stable TACA synthetic mimetics and novel nanocarriers
for multivalent display are object of intense research. Nanomaterials
represent suitable scaffolds to multimerize antigens, but absence
of toxicity, easy functionalization and capability to incorporate
biomolecules are compulsory characteristics for vaccine nanocarriers.
Here, we report on the conjugation of a synthetic Tn-antigen mimetic
to biocompatible and water-dispersible dextran-based single-chain
nanoparticles (DXT-SCPNs). In vitro stimulation of PBMCs and analysis
of interleukins production indicated a specific innate immune modulation
mediated by the multivalent presentation of the Tn mimetic at the
nanoparticle surface. These preliminary results pave the way for the
development of Tn-mimetic clusters on biocompatible DXT-SCPN for TACA-based
vaccines.
We describe a simple method to prepare water dispersible core-shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) 1 by capping QDs with a new thiol-containing heterobifunctional dicarboxylic ligand 4 (DHLA-EDADA). This ligand, obtained on a gram scale through a few synthetic steps, provides a compact layer on the QDs, whose hydrodynamic size in H2O is 15 nm ± 3 nm. The colloidal stability is dramatically enhanced with respect to the well-known (±) α-lipoic acid (DHLA). The ligand affinity towards QDs and the water dispersibility of nanocrystals 1 are addressed by the dithiol groups of DHLA, which chelate the zinc of the shell, and by the dicarboxylic groups of the ethylenediamine-N,N-diacetic acid (EDADA) residue, respectively. The effects of pH, buffer solutions, and biological medium on the stability of QDs 1 were assessed by monitoring the photoluminescence (PL) and hydrodynamic size over time. Highly fluorescent QD dispersions, stable over extended periods of time and over broad pH ranges and buffer types, were obtained. Furthermore, we show that the DHLA-EDADA ligand 4 also endows QDs with functional groups suitable for further conjugation and for metal ion detection. As a case study to illustrate the potential of our approach, we report the preparation and characterization of a highly luminescent orange light emitting polymer-QD 1 composite film.
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